Recommended Video’s Ayreon - Everybody Dies (Ayreon Universe) ruclips.net/video/9AAXtUdM7xE/видео.html Ayreon - Star of Sirrah (Universe) ruclips.net/video/3dEHQNAZsIo/видео.html Ayreon - Intergalactic Space Crusaders (Universe) ruclips.net/video/mDjomu33Xzc/видео.html Ayreon - The Eye Of Ra (Universe) ruclips.net/video/odcO0SciTUY/видео.html Ayreon - Twisted Coil (Electric Castle And Other Tales) ruclips.net/video/gcHn0kCgmAs/видео.html Ayreon - And The Druids Turned To Stone (Ayreon Universe) ruclips.net/video/lR-foGKsus0/видео.html
Welcome in the amazing world of Arjen A. Lucassen Aka Ayreon Universe (Ayreon, Ambeon, Star One, Supersonic Revolution, Guilt Machine, Gentle Storm, Stream of Passion).... Enjoy this 100+ artist thick rabbit hole….!!!!!
Now you need to listen to some more Ayreon - preferably live. I'd suggest 'Isis and Osiris' from Electric Castle and 'Into The Black Hole', 'Intergalactic Space Crusaders' and 'Everybody Dies' from Ayreon Universe
the singers in order of appearance James LeBrie - Dream Theater (USA) Tommy Karevik - Kamalot and Seventh Wonder (Sweden), Tommy Rogers - Between The Buried And Me (USA), Simone Simons - Epica (Holland), Nils K. Rue - Pagan's Mind (Norway), Tobias Sammet - Avantasia, Edguy (Germany), Hansi Kirsch - Blind Guardian (Germany), Michael Mills - Toehider (Australian), Russell Allen - Symphony X (USA), Michael Erikson - Circus Maximus (Normay), Floor Jansen - Nightwish (Finland/Holland), Next try them live with there song "Everybody Dies" ruclips.net/video/9AAXtUdM7xE/видео.html&pp=ygUVZXZlcnlib2R5IGRpZXMgYXlyZW9u
So you been put onto rabbit hole number 2 with Ayreon ! "Ayreon Universe live " is a great watch and will open more doors into other great music and Artists you may otherwise never have exposure to. Great songs to view are "star of sirrah, everybody dies" among many. Artists include Floor, Marco, Hanze from Blind Guardian etc. Enjoy
All 11 singers continue through the album, telling the story of Alphan's and how their planet was destroyed by computers. Floor has been recording on Arjen's projects since she was 19. She started doing backing vocals, then she and her sister Irene, became part of Arjen's Star One project. Then she got her own roles in Ayreon. She features in so much of his work. Arjen only works with the best, as he is a perfectionist, but they not only have to be talented, but they must also be skilled at working with others and enjoy it. The story is told over many albums and the singers and musicians involved with the project, over more than 25 years, is phenomenal.
So to remove any doubts, Arjen Lucassen, mastermind behind Ayreon, Star One, Supersonic Revolution and other collaborations, plays in this video bass, guitars, hammond and synths.
Ayreon is a who’s who of anyone who that is anyone in the metal universe. Arjen has the best black book of contacts to call on in the music industry and his compositions are so good that they all want to take part. You have a whole catalogue of bands to explore just by checking out the singers and each of their bands.
Yes, you are so correct. Ayreon makes you feel grateful for being alive . The music of Arjen Anthony Lucassen is unique and from the highest level. And the guy is humble, more than friendly, a genius and a top politician. What other artist can bring all these top musicians together? Because that is what he does. He writes epic progrock. For 30 years by the way. But he has no band. He playes a lot of instruments himself brilliantly. Then he invites up to 25 absolute amazing vocalists worldwide to sing in his projects. And than the wonder occurs. They are honored to be invited and are happy to participate. No ego's, no envy. They enjoy each others performance and are proud to participate in these joyful reunions of excellence. That is the real power of Arjen. So let's make Arjen President 😉. Once in a while he performs live. These projects are played live in Tilburg in the Netherlands. I was extremely lucky to witness the "under the waves" concert in 2023. 25 main singers on a three stage podium, A top of the bill band with his regular musicians, a mindblowing light show, pyro and laser show, and more than 60 nationalities in the audience from the world over going out of their global minds. People travel from Australia or South America to the Netherlands just to witness this. And for good reasons. Eternal goosebumps and running out of tears is what happens. It starts at forehand when you are in a mile long row to enter the venue. The atmosphere is great in anticipation. And then Damian Wilson ( one of the top singers and a great guy) comes along to shake hands and taste the atmosphere. The whole city is transformed into Ayreon town. Everywhere people wearing black drinking Ayreon beer. Marcela Bovio ( top singer) doing private concerts at the camping site as a warm up. It is a real pilgrimage. No wonder the concerts are sold out in 5 minutes. So yes, next to Nightwish Ayreon is a rabbithole worth checking out. No wonder Floor and Anneke van Giersbergen are connected to Ayreon as well as Nightwish. Floor as the lead singer and Anneke doing concerts with Marko who sings in Ayreon as well. It's a small world after all. Those artists show us the way by combining forces and cooperation. A good example from his latest concert: from the live beneath the waves 01011001 concert: listen to "the Sixth Extinction" Be sure to take the official live recording from Arjen himself. Not the bootleg. It is an example of the outcoming DVD. You'll love it. Amen.
Don’t blame yourself, it’s American radio. My son and I were in the car listen to classic rock and I would tell him I could name that tune in a couple of notes. He asked how I knew all those songs. I told him they have been playing the same songs for the last 40 years. Don’t get me wrong, I love classic rock, but it was time to find something new. My journey began during the pandemic after I saw Floor in Beste Zangers with Henk Poort. I took my son to see Tarja recently in NYC. His comment was wow that lady can sing! By the way she is on tour in the US right now.
Now you've done it ! 😂 You've started on the Ayreon journey prepare for your life to be taken over ( and changed forever ) - so much to see and listen to . I'd suggest you check out some of the live tracks - live performances don't happen very often due to the performers all having their own projects and coming from all over the world but when they do they are 🔥🔥🔥 . It's a measure of the respect in which Arjen is held by his peers that so many of them are prepared to give up their time etc to take part in Ayreon ( and enjoy themselves SO much when they do ) Enjoy the ride !
Ah, Ayreon. It makes me smile when people discover this remarkable takent. Yes, this was the right one. Now go ahead and watch this about 6 more times to take it all in. It's OK. We'll wait.😊
Thanks for doing this, there is a live concert called ‘Universe’. It has a tremendous amount of talent on stage. Most of these singers are lead singers of great bands. Any song of the Universe is worth reacting to.
So glad you enjoyed this introduction to so many famous musicians. You should now watch some live performances from this magical composer. I hope you can appreciate how lucky we are over here in Europe with so much talent. We don't generally like two and a half minute bouncy, autotuned blandness. Explore this particular rabbit hole and you will be rewarded by a wealth of great singers and musicians from around the world. Enjoy. Incidentally Arjen was one of the first to recognise the wonderful talent of Floor and her sister Irene and they have both featured in many of his works since the early 2000s.
The first time I heard this I had to have a lie down in a darkened room afterwards. There was so much amazing stuff going on it fried my brain! All the singers were amazing but the standouts for me were Tommy Karevic, Michael Eriksen and Michael Mills. I am in total awe of Michael Mills. The skill needed to multitrack all those harmonies was a work of genius. Arjen’s solos were superb and of course Floor added her stardust at the end. If you stick with the Nightwish army we will show you all the good stuff! Still enjoying your wonder at all the music you’re catching up on. Keep em coming!
So now i guess it's time to listen to the other band of Tuomas Holopainen that is with his wife Johanna and Troy from Nightwish. Different style, celtic sound, enchanted voices 😊
This is what people will do if Arjen gives them an invite. His music is just amazing, his ability to draw incredible performances out of the best is mindblowing, and in all his interviews he seems like the most downtoearth 6'8" you'd ever meet.
I'm enjoying watching you react... I've been there, LOL!! FYI the next one that you should do from this CD is "Ayreon - Everybody Dies". (you can thank me later, LOL)
Well. You do not waste any time here. Ayreon is a project from Dutch genius Arjen Lucassen. He writes the songs, play multiple instruments en does some shows every now and then. These shows are great productions and are not played very often. He does three this year in the Netherlands and they were sold out in 10 minutes. For each show he picks the musicians he needs for that particular show. This songs is a dive into all kinds of genres and with eleven singers it is exploring all corners of the universe. Nice rabbit hole to scratch so again: dig in my friend.
Ayreon has over 90 singers and dozens of musicians participating , in this project and side projects. There are even famous actors of some verry familiar and well known shows doing the naration of the live shows and side projects. And some realy big names of the industry worked and performed on the albums. Floor Jansen has been part of ayreon for over 20 years .
Mind blown!! Ayreon is the brainchild project of Arjen Anthony Lucasson. He lures the best of the best in metal to be a part of his works. He also masterminded Star One, which put out a new album in 2022, and his latest project is a 70s honoring band, Supersonic Revolution, which just released an album in May 2023 of that name. Enjoy the Nightwish ride, you are correct that live is best with them, as they are just spectacular live. Saw them live in Minneapolis May 2022, and it was transformative! Nightwish is magic! Ayreon is also incredibly special, and Arjen is a super cool dude.
The music industry in the United States tries its hardest to keep us ignorant of the amazing music from the rest of the world. RUclips is the only reason I've been able to discover all the wonderful rabbit holes I've fallen into. Welcome to this one. Ayreon opens up so many new possibilities. And, of course, there are old friends like Simone, Floor, Marko, and Troy. Great reaction.
Hey man, 73 years old hippie from The Netherlands (Floor, Simone & Ayreon Country) reporting in: Luv it how you react and appreciate his community ... You're in for a journey which you'll never forget ...!!! Enjoy & Shine on my friend ...🤘👍
Wellwell, this is a true Masterpiece! Excellent casting of singers, and then there's Floor 💓👸. The genius behind all this is "The Tall Hippie Dude", Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the tallest known rock musician (203 cm). 😎👍
Here is a list of the composer and singers in order of appearance: Arjen Lucassen - Composer - Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. James Labrie - Lead singer for Dream Theater. Tommy Karevik - Lead singer of Kamelot and Seventh Wonder. Tommy Rodgers - Lead singer of Between the Buried and Me. Simone Simons - Lead singer of Epica. Nils K. Rue - Lead singer of Pagan's Mind and also worked with Eidolon. Tobias Sammet - Lead singer of Edguy & Avantasia. Hansi Kürsch - Lead singer of Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards. Mike Mills - Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and main songwriter for Toehider. Russell Allen - Lead singer of Symphony X and Allen/Lande. Michael Eriksen - Lead singer of Circus Maximus. Floor Jansen - Lead singer of After Forever, ReVamp & now Nightwish. Instrumentalists Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) - grand piano and electric piano Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) - cello Ed Warby - drums Ben Mathot - violin Jeroen Goossens (ex-Pater Moeskroen) - flute, wind instruments Arjen Anthony Lucassen - electric and acoustic guitars, all other instruments (composer) Next I would suggest reacting to the performances at Ayreon Universe concert, especially the following Intergalactic Space Crusaders, River of Time, Merlin's Will, Valley of the Queens, Ride the Comet, Star of Sirrah, And the Druids Turn to Stone, Age of Shadows & Everybody Dies.
Tom from Evergrey has also been part of the Ayreon Project so I will recommend Evergrey to you again he has an amazing voice Come on Evergrey fans push your band forward
Yep. A lot of music has been around for awhile, just waiting to be discovered. Kins of lier The Warning, a 3 sister R&R band from Mexico. They have been preforming for 10+ years and have 3 albums out. They are just coming back from Europe from their World Tour. They did 103 shows last year and are on mark for another great year. You should react to some of their recent songs, like DISCIPLE, or EVOLVE, or CHOKE, or well, anything. And, they are terrific LIVE. Currently 23, 21, and 18yrs old, they have been playing at rock festivals for 7+ years......and they have an ARMY like Nightwish, that is worldwide. Trust me, you are already behind on this one!!
I was in your place until about a year ago when I discovered Nightwish. Your journey is about the same as mine was. The crap we hear on broadcast radio is just garbage. When you open your eyes to the talent out there around the world it makes you better. BTW - I'm in Pasadena/Severna Park area, ;-)
Fun fact: Arjen is the greatest professional musician in the world. Literally. ;-) You know how tall Floor is? Yeah, she only reaches up to Arjen‘s shoulder!
Tobias Sammet and Floor done a couple of songs together: Misplaced Among the Angels. Arjen the tall hippy guy is very Talented and respected Among European metal but is known around other parts of the world and has intruduced many of us to other talented musicians and bands.
Welcome to the latest of your journeys! All these artists and bands let alone Arjen himself deserve your time. Still the tip of the iceberg when you start a Nightwish journey.
Much of Ayreon's music is conceptual and science fiction based. Ayreon is created by Arjen Anthony Lucassen. He is playing the guitar, the bass, and the Hammond organ parts in this video. Lots of storytelling and each vocalist is playing/singing a role in the story. It gets crazier when you see Ayreon live with all of the incredible musicians and singers who are recruited for the live shows.
❤ Thanks for this exploration. If you will go further the way of Ayreon, you will recognize that Floor has a sister… called Irene… So much talent over here ‼️🏆 Ayreon - it’s not easy to explain that. He is a fantastic composer, know the best of the best, only like 100%, …
While seeing people react to Ayreon is when it baffles me how many never heard Circus Maximus and as such don't know Michael Eriksen, 1st Chapter is still one of those albums I return over and over. But it is a good way to show other singers not so many know about.
Maybe you think: what rabbit hole is this? It is the Floor rabbit hole! She cooperated with many of the artists appearing here or with their bands, (Arjen Lucassen recognised Floor's talents in a very early phase of her career) Floor and Russel Allen in her former band Revamp ruclips.net/video/hNXf6bAb4CE/видео.html Floor and Tobias Sammet in Avantasia ruclips.net/video/dj50YIwoFLc/видео.html Floor and Simone in many occasions ruclips.net/video/LjvXo5GRvxI/видео.html Floor and the guitar player from Nils K. Rue's band Pagans's Mind Jørn Viggo Lofstad (their project Northward) ruclips.net/video/bAiPeSsqD-4/видео.html Floor and Joost van den Broek (After Forever, Revamp, recent solo work) ruclips.net/video/rqwHMgo_DdQ/видео.html And I also consider the Nightwish Rabbit hole as a side tunnel of the Floor rabbit hole)
This is the right one! Never too late to this party! And yes, this is a whole rabbit hole into a rabbit hole... Ayreon is the main project of Arjen Lucassen (the tall guitar player in the video) where all the songs in an album are normally connected by a story. Star One is another project of mr Lucassen, where the individual songs are more based on SF movies. Arjen Lucassen has been doing this for more than 25 years now. Ayreon and Star One are projects and not bands, because for obvious reasons it is not possible to tour like a band with all those top level singers, who are lead singers of top level bands themselves... However, in those 25 years mr Lucassen has made something like 10 or more albums, and also they organize a live-event every now and then (about once every two years). Normally these live events are held in a seizable hall with several repeat shows which are all sold out in 5 minutes, with people flying in from all over the world... There is too little room here for a complete description, but below are few tips for further listening: From the live events: - Everybody Dies (Ayreon Universe) - Amazing Flight (Electric Castle live and other tales) - Theory of Everything (Ayreon Universe) - Cosmic Fusion Live - Isis and Osiris Live in Tilburg 2019 - Loser (Universe) - Star of Sirrah (Universe) - The Druids turned to Stone (Universe) - many more! A few Great Studio recordings and video's by Ayreon: - Dawn of a Million souls (remastered 2022, with Russell Allen and Michael Romeo of Symphony X) - Into the black hole (remastered 2022, with Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden) - Daniels Descent into Transitus, whith Tommy Karevik and Simone Simons Studio recordings by Star One, Arjen Lucassens other project (more movie based) - Lost Children of the Universe With the present and previous singer of Black Sabath, and a 3 minute guitar solo by Steve Vai) - Fate of Man (with Brittney Slayes and a guitar solo by Michael Romeo of Symphony X) Albums by Ayreon: -The Source (Ayreon) - Transitus (Ayreon) -> great animated version on YT! - The human equation - 01011001 - The Theory of everything - Universal Migrator Albums by Star One: - Space metal - Victims of the Modern Age - Revel in time etc. etc. etc.....
Love seeing your eyes and ears be opened and your mind blown. You definitely have to add Dream Theatre and Symphony X to your new rabit warren of tunnels to follow. Kamelot and Blind Gardian, too.
Yeah, you got quite a journey on your hands. Everyone that Arjen gets together is amazing. I can't wait til you hear Anneke Van Giersbergen, Maggy Luyten, Damian Wilson, and all the other legends on other Ayreon songs.
Watching you discover and thoroughly be immersed in awe and joy, is making us happy as well ! And yes, you watched the official video. Ayreon has been a highly regarded name for every metal/rock singer and musician for decades, that is why all of them are eager to participate in his projects, internationally even !
So, you’ve seen the 01001 etc etc, it is translated “trust TH1”, Ayreo does also have live videos from shows of “the universe” and “ into the electric castle” and more Where also Floors sister Irene sings, and many many more Great Reaction 😎👍🏻
Arjen Lucassen has been top of the bill for years. The English pronunciation Ayreon sounds almost identical to 'Arjen' (Lucassen) given name as it sounds in Dutch, therefore it is the perfect international pronunciation for Arjen's current projects. But before he started Ayreon, he also made furore with 'Stream of Passion', and before that also with 'Star One'. The Star One projects are especially interesting because from the start a 22yo Floor Jansen and her younger sister Irene were involved as background singers. For years Irene Jansen was almost double of Floor (although Floor was, and still is, definitely the slimmest of the two sisters). - Star One - "Songs of the Ocean" (Live on Earth DVD - 2003) ruclips.net/video/GfY1t0fkmb0/видео.html
This was a wonderful surprise…….another great reaction, you were blown away……I did love it. By the way…..this was the right one….OMG….NW, Sabaton and now AYREON……this rabbit hole is very deep….😉 Enjoy it!
Ayreon, while of course serving as quite a lovely music project it self, is like your GIANT crossroads to discovering underground music. Just pick one of these musicians and go check out their band. Much more often than not you'll find something else to fan over. ;P And of course, welcome to prog.
Arjen Luccasen is an artist/musician that many,many other artists will drop what they're doing to be a part of his projects. And remember Danielson... WE'RE ALL WATCHING 😎👍
Aaand - a new recommendation: you just saw In the Ayreon-Project Hansi Kürsch. He's the frontman of Blind Guardian, a german Rockband. I recommend 'Bards song' and 'Valhalla' (from Wacken). Enjoy!
Now you have done it... This rabbit hole has more holes than Swiss cheese !!!! I also call it: "The song that exploded my music world"!!!! SO...AYREONAUT'S UNITE !!!!! Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen (The tall Hippie dude). Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, electronica, experimental and classical music. The majority of Ayreon's albums are dubbed "rock operas" because the albums contain complex storylines featuring a host of characters, usually with each one being represented by a unique vocalist. Each Ayreon album tells a different story, but all, with the exceptions of Actual Fantasy, The Theory of Everything, and Transitus, take place in the same fictional, science fiction universe; additionally, Lucassen's solo album Lost in the New Real is also set in the Ayreon universe. Ayreon's music is characterized by the use of traditional instruments in rock music mixed with instruments more native to folk and classical music. Lucassen writes the music and the lyrics, sings and plays most of the instruments on all of the Ayreon albums, alongside many guest musicians. His most regular collaborator is drummer Ed Warby. The binary code means "Trust TH-1" The singers in order of appearance are: James LaBrie from Dream Theater Tommy Karevik from Kamelot, Seventh Wonder Tommy Rogers from Between the Buried and Me Simone Simons from th most epic Epica Nils K. Rue from Pagan's Mind and Eidolon Tobias Sammet from Edguy and here mentioned Avantasia Hansi Kürsch the „Bard from Walhalla“ from Blind Guardian Mike Mills playing a computer and singing binary from Toehider Russell Allen from Symphony X Michael Eriksen from Circus Maximus and last but not least the incredible Valkyrie Goddess Floor Jansen from Nightwish PS: sir. Joost van den Broek (on Grand Piano) is Floor's friend and bandmate from Floor's first band After Forever !!!!! NWSU/FloorFan/Epican/Ayreonaut ✌😎🤘.
Ayreon and Star One are super group projects put together by Arjen Lucassen (tall hippie dude). The songs from these projects are sci-fi based so you'll run across all sorts of themes. I mentioned Unleash the Achers to you (Canadian). Well Arjen discovered Brittney Slayes, their singer, while browsing RUclips in a moment of boredom. He discovered her singing "Queen of the Reich" at a karaoke bar after a gig: ruclips.net/video/280DRqoGyLw/видео.html That lead to this interview about connecting with Brittney: ruclips.net/video/zwo2iydjDNY/видео.html Which lead to Brittney singing a "Terminator" song for Star One: ruclips.net/video/vn7P3oVMnys/видео.html. This song not only features Brittney but also Micheal Romeo on guitar. BTW, you really need to listen to Floor singing hard rock: "While Love Died" ruclips.net/video/bAiPeSsqD-4/видео.html. Use the music video version as the live versions don't feature the guitarist, Jörn Viggo Lofstad of Pagan's Mind and you won't want to miss his playing. While watching this, ask yourself why this wasn't on American rock radio.
"Ive got to re-evaluate life, man." WOW. I guarantee you Arjen will find this and comment himself. He composes so much material that he has to split it up between several successful bands. He is the mastermind behind Star One, Supersonic Revolution, Ayreon, Guilt Machine, The Gentle Storm, Ambeon, Stream of Passion, and others. He has appeared on or produced records from 50 different bands.
Man, how many rabbit holes can you handle at once?! Great reaction fella! However late you are to the party is irrelevant, we're going to enjoy the discovery journey! 😉🤟🤟 Norfolk UK2!
Hi Daniel! I am so happy you reacted to this song, and you totally get why. I envy you the experience of going down all these rabbit holes for the first time - and I know you will! Probably the next logical step with Ayreon is a video of a (comparatively rare) live concert, for "Everybody dies" This song is a part of the same story and most of the same cast show up. Of note are "pint sized Belgian hurricane" Maggie Luytens and Floor's even taller sister Irene in the chorus. Arjen also does different sci fi songs, "The Eye Of Ra" is based on Stargate and "Intergalactic Space Crusaders" is based on late 70s/early 80s British TV show Blake's 7. Something very different is a lovely ballad set in Ancient Egypt. In this song there is a minimum of instrumentation, and beautiful hamonising by three vocalists. They are Anneke van Giesbergen (formerly of The Gathering, widely considered the Godmother and pioneer of the Dutch Symphonic Metal revolution, Marcela Bovio ( who grew up in Mexico and answered Arjen's casting call in 2003 for relatively unknown singers for the next Ayreon album. Arjen then picked her for his project the progressive band Stream Of Passion. After Arjen stepped back from this band Marcela stepped up as composer and lyricist for another Stream Of Passion album. She is currently in the bands MaYan and Dark Horse White Horse. She has been based in the Netherlands for 20 years. The third singer is of course Floor Jansen.
But, can we talk about you checking out The Warning? Now that we are exploring new musical horizons? They have been around for quite some time and have been musicians for the last 13-14 years. Started band, but recently signed, under their own terms... 2 Lead singers, 3 back up vocalists, 3 pianists, a bass player, a drummer, a guitar player... 3 songwriters and 3 composers... The Villarreal Sisters! You get this in a shocking power trio, where the oldest was born in January 2000… 3 mexican sisters: Daniela, a.k.a Dani, 23, guitar and lead vocals. Explosive energy and amazing frontwoman. Then you get Paulina, a.k.a Pau, (pronounced Pow, as in POWERFUL) drums, backing vocals and occasional lead vocalist. And their secret weapon, Alejandra, 18, a.k.a Ale (Al-eh). Bass and backing vocals... Incredibly talented. You can check Disciple, live from teatro Metropolitan. They are amazing live... So that is my suggestion. Anything from Teatro Metropolitan is great, really. If I made a mistake, someone may correct me… The Warning Army is awesome. Maybe you get a few more suggestions. Stay safe!
If you wanna know more about Aireon, this here is a great interview with Arjen : Tea Time Interview: The greatest epic metal opera composer of all time! ruclips.net/video/zNd6rtIaVr0/видео.html its nearly 2 hours long, but i never feeled bored at anytime when i watched it
There is so much Nightwish-adjacent music yet to discover! **Pro tip: for remastered and reaction-ready Ayreon videos, pull them from Music From The Heart channel... and that's thanks to Mike H!
Ayreon is great! It is a sort of prog metal opera concept thingy. Arjen assembles all the pieces from other bands that he loves and pulls musicians as well from other bands to add to his own usual suspect collaborators. Now that he has realised he can do it all live he has produced 3 amazing live shows and is hard at work on the next! unfortunately unless you can get to the Netherlands seeing it live is a problem 😆
Im a huge fan of Arjen Lucassen , he is another master musician and there hasnt been one thing that he has done that I havent liked . Anoth path for you to explore ... Ive been a fan of the groups Kansas and Queen for 45 years ... i see alot of inspiration there imho .
I think you need to introduce Spencer to Ayreon on Embrace the suck. I recommend 'everybody dies' live as the next track you should do and also good one to show him as well. His face when you showed him Jinjer...😅
And now you are thinking this can't be done in a live setting😏. Pick a song from 1 of their live concerts and be amazed again! Have fun with your journey!
I just need to mention this is again a dominating Dutch party. Arjan is a great composer and the guests wow. I am pretty proud of the awesome muscisians our tiny country has. When he writes to Joost (piano and good friend) ÿou stay just a LUL Joost :-) ) He says, you remain a dick Joost 🙂 LOL Floor worked a lot with Arjan..he's a genius. If you really would like it, I can search for the original CD in Dutch alternative music shops. Maybe Floor can help out.
Thought you'd like that😊 I remember suggesting some other bands to you last week (don't worry, I know you must be inundated with requests) but I suggested 'Kamelot' - their lead singer being Tommy Karevik who you were very impressed with at the beginning. I very much hope 🙏 you'll play some Kamelot. My suggestions are : 'Sacrimony' the live version and 'Liar Liar' the official video. Another great reaction. Best wishes - David from across the pond 😊
my favorites here are Tommy Karevik and Simone Simons. The combination of voices is just bombing. They have joint songs, by the way, one of them is just in the Ayreon project. But the most awesome song is this one: Epica - Wake the world (feat Tommy Karevik)
Lol journey starts at @2:57
The opposition Leader was Tommy Karevik singer with Kamelot and also Seventh Wonder
Told you that Nightwish was not just a rabbit hole, but a warren.
Look for Ayreon , Everybody Dies (Live performance)
Recommended Video’s
Ayreon - Everybody Dies (Ayreon Universe) ruclips.net/video/9AAXtUdM7xE/видео.html
Ayreon - Star of Sirrah (Universe) ruclips.net/video/3dEHQNAZsIo/видео.html
Ayreon - Intergalactic Space Crusaders (Universe) ruclips.net/video/mDjomu33Xzc/видео.html
Ayreon - The Eye Of Ra (Universe) ruclips.net/video/odcO0SciTUY/видео.html
Ayreon - Twisted Coil (Electric Castle And Other Tales) ruclips.net/video/gcHn0kCgmAs/видео.html
Ayreon - And The Druids Turned To Stone (Ayreon Universe) ruclips.net/video/lR-foGKsus0/видео.html
Welcome in the amazing world of Arjen A. Lucassen Aka Ayreon Universe (Ayreon, Ambeon, Star One, Supersonic Revolution, Guilt Machine, Gentle Storm, Stream of Passion).... Enjoy this 100+ artist thick rabbit hole….!!!!!
Now you need to listen to some more Ayreon - preferably live. I'd suggest 'Isis and Osiris' from Electric Castle and 'Into The Black Hole', 'Intergalactic Space Crusaders' and 'Everybody Dies' from Ayreon Universe
Links:
'Into the Black Hole' ( ruclips.net/video/LIvnxsb83No/видео.html )
'Intergalactic Space Cusaders' ( ruclips.net/video/yO6TisCHGhA/видео.html )
'Everybody Dies' ( ruclips.net/video/9AAXtUdM7xE/видео.html )
'Isis and Osiris' ( ruclips.net/video/Z6YFbgMzkZY/видео.html ).
Enjoy!
Yes to all
the singers in order of appearance
James LeBrie - Dream Theater (USA)
Tommy Karevik - Kamalot and Seventh Wonder (Sweden),
Tommy Rogers - Between The Buried And Me (USA),
Simone Simons - Epica (Holland),
Nils K. Rue - Pagan's Mind (Norway),
Tobias Sammet - Avantasia, Edguy (Germany),
Hansi Kirsch - Blind Guardian (Germany),
Michael Mills - Toehider (Australian),
Russell Allen - Symphony X (USA),
Michael Erikson - Circus Maximus (Normay),
Floor Jansen - Nightwish (Finland/Holland),
Next try them live with there song "Everybody Dies" ruclips.net/video/9AAXtUdM7xE/видео.html&pp=ygUVZXZlcnlib2R5IGRpZXMgYXlyZW9u
Will do! Thanks man!
LaBrie is Canadian though.
Gee, I wonder if I can get some of my friends to sing on my song?😊
@@noneofyerbeeswax8194
and Floor lives in Sweden :)
Yes you had the tight video. 😊
So you been put onto rabbit hole number 2 with Ayreon ! "Ayreon Universe live " is a great watch and will open more doors into other great music and Artists you may otherwise never have exposure to. Great songs to view are "star of sirrah, everybody dies" among many. Artists include Floor, Marco, Hanze from Blind Guardian etc. Enjoy
Love this. Floor should have gotten to sing more, but hey. That "1000101..." part blew me away.
This is the first part of the video, the whole video is on RUclips and is 1 hour and 30 minutes lang..
All 11 singers continue through the album, telling the story of Alphan's and how their planet was destroyed by computers. Floor has been recording on Arjen's projects since she was 19. She started doing backing vocals, then she and her sister Irene, became part of Arjen's Star One project. Then she got her own roles in Ayreon. She features in so much of his work.
Arjen only works with the best, as he is a perfectionist, but they not only have to be talented, but they must also be skilled at working with others and enjoy it.
The story is told over many albums and the singers and musicians involved with the project, over more than 25 years, is phenomenal.
I got to know Annete's work through some of Ayreon's records. And she became my favorite female vocalist of all time.
Guess now it is time to suggest Avantasia with Floor? Either songs will do. Though I think Misplaced Among the Angles I like better.
Just HOW many rabbit holes does Aeryon have?
Yes. 😊
SO MANY talented singers, artists and musicians OUTSIDE of the U.S. and yet our Country NEVER promotes such talent
Thank goodness for RUclips!!!!!
So to remove any doubts, Arjen Lucassen, mastermind behind Ayreon, Star One, Supersonic Revolution and other collaborations, plays in this video bass, guitars, hammond and synths.
He is the "tall (6 foot 8 inches) hippie dude"
Ayreon is a who’s who of anyone who that is anyone in the metal universe. Arjen has the best black book of contacts to call on in the music industry and his compositions are so good that they all want to take part. You have a whole catalogue of bands to explore just by checking out the singers and each of their bands.
And to think Arjen started out with Vengeance back when I was a young metalhead 😊
Yes, you are so correct. Ayreon makes you feel grateful for being alive . The music of Arjen Anthony Lucassen is unique and from the highest level. And the guy is humble, more than friendly, a genius and a top politician. What other artist can bring all these top musicians together? Because that is what he does. He writes epic progrock. For 30 years by the way. But he has no band. He playes a lot of instruments himself brilliantly. Then he invites up to 25 absolute amazing vocalists worldwide to sing in his projects. And than the wonder occurs. They are honored to be invited and are happy to participate. No ego's, no envy. They enjoy each others performance and are proud to participate in these joyful reunions of excellence. That is the real power of Arjen. So let's make Arjen President 😉. Once in a while he performs live. These projects are played live in Tilburg in the Netherlands. I was extremely lucky to witness the "under the waves" concert in 2023. 25 main singers on a three stage podium, A top of the bill band with his regular musicians, a mindblowing light show, pyro and laser show, and more than 60 nationalities in the audience from the world over going out of their global minds. People travel from Australia or South America to the Netherlands just to witness this. And for good reasons. Eternal goosebumps and running out of tears is what happens. It starts at forehand when you are in a mile long row to enter the venue. The atmosphere is great in anticipation. And then Damian Wilson ( one of the top singers and a great guy) comes along to shake hands and taste the atmosphere. The whole city is transformed into Ayreon town. Everywhere people wearing black drinking Ayreon beer. Marcela Bovio ( top singer) doing private concerts at the camping site as a warm up. It is a real pilgrimage. No wonder the concerts are sold out in 5 minutes.
So yes, next to Nightwish Ayreon is a rabbithole worth checking out. No wonder Floor and Anneke van Giersbergen are connected to Ayreon as well as Nightwish. Floor as the lead singer and Anneke doing concerts with Marko who sings in Ayreon as well.
It's a small world after all. Those artists show us the way by combining forces and cooperation.
A good example from his latest concert: from the live beneath the waves 01011001 concert: listen to "the Sixth Extinction" Be sure to take the official live recording from Arjen himself. Not the bootleg. It is an example of the outcoming DVD. You'll love it.
Amen.
Don’t blame yourself, it’s American radio. My son and I were in the car listen to classic rock and I would tell him I could name that tune in a couple of notes. He asked how I knew all those songs. I told him they have been playing the same songs for the last 40 years. Don’t get me wrong, I love classic rock, but it was time to find something new. My journey began during the pandemic after I saw Floor in Beste Zangers with Henk Poort. I took my son to see Tarja recently in NYC. His comment was wow that lady can sing! By the way she is on tour in the US right now.
Now you've done it ! 😂
You've started on the Ayreon journey prepare for your life to be taken over ( and changed forever ) - so much to see and listen to .
I'd suggest you check out some of the live tracks - live performances don't happen very often due to the performers all having their own projects and coming from all over the world but when they do they are
🔥🔥🔥 .
It's a measure of the respect in which Arjen is held by his peers that so many of them are prepared to give up their time etc to take part in Ayreon ( and enjoy themselves SO much when they do )
Enjoy the ride !
If you're going to watch ayreon live be prepared for a little shock .....there is another Jansen talent on stage, Floor's sister Irene 😀
And there's a video of them duetting on an After Forever song: "Who I Am". It might lead to inappropriate thoughts about sisters. 😈
Ah, Ayreon. It makes me smile when people discover this remarkable takent. Yes, this was the right one. Now go ahead and watch this about 6 more times to take it all in. It's OK. We'll wait.😊
Ayreon is the ultimate rabbit hole!
Thanks for doing this, there is a live concert called ‘Universe’. It has a tremendous amount of talent on stage. Most of these singers are lead singers of great bands.
Any song of the Universe is worth reacting to.
One of the singers is Hansi Kirsch Of Blind Gaurdian you must see that "Bard song and Walhalla"!
'Ayreon - The Source' is definitely in my top 10 albums, it's incredible,
both Floor and Simone feature a lot on this album
🌀🌀🌀👋👋👋
I agree
The Mike Mills part is the most amazing thing I have ever seen a musician do.
So glad you enjoyed this introduction to so many famous musicians. You should now watch some live performances from this magical composer. I hope you can appreciate how lucky we are over here in Europe with so much talent. We don't generally like two and a half minute bouncy, autotuned blandness. Explore this particular rabbit hole and you will be rewarded by a wealth of great singers and musicians from around the world. Enjoy. Incidentally Arjen was one of the first to recognise the wonderful talent of Floor and her sister Irene and they have both featured in many of his works since the early 2000s.
The first time I heard this I had to have a lie down in a darkened room afterwards. There was so much amazing stuff going on it fried my brain!
All the singers were amazing but the standouts for me were Tommy Karevic, Michael Eriksen and Michael Mills. I am in total awe of Michael Mills. The skill needed to multitrack all those harmonies was a work of genius.
Arjen’s solos were superb and of course Floor added her stardust at the end.
If you stick with the Nightwish army we will show you all the good stuff!
Still enjoying your wonder at all the music you’re catching up on.
Keep em coming!
So now i guess it's time to listen to the other band of Tuomas Holopainen that is with his wife Johanna and Troy from Nightwish. Different style, celtic sound, enchanted voices 😊
Auri 😊
I concur. May I suggest Pearl Diving?
@@erickvermeulen9734 great choice
I concur
I concur, both to Auri and to Pearl Diving
You don't know James Labrie and Dream Theater? THe second prog metal band behindSeattle's Queensryche.
"Everybody dies" live is another piece performance that it would have been a shame to die not having seen.
This is what people will do if Arjen gives them an invite.
His music is just amazing, his ability to draw incredible performances out of the best is mindblowing, and in all his interviews he seems like the most downtoearth 6'8" you'd ever meet.
I'm enjoying watching you react... I've been there, LOL!!
FYI the next one that you should do from this CD is "Ayreon - Everybody Dies". (you can thank me later, LOL)
Live,
I concur.
Yes but choose the live version
Well. You do not waste any time here. Ayreon is a project from Dutch genius Arjen Lucassen. He writes the songs, play multiple instruments en does some shows every now and then. These shows are great productions and are not played very often. He does three this year in the Netherlands and they were sold out in 10 minutes. For each show he picks the musicians he needs for that particular show. This songs is a dive into all kinds of genres and with eleven singers it is exploring all corners of the universe. Nice rabbit hole to scratch so again: dig in my friend.
Ayreon has over 90 singers and dozens of musicians participating , in this project and side projects. There are even famous actors of some verry familiar and well known shows doing the naration of the live shows and side projects.
And some realy big names of the industry worked and performed on the albums.
Floor Jansen has been part of ayreon for over 20 years .
The guy with the "voice" is Tommy Karevik, lead singer of Kamelot... one of my favorites. He guests on a lot of Ayreon's albums.
Mind blown!! Ayreon is the brainchild project of Arjen Anthony Lucasson. He lures the best of the best in metal to be a part of his works. He also masterminded Star One, which put out a new album in 2022, and his latest project is a 70s honoring band, Supersonic Revolution, which just released an album in May 2023 of that name.
Enjoy the Nightwish ride, you are correct that live is best with them, as they are just spectacular live. Saw them live in Minneapolis May 2022, and it was transformative! Nightwish is magic! Ayreon is also incredibly special, and Arjen is a super cool dude.
The music industry in the United States tries its hardest to keep us ignorant of the amazing music from the rest of the world. RUclips is the only reason I've been able to discover all the wonderful rabbit holes I've fallen into. Welcome to this one. Ayreon opens up so many new possibilities. And, of course, there are old friends like Simone, Floor, Marko, and Troy. Great reaction.
Hey man, 73 years old hippie from The Netherlands (Floor, Simone & Ayreon Country) reporting in: Luv it how you react and appreciate his community ... You're in for a journey which you'll never forget ...!!! Enjoy & Shine on my friend ...🤘👍
Discovering new music! It couldn't be more beautiful ! great reaction 🥰
Wellwell, this is a true Masterpiece! Excellent casting of singers, and then there's Floor 💓👸. The genius behind all this is "The Tall Hippie Dude", Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the tallest known rock musician (203 cm). 😎👍
Here is a list of the composer and singers in order of appearance:
Arjen Lucassen - Composer - Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon.
James Labrie - Lead singer for Dream Theater.
Tommy Karevik - Lead singer of Kamelot and Seventh Wonder.
Tommy Rodgers - Lead singer of Between the Buried and Me.
Simone Simons - Lead singer of Epica.
Nils K. Rue - Lead singer of Pagan's Mind and also worked with Eidolon.
Tobias Sammet - Lead singer of Edguy & Avantasia.
Hansi Kürsch - Lead singer of Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards.
Mike Mills - Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and main songwriter for Toehider.
Russell Allen - Lead singer of Symphony X and Allen/Lande.
Michael Eriksen - Lead singer of Circus Maximus.
Floor Jansen - Lead singer of After Forever, ReVamp & now Nightwish.
Instrumentalists
Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) - grand piano and electric piano
Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) - cello
Ed Warby - drums
Ben Mathot - violin
Jeroen Goossens (ex-Pater Moeskroen) - flute, wind instruments
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - electric and acoustic guitars, all other instruments (composer)
Next I would suggest reacting to the performances at Ayreon Universe concert, especially the following Intergalactic Space Crusaders, River of Time, Merlin's Will, Valley of the Queens, Ride the Comet, Star of Sirrah, And the Druids Turn to Stone, Age of Shadows & Everybody Dies.
Tom from Evergrey has also been part of the Ayreon Project so I will recommend Evergrey to you again he has an amazing voice
Come on Evergrey fans push your band forward
The first singer with the great voice is new singer of kamelot 👍
Yep. A lot of music has been around for awhile, just waiting to be discovered. Kins of lier The Warning, a 3 sister R&R band from Mexico. They have been preforming for 10+ years and have 3 albums out. They are just coming back from Europe from their World Tour. They did 103 shows last year and are on mark for another great year. You should react to some of their recent songs, like DISCIPLE, or EVOLVE, or CHOKE, or well, anything. And, they are terrific LIVE. Currently 23, 21, and 18yrs old, they have been playing at rock festivals for 7+ years......and they have an ARMY like Nightwish, that is worldwide. Trust me, you are already behind on this one!!
You never too late on the Party. Hihi 🤗😃
I was in your place until about a year ago when I discovered Nightwish. Your journey is about the same as mine was. The crap we hear on broadcast radio is just garbage. When you open your eyes to the talent out there around the world it makes you better. BTW - I'm in Pasadena/Severna Park area, ;-)
I am so lucky I managed to get a ticket for the concert of Ayreon on september. It will be so special ❤
Welcome to the amazing world of Ayreon, my friend 😊
Fun fact: Arjen is the greatest professional musician in the world. Literally. ;-)
You know how tall Floor is? Yeah, she only reaches up to Arjen‘s shoulder!
This is a lot to take in the first time. I remember feeling overwhelmed. lol.
Tobias Sammet and Floor done a couple of songs together: Misplaced Among the Angels. Arjen the tall hippy guy is very Talented and respected Among European metal but is known around other parts of the world and has intruduced many of us to other talented musicians and bands.
Welcome to the latest of your journeys! All these artists and bands let alone Arjen himself deserve your time. Still the tip of the iceberg when you start a Nightwish journey.
Much of Ayreon's music is conceptual and science fiction based. Ayreon is created by Arjen Anthony Lucassen. He is playing the guitar, the bass, and the Hammond organ parts in this video. Lots of storytelling and each vocalist is playing/singing a role in the story.
It gets crazier when you see Ayreon live with all of the incredible musicians and singers who are recruited for the live shows.
❤ Thanks for this exploration. If you will go further the way of Ayreon, you will recognize that Floor has a sister… called Irene…
So much talent over here ‼️🏆
Ayreon - it’s not easy to explain that. He is a fantastic composer, know the best of the best, only like 100%, …
Oh snap, another rabbit hole \m/
While seeing people react to Ayreon is when it baffles me how many never heard Circus Maximus and as such don't know Michael Eriksen, 1st Chapter is still one of those albums I return over and over. But it is a good way to show other singers not so many know about.
Maybe you think: what rabbit hole is this?
It is the Floor rabbit hole! She cooperated with many of the artists appearing here or with their bands,
(Arjen Lucassen recognised Floor's talents in a very early phase of her career)
Floor and Russel Allen in her former band Revamp
ruclips.net/video/hNXf6bAb4CE/видео.html
Floor and Tobias Sammet in Avantasia
ruclips.net/video/dj50YIwoFLc/видео.html
Floor and Simone in many occasions
ruclips.net/video/LjvXo5GRvxI/видео.html
Floor and the guitar player from Nils K. Rue's band Pagans's Mind Jørn Viggo Lofstad (their project Northward)
ruclips.net/video/bAiPeSsqD-4/видео.html
Floor and Joost van den Broek (After Forever, Revamp, recent solo work)
ruclips.net/video/rqwHMgo_DdQ/видео.html
And I also consider the Nightwish Rabbit hole as a side tunnel of the Floor rabbit hole)
Love your taste of music dude, thank you. Greetings from nwAse Sweden
This is the right one! Never too late to this party! And yes, this is a whole rabbit hole into a rabbit hole...
Ayreon is the main project of Arjen Lucassen (the tall guitar player in the video) where all the songs in an album are normally connected by a story. Star One is another project of mr Lucassen, where the individual songs are more based on SF movies. Arjen Lucassen has been doing this for more than 25 years now. Ayreon and Star One are projects and not bands, because for obvious reasons it is not possible to tour like a band with all those top level singers, who are lead singers of top level bands themselves... However, in those 25 years mr Lucassen has made something like 10 or more albums, and also they organize a live-event every now and then (about once every two years). Normally these live events are held in a seizable hall with several repeat shows which are all sold out in 5 minutes, with people flying in from all over the world...
There is too little room here for a complete description, but below are few tips for further listening:
From the live events:
- Everybody Dies (Ayreon Universe)
- Amazing Flight (Electric Castle live and other tales)
- Theory of Everything (Ayreon Universe)
- Cosmic Fusion Live
- Isis and Osiris Live in Tilburg 2019
- Loser (Universe)
- Star of Sirrah (Universe)
- The Druids turned to Stone (Universe)
- many more!
A few Great Studio recordings and video's by Ayreon:
- Dawn of a Million souls (remastered 2022, with Russell Allen and Michael Romeo of Symphony X)
- Into the black hole (remastered 2022, with Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden)
- Daniels Descent into Transitus, whith Tommy Karevik and Simone Simons
Studio recordings by Star One, Arjen Lucassens other project (more movie based)
- Lost Children of the Universe With the present and previous singer of Black Sabath, and a 3 minute guitar solo by Steve Vai)
- Fate of Man (with Brittney Slayes and a guitar solo by Michael Romeo of Symphony X)
Albums by Ayreon:
-The Source (Ayreon)
- Transitus (Ayreon) -> great animated version on YT!
- The human equation
- 01011001
- The Theory of everything
- Universal Migrator
Albums by Star One:
- Space metal
- Victims of the Modern Age
- Revel in time
etc.
etc.
etc.....
Yaaa , there is A LOT of talent in that vid , good job !🤘🏼💥🤘🏼
Love seeing your eyes and ears be opened and your mind blown.
You definitely have to add Dream Theatre and Symphony X to your new rabit warren of tunnels to follow.
Kamelot and Blind Gardian, too.
Yeah, you got quite a journey on your hands.
Everyone that Arjen gets together is amazing. I can't wait til you hear Anneke Van Giersbergen, Maggy Luyten, Damian Wilson, and all the other legends on other Ayreon songs.
It’s basically a rock opera.
It's the right one. Next do Everyboidy Dies. :)
So glad you reacted to this. I found these guys after Nightwish and its amazing
Avantasia released an album last year with 2 songs ft our beloved Floor Jansen. "Misplaced among the Angels" and "Kill the pain away"👍🏼
Great Reaction! I'm happy you found Ayreon.
Watching you discover and thoroughly be immersed in awe and joy, is making us happy as well ! And yes, you watched the official video. Ayreon has been a highly regarded name for every metal/rock singer and musician for decades, that is why all of them are eager to participate in his projects, internationally even !
So, you’ve seen the 01001 etc etc, it is translated “trust TH1”,
Ayreo does also have live videos from shows of “the universe” and “ into the electric castle” and more
Where also Floors sister Irene sings, and many many more
Great Reaction 😎👍🏻
Arjen Lucassen has been top of the bill for years. The English pronunciation Ayreon sounds almost identical to 'Arjen' (Lucassen) given name as it sounds in Dutch, therefore it is the perfect international pronunciation for Arjen's current projects. But before he started Ayreon, he also made furore with 'Stream of Passion', and before that also with 'Star One'. The Star One projects are especially interesting because from the start a 22yo Floor Jansen and her younger sister Irene were involved as background singers. For years Irene Jansen was almost double of Floor (although Floor was, and still is, definitely the slimmest of the two sisters).
- Star One - "Songs of the Ocean" (Live on Earth DVD - 2003) ruclips.net/video/GfY1t0fkmb0/видео.html
Your reaction is why I started audio engineering. You made me smile. Enjoy your journey. All the best from OZ .🤘
This was a wonderful surprise…….another great reaction, you were blown away……I did love it. By the way…..this was the right one….OMG….NW, Sabaton and now AYREON……this rabbit hole is very deep….😉 Enjoy it!
Ayreon, while of course serving as quite a lovely music project it self, is like your GIANT crossroads to discovering underground music. Just pick one of these musicians and go check out their band. Much more often than not you'll find something else to fan over. ;P And of course, welcome to prog.
Arjen Luccasen is an artist/musician that many,many other artists will drop what they're doing to be a part of his projects. And remember Danielson...
WE'RE ALL WATCHING 😎👍
Love this project, Arjen is a genius! Avantasia is also worth checking out, they are the German version of Ayreon.
Aaand - a new recommendation: you just saw In the Ayreon-Project Hansi Kürsch. He's the frontman of Blind Guardian, a german Rockband. I recommend 'Bards song' and 'Valhalla' (from Wacken). Enjoy!
Now you have done it... This rabbit hole has more holes than Swiss cheese !!!!
I also call it: "The song that exploded my music world"!!!!
SO...AYREONAUT'S UNITE !!!!!
Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen (The tall Hippie dude). Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, electronica, experimental and classical music. The majority of Ayreon's albums are dubbed "rock operas" because the albums contain complex storylines featuring a host of characters, usually with each one being represented by a unique vocalist.
Each Ayreon album tells a different story, but all, with the exceptions of Actual Fantasy, The Theory of Everything, and Transitus, take place in the same fictional, science fiction universe; additionally, Lucassen's solo album Lost in the New Real is also set in the Ayreon universe. Ayreon's music is characterized by the use of traditional instruments in rock music mixed with instruments more native to folk and classical music. Lucassen writes the music and the lyrics, sings and plays most of the instruments on all of the Ayreon albums, alongside many guest musicians. His most regular collaborator is drummer Ed Warby.
The binary code means "Trust TH-1"
The singers in order of appearance are:
James LaBrie from Dream Theater
Tommy Karevik from Kamelot, Seventh Wonder
Tommy Rogers from Between the Buried and Me
Simone Simons from th most epic Epica
Nils K. Rue from Pagan's Mind and Eidolon
Tobias Sammet from Edguy and here mentioned Avantasia
Hansi Kürsch the „Bard from Walhalla“ from Blind Guardian
Mike Mills playing a computer and singing binary from Toehider
Russell Allen from Symphony X
Michael Eriksen from Circus Maximus
and last but not least the incredible Valkyrie Goddess Floor Jansen from Nightwish
PS: sir. Joost van den Broek (on Grand Piano) is Floor's friend and bandmate from Floor's first band After Forever !!!!!
NWSU/FloorFan/Epican/Ayreonaut ✌😎🤘.
Ooooh, this is also a very nice "rabbit hole" to go down, have a nice ride.
yeah! another rabbit hole for ya! enjoy the journey, I'll be following :)
Ayreon and Star One are super group projects put together by Arjen Lucassen (tall hippie dude). The songs from these projects are sci-fi based so you'll run across all sorts of themes.
I mentioned Unleash the Achers to you (Canadian). Well Arjen discovered Brittney Slayes, their singer, while browsing RUclips in a moment of boredom. He discovered her singing "Queen of the Reich" at a karaoke bar after a gig: ruclips.net/video/280DRqoGyLw/видео.html
That lead to this interview about connecting with Brittney: ruclips.net/video/zwo2iydjDNY/видео.html
Which lead to Brittney singing a "Terminator" song for Star One: ruclips.net/video/vn7P3oVMnys/видео.html. This song not only features Brittney but also Micheal Romeo on guitar.
BTW, you really need to listen to Floor singing hard rock: "While Love Died" ruclips.net/video/bAiPeSsqD-4/видео.html. Use the music video version as the live versions don't feature the guitarist, Jörn Viggo Lofstad of Pagan's Mind and you won't want to miss his playing. While watching this, ask yourself why this wasn't on American rock radio.
"Ive got to re-evaluate life, man." WOW. I guarantee you Arjen will find this and comment himself. He composes so much material that he has to split it up between several successful bands. He is the mastermind behind Star One, Supersonic Revolution, Ayreon, Guilt Machine, The Gentle Storm, Ambeon, Stream of Passion, and others. He has appeared on or produced records from 50 different bands.
Man, how many rabbit holes can you handle at once?! Great reaction fella!
However late you are to the party is irrelevant, we're going to enjoy the discovery journey! 😉🤟🤟 Norfolk UK2!
Hi Daniel!
I am so happy you reacted to this song, and you totally get why. I envy you the experience of going down all these rabbit holes for the first time - and I know you will! Probably the next logical step with Ayreon is a video of a (comparatively rare) live concert, for "Everybody dies" This song is a part of the same story and most of the same cast show up. Of note are "pint sized Belgian hurricane" Maggie Luytens and Floor's even taller sister Irene in the chorus. Arjen also does different sci fi songs, "The Eye Of Ra" is based on Stargate and "Intergalactic Space Crusaders" is based on late 70s/early 80s British TV show Blake's 7. Something very different is a lovely ballad set in Ancient Egypt. In this song there is a minimum of instrumentation, and beautiful hamonising by three vocalists. They are Anneke van Giesbergen (formerly of The Gathering, widely considered the Godmother and pioneer of the Dutch Symphonic Metal revolution, Marcela Bovio ( who grew up in Mexico and answered Arjen's casting call in 2003 for relatively unknown singers for the next Ayreon album. Arjen then picked her for his project the progressive band Stream Of Passion. After Arjen stepped back from this band Marcela stepped up as composer and lyricist for another Stream Of Passion album. She is currently in the bands MaYan and Dark Horse White Horse. She has been based in the Netherlands for 20 years. The third singer is of course Floor Jansen.
Crap! I forgot to say that last songs title. It's "Valley Of The Queens." Sorry about that!
Just wait til you hear everybody dies live
So great! Wonderful collaboration.
Its been fun watching your mind being blown every day this week, LMAO!
But, can we talk about you checking out The Warning?
Now that we are exploring new musical horizons?
They have been around for quite some time and have been musicians for the last 13-14 years. Started band, but recently signed, under their own terms...
2 Lead singers, 3 back up vocalists, 3 pianists, a bass player, a drummer, a guitar player... 3 songwriters and 3 composers... The Villarreal Sisters! You get this in a shocking power trio, where the oldest was born in January 2000…
3 mexican sisters:
Daniela, a.k.a Dani, 23, guitar and lead vocals. Explosive energy and amazing frontwoman.
Then you get Paulina, a.k.a Pau, (pronounced Pow, as in POWERFUL) drums, backing vocals and occasional lead vocalist.
And their secret weapon, Alejandra, 18, a.k.a Ale (Al-eh). Bass and backing vocals... Incredibly talented.
You can check Disciple, live from teatro Metropolitan. They are amazing live... So that is my suggestion. Anything from Teatro Metropolitan is great, really.
If I made a mistake, someone may correct me…
The Warning Army is awesome. Maybe you get a few more suggestions. Stay safe!
Tommy Karevik is my favourite male vocalist. Check him out with the bands, Kamelot and Seventh Wonder.
❤❤❤thanks great reaction
If you wanna know more about Aireon, this here is a great interview with Arjen :
Tea Time Interview: The greatest epic metal opera composer of all time!
ruclips.net/video/zNd6rtIaVr0/видео.html
its nearly 2 hours long, but i never feeled bored at anytime when i watched it
There is so much Nightwish-adjacent music yet to discover!
**Pro tip: for remastered and reaction-ready Ayreon videos, pull them from Music From The Heart channel... and that's thanks to Mike H!
If you watch closely you can say that Tommy Karevik sings with his hands in this video
Ayreon is great! It is a sort of prog metal opera concept thingy. Arjen assembles all the pieces from other bands that he loves and pulls musicians as well from other bands to add to his own usual suspect collaborators. Now that he has realised he can do it all live he has produced 3 amazing live shows and is hard at work on the next! unfortunately unless you can get to the Netherlands seeing it live is a problem 😆
Im a huge fan of Arjen Lucassen , he is another master musician and there hasnt been one thing that he has done that I havent liked . Anoth path for you to explore ... Ive been a fan of the groups Kansas and Queen for 45 years ... i see alot of inspiration there imho .
I think you need to introduce Spencer to Ayreon on Embrace the suck. I recommend 'everybody dies' live as the next track you should do and also good one to show him as well. His face when you showed him Jinjer...😅
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And now you are thinking this can't be done in a live setting😏. Pick a song from 1 of their live concerts and be amazed again! Have fun with your journey!
Glad you enjoyed it 😉😁 greetings from Germany 😊
I just need to mention this is again a dominating Dutch party. Arjan is a great composer and the guests wow. I am pretty proud of the awesome muscisians our tiny country has. When he writes to Joost (piano and good friend) ÿou stay just a LUL Joost :-) ) He says, you remain a dick Joost 🙂 LOL Floor worked a lot with Arjan..he's a genius.
If you really would like it, I can search for the original CD in Dutch alternative music shops. Maybe Floor can help out.
Thought you'd like that😊 I remember suggesting some other bands to you last week (don't worry, I know you must be inundated with requests) but I suggested 'Kamelot' - their lead singer being Tommy Karevik who you were very impressed with at the beginning. I very much hope 🙏 you'll play some Kamelot. My suggestions are : 'Sacrimony' the live version and 'Liar Liar' the official video. Another great reaction. Best wishes - David from across the pond 😊
my favorites here are Tommy Karevik and Simone Simons. The combination of voices is just bombing. They have joint songs, by the way, one of them is just in the Ayreon project. But the most awesome song is this one: Epica - Wake the world (feat Tommy Karevik)
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