Finding in a single job sounds and influences of Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Yes or Mike Oldfield, I find it very complicated not to say impossible ... however Ayreon got it and sublime in an impressive and unquestionable progressive rock album...
Arjen Anthony Lucassen, architect of this perfect work of Progressive Rock of ancient taste but made in modernity, is for me, one of those musicians who can only qualify as geniuses, perhaps at the height of Trent Reznor, Steven Wilson, Ian Anderson or Mike Oldfield himself. One of those multi-instrumentalist musicians, capable with his genius of building such works, true wonders of music that occasionally fall into your hands and for weeks you can not stop listening.
Lucassen is a spiky Dutch guitarist who triumphed in the European Metal scene thanks to his work in bands like Vengeance or Stream of Passion, of a certain popularity among connoisseurs of this extraordinary world, although in my opinion his most important contribution to music came given by his creation called Ayreon. A solo project, without a fixed band that he designed to unleash his progressive influences, anchored in the music of the 70s, the undisputed kingdom of the gods Pink Floyd, or the shy genius Mike Oldfield, of Ian Anderson's folk touches in Jethro Tull or the almost Jazzistic complexity of the Yes of Rick Wakeman, Jon Anderson and Steve Howe, besides the convoluted almost impossible instrumentation of the Rush.
He was only able to weave operas of the grandeur of "Into the Electric Castle", showing both virtuosity and versatility, with legends of music from all eras to give life to the roles of his works.
What concerns us here is called "Universal Migrator", an extensive work divided into two parts, designed to be published separately, following a plot line that places us in the distant future, leaving a lonely protagonist, as the sole survivor of the human race, confined in a colony on Mars from which the Earth cannot be destroyed. Because the argument of the albums has a continuity with each other, the record company decided to put the two parts on sale in a single case, so as not to deprive us of such a great sound adventure. Given the extension of both parts, I will review them separately, since despite following the same story, what Lucassen shows us musically speaking has nothing to do, the two parts are totally different.
The first part is called "The Dream Sequencer", and is set as I said before in a distant future, in which the human race has self-destroyed, due to pollution, wars and the fierce struggle for the power of the great powers of the world. Still it has managed to colonize Mars, and there, while a tragic war completely ravages our planet, a settler, has been born, grown and survived there, totally alone ... and I do not want to continue because this would turn into analyzing the concept of the album literary and would be very extensive.
Arjen Anthony Lucassen, architect of this perfect work of Progressive Rock of ancient taste but made in modernity, is for me, one of those musicians who can only qualify as geniuses, perhaps at the height of Trent Reznor, Steven Wilson, Ian Anderson or Mike Oldfield himself. One of those multi-instrumentalist musicians, capable with his genius of building such works, true wonders of music that occasionally fall into your hands and for weeks you can not stop listening.
Lucassen is a spiky Dutch guitarist who triumphed in the European Metal scene thanks to his work in bands like Vengeance or Stream of Passion, of a certain popularity among connoisseurs of this extraordinary world, although in my opinion his most important contribution to music came given by his creation called Ayreon. A solo project, without a fixed band that he designed to unleash his progressive influences, anchored in the music of the 70s, the undisputed kingdom of the gods Pink Floyd, or the shy genius Mike Oldfield, of Ian Anderson's folk touches in Jethro Tull or the almost Jazzistic complexity of the Yes of Rick Wakeman, Jon Anderson and Steve Howe, besides the convoluted almost impossible instrumentation of the Rush.
He was only able to weave operas of the grandeur of "Into the Electric Castle", showing both virtuosity and versatility, with legends of music from all eras to give life to the roles of his works.
What concerns us here is called "Universal Migrator", an extensive work divided into two parts, designed to be published separately, following a plot line that places us in the distant future, leaving a lonely protagonist, as the sole survivor of the human race, confined in a colony on Mars from which the Earth cannot be destroyed. Because the argument of the albums has a continuity with each other, the record company decided to put the two parts on sale in a single case, so as not to deprive us of such a great sound adventure. Given the extension of both parts, I will review them separately, since despite following the same story, what Lucassen shows us musically speaking has nothing to do, the two parts are totally different.
The first part is called "The Dream Sequencer", and is set as I said before in a distant future, in which the human race has self-destroyed, due to pollution, wars and the fierce struggle for the power of the great powers of the world. Still it has managed to colonize Mars, and there, while a tragic war completely ravages our planet, a settler, has been born, grown and survived there, totally alone ... and I do not want to continue because this would turn into analyzing the concept of the album literary and would be very extensive.
As for music, the album, in this its first part, becomes a compendium of all the basics that Progressive Rock had during its history. As its reproduction progresses we will listen to passages that will transfer us to the music of Pink Floyd in a masterful way, with those synthesizers evoking infinite space spots, seconded by guitars dotting with very long notes deepening so much in the space by which we are being guided, as For our own soul. Guitar riffs of exquisite melodies, only stroking the strings, supported by the sublime electronics that the genius Oldfield would show us during the 90s. Acoustic guitars supporting the majesty of the synthetic places that move us back in time, evoking ancient battles in the sea. Beautiful places of clear Folk influence, again winking to Mike Oldfield's influence, to revive the medieval world of ancient Ireland. Organs Hammond as the master Rick Wakeman showed us in the long suites of Yes, with incredible sensitivity, able to bristle our skin.
No comments:
Post a Comment