| Arjen Anthony Lucassen | |
|---|---|
Arjen Anthony Lucassen signing an autograph |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Arjen Lucassen Arjen A. Lucassen Anthony |
| Born | 3 April 1960 |
| Origin | Hilversum, Netherlands |
| Genres | Rock opera Heavy metal Progressive metal Progressive rock Symphonic metal Electronic music Space rock psychedelic rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitars, bass, mandolin, banjo, lute, hammond, synthesizer, mellotron, piano, keyboards, flute |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Associated acts | Ayreon Star One Ambeon Guilt Machine Stream of Passion Bodine Vengeance |
| Website | Ayreon Website |
| Notable instruments | |
| Fender Stratocaster Gibson Explorer |
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Arjen Anthony "Oswold Jr." Lucassen (born 3 April 1960, Hilversum) is a progressive metal/rock songwriter, singer and musician from the Netherlands, best known for his long-running progressive opera project titled Ayreon.[1]
Lucassen plays a wide variety of instruments, chiefly guitars, keyboards and synthesizers, but also others such as the bass guitar, piano, flute, hammond, banjo, lute and mellotron. He is also the creator and member of Star One, Guilt Machine, the currently inactive band Ambeon, and the creator and former member of Stream of Passion.
Overall, in his career and including all his bands and projects (as principal instrumentalist/creative force or as a member), Lucassen has released twenty studio albums, two live albums, four EPs and seventeen singles. He has also made many minor participations alongside various artists, and the number of studio albums that include Lucassen is more than 50.
In 1980, Dutch band Bodine was looking for a new singer, and Lucassen brought his guitar to the audition in hopes of becoming their second guitarist. After being rejected for his singing abilities, he was hired as a guitarist.
Lucassen stayed with Bodine until 1984, recording two albums with them, Bold and Brass and Three Time Running.
In 1984 Lucassen quit Bodine after being offered a slot in a new band, Vengeance. He started writing and composing songs, but wanting to go into a more progressive direction, Lucassen left the band in 1992 to pursue a solo career.
Lucassen released his first solo album, Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy, under the name "Anthony" in 1994.[2] It was a commercial flop.[3]
After his first unsuccessful solo album, Lucassen proceeded under the name Ayreon, and began recording The Final Experiment, which was released in 1995 on a small Dutch label, Transmission Records. The album featured a wide array of musical styles, ranging from folk to progressive metal, and established Lucassen as a notable composer of rock operas.[1] It was soon followed by Ayreon's first single, "Sail Away to Avalon".
One year later, Actual Fantasy was released. It became later the exception in Ayreon's discography, as the only Ayreon release that does not feature a single overarching story concept. The single "The Stranger from Within" from this album was also released. It was a relative commercial failure. Lucassen decided to make one more album, and to stop Ayreon if this one did not become a commercial success.
In 1996 Lucassen released Strange Hobby, as his little-known eponymous side-project, despite he was not credited for any participation. It is his second work where he sings on all the songs and plays all of the music himself, but also the only band or project of his career since Bodine where he did not participate as a composer (despite arranging all the songs himself).
In 1998 was released the commercially successful and critically acclaimed Into the Electric Castle. It's still considered by many as the best album in Lucassen's career. The extremely good reception to the album made Lucassen decide to continue the project Ayreon.
In year 2000 Ayreon released two albums simultaneously, considered as the two part of the same story : Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer and Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator. The two was sold well and were received positively, despite the Part 1 is considered as superior than the Part 2. The single "Temple of the Cat" from Part 1 was released the same-year, before being re-released one year later in an acoustic version.
In 2001 Lucassen create the side-project Ambeon to explore a softer music. It mainly consisting of him as the principal instrumentalist and 14-years old female singer Astrid van der Veer. They released their first (and only) album Fate of a Dreamer the same year, along the single "Cold Metal". The album had a limited success.
In 2002 Lucassen created an other side-project (the only with he had made more than one studio album), entitled Star One. Much like Ayreon, Star One had many guest singers and musicians, but still focused in four of them : Dan Swano, Russell Allen, Floor Jansen and Damian Wilson; in the band Lucassen played guitar, keyboards and hammond organ. Their first album Space Metal was released in 2002. The album also had limited success, although it was more successful than Ambeon. Live on Earth, the first live album in Lucassen's career which also includes Ayreon's songs, was released one year later.
Four years after Universal Migrator, Lucassen released Ayreon's sixth album, The Human Equation. It was a commercial success (the album got to #7 in the Dutch album chart[4]), and some critics considered the album as Lucassen's best since Into the Electric Castle.
Special editions of all of Ayreon's album were released in 2004 when Lucassen switched labels from Transmission to InsideOut Records.
Lucassen created Stream of Passion in 2005 to make a more conventional progressive metal band with symphonic and gothic inspirations. He also wanted to showcase the talents of his friend and mexican singer Marcela Bovio, who also sang on The Human Equation, who had won a contest on Lucassen's website.[5]
He recruited a bassist, drummer, and keyboardist and started the band. It was the first time he was not the only major compositor of one of his projects, with Bovio writing and composing a lot of the music with him. They released the album Embrace the Storm in 2005. Like Lucassen's did with Star One, Stream of Passion toured and released a live album, Live In The Real World, in 2006. Like Star One, the tour featured many Ayreon songs as well as songs from the album. He finally left the band in 2007, as he had planned before. The band continued without him: they released two albums since, The Flame Within and Darker Days.
In early 2007, Lucassen sank into depression, due to his recent divorce and affliction with anosmia.[6] However, he got back to the studio to record 01011001, which achieved commercial success, reaching #2 in the Dutch album chart in February 2008.[4] The album is the conclusion of Ayreon's story, and after its release Lucassen decides to temporally stop Ayreon, because he was not inspired to continue and also because many critics (despite the album being well reviewed) said that there was nothing new being offered in 01011001.[7]
After the temporally end of Ayreon, Lucassen announced in february 2009, in his website his new side-project: Guilt Machine.[8] The project features a very limited line-up, comparing to other Lucassen's side projects: himself on many instruments and backing vocals, Jasper Steverlinck (Arid) on lead vocals, Chris Maitland (ex-Porcupine Tree) on drums and Lori Linstruth (ex-Stream of Passion) on lead guitar.[8] Their first album On This Perfect Day, released the same year, received a very good critical reception but was Lucassen's least commercially successful album in many years.
In 2010, Lucassen reunited the seven other members of Star One, inactive since 2003, and released the band's second studio album Victims of the Modern Age. The album received critical acclaim and was a big commercial success.
Lucassen announced his next album will be a solo album, the first since Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy, released 19 years ago.
Since the creation of Ayreon, Lucassen progressively gained notoriety to rock and metal reviewers, with many critics calling him a "genius",[9][10][11][11] and praised his composition abilities and originality. In his review of 01011001 Allmusic reviewer stated "Music this over the top almost defies criticism. Reviewing it is like reviewing the world's tallest building. It doesn't care; it just goes on and on."[12]
Ayreon is also partially acclaimed for it's use of many singers, famous or unknown but generally all very well received.[13] Despite Ayreon still his most famous project, his other works also aroused admiration, especially Star One praised for it's darker atmosphere.[11][14]
This discography only includes studio albums. For the live albums, EPs and singles of the bands or projects he created, see this page. For his discography along previous bands, see Bodine and Vengeance.
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