Ayreon

Timeline

There's something to be said for persistence and guilt. Over the years Ayreon's record company has sent me three of their albums, and though I listened to each one they failed to make much of an impact on me. They were well made and had elements I enjoyed but for the most part were a bit too operatic, too goth-metal, too sci-fi-concept-album, too over the top. Then Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the creative source behind Ayreon, put together a different band called Stream of Passion and released one of the best albums I heard in 2005. When I received Timeline, a retrospective in a deluxe box (filled with three CDs, one DVD plus a poster and massive booklet) I thought that maybe it was time to give Ayreon another chance. Plus I felt a bit guilty for all the unsolicited free swag.

It turns out that the Ayreon albums form an even larger story, a kind of musical Lord of the Rings but concerning "outer space, aliens and mystic castles". Again, that "over the top" bit. But when I started listening to the four hours of remastered music I found that some of his earlier songs, specifically those from Actual Fantasy and Into the Electric Castle, which were the second and third albums in the massive opus, were quite appealing to my ears.  They just seemed more grounded and focused, or at least the selections presented on Timeline.

So how about that music? It's progressive rock but not progressive like weird time signatures and keyboard solos and technical guitar parts. What's progressive is the extended structure of the songs, which have quite a bit in common with opera. Ayreon are famous for having a cornucopia of guest singers on the albums (17 on his previous CD) with each person taking on the part of one character in the story. Ronnie James Dio is one such guest, and he fits in perfectly, both his voice and his persona. Think classic Queensrÿche with more synthesizers, a greater emphasis on vocals and a few trippy outer-space instruments and you'll be close.

Almost every album has dreaded filler tracks, and by paring down the original albums to a few essential songs apiece the later albums have become more palatable. I'm not trying to make it sound like the Ayreon albums I listened to but didn't review were bad, just perhaps a bit bloated to the point that when I was done listening to 73 minutes of music my ears were tired instead of invigorated. While it may be daunting to suggest such a massive set for the beginner I've found that Timeline is an excellent introduction to the music of Ayreon. (Jason Hoffman)