Transitus

Ayreon has been releasing nine different conceptual progressive metal records plus one re-recorded hidden gem but the group's tenth project entitled Transitus might actually be its very best thus far. The group leaves its futuristic stories behind and tells a tale of historical fiction somewhere between William Shakespeare and The Rocky Horror Show. This new approach sounds fresh and is entertaining from start to finish. Despite the fact that this effort includes two discs, features twenty-two different songs and has a total length of eighty-one minutes, this release doesn't include one single second of boredom. Crank up the volume to discover a creative story, wonderful musicianship and melodies than invite to dance and sing along like a genuine musical.

Opening epic "Fatum Horrificum" is the greatest way to start this record. It introduces us to the story, presents the most important characters and sets the tone for a progressive metal masterpiece between ecstatic entertainment and serious musicianship. This tune consists of six different sections and clocks in at a massive ten minutes. However, the transitions between all these passages are so dynamic, fluid and playful that you won't notice the ambitious length of the track at all. This song summarizes best what Ayreon's Transitus is all about and you should certainly start your discovery right here.

Highlights there are aplenty and I shall introduce you to some of these with great joy. "Talk of the Town" is atmospheric, catchy and dynamic and sounds like a timeless take from a rock opera of the seventies. The chorus is particularly memorable and seems to have been written to be sung along to. Ayreon certainly has to present this release from start to finish on stage in the near future.

"Dumb Piece of Rock" is by far the record's most amusing tune. A statue speaks to one of the protagonists with self-aware sarcasm that will make anyone with a sense of humour smile brightly. The song is diversified, playful and surprising which enhances the comedic atmosphere even further. Ayreon breaks completely new ground here as it has never attempted anything similar before.

"Get Out! Now!" is a dramatic, powerful and vibrant piece of hard rock music providing you a figurative kick in the butt. It offers breathtaking entertainment through five memorable minutes. The lead vocals by Dee Snider sound better than anything the hard rock veteran has been creating previously in both his band and solo career. You can quote me on this and if you doubt me, give this song a few spins.

With so much creative energy going on, this album must also offer the occasional heartfelt ballad with emotional vocals and tearjerking musicianship. The best song in this category certainly is "Hopelessly Slipping Away", a wonderful duet performed by Kamelot's Tommy Karevik and Oceans of Slumber's Cammie Gilbert. The song is performed so professionally that it doesn't even sound cheesy and this song easily beats anything else these vocalists have been recording in their respective careers. Ayreon's mastermind Arjen Anthony Lucassen somehow manages to bring the very best out of his guests and his accomplishments only get more gargantuan as his career progresses.

Before I'm losing myself in heaps of praise, let me tell you that Ayreon's Transitus is the group's greatest accomplishment thus far as it offers playful musicianship, outstanding vocalists and a surprising story. This record deserves more attention and acclaim and should be brought to the stage soon. Anyone who likes hard rock, heavy metal and progressive metal as well as the concept of musicals and rock operas should listen to this masterpiece.

If there was an end-of-year list for “the most difficult albums to rate and review”, then Transitus, Ayreon’s 10th full-length release, would easily top the 2020 edition. This is because Transitus is so much more than just a music record that, depending on what aspect of the release one focuses on, the subjective experience (and how positively one feels about the whole thing) can be very different. This is not completely unusual for Arjen Lucassen - nearly all Ayreon’s instalments are based on massive concepts that transcend the simple musical format - but I feel this time Arjen truly surpassed himself. To put things in perspective, Transitus was initially conceived as a movie, not as an Ayreon’s album. However, things did not quite work out as planned, mainly due to the prohibitive financial costs that would have been necessary to pull off a high-quality project of such a scale, and so Transitus became simply a new release under the Ayreon’s banner (although Arjen recently revealed to PROG magazine that the movie idea has not been completely put to rest yet). The unusual genesis of the album has inevitably colored its development and sound in quite a unique way. Hence, as a music album, Transitus is rather different from any other album released by Ayreon.

First of all, it is much lighter and rock-oriented than Ayreon’s other recent releases. Musically, Transitus is closer to Ayreon’s early rock operas such as The Final Experiment and Into the Electric Castle, with some added touches of dark ambient that brings to mind the mellower first part of The Universal Migrator project. The headbangable riffs and pounding drumming that have characterized nearly every Ayreon album in the past 20 years are nowhere to be found, and indeed Transitus is the first album since the very early days where we do not even find Arjen’s loyal drummer Ed Warby, who is instead replaced by the more rock-oriented Juan van Emmerloot. In short, there is almost no prog metal on Transitus, but a lot of lighter (prog) rock.

Second, Transitus is a very vocal-driven album. Of course, this is something that can be said about nearly every Ayreon album, given that the use of (usually amazing) multiple vocalists who take centre stage in the songs is one of the trademarks of Ayreon’s music. In this sense, Transitus is no exception, showcasing a stellar cast of singers, each one putting in superb performances (the cast includes Epica’s Simone Simons, Kamelot’s Tommy Karevik, Oceans of Slumber’s Cammie Gilbert, Trillium’s Amanda Somerville and Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, to name just a few). But on Transitus things have been really pushed to the extreme, to the point that the album sounds more like a musical than a conventional rock album. There is a very strong “Broadway” feel to this album that manifests itself in the exuberance and buoyancy of the music, in the frequent use of choral backing vocals, in the reprise of the same themes at various points in the album, and even in the way some singers actually act their parts at places rather than singing them (Simone Simons is a primary example of this). The choice of some of the singers also reflects the unusual musical direction of the project: according to Arjen, for instance, Paul Manzi (ex-Arena) was chosen partly because he is actually studying to become an actor. But the most conspicuous “Broadway” element in Transitus is without doubt the presence of a narrator (impersonated by the legendary Tom “Doctor Who” Baker) who introduces nearly every song of the album and helps push its story forward.

The storyline also marks a departure from Ayreon’s usual sci-fi themed concepts. The story takes place in the late 1800s and is centred on the cursed love story between Daniel (played by Tommy Karevik), a son of a rich aristocratic family, and Abby (played by Cammie Gilbert), a servant working for the family. The family is very unhappy about the romance between the two young lovers and this triggers a chain of catastrophic events that involve conspiracies, betrayal, murder, compassionate angels of deaths, and ghostly appearances, before the story reaches its (supernatural) happy ending. Arjen has always been a master at crafting these amazing stories that transport the listener to a parallel dimension, but I found Transitus’s concept particularly fascinating and entertaining, partly because of its gothic undertones and partly because of its underlying message about the futility of class and race divisions. I also loved the idea of accompanying the album with a comic book (beautifully illustrated by Felix Vega), which gives more details about the “scenes” that are represented through the various songs. I thoroughly enjoyed the all-inclusive experience of sitting down for one hour and a half with the record, the lyrics and the comic book. It truly made me forget about my present for a while and transported me to the fantasy world described in the story.

This brings me to the central point I want to make in this review: Transitus is not just a music record, and it cannot be fully appreciated by only focusing on its musical content. Transitus is a more encompassing art form, akin to going to the theatre to watch a musical show. The comic book, the narrator, the sound effects, the acting – they are all part of the package and contribute in equal amounts to the listener’s experience. Granted, this means that Transitus may not be to anyone’s liking (hence why Arjen initially did not want to release this as an Ayreon album, to avoid setting wrong expectations about what the project is truly about). Some may dislike the constant presence of the narrator, or the over-the-top acting/singing of some of the vocalists; others may find the music a bit too “safe” and vanilla (it’s true: there are not so many surprises in terms of musical content, most things you hear here you can probably also find on other Ayreon’s albums, and there are not even too many moments of epic musician showmanship). But I think that these elements all make sense when considered through the lens of the musical/movie experience. I find that the slightly tamer musical background (in comparison to Ayreon’s other releases) is actually perfect as it does not distract too much from the main attraction of the project: the story enacted by the singers.

As a musical/movie experience, I genuinely enjoyed this, probably more than any other Ayreon’s album (with the exception of my favorite record by Ayreon, Into the Electric Castle). One minor complaint I have about Transitus, though, is that the second disc is perhaps a tad too fragmented: with 13 songs crammed in 41 minutes (only slightly more than 3 minutes per song), I find the story stuttering a little bit in the second half, as there are too many changes of scene and too many different musical themes to properly sink in. In this sense, I find that the first disc is better constructed and more enjoyable, as the themes are given more space to grow on the listener.

To conclude, Transitus is different from your standard Ayreon’s album, or from any conventional rock/metal album, for that matter. As a simple music record, it does not work so well: the narrator can be distracting, the music is not at the level of complexity and originality that Ayreon has accustomed us to, and there are probably even more over-the-top singing parts than ever. I can easily see why some people have criticized Transitus as a simple album release. The true grandiosity and magnificence of Transitus comes through only when appreciated as a more holistic art experience, which includes the comic book, the acting and, who knows, someday maybe even a movie to accompany the music. Transitus is not an album I would put on while I commute to work, or when I am multitasking. Transitus is an album that can only be fully appreciated when one sits down with a cup of tea and the comic book and lyrics sheets at hand, dims the lights and lets the storytelling begin. This is when Transitus becomes a truly captivating listening experience, and I am sure it will continue to do so for me for many times to come in the future.

This must have been one of my most anticipated albums of 2020, the crown jewel of the Dutch progressive rock and metal scene, Ayreon! This project, brought to life by the genius composer and multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen, has built an entire universe of science-fiction, fantasy and musical storytelling throughout its near 25 years of existence. And yet, the most recent addition to the discography ventures towards realms that none of its older siblings have dared to enter, making it what might be the most striking and surprising Ayreon album to date. I was excited and also a little concerned to see whether “Transitus” would rise to the same standard of musical quality and narrative that was reached by some of my favourite of Arjen’s albums. But having given it a few thorough listens, I feel that a comparison to its predecessors wouldn’t really be valid, nor relevant as the approach to storytelling and the dynamics of the music have changed quite drastically. However, one thing remains the same, it sounds unmistakably like Ayreon.

I wouldn’t dare say that Arjen made such drastic changes when it comes to the song-writing style itself. But I feel that this album sets itself apart through the overall experience that it puts the listener through, with the actual composition being only one of many elements that put together the full “Transitus” experience. When it comes to the music, it is as colorful and diversified as it can get. There are plenty of heavy, energetic songs (“Get Out Now”, “Condemned Without a Trial”) that bring out the riff style and penetrating bass sound previously seen on the more metal-driven Ayreon album like “The Source”. Then there are the ballads and atmospheric tracks, aimed to create imagery and a surrounding mood that transports the listener to various surreal environments (“Hopelessly Slipping Away”, “Two Worlds now One”). And then there are the groovy, catchy and fun bangers that will shoot your serotonin levels so high that you won’t even know what hit you, most notably “Dumb Piece of Rock” and “This Human Equation”. The drums particularly stand out as this is the first album since “Into The Electric Castle” that does not feature Ed Warby behind the kit. His place is taken by Juan van Emmerloot, who I must say, gives this music all the groove, fills and dynamic structure that it can possibly need. The folk elements and additional instruments that are always present on an Ayreon album are also widely spread throughout “Transitus”, with violins, cello, flute and other wind instruments constantly spicing up the music with their sweet organic sounds. Additionally, there is even a Hurdy Gurdy in there, offered by the well-known Youtuber Patty Gurdy, that springs even more charm into the mix. But the one specific component that boosts the most excitement and bombast is the elevated symphonic side to the music that expands Ayreon’s soundscape to epic proportions with a mighty flare of drama! With all that in place, we’re locked and loaded and ready to travel back to 1884. Story time!

When it comes to writing stories, Arjen has always been able to surprise the concept album lovers with his ingenious ideas, but what we see here might be his most complex and engaging story yet, not only because of the idea but because of how it is presented in the album. The listener is instantly thrown into a confusing and dramatic scene that will only fully make sense after the album unravels and all the gaps and context is filled in. That’s right, this isn’t a linear timeline. And while we’re on that matter it doesn’t exactly abide to the physical laws of material space either… Here, Arjen puts aside his love for science fiction and instead, creates a story full of fantasy, mysticism and dare I say, Horror! I wouldn’t spoil your pleasure of uncovering this twisted stream of events yourself. But I do want to take a closer look at how it is delivered. We have a narrator setting up the stage for each song, and it’s not any narrator. It is Tom Baker himself. To be perfectly honest, the idea of having a spoken narration opening each song didn’t appeal to me at first as I felt the musical flow would suffer from it, but it actually does a great job at bridging between the songs and keeping the entire album connected in a singular flow. I feel it’s actually quite similar to the dynamic between songs seen during the “Into The Electric Castle” live shows, which has this album unraveling itself less like movie and more like a theater play, or maybe an audiobook in my view. Also, since the story is so complex, with many plot twists and details, the narration, and also the “Transitus” comic book (which is gorgeous by the way) work wonders at unloading a lot of that narrative burden from the shoulders of the music and allowing it to breathe more into actual songs. I will admit, it does get quite hectic and all over the place towards the end, and to me it felt like at times the music became secondary to the storytelling, but it actually kinda made sense at that point when the tension increases more and more as the story approaches its climax.

But a story needs characters. And as with any Ayreon album, there is a superb cast of exceptional vocalists assembled to bring them to life. In the main roles we have Kamelot’s Tommy Karevik (Daniel) and Cammie Gilbert (Abby) from Oceans of Slumber, who both deliver incredibly theatrical and dramatic performances. Important appearances throughout the album are also delivered by Simone Simmons (Angel of Death), Paul Manzi (Henry), Amanda Sommerville (Lavinia) and Johanne James (Abraham). But a cool thing with this album is that apart from the “main characters” there are secondary roles that pop in like Michael Mills’ appearance in “Dumb Piece of Rock”, Dee Snider’s role in “Get Out Now”, The Villagers on “Condemned Without a Trial”, and the Angel’s Furies, Marcela Bovio and Caroline Westendorp, who offer spectacular backings and also some dual vocals every now and then. The vocals grow to even greater dimensions thanks to Dianne van Giersbergen’s incredible soprano voice that fills the air with horror vibes in tense moments without actually using any lyrics. And most notably, the Hellscore choir completes the vocal ensemble of Transitus, with surreal latin lyrics that remind me to some extent of Epica’s choirs, but take a more infernal tone and an enhanced dynamic between the different registers and layers.

There’s so much to unpack from “Transitus” from the many vocalists to the engaging story and overall charisma of the record. Whether you enjoy all the elements or not, there has to be something in here that will make you tick. When thinking about how many elements went into these 80 minutes of music, I find it outstanding how well it all connected into one huge piece, and how the concept comes alive through skillful use of reprises, hints and teasing. There may even be some clues to connect this album’s story to the tapestry of intertwined dimensions and time frames in the rest of the discography, though the connection is not yet clear to me.  “Transitus” is yet another masterpiece by our Dutch genius who simply refuses to disappoint and if you’re a fan of concept albums, prog music, or just a total nerd, you have to dive into its experience!

Originally written for The Metal Observer