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.)

James Earl Jones reads The Raven

It took me a fair while to find, but here it is. James Earl Jones (best known as the voice of Darth Vader) reading The Raven, a classic poem by Edgar Allen Poe. Awesome.

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Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I […]

People Are Not Animals! (and evolution never happened)

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Poe's Law comes to mind. Don't forget to link this one to your favourite creationists.

An Introduction to the Manic Street Preachers

Since their formation in Blackwood, South Wales in 1986, the Manic Street Preachers have released eight full length albums and three EPs, had two UK number 1 singles, played a massive gig in Castro's Cuba, lost a member in a suspected suicide, and will in 2008 be named "Godlike Geniuses" at the NME awards for their career achievements. Their bassist, the self-styled Nicky Wire, frequently wears skirts and knee-high socks to gigs and uses a mic stand covered in pink tinsel. Their lead singer, James Dean Bradfield (who was originally to be called Clint Eastwood Bradfield until his mother protested) has collaborated with Tom Jones and Kylie Minogue and the band worked with notorious pornstar Traci Lords on their début album.

One of the most controversial, overtly political, outspoken and unique bands the UK has ever produced, the Manic Street Preachers are often thought of only when people are in a strictly 90s mindset – but as they continue to tour, having released their eighth album in May 2007, why are the Manics still relevant? And how best to begin to understand such a long-running, iconoclastic and cult band?

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 […]

My Top Five Live Bands

Through my life I've seen a whole load of live bands, from festivals to concert halls. Although I count myself fairly lucky, there are so many I haven't yet seen and heard in the flesh - but for now, here's my five favourite live performances, over the past ten or so years.
NINE INCH NAILS […]

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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Neuromancer - BBC Radio Play

Uploaded, because it really doesn't seem to be available anywhere else - so until someone complains:
Part 1
Part 2