Ayreon: 01011001 Review

This is the 7th album by Ayreon, a project of Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen, and the 5th instalment of the story that began with The Final Experiment. It’s a hard album to classify, continuing the unorthodox and experimental musical style of previous Ayreon albums, though it could be adequately described as a Rock Opera which incorporate numerous genres, including progressive rock, metal, folk, classical and electronica. This is probably the darkest, and at times heaviest, album Ayreon have released to date although it certainly isn’t lacking in folky melodies and soft, ambient passages. Music and lyrics are, as always, composed by Arjen, who once again has a small singing part, while drums are again provided by Ayreon veteran Ed Warby. Arjen has once again assembled a remarkable collection of vocalists and instrumentalists. The singers are mainly new, although a few Ayreon veterans have been included in the cast (Anneke van Giersbergen, Floor Jansen and of course Arjen himself.)

Preview - Ayreon 01011001 Artwork

Over the last few days, artwork previews from the new Ayreon album, 01011001, have been released on the official Ayreon site. Some of these images are familiar as they featured in the album's trailer, though in a much smaller scale. There is a different image for each track, with the exception of tracks 2 […]

The Man from Earth

This is the second film, the first being The Fountain, that I've watched recently which tackles the question: "What if you could live forever?" The Man From Earth has an uncomplicated story, though there are a few twists as the film progresses, which doesn't distract from the intellectual debate which is the focal point of the film. It begins by introducing a college professor who is leaving his job after 10 years. His impromptu farewell quickly turns into an emotionally involving debate when he, almost casually, reveals that he is 14000 years old. With characters from varying fields of science (such as a Biologist, Anthropologist, Archaeologist, Christian Literalist, and Psychologist) the discussion covers all the issues about a potential immortal man, from the science of it to the religious implications.

Top Ten Progressive Metal Albums

Progressive music was the first genre that really captured my interest, although I had been listening to far more mainstream rock music for several years before I came across any of the albums in this list. It was doubtlessly the originality that first attracted me to prog, progressive metal in particular, because so far I had never managed to find any music that I still enjoyed after several listens. Even though it took me quite a while to appreciate many of the albums in this list, there isn't a single entry that hasn't remained fresh - in fact I still find myself enjoying these albums more with each listen.

It's near impossible to create a definitive list of the best progressive metal albums because of the incredible variety that exists within the genre. The ten which I have eventually settled on are all albums which I love, and which show the all the extremes and the diversity of the genre; I've included softer albums, which feature a lot of progressive rock, and heavier albums that are interlaced with death metal elements. There is of course a lot of personal bias in this list; I love albums with stories or strong themes, so I’ve favoured some concept albums.

New Trailer for Ayreon's 01011001

As part of the build up to its January 28th release, an official teaser trailer for Ayreon's new album, 01011001, has been released, and one of the songs from the new album, The Fifth Extinction, has been made available in its entirety on the Ayreon myspace page. They're incredible.
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The Fatal Consequences of Taser Misuse

In issue 2623 of New Scientist, for me dated 29th September 2007, there was an article about the correct usage of Tasers, and their safety. They raised several key points about methods which are used to test the safety of Tasers, and the danger of these weapons. Since the publication of this article, a man has been killed as a direct result of several Taser shocks he received. Despite the deaths that they cause, Tasers continue to be used by law enforcement agencies around the world in situations where they are totally unnecessary, and they are even sold to ordinary citizens.

Hitman Film 'Review'

 
I was hoping to actually type a review of Hitman, but I changed my mind after watching it and instead I've decided to make a list of why the film is so crap:

This film totally fails to capture the essence of the game. If you want to see a Silent Assasin style Hitman, this is […]

Psychonauts and others for Free

As part of their Holiday Threesome offer, Gametap have provided a list of games which you can play for free until the 31st of December, including several Hitman games (to coincide with the release of the frankly dire film version), Tomb Raider Legend, as well as some classics like Metal Slug. However, the best […]

Cryogenics for the Budget Conscious

To some, the prospect of eternal life is an enticing fate, and many believe that they can achieve this with cryogenics, or cryonics to be accurate. I’ve always viewed cryonics with an intense pessimism, but I’ve become a lot more open towards it after reading several studies about the success that has been achieved in preserving the brain. However, it is still reliant on ‘future medicine’ to repair or replace the damage that your body has suffered in your ‘first life’. There are even efforts within the cryogenic community to make it more accessible to the common person, with cheaper plans available if you only want to freeze your head (Neuropreservation). This is especially appealing as ‘future science’ will undoubtably be able to provide you with a perfect new body. Perhaps this is a sensible idea though, it is much cheaper, and the process of freezing can irreparably damage much of the body.

Riddley Walker

This is easily the most fascinating novel that I have ever read. The first sentence is a great example of the language: "On my naming day when I come 12 I gone front spear and kilt a wyld boar he parbly ben the las wyld pig on the Bundel Downs any how there hadnt ben none for a long time befor him nor I aint looking to see none agen." It's difficult at first, but once you get into the novel it isn't that hard to understand and by the time you finish the book it really does feel like you have learnt a new language.