AYREON — The Human Equation (review)

Album · 2004 · Progressive Metal

5/5 · 2010-10-15
arcane-beautiful

I’ve been a bit of fan of Ayreon for a while now, so I’m slowly trying to get all their albums. And this one is a must have.

Out of my 2 favourite albums (the other being 010101101), this is one of them, and it is very hard to choose a favourite, because I love them both so much , but I think as an album this is better, but I still prefer the other (as you will see why with my review of that album).

Having said that, I think this album really showed what Arjen is capable of, composition & performance wise. The instrumental sections are to die for and the line up of vocalists is just amazing.

This album is also quite lengthy, being near 2 hours long, but to be honest, when

As you all know, this is a concept album, dealing with a man in a coma, who has to deal with reality, his past & his emotions all attacking him while he is in a state of suspended animation.

This is a must have masterpiece. It’s one of those albums that I knew from the first listen that I will love this album for many many years to come.

Day 1: Vigil – Good intro. Great vocals. 8/10

Day 2: Isolation – Amazing vocal performances. The instrumental section is just mesmerizing. 10/10

Day 3: Pain – Impressive vocals. One of the better chorus’. 10/10

Day 4: Mystery – One of the best songs on the album. Great chorus and some great dramatic performances. 10/10

Day 5: Voices – Great vocals. Good arrangement and some nice instrumental work. 9/10

Day 6: Childhood – The instrumental sections are quite cheesy with the pan flutes (that always remind me of Karate Kid movies). Pretty nice song though. 9/10

Day 7: Hope – A nice jaunty tune. Very relaxing. 9/10

Day 8: School – Devin’s vocals really surprised me. Amazing arrangement. 10/10

Day 9: Playground – A beautifully arranged instrumental. 9/10

Day 10: Memories – The lyrics are quite funny. A beautiful wee song. 10/10

Day 11: Love – Classic Ayreon at it’s best. Amazing chorus. 10/10

Day 12: Trauma – What an epic. Love Mikaels screams in this song. Quite a dark moment for Ayreon. 10/10

Day 13: Sign – Beautiful arrangement. Very multi-dimensional. 10/10

Day 14: Pride – Amazing vocals from James & Magnus. Pretty kick ass song. 9/10

Day 15: Betrayal – Nice and dramatic with some nice instrumentation to liven the mood. 9/10

Day 16: Loser – Nice almost Irish jig sound to the main riff. Great vocals…especially from Devin. 10/10

Day 17: Accident? – Nice, slow and dramatic. 9/10

Day 18:Realization – Some pretty cool instrumental work, allowing the instruments to represent emotions, a very Eternia thing to do. Pretty epic. 10/10

Day 19: Disclosure – Amazingly arranged with some great vocal performances. 10/10

Day 20: Confrontation – It wouldn’t be Ayreon without an epic ending, and boy is it epic. And spoiler, the whole story was just a dream from the Migrator…ha fail.

CONCLUSION: Their most perfect album, and an amazing cast of vocalists. If you haven’t heard of Ayreon, I think this is the perfect start.