Another Masterpiece from Ayreon
Arjen Anthony Lucassen is without doubt the king of the rock opera. His new Ayreon album
The Human Equation features 11 awesome vocalists telling the story of a man fighting his way out of a coma. James LaBrie (Dream Theater) is "Me", Arjen himself is "Best Friend", new talent Marcela Bovio (with a voice like an angel) is "Wife", Mike Baker (Shadow Gallery) is the very nasty "Father". The other vocalists represent feelings and emotions the man is experiencing. Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) is Fear, Devin Townsend is Rage, Devon Graves (Dead Soul Tribe) is Agony, Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine) is Reason, Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn) is Love, Magnus Ekwall (The Quill) is Pride and Irene Jansen (Star One) is Passion.
The music itself is as varied as the emotions, ranging from progressive rock to metal and covering Gaelic, pop, ballad, you name it. You can spot musical tips of the hat to Pink Floyd, the Beatles and others. The only word to describe it is BRILLIANT.
The special edition comes with a DVD which is highly informative and entertaining telling the story of the making of the album, a history of Ayreon (and Arjen) and some extras such as a video of the song "Day 11: Love", and more!
Get it! You won't regret it.