Into the Electric Castle by Ayreon - 8/10
So. Ayreon's pretty damn awesome. This album has fantastic instrumentation, the lyrics are well-written, and every singer does a great job with what they're given. However, there is one major problem with this album: the story is incredibly unfulfilling. It's just a series of things that happen that doesn't call for much investment in the characters. People are introduced just to die, and while this isn't inherently a bad thing on its own, it is when they have entire songs devoted to them doing so. Because there's no reason to care. After hearing that this album rivaled The Human Equation as Ayreon's best album, it's a major disappointment. That being said, this is still a great album, and highly recommended. It would easily have gotten a perfect 10/10, if only the story were better thought out. I honestly enjoy this album more than several albums to which I've given higher scores.
Speaking of The Human Equation...
The Human Equation by Ayreon - 10/10
Now this is some awesome kitten. Like Into the Electric Castle, the instrumentation is great. The lyrics have a great sense of humanity to them, making the dialogue even sharper than it already would be, considering the story around it. That being said, the story here is actually satisfying. Characters are fleshed out so there's an attachment to what's happening (namely the main character). This album is what cemented Ayreon being great for me, and what has me looking forward to future releases. Amazing album, and definitely one of my favorites.
Long story short: go listen to The Human Equation.
Edited by zacrathedemon5, 09 July 2014 - 01:34 AM.