Search - Ayreon :: Final Experiment

The Final Experiment: Progressive Rock meets Epic Metal.

Joe White | Layton, Utah United States | 04/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yep. Ayreon's the Final Experiment is those things...and more!The Final Experiment is a concept album that tells the tale of a blind minstrel who is receiving visions of apocalyptic doom from the future. The music is epic, progressive and medieval in sound and style. Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the man behind Ayreon, uses a wide variety of vocalists and other musicians to tell this story. Whether it is the medieval and bombastic "Sail Away to Avalon", the quiet and introspective "Ye Courtyard Minstrel Boy" or the powerful "Merlin's Will", the Final Experiment delivers on many levels. There is something for everyone on this cd -- especially for you keyboard lovers. If you like a variety of bands such as Savatage, Pink Floyd and Blind Guardian, you will probably love the Final Experiment."

Great

Joe White | 02/11/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Final Experiment is a kind of predecessor to "Into the Electric Castle". It is in a way a "light version" in the sense, that this is only one CD instead of two, and that here are not so many prominent artists playing aroud. Beside this, there are no differences, and no flaws. A concept album (the story is okay for me) with very complex and tasteful arrangements. All instruments and the vocals are excellent. Giant, epic, powerful, somethimes slightly gothic touched, interwoven in great diversity with much variety (trumpets etc.). But luckily for me there is never bad "metal" feeling, but it keeps with melodic (hard-) rock. In my feeling it is as catchy and easy flowing as a combination of Boston, Meat Loaf, Arena, Pendragon and Trans Siberian Orchestra. Endless guitar and keyboardlayers with dense, busy and tasteful drumming, and sometimes slow ballads. For lovers of tight, pulsing Rock who insist on getting tons of creative ideas and arrangements, I think, this one should be pure joy to listen to! If you like this, you should surely get the extraordinary "Into the Electric Castle" also. But anyway, you should not ignore Final Experimant. For me, Final Experiment is the prelude to Electric Castle, delivering nearly the same fun and joy. So I suggest, you check it out, perhaps it works for you also."

An interesting beginning

SnowDog3000 | manchester, ct USA | 10/07/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"for a first album, this isn't great, but shows many of the elements that will eventually be melded into some great music on later albums. There are some very interesting songs though, many of them in an acoustic style, some with multiple vocalists on each song, and of course, Ayreon's overall concept story that marks most of his cds. I would say that on this album, he hasn't completely matured as a composer yet, and it shows on many of the songs. I would probably list this as fourth of his five albums in ranking, one above Flight of the Migrator. Get Dream Sequencer & Electric Castle, (or even Actual Fantasy first)"