Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Mesmorizing Masterpiece - Worth 10 Stars, July 16, 2004
Being the only Ayreon album I've heard, I cannot compare this to any of his earlier works, but from this, I must say this is one of the most phenomenal albums I've ever had the privilage of hearing. I would probably say it's the greatest album in all my collection of music.
Arjen Lucassen who heads the project takes the same approach he's taken w/ all his other works, which is to tell a conceptual story with a plethora of huge names of non-mainstream musicians as voice guests. This time, the story stars 3 people. The first is the main character who got into a car accident and went into a coma. The second and third are his wife and his best friend who are at his side at the hospital. The story takes place in two places; the first being the hospital room itself and the second being in the main character's head. The man is in the coma for 20 days and each track on the CD is a new day, progressing the story of how the man got into the accident, flashbacks into his life and secrets revealed later on. All the big guest voices (including Mikael Akerfeldt, Devin Townsend, James LeBrie, Heather Findlay, and Irene Jansen to name a few) take parts of his emotions, like Fear, Agony, Rage, Reason, Love, etc.
The music itself is mostly progressive rock, where songs range from all different forms; such as metal, rock, celtic, folk, orchestrial, classical, spacey synths, and 70's Pink Floydish type prog - some being all mixed w/in one song or spaced out accordingly. When you think you're listening to a metal track, in pop in the oboes, flutes, violins and soft woodwinds to completely blow you off track and not to mention blow your mind. A couple even go completely off that route, simply amazing melodies! There isn't one mediocre track on this record, in fact, ALL are great and depthful enough to blow you away- from the dueted, melodic and graceful vocal arrangements, to the simply HYPNOTIZING instrumentals, to some of the most amazing atmospheres ever created, and the way they're all brilliantly merged. Each track is very unique from the next or previous, and all moods according to which emotion is being concentrated on that particular day or track are dead on and fit it perfectly. One for example uses a very hardcore metal influence w/ a few woodwinds fused, while others are mellow folk songs, and another would be a full on Dream Theateresque metal anthem. The songs aren't just brilliant, they also just plain kick ass! Arjen Lucassen is truly a musical genius.
The best way to listen to this disk is to sit back w/ headphones on, take out the lyrics sheet and follow the story along, it'll only make the impact of the story and the way the music marries w/ it all the better. The disc, as amazing as it is, will probably take a couple of straight through listens to truly appreciate though, only due to its insanely in-depth complexity. The songs are completely unpredictable, but still focused enough to where it's not ridiculously random as I've had the displeasure of hearing from other progressive bands (eh-hem, Tristania, eh-hem).
If you're going to get this 2 disc masterpiece, make sure it's the special edition w/ the DVD. The DVD itself is another great addition. It includes a 45 minute look into the making of the record, where Arjen makes sure to give credit to every contributing member. There's also the first video off the album.
If there were any flaws, I would have to say the most significant is with the writing. The lyrics telling the story are a tad too simple and easily read, whereas given more time, more metaphors or complex writing could have been achieved and this mildly takes away from the impact of the story itself. This in no way affects the incredible music though. Also, when it comes to the metal parts, they're usually very Dream Theater type staccato razoredge sounding power chord riffs, where more Power metal/Gothic type depthness couldn't have hurt. These really are minor quiffs though, and this record is still worth about 3X the amount being charged for it. Lastly (and this has nothing to do w/ the CD), Amazon advertises this album to have a special 36 pg Bonus Book w/ the special addition, I didn't recieve it and I don't even think such a book even exists, so I don't know why Amazon says there is one.
Overall, I must say: Believe The Hype. Everyone on any website you'll visit talks about this record as if it were a Godsent, and I must say it truly, TRULY is. Easily being one of the greatest recordings ever put tape in the history of rock music, any fan of great music, whether it be metal, classical, pop, folk or whatever will find this to be absolutly mind boggling. BUY THIS NOW. "The Human Equation"... UNBELIEVABLE!
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spellbinding Masterpiece (DVD review), February 2, 2005
I already reviewed the regular edition of The Human Equation back in May, 2004, and said that I consider it one of the most amazing pieces of prog metal ever created. In the past nine months since its release, I have listened to many albums and I can easily say that THE is still my favourite album of 2004 and one of the greatest creations in years. Please refer to my review of the regular edition if you want my opinion on the music of THE; this review will be more focused on the DVD that comes in the special edition. Not being a big DVD fan, I resisted the urge to pick this up, but everyone was raving about it so I just had to buy it and after watching it I am glad I made this purchase. The Human Equation is one of those albums you need two copies of anyway.
Okay, now on to the DVD. It consists of six parts and has subtitles in English and Dutch. The first part "Inside" (45:27) is the longest and coolest behind-the-scenes section. Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen explains how he writes his songs and how he records his music. He details in what order he records all the instruments in his home studio and why the drums are recorded elsewhere. I particularly found it fascinating how he comes up with all the great musical ideas while jogging. Most of the video was filmed in and near Arjen's house and gives a nice insight in his gear, equipment, and even cats.
One aspect of the originality of THE comes from the fact that Arjen chose to work with completely different singers and instrumentalists (except for drum god Ed Warby) this time. Since each singer recorded their parts in Arjen's studio (except Devin Townsend and Mike Baker) they are all filmed doing their parts with interesting commentary from Arjen. He explains how he decided to have them on his album and how he discovered their music. Mike Baker was also filmed by his bandmate Gary Wehrkamp, so the only missing singer is Devin Townsend. That's a shame cause Devin's work on THE is absolutely phenomenal; I'd have loved to see him doing those killer screams at the end of "Loser". Arjen himself explains how he fell in love with that WALL OF SOUND on Devin's Terria album, which he says was one of the most unique pieces of music ever. I definitely agree with that and it should be in your best interest to give it a listen.
While I was familiar with most of the singers on THE, I got to discover the amazing talents of Magnus Ekwall and his great band The Quill. Ekwall proved to be a phenomenal singer with a powerful midrange and tons of expression. Marcela Bovio, who was selected by Arjen through demo tapes sent to him, is another excellent addition to the ever-growing realms of progressive music.
All the singers on the disc are interesting. It's great to see how they warmed up and became one with their roles. I must particularly point out that Mikael Akerfeldt's performance on the DVD is by far my favourite. He not only exhibits a killer vocal performance, but his voice is just as strong as it is on the final recording of the album. It doesn't falter or crack at all, even during the highest grunts. I also enjoyed the way Mike Baker recorded those Alice Cooper-like vocals and Arjen's comment that he and Mike are perhaps the two biggest Alice Cooper fans around.
Besides the singers, Arjen also recorded most of the instrumentalists in his own studio. The footage of the classical players and how they incorporate themselves in the mix is killer. You can feel how everyone involved in this project was there mentally 100% and tried to make it more perfect than it is. Uriah Heep mastermind Ken Hensley lays down a fantastic Hammond solo from his home studio as does Martin Orford from IQ. Joost from Sun Caged also plays the same melody, yet in a virtuosity line, and blows my mind away every time.
Other parts of the DVD are "Concept" (3:05) where Arjen explains the storyline of the album. Basically it's about a man who has an accident and falls into a coma. He then is confronted with various emotions such as Pain, Love, Agony, Pride, Reason, etc. (which are all portrayed by a different singer) in his subconscious and his wife and best friend in the hospital room (portrayed by Marcela Bovio and Arjen himself). Then there is the "Ayreon" (4:26) part with the history of Arjen's long musical past. Great shots with his former bands Bodine, Vengeance and his solo album. "Drums" (3:32) features drummer Ed Warby summarising his kit and equipment. I found Warby to be an immsensely amazing drummer, probably one of the best in Europe. He's also very easy-going and even bothers to explain drum-jargons such as "click track". His rolls and fills in the little video are great too. "Video" (3:49) is the videoclip of "Day 11: Love" and it's mixed in crisp Dolby 5.1 sound. Finally there's the short "Teaser" (1:28) which is one of the most exciting teasers I've ever seen.
The packaging is neat. The DVD comes in a separate jewelcase along with the 103-minute long double CD. Both cases are in a cardboard box. The booklets are fantastic, thanks to Mattias Noren. I also feel the cover art is incredible, perhaps the best Arjen has ever had. Arjen comes across as such a down-to-earth person, so funny, so natural. I'm so glad I picked this version up.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MUST OWN , July 26, 2004
Despite some peoples opinions, I and several of my friends agree that this is a must have album. I've never heard of anybody involved in it, but its still one of the best albums I have. The dueling vocals found on most of the album hit all the vocal ranges perfectly which ends up creating a beautifully interwined set of vocals. Its also got some of the sickest melodies out there. If you're not into any form of metal or rock, stay away; I can guarantee you wont like it. But if you're looking for something different, a sleeper hit, a "diamond in the rough", then this is for you. Also its great when you listen to it h.....
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Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
See all 11 tracks on this disc
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![Human Equation [Limited Edition] [Bonus DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61QVCN9Q2PL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![The Human Equation [Regular Edition]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/616KBGCKHHL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
