Human Equation [Limited Edition] [Bonus DVD]

Human Equation [Limited Edition] [Bonus DVD]

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Day One: Vigil

2. Day Two: Isolation

3. Day Three: Pain

4. Day Four: Mystery

5. Day Five: Voices

6. Day Six: Childhood

7. ,Day Seven: Hope

8. Day Eight: School

9. Day Nine: Playground

10. Day Ten: Memories

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Day Twelve: Trauma

2. Day Thirteen: Sign

3. Day Fourteen: Pride

4. Day Fifteen: Betrayal

5. Day Sixteen: Loser

6. Day Seventeen: Accident?

7. Day Eighteen: Realization

8. Day Nineteen: Disclosure

9. Day Twenty: Confrontation

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
As with his previous "Ayreon" releases, the latest offering from the brilliant musical mind of Arjen Anthony Lucassen is both the prototype and benchmark of all modern Rock Operas. The Human Equation is the sixth studio CD from Ayreon and it is by far the most grandiose to date. It shall surely prove to be another milestone in the genre. The 2-CD set features an impressive line up of guest vocalists including: James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Mikael Akerfeld, Devin Townsend, Devon Graves (Dead Soul Tribe), Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine), Irene Jansen (Star One), Magnus Ekwall (The Quill) and Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn). The Human Equation Special Edition 2CD and DVD collectors set comes packaged in a deluxe collectors box with 36 page book and features behind the scenes footage, the story of Ayreon, the video of Day 11: Love and more.

Tracks:

Day One: Vigil
Day Two: Isolation
Day Three: Pain
Day Four: Mystery
Day Five: Voices
Day Six: Childhood
Day Seven: Hope
Day Eight: School
Day Nine: Playground
Day Ten: Memories
Day Eleven: Love

Tracks:

Day Twelve: Trauma
Day Thirteen: Sign
Day Fourteen: Pride
Day Fifteen: Betrayal
Day Sixteen: Loser
Day Seventeen: Accident?
Day Eighteen: Realization
Day Nineteen: Disclosure
Day Twenty: Confrontation

Album Description

The 2-CD set features an impressive line up of guest vocalists including: James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Mikael Akerfeld, Devin Townsend, Devon Graves (Dead Soul Tribe), Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine), Irene Jansen (Star One), Magnus Ekwall (The Quill) and Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn). The Human Equation is released as a stylishly packaged digipak double CD with two non-album tracks.

Customer Reviews:

Virtually Flawless.......2007-05-16

This album is simply one of the greatest modern progressive metal releases since Pain of Salvation's `Perfect Element 1'. Even beyond the advantage of having an absolutely notorious collection of guest vocals, `The Human Equation' is a wonderfully bombastic assault of masterful song writing and performances from Arjen Lucassen, who with this release, proves his worth as a progressive metal genius.

The music itself is wonderfully diverse and done in true progressive fashion. You will initially hear Celtic-influenced metal with the standard keyboard frills, but you are soon to be surprised by the absolute depth that Lucassen masterfully summons. Flutes, strings and a myriad of other tasteful additions really accomplish exactly what I imagine Lucassen was aiming for. Each `phase' of this two-disc journey is executed with equal attention, and really serves to add a unique sense of diversity. Everything from Pink Floyd laden synth atmospherics, Celtic flute interludes, acoustic ballads to the Opeth-esque metal ferocity is PERFECT. The amount of time spent in creating such an emotionally charged and diverse offering must be immense. Nothing is even close to sounding cut-and-paste, and effort is specifically spent to make each passage of music flow flawlessly, despite its diversity, and to further accommodate its current vocalist. The melodies created are absolutely breathtaking. I can simply not describe the thrill I get when listening to albums as painstakingly crafted as this one.

This is a concept album, as every other reviewer has pointed out. Surprisingly, the story is well written to match the music! The rarity of this occurrence is immense. Generally, when an album of this musical caliber is written, little attention is paid to the story-line. Not the case with `The Human Equation'. This is a story of a man, or `Me' as the booklet states (part played... er.. sung by none other than James LaBrie (Dream Theater) himself!) who is in a coma, struggling towards consciousness, and passing through his life's memories on the way, while his Wife (Marcela Bovio) and Best Friend (The one and only: Arjen Lucassen) stand by his side. To add further originality to this already interesting story, the main character is accompanied by a myriad of abstract emotions given life by voice, such as (my personal favorite) `Rage', by Devin Townsend. Unfortunately, Townsend only appears three times over a two disk span, but his lack of presence is made less painful (Im a HUGE Townsend fan) by Mikael Akerfeldt's (`Fear') common appearance. Like I explained earlier, the music, in most instances, shifts along with a shift in vocalist. When Akerfeldt is center-stage, the music generally fades into a brooding acoustic passage, and when Townsend captures the spotlight, all things are heavy. This small, but noticeable feature, voluntary or not, adds so much more personality to the already captivating character concept.

This album should be absolutely required listening to any fan of prog metal. You will not easily find an album to top this one. With such grandiosity and epic structure, this is a guaranteed rewarding experience. The fact that some people actually don't like this album can only be explained by the fact that they are beings utterly without the ability to enjoy music. A virtually flawless masterpiece.

Amazing Album.......2007-05-14

I bought this album having not ever heard anything from ayreon and Im glad I did. It features some of the greatest vocalists on the proggressive scene today, and they all deliver an amazing performance on this concept double album. It has its soft and melodic moments, and it has its heavy and dark moments, both of which I enjoy. This is a must own for any proggressive metal fan.

The best progressive metal concept album EVER.......2007-05-01

I bought this album due to my interests in progressive metal (Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Pain of Salvation). I must say, "The Human Equation" is definately the best prog metal rock opera ever written.

The music is expertly composed and performed. It is all over the place -- extremely ecclectic. It is difficult for someone to like every single moment, since the music is so diverse, but I have grown to love every bit of it. The most impressive thing is how jarring and powerful the metal parts are. The singing is also quite stunning, with Opeth's Michael Akerfeldt adding a great deal of angst and beauty to the work. Also, Kevin James LaBrie adds a nice touch (though I am not a huge fan of DT's lyrics or vocals). Arjen is actually one of my favorite singers on this work. I also like the fact that the "Barbarian" from "Into the Electric Castle" is absent from this piece. I think his vocals detracted from that work. He reminds me of Ike Willis, which in his context is great, but it just doesn't work for progressive metal operas... It's fine for Joe's Garage. His vocals aren't "bad" per se, they just don't fit. He would kill on American Idol, but he kills "Into the Electric Castle" (it is still a great work, not as good as Human Equation, but Electic Castle is another story...)

One of the most amazing things is how Arjen incorporates very rich vocal harmonies and backing vocals with powerful lead vocals. The use of a vocoder to add a synthesis of vocals and electronics makes this very unique. I like this a lot, and it is something I was working on in a rock opera I am writing, but it's been done! That's OK, Arjen does it better than I could hope to do.

The musicianship is first rate. OK, not as good as Dream Theater (Arjen doesn't play the keys like Ruddess or shred the guitar like Petrucci), but much more tasteful. At least Aryeon seems to appeal to my tastes a lot more that DT, and I love DT.

If you have heard of Aryeon and wonder where to start, The Human Equation is the starting point. From there, get "Into The Electric Castle". It will not dissapoint, but is not as good. The rest are spotty and disapointing in comparison, but hold their own when evaluated individually.

Yes, there is sort of a "Dungeons & Dragons" thing going on here, and if you are too cool for that, you should stick with Tool and Radiohead. The fact is, the music, lyrics and concepts are meant to cover different time periods -- a fairly decent attempt to be timeless.

One small criticism -- he is a bit too into Pink Floyd. It comes across more on the other records than "Human Equation". Arjen is way better than Pink Floyd, and I don't understand why this band is so highly esteemed other than the fact that DSOTM is the best selling rock record of all time. The stuff Yes and Genesis were doing in 73 was far more impressive and under-rated. That's just another strong point of "Human Equation" -- less Floyd worshipping, and more of a demonstration of Arjen's talents and creativity. He is one clever fellow when he follows his heart and mind.

(I'm 16, but this is easier for me to use).......2007-03-05

I want you! To buy the Human Equation! Best piece of music I've ever heard, anyday. I've been a huge fan of Dream Theaters for a couple years, but this album is getting pretty close to busting them of my number 1 favourite music :D

50% awful.......2006-10-19

I bought the 2 CD set, but was only able to listen to the first one.

I was overwhelmed by the incessant Prog Metal cliches, particularly the Cookie Monster vocals.

They disfigure almost every track--but those tracks are already pretty loud and pointless.

Surely such retching vocals will hurt the singer's (?) voice?

One can hope so. Maybe it will put him out of action, and there will be one less Cookie Monster growler.

Don't know about Disc 2. Couldn't stomach the idea of hearing more of this.

I sold it.

Human Equation [Limited Edition] [Bonus DVD]

Average customer rating:

AN EXCELLENT EPIC WORK
Perhaps the best rock opera ever.
Amazing... AbsoFlippin Amazing
A Stunning Masterpiece!
This CD will be in your "top-5 favorites" of all-time list...

Human Equation [Limited Edition] [Bonus DVD]
Ayreon
Manufacturer: Inside Out U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Universal Migrator, Pts. 1-2
Into the Electric Castle
The Final Experiment
Actual Fantasy Revisited
Live on Earth [w/ Limited Edition Bonus DVD]

ASIN: B00020QZNO
Release Date: 2004-09-13

Tracks:

Day One: Vigil
Day Two: Isolation
Day Three: Pain
Day Four: Mystery
Day Five: Voices
Day Six: Childhood
,Day Seven: Hope
Day Eight: School
Day Nine: Playground
Day Ten: Memories
Day Eleven: Love

Tracks:

Day Twelve: Trauma
Day Thirteen: Sign
Day Fourteen: Pride
Day Fifteen: Betrayal
Day Sixteen: Loser
Day Seventeen: Accident?
Day Eighteen: Realization
Day Nineteen: Disclosure
Day Twenty: Confrontation

Album Description

As with his previous "Ayreon" releases, the latest offering from the brilliant musical mind of Arjen Anthony Lucassen is both the prototype and benchmark of all modern Rock Operas. The Human Equation is the sixth studio CD from Ayreon and it is by far the most grandiose to date. It shall surely prove to be another milestone in the genre. The 2-CD set features an impressive line up of guest vocalists including: James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Mikael Akerfeld, Devin Townsend, Devon Graves (Dead Soul Tribe), Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine), Irene Jansen (Star One), Magnus Ekwall (The Quill) and Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn). The Human Equation Special Edition 2CD and DVD collectors set comes packaged in a deluxe collectors box with 36 page book and features behind the scenes footage, the story of Ayreon, the video of Day 11: Love and more.

Customer Reviews:

AN EXCELLENT EPIC WORK.......2007-03-11

Since I'd discovered A. Lucassen works, I think is the best epic concept album. It's just all I want to hear nowadays, five stars to Ayreon, five stars to Arjen!!!!.

Perhaps the best rock opera ever........2006-04-22

I'm the kind of person that hates musicals, figure skating, home decoration shows, and rock opera's (eg. Meatloaf). While I knew most of the vocalists on this recording, I was hesitant to pick up because of my aversion to rock opera's. Needless to say I was not only impressed by this recording, I was truly amazed by it.

All the vocalists used are great and really fit their parts. Even if you don't pay attention to the roles each singer portrays, the trading off of multiple vocalists within a song works very well and seldom sounds cheesy.
A few vocalists really steal the show; namely Devin Townsend, Mikael ?kerfeldt, Irene Jansen, and Marcela Bovio. Those that know Devin Townsend's music know his trademark screams and they fit his part to a tee since he portrays the emotion of rage. Mikael ?kerfeldt from Opeth has a great singing voice (when he uses it) and offers a few of his trademark grunts (death metal vocals). While that form of singing prevents me from enjoying Opeth, it actually fits his parts well and are used very sparingly to great effect (coming off like some kind of demented god figure). At times his voice is quite operatic with amazing depth, especially on Day Twelve: Trauma. Irene Jansen has an extremely powerful voice, evident in the song Day Eleven: Love. Marcela Bovio is a newly discovered singer that Arjen Lucassen found in a talent competition. She has an amazingly emotive voice and is featured on his latest project.

The music has parts that are prog-metal, art rock, and prog-folk. The prog-folk sections sound an awful lot like classic Jethro Tull. The prog-metal sections vaguely sound like typical Dream Theater. The instrumentation is excellent, never sounding strained or forced into musical styles they can't reproduce. That's one of the reasons I actually like this rock opera, the music is always high quality and provides a great deal of variety. Interestingly, Day Three: Pain has a simple guitar part that sounds a lot like one of the themes from James Bond.

All in all, this is an excellent progressive recording. The music is atmospheric, heavy, and folksy all at once. The vocal performances are amazing and the overall presentation is incredible. This recording truly deserves all the accolades that it garners. I would highly recommend this to any prog fan; it truly is a masterpiece on so many levels. Shell out a few extra bucks for the special edition with the DVD. The making of documentary is actually quite interesting.

Amazing... AbsoFlippin Amazing.......2006-02-02

I've always found that going into Mediaplay can be dangerous. We went in to look at guitars and came out with the name of a band that played absolutely brill music. A few weeks and $30 later I had "the Human Equation" in my hot little hand. It. Is. AWESOME! Arjen combines all the best elements of so many different kinds of music into this brilliant Rock Opera masterpiece. I watched the DVD and was further astounded at how flippin' tall Arjen is. He makes me proud to share a Duth heritage with him.

The track "Hope", for me, is a very moving and uplifting song. All at once it gives me (ironically) hope and makes me think about all the friends I have lost over the years.

Arjen has created something that will unfortunately be overlooked by bloody mainstream America. It is sad that we concentrate so much on glitz and glamour and sex and ignore bands that actually have talent. BUY THIS CD! You won't regret it! in fact, I DEFY YOU to dislike this album!

A Stunning Masterpiece!.......2005-12-01

Since "The Human Equation" has been so widely praised, on Amazon and elsewhere, I don't feel the need to "convince" anyone to buy it-- The reviews below do this quite well! My review is for people that already own "THE", and are interested in a song-by-song analysis, with a focus on compositional elements.
SKT

Certainly one of the most interesting releases I've heard of late is the 6th Ayreon album titled "The Human Equation". Ayreon is full-blown progressive rock and orchestral in sound, with a huge arsenal of guitars, mandolins, analog synthesizers, melotrons, hammond organ, as well as string instruments (vn, vc), flutes, recorders, bassoon (!), even the Australian folk instrument, the didgeridoo. Likewise the style of the music is extremely varied, usually within the same song, going from hard rock to folk, country and classical, sometimes in very unpredictable ways. But what really makes the album unique is the stunning array of 11 singers, each one powerful and compelling (especially the three women).

Ayreon albums are the brainchild of one person, Dutch rock musician Arjen Lucassen, who writes all the music and most of the lyrics, plays all the guitars, bass, and most of the keyboards, and even sings, and does most of the mixing and post-production! He is a composer in the truest sense of the word, spending up to 2 years writing before ever going into the studio, and the fact that he has assembled such a stellar cast (including many who don't normally "guest" on other albums) says a lot for his status in the industry and the quality of his music. His albums are not just albums or even "concept" albums, but rock operas, with characters and a story line. In this case, the story concerns a man in a coma, with his best friend and wife at his side. The real drama, however, plays out in the man's head-- Various emotions become "characters" in the story as he relives seminal episodes in his life, and we discover the circumstances that led up to his "accident". It's a fascinating concept-- Not your typical rock album, that's for sure!

Some things to listen for along the way:

CD1-
Track1-- Intro to album. Gorgeous harmony for Wife: "Why are you so concerned" Too short! I want to hear more!
Tr 2-- Full blown progressive rock number with many characters and huge arsenal of colors. Exciting instrumental interludes (phenomenal Synth solo). Refrain (Passion:"Can't you feel it burn") more intensely orchestrated with each new appearance. Also verses radically reorch, depending on the character (compare Me: "I can't move", to Love: "Close your eyes")
Tr 3 "Pain"-- Appropriately gloomy, but with a wonderful ray of hope (Love: "I can't accept this")
Tr 4-- Totally inspired use of the slide guitar, especially highlighting more gorgeous harmony for the Wife ("Do you think he's seen it?"). Also stunning a-capella reorch of verse towards end. One of my favorites!
Tr 5-- Lydian guitar and mandolin intro. Nice writing for violin and cello. Middle section (Reason: "Who are these voices", Love: "They sound familiar") great!
Tr 7-- Happy go lucky, Beach Boys like. Great harmonies (Best friend: "So much to see"). Abrupt change to "harder" orch at end, when lyrics get more serious (Me: "There's no way out").
Tr 10-- Just plain gorgeous, and very moving. Beginning sounds like intro, but actually is the same musical material as verse proper (Best Friend and Pride: "Do you remember that time"). Another re-orch of the verse at end (Passion: "Can you see her light").
Tr 11-- Incredible inspiration to end CD 1. Irresistable, swinging 6/8 rhythm, obscured by mandolin intro, then "corrected" by drum entrance. Wonderful harmony throughout, esp. bVII, IV, I progression in verse, and rich harmony in refrain (Passion: "Do it right"). Surprise new section (Agony: "Remember your father"), yet another re-orch of the verse (Fear: "You're afraid she might turn you down"), wonderful vocal counterpoint after that (Me: "Friday night"), and INCREDIBLE ending-- I call it Climax by Subtraction!!

CD 2-
Track 12-- At begining., wisps of virtually every song from CD 1 fly by. Listen real close, or you'll miss it! Yet another amazing transformation of musical material (compare Fear: "We won't let you go" to Passion: "She won't let you go"). Synth end recalls very beginning of track.
Tr 13-- Beautiful acoustic number, especially welcome after heavy, dark rock of tr 12. Again, gorgeous new music for Wife ("Can you feel me touch"). Another new section later (Wife: "Can you see") with very unusual orch. of string Pizzicato, perhaps indicating the "teardrops" in the lyrics.
Tr 15-- Wagnerian majesty in the refrain (Reason: "This memory burns inside"), which is more gloriously orch. with each new appearance. Wonderful instrumental interlude, almost Bach Toccata-like.
Tr 16-- One of the more brutal songs, especially lyrically, but has amazing Hammond solo in middle by rock legend Ken Hensley (phenomenal drumming by Ed Warby in this section as well).
Tr 17-- gorgeous Pink Floyd-esque inspiration at critical point in the story. Missing beats in verse, haunting "off stage" women's chorus (Wife: "Did you see me smile"), and great bass line during refrain (Agony: "Love left you") all highlights. And, yet another verse reorch (Agony: "Your memory begins to clear").
Tr 18-- Mostly instrumental. Flute "cadenza" at begining actually states main musical material of song. Folksy style recalls inst. track on CD 1 (#9). Fugal section explores virtually his entire arsenal of instruments, sometimes in bizarre combinations.
Tr 19-- Another gorgeous song, with more lydian tendencies. Surprise C# minor at middle section (Wife: " My sweet love"), with leaping string arpeggios. The instrumental section recalls tr 18.
Tr 20-- The climax of the entire album, both lyrically and musically. Large ABA form--- outer "A" sections fittingly use a passacaglia, recalling climactic sections of many classical works (Purcell-- Dido & Aeneas, Brahms-- Symph #4, Britten-- Turn of the Screw & Peter Grimes come to mind). "B" sec. begins with huge surprise harmonically (Agony: "Welcome to reality"), and many more harm surprises after that. Final "A" section builds to huge climax before the surprise ending puts a new twist on the whole story.

That does it! Sorry for the "cliff-notes" approach, but hopefully I got my points across. I look forward to your comments-- (...)respond on the Amazon website.

Happy listening!

Scott Tisdel

This CD will be in your "top-5 favorites" of all-time list..........2005-07-20

Since I don't have the time, or talent, to write eloquent reviews like I have already seen for this album, I will start by saying that "I couln't have said it better myself!" Adjectives such as Astonishing, Amazing, Brilliant, Kick-Ass, Mezmorizing, Unbelieveable...all of them apply to this album.

Having started out with "Into the Electric Castle" and "Universal Migrator Pts 1 and 2," I was fond of Arjen's music, but found the electronica "spacey" type stuff kinda difficult to listen to at times. When I found out about The Human Equation, and read about the fact that it didn't have all of the "space-themed" lyrics and sounds, and saw the list of singers on the album...well, I was pretty darn excited.

Upon the first couple of listens, I didn't really grasp the depth or brilliance of this album. But once I got the chance to sit down and listen to it at work on my headphones, I was simply amazed. Each time I have listened to this album, it has gotten better. There are precious few albums out there that do get better with each listen...this is one of them. I simply cannot stop playing this CD. It is to the point that I fear I will over-play it, and then grow tired of it (which happens with any album, no matter how good it is), but the damn thing just keeps getting better!!

Some of my favorite bands include Symphony X, Dream Theater, Rush, Spock's Beard, Trans-Atlantic, and Porcupine Tree. The best way I can describe Human Equation in relation to these bands is this...Imagine each band's "masterpiece" and combine the elements that made them "masterpieces" together. Bing, bang, boom, presto! You have created "The Human Equation."

This album, as someone else commented, is worth much more than the asking price, when you consider how much entertainment and pure brilliance that you get in return for your hard-earned money. In my humble opinion, you should not hesitate one little bit to purchase this album. You will be forever delighted that you did.

Human Equation [Special Edition] [Bonus DVD] [Bonus Book]

Average customer rating:

Art
Pure genius
Another awesome work from Arjen, best ever !
Musical Masterpiece
INCREDIBLE ALBUM!!

Human Equation [Special Edition] [Bonus DVD] [Bonus Book]
Ayreon
Manufacturer: Inside Out U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Live on Earth [w/ Limited Edition Bonus DVD]
Live in the Real World [Region 2]
The Final Experiment
Into the Electric Castle
Actual Fantasy Revisited

ASIN: B00020QZNY
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Tracks:

Day One: Vigil
Day Two: Isolation
Day Three: Pain
Day Four: Mystery
Day Five: Voices
Day Six: Childhood
,Day Seven: Hope
Day Eight: School
Day Nine: Playground
Day Ten: Memories
Day Eleven: Love

Tracks:

Day Twelve: Trauma
Day Thirteen: Sign
Day Fourteen: Pride
Day Fifteen: Betrayal
Day Sixteen: Loser
Day Seventeen: Accident?
Day Eighteen: Realization
Day Nineteen: Disclosure
Day Twenty: Confrontation

Album Description

As with his previous "Ayreon" releases, the latest offering from the brilliant musical mind of Arjen Anthony Lucassen is both the prototype and benchmark of all modern Rock Operas. The Human Equation is the sixth studio CD from Ayreon and it is by far the most grandiose to date. It shall surely prove to be another milestone in the genre. The 2-CD set features an impressive line up of guest vocalists including: James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Mikael Akerfeld, Devin Townsend, Devon Graves (Dead Soul Tribe), Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine), Irene Jansen (Star One), Magnus Ekwall (The Quill) and Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn). The Human Equation Special Edition double CD is packaged with a bonus DVD featuring behind the scenes footage, the story of Ayreon, the video of Day 11: Love and more.

Customer Reviews:

Art.......2006-07-16

These days it is hard to find music that can still be called art. Real art. Especially in the metal or rock scene. Too many worthless projects are made for worthless money only. But then... I found Ayreon's The Human Equation, and specifically the special edition with DVD and booklet. If music would ever be called art again...then this is it. Together with the packaging and illustration art that grace this album it can only be called a masterpiece.

So everyone knows about the guest vocalists and artists that perfect this album and the brilliance of Arjen...and the included goodies of the DVD and packaging... then no matter the price...believe me, it is worth every buck, just like a Rembrandt or a Picasso painting would be.

If you appreciate good musicianship, storytelling and passion for the revival of music's true quality (creating a fantasy world and letting you explore this world) then buy it.

Listen to this album and feel how it affects your emotions.

Pure genius.......2004-09-21

Everything about this package is cool - the music, the artwork in the Limited Edition book and the DVD.
No sci-fi theme here, unlike previous Ayreon works. Telling a story of a man in a coma as he deals with his internal emotions - with a different singer and voice for every emotion - can be at first somewhat disconcerting, especially when it goes from James Labrie of Dream Theater as the main character to Eric Clayton from Saviour Machine with his operatic voice as Reason. But you get the hang of it and realize how cool it is. As always, Arjen mixes those spellbinding female vocal harmonies that Ayreon is known for. I have heard other Ayreon albums and this is my favorite. James Labrie has never sounded better. The guitar tones are cool. The DVD has excellent behind the scenes interviews with Arjen as he recounts the entire project from inception to finish, all with his very amusing sense of humor.

Another awesome work from Arjen, best ever !.......2004-06-22

hi people...
i discovered the work of Arjen last year, and since he announced
the new album on his site, i became very anxious. since i don't
live in the us or europe (i'm from brasil), it's a little hard
and expensive buying some new itens. but this time i said that
i must have the limited edition. and so i did. i have all the
Ayreon cd's, except for Actual Fantasy and The Final Experiment.
i have live and studio star one and ambeon too. and The Human
Equation is simple the best of Arjen albums. melodic pieces,
awesome solos, great singers, soft and powerful voices.
everyone should have this !!

Musical Masterpiece.......2004-06-13

I first bought this CD because James Labrie was on it and im a huge fan of dream theater. I was blown away by the music on this double CD. Ive never heard of the other singers but they are awesome. I bought the limited edition and it was cool to watch how arjen came up with this album. The music is just great, it has prog rock/metal/folk/orchestral ... I dont know what to call it but its a musical masterpiece. Awesome album!

INCREDIBLE ALBUM!!.......2004-05-30

The latest release by Arjen Anthony Lucassen brings a whole new side to Ayreon that we've never heard before. From the light, melodic voice of Love (Heather Findlay), to the Screams of Rage (Devin Townsend), to the very deep voice of Reason (Eric Clayton). This album has everything you could possibly want: Instrumentals, ballads, folk, metal, symphonic, prog, and rock.
This is definitly the best release of the year, and to me, My Favorite album of all time!!