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And so it begins...

Ayreon mastermind and multi-instrumentalist was born Arjen Anthony Lucassen April 3rd, 1960 in The Hague. Both Arjen and his older brother Gjalt were good students, but unlike Gjalt, Arjen wasn't interested much in studying. A notorious trouble-maker in class, Arjen decided to persue a career in the music business after graduating highschool. During his teens, Gjalt always teased Arjen a lot, and ever since the Ayreon albums were released, Arjen has been paying him back by playing jokes on his brother in the credits of his CDs. If you look carefully, you'll find a Gjalt 'joke' in every booklet of CDs released after 1995.
School's out!
Arjen's love for music was sparked in the 60s, when he became a big fan of the Beatles. He started buying albums in the early seventies when the glam rock era started and bands such as T-Rex, Alice Cooper, The Sweet, David Bowie were rising stars. Arjen really wanted to be in a band but he was too lazy to learn to play an instrument so he started a play-back band mimicing his heroes Alice Cooper, Slade, The Sweet. He actually did get a lot of gigs in schools and already then he was a busy guy.
Then one day one of the older pupils came up to him and said: You have to listen to this. Handing him a copy of Deep Purple's 'Made in Japan'. "Glam rock is ok, but this is really great." When Arjen listened to it and heard Ritchie Blackmore play, he knew that is what he wanted: to play guitar! So he learned to play guitar and went through a stage where he had a lot of different bands until 1980. One of these bands was called 'Mover'.
Bodine
Arjen had heard that the Dutch band Bodine had been looking for a new singer, and though he didn't consider himself a great or gifted vocalist, it was his favorite band, so he wanted to get involved. The first album with Jay van Feggelen on vocals was one of his favorite albums. He figured that he would audition as a vocalist, and bring his guitar, hoping they would give him the position of second guitarist in the band. And they told him that he had good ideas, good lyrics and good melodies but his voice was not what they were looking for. So Arjen told them he had brought his guitar. Those were the days of guitar tandems in bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy. Arjen pulled out his guitar and his amps and just began to play some Bodine songs that he had been working on for a month. And they said: Ok, you're in! Arjen stayed in Bodine from 1980 to 1984 and did two albums with them: 'Bold as Brass' and 'Three Time Running'.
Vengeance
Then Arjen got a call from a young and fresh band named Vengeance asking him if he knew a guitarplayer. Arjen thought just a moment, thinking about how great Bodine was, and what amazing things he had learned from the older much more experienced musicians, but also how limited he felt about expressing his own musical ideas. He couldn't develop himself as a composer and realized that there was a lot of spirit in Vengeance. So Arjen answered: "Yes, I know a guitarplayer... me!" Vengeance was surprised and very happy, but wondered about his commitment to Bodine. Arjen told them that it was time for a change. He joined Vengeance shortly after that phonecall and considers the time with them great, wild and quite enjoyable. He had more freedom to do what he wanted and to compose songs. But still, he had to make concessions since he was in a band and also had to deal with record companies demands. Not every band member agreed on his ideas, which made sense given the fact that they all hailed from different musical backgrounds. In 1989 the band replaced singer Leon Goewie with English native Ian Parry, but the band had a hard time getting a new style off the ground. In the early nineties the grunge and alternative rock genre exploded on to the scene. Arjen wished to go into a Rainbow direction with keyboards and bombastic sounds, and other guys wanted to explore Bad Company or Thin Lizzy styles. Because of this they wondered what the audience wanted to hear and started to write songs to please the fans. That was a bad decision. After a very successful farewell tour in 1992 Arjen parted ways with Vengeance.
Striking out alone!
Now the road was open for Arjen to work on his own material without interference or having to make concessions to band members. He recorded a few songs with himself on vocals and a record company heard it and was very interested to release the songs on an album. This album became Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy and Arjen went by his middle name Anthony. On this album Arjen played all instruments himself, except bass guitar which was played by Peter Vink and keyboards which were played by Cleem Determeijer. He didn't know what he wanted to do musically so the album became a hodge-podge of styles. Country, pop, rock, prog all sorts of different songs, and, eventhough three singles were released and Arjen performed on various radio shows and small clubs, the album flopped. But to those who listen to the album can hear that there are a few songs that became the basis for a massive project that was still to come.
He was looking for a way to make a life-long dream come true of creating a rock opera.
Ayreon
One particular album released during the 60s left a huge impression on Arjen. The album had everything Arjen was looking for, the music took him on an adventure, lyrics drew him into an emotional story, and reading lyrics along to discover that famous vocalists were playing parts. It became the ultimate tool for escapism for Arjen. The album was Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar. This album was followed by other similar albums such as War of the Worlds featuring Phil Lynott, The Who's Tommy, Pink Floyd The Wall. After tjat Arjen realized that time had come to do it himself, and to do it his own way. Not limited music to one style. He used all his styles, prog, metal, folk, beatles. Though Arjen was convinced people would hate not being able to pigeonhole the music, metalheads would not be impressed with the folky style with mandolins, folk fans were going to raise their eyebrows over the metal sections. Arjen was pretty sure it wasn't going to fly, but he simply wanted to do it. At least one time in his life he wanted to make an album that he supported 100%, no compromise, just doing only what he loved. This album became Ayreon - The Final Experiment. He found a small Dutch label interested in the project and the album simply took off.
The Final Experiment (1995)
'The Final Experiment' is Arjen Lucassen's first rock opera. The full title is 'Ayreon: The Final Experiment' with no band-name given. Later on the label suggested the name Ayreon would be used for any similar projects by Arjen.
Actual Fantasy (1996)
The second CD released under the Ayreon name is 'Actual Fantasy'. It has no continuous story with a beginning and an end, but the CD's entire concept is fantasy. The songs are based on fantasy and sci-fi movies, or on stories Arjen wrote himself.
The first ten thousand copies of Actual Fantasy featured a bonus CD-rom track; a full-length animated video clip for 'Stranger From Within'. The second version of the CD featured two bonus tracks: 'The Dawn of Man' and the single version for 'Stranger From Within' replacing the video.
Into the Electric Castle (1998)
The third Ayreon release is a 100+ minute double CD and like 'The Final Experiment' it tells a story. Eight stereotypical characters from different eras in time suddenly find themselves in another dimension as subjects of an experiment conducted by an alien race.
The characters on 'Into the Electric Castle' are blown out of proportion. Arjen rented a few old B-movies for inspiration to see how Romans, Barbarians and Egyptians were stereotyped in those years. "I like this tongue in cheek-thing, although I take the music itself very seriously."
"Into The Electric Castle' is the most pleasant sounding album I've made so far', says Arjen. "And that is mainly due to the analog equipment I used. Like vintage synthesizers from the 70's, which still have that warm, instantly recognizable sound. I had enough of triggered drums, samples and prefab digital sounds. I'm a sucker for contradictions. 'Into The Electric Castle' is one to start with. But I also like the idea of telling a sci-fi story and using equipment that - in some cases - people might find out-dated."
Universal Migrator Part One: The Dream Sequencer &
Universal Migrator Part Two: The Flight of the Migrator (2000)
The Universal Migrator parts I & II were released at the same time, but were for sale independently. Part I: 'The Dream Sequencer' mainly features laid-back, atmospheric material with songs focussing on melody. Initially the album was meant to only feature female singers, but not enough singers were available so Arjen changed his plans.
Whereas 'Into the Electric Castle' has an opera-like set up, in which main characters sing dialogues in one song, on 'The Dream Sequencer' Arjen chose to have only one vocalist sing each song. As a result each new incarnation of the last Colonist on Mars, the main character of the story, has its own distinct personality.
Ayreonauts Only (2000)
'Ayreonauts Only' is a collection of previously unreleased Ayreon and Ayreon-related material. It is sold at a low price and meant to appeal specifically to die-hard fans of Ayreon. Some Ayreon tracks feature different singers, and others tracks are completely different (demo) versions of songs. The CD also features a preview of Ambeon, a new project that Arjen had started after finishing The Universal Migrator albums.
The Human Equation (2004)
In May 2003 Arjen managed to wrap up all Star One business, and retreated into his Electric Castle studio to work on the 6th Ayreon album called 'The Human Equation'.
"Initially I wanted to create something mellow as a reaction to the heavy Star One project, but as always… these things never really allow themselves to be planned. The musical direction of the new Ayreon is very diverse. As usual I take you from one extreme to another, but this time the quiet parts are even more quiet, the folky parts more folky, the proggy parts more proggy and the heavy parts more heavy! There are a few more major differences compared to the other Ayreon albums though..."
"First of all I decided to only work with musicians who had never guested on Ayreon before. The one exception to this rule was the use of drummer Ed Warby, for he had truly become a part of my sound and music. I chose a wide variety of singers from different styles of music and from all corners of the world, most of them quite original and surprising choices, I think. For details on how the recording sessions went, please take a look at the studio reports available on the website. I will tell you one thing: just as on 'Into the Electric Castle' there is a lot of 'dialogue singing' again; sometimes one song features up to ten different singers!"
"Secondly, I wanted to get away from the usual science fiction and fantasy concept in order to keep things fresh and original for both myself and the fans. Since 1995, when I released my first Ayreon album, a lot of other Sci-Fi and Fantasy projects have surfaced. So being the 'pig-headed git' I am, I decided to go against the grain once again and do something very different this time. Instead of venturing out in space, as most would have expected, I took a look inside man himself and explored the realm of emotions hidden within. So this time: no castles and aliens. Or..."
The Ayreon Re-Issues
After Arjen departed the Transmission label prior to The Human Equation release, Ayreon got a new home at InsideOut Germany. All albums had been sold out for quite some time, and InsideOut had to repress all editions. For this occasion Arjen created special editions.
Strange Hobby
(taken from 'De Telegraaf)
What do you mean, 'Strange Hobby'? Is it strange for a musician to record the music that once influenced his music and that still has a place in his heart? Still, Arjen Lucassen named his side project 'Strange Hobby' and to make it even more strange; the booklet didn't say who was responsible for the disc. The album mastered at Abbey Road Studios was a comply mystery, with the crиme of rock and surprising arrangements.
In the end former Vengeance-guitar player Arjen Lucassen appeared to be responsible for this album. After the break-up of his once very succesful hardrock band he came up with the Ayreon project, rock-opera's ('The Final Experiment' and 'Actual Fantasy') in their purest form.
"Ayreon proves to be extremely successful. In Japan, in Europe, just incredible." I'm talking to a grinning Lucassen. He has reason to grin. The success he has with his fantastic Ayreon albums is unusual for a Dutch project. The profit from the first Ayreon album enabled him to build a complete studio. "I'm living in a fairy-tale." he says. "A beautiful home, my own studio, the music that I want to make...it really is incredible."
The 'Strange Hobby' album was meant to freak out for a change. But on his own way. "I might have been a bit too driven, also in creating this album. All those vocal lines, all those choirs, I did them myself. It has to be recorded perfectly, so I never stop until it is."
DRIVEN
The guitar player has been so driven, that he didn't realise that he might have overdone it. Song after song has been recorded perfectly, and that 18 times! "This might be my only disadvantage," he confesses, "when I'm making music I don't know how to slow down. Besides, you shouldn't forget that songs in those days normally had a duration of about two minutes. I couldn't make an album with only ten songs in this case....".
About 'Strange Hobby' as a side project:
"After I finished the second Ayreon album I really felt like freaking out. On the Ayreon discs everything is produced superbly. Every detail, no matter how minor, has been designed, has been thought about. I wanted to break free from that for a while. I wanted to run and dance through the room while recording. That's what I did."
"From the start I intended to keep it a secret, who made this album. I just wanted to do that; it seemed fun. I heard names man, Prince, Status Quo, Barry Hay, even Paul McCartney. Well, it may not be smart from a commercial point of view, but it was fun."
DREAM
"That I was able to master this disc at the Abbey Road Studios, actually was a gift from the director of my record company. A great guy. When I told him what my dream was, he got on the phone and immediately booked the studio. That was magic. How many times do you think I crossed that famous cross-over? Half of the songs I recorded there, were originally recorded there once. The man who did the mastering even worked on the 'Beatles Anthology'-series. He didn't know that I made this stuff, but he liked it. Though I had warned him that the songs were really distorted." (grin)
"I really like doing the things I do now. I don't feel a need to become bigger. I think Ayreon holds everything that defines me; all musicality within me is united in Ayreon. As long as I keep selling enough copies to be able to make another one, I'm more than happy."
Ambeon
Ambeon was a mysterious and ambient project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, and featured a young, and very talented female vocalist, Astrid van der Veen. Though Arjen mistakenly called Ambeon a band in the Ayreonauts Only liner notes, he rectified that; it is a project of Astrid and Arjen.
Originally Arjen set out to record an ambient instrumental album based on certain electronic patterns, chords and melodies derived from the recorded tracks of existing Ayreon songs (to test his new studio hardware system). In the process some new songs evolved, and Arjen figured female vocals on one or two songs would add a warm human touch.
Arjen heard a recording of a 14-year young Dutch singer named Astrid van der Veen. This was exactly the voice he was looking for, and so he asked her to write lyrics and melodies to go over some of these re-constructed ambient tracks and then sing them. This arrangement worked out extremely well. So before he realized it the album had developed from an instrumental album with two vocal songs to a vocal album with two instrumentals.
To get as much outside input as Arjen could in order to not make it sound too much like an Ayreon album, he decided to involve several musicians who could bring in their own ideas, just like Astrid did. Stephen van Haestregt, who helped Arjen out with the technical issues of his new hard disk recording system, turned out to be a very good and versatile drummer.
The experienced Walter Latupeirissa (Snowy White, Steve Lukather, Pat Travers) played some great bass and fretless bass. And two guys from the band Celtus, John and Pat McManus, added to the folk atmosphere by playing flute, pipes and fiddle.
Name
The name Ambeon is a combination of the words ambient and Ayreon.
Single
The Cold Metal single was released to support the release of Fate of a Dreamer and contains one new, spontaneously recorded song based on 'The Dawn of Man'- Merry-Go-Round.

1. Cold Metal (3:46) Remix single version
2. Merry-Go-Round (4:43) Previously unreleased track
3. High (3:26) Remix
4. Cold Metal (7:05) Album version
More Ambeon?
Although Arjen is not ready to retire this project, there are no plans yet for a follow- up to 'Fate of a Dreamer'.

Star One
When Arjen makes a new CD, it is often a reaction to his work on a previous album. Prior to 'Star One', Arjen created a softer, more atmospheric album under the name of Ambeon. In response, he went to other extreme to create a completely unbridled heavy metal album.
Arjen Lucassen set a trend with his Ayreon albums. Many laughed when he recorded his first rock opera 'Ayreon - The Final Experiment' in 1995, and most record companies were hesitant to sign him. But especially after the highly successful release of his third Ayreon CD, the rock opera 'Into the Electric Castle', many musicians and producers have followed in his footsteps and new rock operas with multiple singers are beginning to surface all over the world. Arjen comments: "Yes, I've noticed! I regard it as a compliment. But I have also noticed that on some of these operas the singers sound the same, and so you need the CD booklet to tell them apart.
To ensure that doesn't happen on 'Space Metal', Arjen used very different sounding singers appearing in the same songs -- different singers for different moods". Dan Swanц (ex-Edge of Sanity, Nightingale) sings the low parts, Russell Allen (Symphony X) sings the powerful rough parts, Damian Wilson (ex-Threshold) sings the high clear parts, and to top it off, Floor Jansen (After Forever) sings the really high choruses. Robert Soeterboek (Ayreon) sang the backing vocals with his huge smoky voice.
Name
Why not just call it Ayreon? Ayreon is known for having many different musical styles. Star One focuses mainly on the heavy side of Arjen's music, and so the songs are more straightforward and guitar-oriented but still progressive. This album was never intended to be an Ayreon album, so calling it Ayreon just didn't feel right. The name Star One is based on an episode of Arjen's favorite science fiction TV series called 'Blakes 7'.
Hawkwind's Dave Brock
Arjen succeeded in getting Hawkwind's Dave Brock to make a guest vocal appearance, something no one has ever managed to do before. Arjen about Brock's guest appearance: "Hawkwind were the inventors of Space Rock, so I thought it would be a cool idea to record a Hawkwind medley for the album. I asked Dave to sing on it, and to my surprise, he did it! This is a dream come true as he has been a huge influence on me".
Limited Edition Disc
The Hawkwind medley is available on the special limited edition version of Space Metal, a beautiful book that includes an extra CD with various bonus tracks. A strange version of David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' sung by Arjen himself is also featured here as well as a special Dolby Surround mix of 'Starchild', two other Star One tracks that didn't fit the album and a surprise hidden track.
Concept
Space Metal isn't a continuous story or a rock opera like the Ayreon albums. Yet it is still very much a concept album. The individual songs are all based on space films. The album is a journey through Arjen's mind and memory, so the listeners can relive those great science fiction space films that made such an impact on him.
Arjen talks about the concept: "I based the songs on films that take place entirely in space. It's really hard to write a song based on a film and then not use names or make the references to the original too clear. I really wanted to write about my impressions of the films and not just tell the same story over again.
Stream of Passion
After Dutch guitarist/composer/producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen had finished his latest endeavour, the Ayreon rock opera The Human Equation, he wanted to do two things: showcase the many talents of Mexican singer Marcela Bovio, one of the vocalists on the Ayreon album, and form a band for the first time in 10 years.
"The response of critics and fans to Marcela's vocals on the Ayreon album was really great. People were simply blown away." Arjen explains, "However, already when she was in my studio recording for the Ayreon project, I realized that she had many more talents that I regretted not being able to use at that time. So, hating to let a good thing go to waste, I decided to construct a project completely centered on her singing, composing and writing."
Two years ago, Marcela entered a vocalist contest through Lucassen's website. The winner would have a chance to sing on the highly successful Ayreon rock opera series. "When I first heard Marcela's recordings, it sent shivers down my spine. To find a vocalist who sings with that much passion and power, is rare. Very rare." And Lucassen should know, he's worked with over a hundred different vocalists for his many musical projects in the past.
"I refused to start the project with a musical direction in mind, because I wanted Marcela to feel completely free to experiment with some simple acoustic guitar demos I had made. She added her musical ideas, and I went into the studio to work on the songs some more. Then the other band members added their ideas. The music had to develop as naturally as possible, as would happen with a real band, which was an interesting challenge considering that at the moment some band members live thousands of miles apart. The whole thing turned into one big world-wide jam session. Which is very unusual, exciting and a lot of fun."
To form the band, Lucassen used the Internet to tap into the numerous talents that reside all across the globe. A year ago, Dutch drummer Davy Mickers downloaded a special track from Lucassen's website to enter a musicians contest, and used it to showcase his incredible drumming skills. And just recently Lucassen discovered Lori Linstruth, an amazingly skilled American female guitarist residing in Sweden, among the members of the online Ayreon Yahoo group. Completing the band are Mexican pianist Alejandro Millбn and Dutch bass player Johan van Stratum from the Rock Academy in Tilburg.
The band's creative juices flowed to and fro between computers stationed in all corners of the world - recording, writing and matching up musical ideas to form songs. The end result was as diverse and driven as each individual band member.
Blending mysterious gothic vocals, metal guitars and atmospheric trip-hop, with haunting pianos and live celli- and violin quartets. The album Embrace the Storm was released fall 2005 through various labels.
Arjen took Stream of Passion to the road on three separate occasions. The Embrace the Storm tour, the Summer Festival tour and a trip to Mexico. Another short tour is planned for early 2007.
The future...
Through Arjen never plans ahead too far in the future, he is currently working on a new Ayreon album. Information will become available soon!
F.A.Q
(Frequently Asked Questions)
Does Arjen pick his own singers/musicians to guest-star on his projects?
Absolutely. He once made a long list of all his favorite singers he grew up listening to and tried to get in contact with them. Unfortunately most of them are dead! And many are simply unapproachable. Arjen is however also constantly looking for new singers. "A singer doesn't have to be technically brilliant at all. Either a voice does something for me or not, I can't really explain. I also think it's very important that they like my music, there has to be a two-way appreciation in order to get the right feeling. Nowadays I'm in a luxurious position where singers are actually contacting me!"
Does Arjen write his own stories?
Yes. Arjen does like to come up with his own concepts, rather than base his concepts on known stories. He lets the music inspire him to come up with a story, so the concept and the lyrics come last. Sometimes when he thinks that the singer can do a better job himself he lets them write their own lyrics or melody.
Does Arjen's music have a message?
The Final Experiment appears to have a message: we should really take care of ourselves and of the earth, which is going to collapse otherwise. However, Arjen really doesn't like messages in music. "I don't want to hear opinions; I want to enjoy music. I want to give people (and myself!) the possibility to escape reality for a while. I don't want to force my personal opinions upon the people, that is not my job, although there is enough to read 'between the lines' if you want to. But the obvious message in Final Experiment wasn't deliberate; it sort of 'sneaked' into the story. Which doesn't mean that I am not behind it, although I do hope that mankind will last a bit longer than 2084!"
Has Arjen considered (name singer) for his albums?
The list of vocalists that Arjen would like to have on his projects is almost endless! There are still so many singers Arjen would like to work with. Of course his first choices are the singers he grew up listening to; he considers it such an honour and a pleasure to record with them.
Arjen: "I get many (good) suggestions from fans. But then I often need a certain voice for a certain part, so it will also depend on the story and the parts which singers I would need. And I want the voices to be as different from eachother as possible."
Is the Star One DVD a limited edition?
The Star One DVD is part of box set containing the live 2CD with the DVD as a bonus and was released worldwide in April 2003. It is not a limited edition. It is a so-called 'special edition' because of the bonus DVD and the special packaging.
Please be aware that the double CD version does not contain the bonus DVD- the bonus comes in a box-set edition. Check your version before you buy 'Live on Earth' in the store.
Only in Argentina and Brazil will the DVD be released separately from the CDs. It was recently released in Argentina, Brazil will follow shortly.
How did Arjen learn to play those instruments?
Arjen never had any musical education, apart from learning a few chords from his friends to get him started. He cannot read or write music, it's all in his head. He doesn't consider himself to be a great instrumentalist, however he does know how an instrument should sound, how to mix them and what they should play to get the best results. That's why, apart from the drums, he plays most instruments himself.
How does Arjen write his songs?
"For the heavy stuff (like Star One) I start with a guitar riff, but for Ayreon I usually start with a chord sequence or/and a melody. During the course of approximately a year, I record these ideas simply on a little cassette player whilst singing the melody. Then I copy and paste all these little parts together in my head and subsequently work them out in the studio (with drum samples). At this stage all these lovely little song ideas often (unintentionally) grow into huge monsters!
I then put the songs in the right order; I have to do this before I write the lyrics. At the very end, when I know who will sing the parts, I make the vocal melody fit the style of the singer (so not the other way around). At that time the music has inspired me to come up with a concept/story and I finally write the lyrics.
After that, I record the guide vocals (either myself, my wife or a friend) and send the demo songs to the drummer and the singers. First I record the drums in another studio (I don't have the facilities myself). Then I play all bass, guitars and keyboards (in that order) myself at the Castle.
Next I record the singers; they either come to my studio or I come to a studio of their choice. I always want to be present when recording a singer. The singers have absolute freedom to sing the songs the way they want; I found out that often this gets the best results. Of course there are some singers who like to stick to the melody I give them.
After all this, I record other instrumentalists: flute, cello, violin, sitar etc. Then I play my solos. I also invite keyboard players (and so far other guitar players two times) to play some solos. I'm practically never present when they do, they either send me a tape or sometimes even digital files via the internet. They can do whatever they want, as long as they impress the hell out of me!"
How old was Arjen when he first picked up a guitar?
He started playing guitar at the age of 15. "My first guitar had just one string for a long time, so all I could play was Smoke on the Water, over and over again…"
How tall is Arjen?
Arjen is 2.02 meters tall. This roughly translates to: 6'7"
And the answer to the very obvious (and very frequently asked) question: Does he play basketball... is no.
I can't find any Ayreon CDs!
It is possible that in some countries some of the Ayreon CDs are no longer available. Have your local store contact the distributor for more information. The availability of all Ayreon CDs should improve soon.
In July 2004 there will be a re-release of the two Migrator albums in one package for the price of one cd. Other re-releases will follow.
In the mean time, do check out the discography on this site, the official store offers a wide range of Arjen Lucassen related material and ship worldwide.
I want to promote Arjen's music, where can I get promos?
Arjen does not have any promos himself nor any other promotional material he can give you. Any emails sent to him requesting promos will remain unanswered.
If you want promos you have to contact the labels: InsideOut Music Germany or InsideOut Music America for Europe and America. Contact Hellion for Brazil, Icarus Music for Argentina, and IronD for Russia.
I'm a singer and I want to send Arjen some of my material!
As you may have heard, Arjen wants to give unknown talented vocalists the opportunity to be discovered and guest-star on one of his future projects. So he has asked for his fans to send in recordings of their voices and the response has been great! Keep in mind that there is no deadline to this request.
Whenever you feel like it- you can send Arjen your material to his P.O. Box.
Do not send mp3s, or URLs to mp3s via email. Emails with attachments will not be opened but removed right away.
Send your CDs, CD-Rs, MDs, cassettes, etcetera to Arjen's snail mail address only! (Details in the contact section of this site)
Arjen will listen to all Demos you send it, but with his busy schedule cannot guarantee that you will get a reply.
Is Arjen a genius?
"I am definitely not a genius! I have had the pleasure to work with some geniuses, so I know what I'm talking about. Unlike them I have to work really hard to achieve the level I finally reached, and it took me about 30 years to get there. I am however a big music fan, which I think is even more important than being a genius. I want to create the music that I would like to listen to myself. I think my talent and strength lies in the fact that I see the big picture; I know how things should sound, how to use and combine singers and instrumentalists and how to create a certain atmosphere, not just musically but also lyric wise and visually".
What are Arjen's favorite CDs?
"I divided them into 3 categories: Prog Rock, Rock and Pop. I decided to choose the albums that influenced me so obviously most of them are from my youth."
* Prog Rock:
Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
ELP - The Atlantic Years
Triumvirat - Spartacus
Porcupine Tree – Stupid Dream
Hawkwind - Hall of the Mountain Grill
Camel - Moonmadness
Rick Wakeman - 6 Wives of Henry VIII
Kansas - Power
The White Noise - An Electric Storm
* Rock:
Rainbow - Rising
Led Zeppelin - III
Queen - II
Rush - Hemispheres/2112 (I can't choose...)
Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
Alice Cooper - Love it to Death
Deep Purple - Made in Japan
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Van Halen - 1
The Who - Tommy
* Pop:
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
T.Rex - Electric Warrior
The Sparks - Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing
The Waterboys – This is the Sea
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Deja Vu
Kate Bush - The Whole Story
Webber/Rice - JC Superstar
Kaleidoscope - White Faced Lady
Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence
The Sweet - Desolation Boulevard
What are Arjen's main musical influences?
* Guitar:
Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
Edward van Halen
Steve Vai
David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
* Drums:
John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
Cozy Powell (Rainbow)
* Keyboards:
Keith Emerson (ELP)
Rick Wakeman (Yes)
* Bassguitar:
Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
Geddy Lee (Rush)
* Vocals:
John Lennon (Beatles)
Ronnie James Dio (Rainbow)
Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
What does Arjen think of all these new Rock Operas?
Arjen set a trend with his Ayreon albums. Many laughed when he recorded his first rock opera 'Ayreon - The Final Experiment' in 1995, and most record companies were hesitant to sign him. But especially after the highly successful release of his third Ayreon CD, the rock opera 'Into the Electric Castle', many musicians and producers have followed in his footsteps and new rock operas with multiple singers are beginning to surface all over the world. Arjen comments: "Yes, I've noticed! I regard it as a compliment. Though I think that many of these projects are too one-sided for me personally and often the singers sound alike. I like to incorporate many different styles, atmospheres and vocalists. Which carries a risk that some people might find my music inaccessible. Well, it certainly isn't background music, you have to become part of it to be able to fully enjoy it".
Whatever happened to the Into the Electric Castle movie?
There was a definite plan to make a movie of ITEC. It was to be 3D animated movie entirely made on the computer with the original album as the score. The famous fantasy painter Boris Vallejo was going to design the characters. It was going to be made in the Czech Republic by a Czech/American producer called Miroslav 'Mark' Svoboda. They came to Holland, Arjen approved the screenplay and all the contracts were signed. You can feel a 'but' coming up... but Arjen hasn't heard anything for a long time now. First it was going to be an inexpensive movie of a six-figure amount of dollars. But then Warner got interested and the budget went up to a seven-figure amount. Since then nothing has been heard from them. Arjen's brother Gjalt (yes, him) has contacted the artist Boris Vallejo but hasn't heard anything anymore either. Very strange and disappointing...
What is Arjen's favorite Ayreon CD?
Arjen: "Each time I play an Ayreon CD, I think: this is my best, I will never make an album as good as this one anymore! So I think I would need to hear all the albums after each other in one day in order to answer that question correctly. And then the order in which I play them would have influence on my judgement as well I guess. And of course I couldn't be objective at all, I know the story and the emotions behind every album too well. They all have something special for me, and they are all so different. And also it would depend on my mood. In other words: I couldn't say!"
Where does the name Ayreon come from?
Though Arjen does like the similarity of the sound of his name Arjen and the project name Ayreon, this is purely coincidental. Yet no one seems to believe that!
Originally Arjen called the minstrel of the first Ayreon album 'Aries', because he was an orphan and they named him after his star sign. But then, when Ian Parry (an English singer) had to sing 'A-RI-IES', he told Arjen it was pronounced differently (it should be 'A –RIES'). Arjen had to change it because of the syllables for it had to fit the meter of the songs.
He wanted the name to sound old fashioned because of the medieval influences on the first album, so he used the old-English sounding 'AY' (Aylesbury, Ayshire). But he also wanted it to sound modern because of the futuristic parts (2084) so he used 'ON' (electron, neutron, cyclotron etc.)
Why is Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) thanked in the Into the Electric Castle booklet?
Arjen: "After Actual Fantasy I wrote letters to about 50 singers/musicians if they wanted to guest on Ayreon, and (besides those who agreed) I only got a few answers. Among them were Donovan, Phil Mogg (UFO), Stephen Duffy (ex-Duran Duran) and Steven Wilson. Steven liked Actual Fantasy (especially productionwise), and Strange Hobby even more. He wrote me a detailed review/letter on my material and I really appreciated that. Unfortunately my music was/is too prog for him. And he didn't consider himself to be a good enough singer/guitarplayer. Obviously I disagree."
What is Arjen's favorite food and drink?
Food is Arjen's favorite past-time. Strange, unusual and exotic foods are his main thing. Arjen is a vegetarian. His favorite cuisines include Mexican and Indonesian (his mother used to live in Indonesia) He loves artichokes and pizza and collects endless brands and variations of mayonaise and mustard. His favorite beverage, besides water are, fresh fruitjuices, his Pepsi max, chilled coffee drinks, and an occasional glass of wine.
What books does Arjen read?
Arjen hasn't read a book in his life! He does read magazines and comic books, but gets all his story telling inspiration from old television series, movies and the odd encyclopedia.
What are Arjen's favorite movies?
Alien, Stargate, 2001, Donnie Darko, Ed Wood, Being John Malkovich, The Omen, The Thing, Blade Runner, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Midnight Run, The Full Monty, the list is endless...
What are Arjen's favorite television series?
Blake's 7, House of Cards, Babylon 5, FarScape, X-files, Sherlock Holmes (feat. Jeremy Brett), Firefly, StarTrek: Enterprise.

With a career spanning more than three decades, composer and multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen has firmly established himself worldwide as driving force in progressive rock. While best known for his rock opera project Ayreon, the multi-talented Dutchman also regularly embarks on musical side projects such as Ambeon, Guilt Machine and Star One. These projects all explore different aspects of Lucassen's musical personality, with each new release being a creative reaction to the style of its predecessor. As his previous project (Guilt Machine's On This Perfect Day - 2009) was a relatively relaxed and subtle affair, Lucassen's muses responded by urging him to record something loud, heavy and anything but subtle for this new release. Thus it was a perfect opportunity to launch his musical spacecraft towards the galaxy of bombastic sci-fi rock by revisiting his STAR ONE project. The result is the album Victims of the Modern Age, the follow-up to the STAR ONE debut album, Space Metal (2002). With its stellar musicianship, strong melodies, meticulous production and compelling concept, STAR ONE's Victims of the Modern Age is yet another exciting project from one of rock's great visionaries.
SIGNED PREORDERS START TODAY
Starting today you can order signed copies of the Limited 2-CD Mediabook edition of the new Star One album "Victims of the Modern Age" exclusively through the ArjenLucassen store.
SPECIAL PREORDER BUNDLE OFFER - Ltd. Edition 2-CD plus SHIRT!
For the next 7 days you can get the special pre-order bundle of the Limited 2-CD edition (?19) plus a T-shirt (?20) for an early-bird price of ?25. Of course you can order the Ltd 2-CD Edition on its own for ?19. These prices do not include shipping, but we've done our best to create fair shipping options for folks all over the world. The special bundle offer will continue throughout the presale period, but the price will be going up as of 6 October. The signed preorders are available here: http://bit.ly/aERjoF
Orders will ship in the last week of October. All BUNDLE orders to non-European countries will ship registered priority mail to ensure the fastest and safest shipping. If you have any questions about the signed pre-sales, just email Lori [store AT arjenlucassen DOT com] who will be happy to help you.

Featured Artists
Vocals
Russell Allen (Symphony X)
Damian Wilson (Headspace, Threshold)
Floor Jansen (ex-After Forever, ReVamp)
Dan Swanц (Nightingale, Second Sky, ex-Edge of Sanity)
Guest Vocalists, CD2
Tony Martin (Ex-Black Sabbath)
Mike Andersson (Cloudscape, Full Force, Silent Memorial)
Rodney Blaze
Instrumentalists
Arjen Lucassen - Guitars, keyboards
Ed Warby - Drums (Ayreon, Hail of Bullets, Gorefest)
Peter Vink - bass
Joost van den Broek - keyboard solos (Ex-After Forever)
Gary Wehrkamp - guitar solos (Shadow Gallery)