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CD/DVD Releases: Ayreon's ''01011001'' Released Today In Germany...

Posted on Sunday, January 27 @ 05:16:10 UTC by nightowl

Today sees the release of Ayreon's new album 01011001 in Germany, on Monday it will be in the stores everywhere in Europe.

01011011 is the new epic rock opera by Arjen A. Lucassen, featuring: Hansi K?rsch (Blind Guardian), Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), Daniel Gildenl?w (Pain Of Salvation), Bob Catley (Magnum), Jorn Lande, Steve Lee (Gotthard), Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering), Tom Englund (Evergrey), Simone Simons (Epica), Ty Tabor (King's X), Floor Jansen (After Forever), Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Planet X), Tomas Bodin (Flower Kings), Ed Warby (Gorefest), and Michael Romeo (Symphony X).

Available from InsideOut as: Limited Edition (2CD+DVD in special packaging), Special Edition (2CD+DVD), Regular Edition (2CD).

It will be released in North America on January 29. It was released in Asia on January 23 through Avalon/Marquee Records.



From the InsideOut website:

Back to the roots. Way back...

With his Ayreon project, legendary multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and vocalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen single-handedly revived the rock opera genre in the 1990s. Since then, Ayreon has achieved worldwide critical acclaim and success with albums charting in various countries. The seventh Ayreon output, 01011001, finds Lucassen both exploring new musical frontiers and revisiting his roots.

Lucassen?s recording studio, The Electric Castle, is located the quaint village of Oudenbosch in the south of the Netherlands. Recent months have seen a host of world-class artists as well as up-and-coming musical talent visit the home of the 47-year-old musician to play their part in bringing to life this new chapter in the epic Ayreon saga. Taking a sci-fi theme as its starting point, the story takes off in a new direction while still incorporating references from the previous Ayreon releases.

The story: Through technological advancement, "Forever," a race of aquatic beings living on Planet Y, has found the secret of longevity. They have advanced to the point that they have become completely dependent on machines and are losing their emotions. A passing comet on a collision course with Planet Earth provides the opportunity to revitalize their race; "Forever" harness the comet to carry their DNA to a new home on Earth. When the comet and Earth collide, the cataclysmic impact exterminates the dinosaurs (the Fifth Extinction), but from the ashes of destruction, humans arise. At first, the experiment with seeded DNA seems successful: through the humans "Forever" vicariously relive the emotions they experienced before the age of machines. In order to help mankind overcome their physical ailments and mental limitations, "Forever"speeds up human evolution. But the result is tragic: people develop a similar technological dependency with their emotions waning just like "Forever" and moral development not keeping pace with their capacity to invent. "Forever" must find a way to save mankind from its imminent self-destruction... or should they?

Thematically, 01011001 is darker and more enigmatic than previous Ayreon releases, while still touching upon a number of the contemporary issues that Lucassen frequently writes about: humanity's ever-increasing dependence on technology and the numbing, dehumanizing effect of mankind's loss of emotions.

With a running time of 102 minutes, 01011001 shines with all of Lucassen's beloved musical styles. Progressive space metal, electronic-, folk- and symphonic rock seamlessly intertwine, resulting in Ayreon's trademark contrasts and dynamics. And so the album combines soaring power vocals with soft melodic passages but also high operatic voices with ominous death growls. ("Comatose," "The Sixth Extinction").

Keyboardists Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater), Tomas Bodin (The Flower Kings) and Joost van den Broek (After Forever) provide the shredding and symphonic virtuosity that are sure to please prog enthusiasts everywhere (on the songs "The Fifth Extinction," "Waking Dreams," and "The Sixth Extinction"). Guitarists Lori Linstruth (ex-Stream of Passion) and Michael Romeo supply their signature melodic power solos ("Newborn Race," "E=MC2"). Violinist Ben Mathot (Dis) and flutist Jeroen Goossens (Flairck) add a classical and folk-rock touch and provide an organic contrast to the synths and other electric instruments ("River Of Time," "Web Of Lies"). The spectacular end result is ? as always ? a space opera of epic proportions.

01011001 is available in three editions: (1) as a double CD in a standard jewel case, (2) as a special edition in a box (with 28-page booklet and bonus DVD), and (3) as a limited deluxe edition in a fold-out slipcase (with 36-page booklet and bonus DVD) ? all of them featuring sumptuous artwork by Jef Bertels (The Human Equation ? www.jefbertels.be) and Felipe Machado Franco (Iced Earth, Lucas Film Ltd., Axel Rudi Pell ? finalfrontier.thunderblast.net). Other DVD features include a 45 minute behind the scenes, Ed Warby's drum session, demos, bloopers, and a state of the art 6 minute computer animated video for "Beneath The Waves" (created by Simon van Vegten at DPI) in 5.1 surround sound mix. [You can view the video here: www.arjenlucassen.com/premiere.htm]

{my review of this CD is coming soon; from some of the samples I've heard already, it is truly another epic entry in the Ayreon catalog - undeniably Ayreon - ed.}

[Source: InsideOut/SPV, Ayreon website]

Posted in Album Release News