I JUST WITNESSED A MASTERPIECE! Ayreon - The Day the World Breaks Down REACTION  

Wow... thanks for your kind words, Rosalie, much appreciated! You sure know what you're talking about. Glad you like the song and the musicians so much. Very proud of them :-) We even got you headbanging at the end, yeah! Hugs from Holland and please keep up the good work :-)

Yes, it's a masterpiece. Arjen Anthony Lucassen is the genius behind this prog rock/metal opera project. Mostly a studio project, a few live shows have been put on, with another scheduled for next year. The singers featured in this song are: James LaBrie (Dream Theater) as The Historian Tommy Karevik (Kamelot, Seventh Wonder) as The Opposition Leader Tommy Rogers (Between the Buried and Me) as The Chemist Simone Simons (Epica) as The Counselor Nils K. Rue (Pagan's Mind) as The Prophet Tobias Sammet (Edguy, Avantasia) as The Captain Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) as The Astronomer Mike Mills (Toehider) as TH-1 Russell Allen (Symphony X) as The President Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus) as The Diplomat Floor Jansen (Nightwish, ex-After Forever, ex-ReVamp) as The Biologist

FYI: Arjen Lucassen - Composer - Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. SINGERS: James Labrie - Lead singer for Dream Theatre. Tommy Karevik - Lead singer of Kamelot and Seventh Wonder. Tommy Rodgers - Lead singer of Between the Buried and Me. Simone Simons - Lead singer of Epica. Nils K. Rue - Lead singer of Pagan's Mind and also worked with Eidolon. Tobias Sammet - Lead singer of Edguy & Avantasia. Hansi Kürsch - Lead singer of Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards. Mike Mills - Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and main songwriter for Toehider. Russell Allen - Lead singer of Symphony X (Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Allen/Lande). Michael Eriksen - Lead singer of Circus Maximus. Floor Jansen - Lead singer of After Forever, ReVamp & now Nightwish. INSTRUMENTALISTS: Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) - grand piano and electric piano, Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) - cello, Ed Warby - (Gorefest) drums, Ben Mathot - violin, Jeroen Goossens (ex-Pater Moeskroen) - flute and wind instruments, Arjen Anthony Lucassen - electric and acoustic guitars, all other instruments

Yes! Finally getting around to some of my suggestions. :D Please enjoy this rabbithole. Ayreon is a genius.

One particular band I want to recommend to you out of the eleven main singers is Hansi Kürschs band Blind Guardian with one of the most insane crowd interactions ever: "Blind Guardian" with "The Bard's Song & Valhalla" from Wacken 2016 If you pass Wacken grounds and listen carefully, you can still hear the crowd singing! :-)

Oh my goodness!!! I am blown away. Must reattach my dropped jaw and wipe the drool off. Amazing project.

The entire Album "The Source" is a masterpiece ! I can't praise it enough :)

It had been my Lifelong dream to see his projects live, and this year, i scored a ticket to next show in Sept 2023, So for my first time i will be leaving the US and flying to The Neatherlands to witness perfection. 16 Artists will be present for the show and i will be able to check off my number 1 on my bucket list. Every time i think about it, it almost tear up it means so much to me. So glad you were brought into the fold! Arjen is truly a genius!

Yes, you witnessed, indeed! 😎👍

You are absolutely right, this is epic. In fact, the whole live Universe’ concert is epic! 100% sure you will love all of it, so much talent on one stage❣️

Oh, this will be a treat for sure!

Best news for the weekend: Floor posted on friday that she's free of cancer! It hasn''t spread! This made my whole weekend. (It was her, who made me aware of Arjen and his music. And all the others, who ever collaborated with him.) Going inti this week with a lot of positivity. Nov, 21st of 2022.

When I first saw this I immediately searched for every singer featured here that I hadn't heard before and -oh my!! The song is indeed a masterpiece, not only musically speaking but also the video production with the storyline and commentary; and the surprise at the end with the last singer? Wow... what an amazing journey!! Genius!!

This whole album is an absolute masterpiece, definitely my favorite Ayreon album

Singers James LaBrie - Dream Theater Tommy Karevik - Seventh Wonder and Kamelot Tommy Rogers - Between The Buried and Me Simone Simons - Epica Nils K Rue - Pagan's Mind Tobias Sammet - Avantasia Hansi Kursh - Blind Guardian Michael Mills - Toehider Russell Allen - Symphony X Michael Eriksen - Circus Maximus Floor Jansen - Nightwish, After Forever

I've been watching your Nightwish reactions.. and the epica one... and that you get to ayreon... oh! Arjen is such a genius... more NW and Ayreon please. Greetings from Buenos Aires.... Just a suggestion... next should be I want my Tears Back...from Nightwish recorded at the Decades tour here in Buenos Aires..Argentina... you'll end with a smile on your face... and I dare you not to want to dance all around 😅

Floor as biologist. there is a beetle named after her: 'Tmesisternus floorjansenae' (my first reaction with link to the picture was removed by youtube)

Floor, Simone, Mike Mills (TH-1 the computer), as well as many others sing and appear on live performances on many Arjen projects. I think you will really appreciate Arjen's creations. The span genres from folk to prog rock/metal. Instrumentation from classical, traditional folk, as well as rock. Usually having vocalists playing roles within the stories. Just plain fun and amazing musical compositions and performances. Very theatrical in nature.

By the way ,Floor is part of Arjen´s project STAR ONE . The album Space Metal was released in 2002 with Floor and her sister Irene . So the two have known each other for a very long time

Whoa, did I just see a windmill?....Metalhead.

Arjen is just a complete genius!! And he might just be the coolest guy on the planet. He and Tuomas Holopainen are on a different plane of life as far as composition. Every musician who plays with Arjen is world class, and each singer is cream of the crop of Metal, leading their own incredible band. You HAVE TO WATCH "Everybody Dies" live next. Arjen rarely does live performances, and when he does, he seldom appears on stage. Instead, he recruits an all-star band of geniuses, turns the reigns over to Joost van den Broek to arrange and play, and he just oversees and directs it. Everybody Dies is one of the most remarkable live performances of all time. All the great singers take their turns, and it's layer upon layer. BTW: it was cool to see you shocked by Floor. Arjen actually "discovered" Floor when she was sixteen, so this is where she got her start, and she performs with him consistently. This genius is a magnet for the best talent in the world and you can't go wrong with any song. Two "rabbit holes" that will change your life for the best: Nightwish and Ayreon. The deeper you go, the closer to get to Heaven.

Ah. So happy that you had a look at this amazing track. By the looks of your face in the thumbnail you are quite impressed. No surprise. This is one of those songs that makes you sit down and seriously reevaluate what you thought you knew about music. I'm looking forward to seeing your reaction when this goes live tomorrow. Best wishes from South Africa 🇿🇦 and a great Thanksgiving to all of the Americans on here.

Welcome to the LARGER Universe, Rosolie.

Arjen Luxassen truely is a master, and also a very humble and nice guy.. he dserves more credit for hes work i think..

Ok! I'm ready to take off! ^^ Let's go! And do this 🥰

Yes it is Iron Maiden he mentions, and the letters stand for "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" that Iron Maiden were a big part of "back in the day".

I like to refer to this song as a buffet of greatness.

Ayreon, music for champions!

Now seeing them pull of songs like this live is epic at another level...

Everybody dies!!! Try that one . Micheal Mills is amazing as the AI . Do this one live!!

He calls for his productions to many other as talented artists although maybe not as famous. People like Marcela Bovio who have contributed with him by almost 20 years.

Arjen's projects: Ayreon Star One - All based on Sci-fi movies and tv shows. Ambeon Stream of Passion - was on first album A Gentle Storm

star one are songs about sf movies this is the start of a massive journey and he worked with floor and irene(sister) from 2000 on

Great reaction! Ayreon albums are all progressive rock operas with storyline and characters played by individual singers. Most, but not all, Ayreon albums follow the same backstory about the history of humanity. This album is the prequel to other Ayreon albums. His Star One project is more specifically Sci Fi based because each song is inspired by a Sci Fi movie or TV Show. Tommy Karevik is the lead singer of a band Kamelot and another band Seventh Wonder, both worth checking out. I highly recommend Under the Grey Skies with Charlotte Wessels for more gorgeous Tommy. Another Ayreon song with Tommy and Simone from Epica is Daniel's Descent into Transitus Medley where Simone plays a sassy Angel of Death. Also highly recommend Valley of the Queens live from the Ayreon Universe Live show. Second most beautiful set of harmonies (after Sharon den Adel and Anneke van Giersbergen's Somewhere) with Floor, Anneke and the amazing Marcela Bovio. Marcela is my favorite discovery from listening to Ayreon and her voice is so versatile, much like Floor's. Checkout her song Here to Stay which is fitting song today given that Floor is now cancer free (Marcela beat her own cancer diagnosis in 2020 and is now cancer free).

Thumbs up ...... no doubt. Besides AYREON ... also explore his STAR ONE projects. Amazing music from an amazing (humble) guy. Are there musicians (singers & instrumentalists) who don't want to work with Arjen ? I DON'T THINK SO.

Well done. This is a masterpiece for sure. This is Progressive Metal. Another sub genre. And one that might appeal to you more. So glad you loved it as much as we do.

You just scratched the surface of all the great musicians playing and singing for Ayreon.

Love your reaction at the end. Tommy Karevik currently fronts for the band Kamelot, epic songs from that band also check out their early work with Roy Khan as the original frontman. Awesome news on Floor Jansen from her and Nightwish is that she is Cancer free, I believe she was diagnosed a few months ago but she is in the clear.

Way back, one of his projects featured Sharon den Adel, from Within Tempration, on a song or two, and Anekke van Giersbergen (spelling?).... Also, on a more recent project, STAR ONE. he features BRITNEY SLAYES, from Unleash The Archers

Guten Tag Du solltest mehr Ayeron hören . The Source in der Gesamtheit ist absolut hörenswert! Im September nächsten Jahres gibt Arjen wieder ein Konzert mit Ayeron in Tilburg. Ich habe leider keine Karte ergattern können.

Simone is incredible, she doesn't growl ever just incredible operatic and straight beautiful vocals

Metal... came for the music, stayed for the best musical community on the planet.

Yes, you did! Looking forward to seeing your reaction to it. Arjen is genius and also a very kind and friendly person :-)

Great job in covering the genius that is Arjen Anthony Lucassen. You should surely listen to more from him and from his various projects. There is just so much to choose from and all of it very good. Again, good Job, young lady and keep it up.

For a next Ayreon experience: "Everybody Dies" live! Also with a couple of different singers, great musicians, a roboter arm, ...

Hi Rosalie great wasn't it ? You should know that Arjen Lucassen is the one that found the diamond that we call...Floor Jansen !!!!!🤛 Greetings from the Netherlands !!!

Beside being a compaser, multi intrumentalist, singer and producer, one of the great strengths of Arjen is to be an excellent vocal scout. He is permenatly looking for new singers for his projetcs. What he is always great at finding talents. He has many big names on his projetcs but also almost unknown singers. What is common among all is that everyone loves to work for Arjen because he is such a nice guy and because of his high reputation. The good vibe can clearly be seen in the Ayreon live shows. You can see how all the singers and musicians are enjoying playing and it is an honour for them to give their very best.

Welcome to a completely new Word The World of Ayreon. Mr. Arjen Anthony Lucasson is a Genius . And you, dear Rosalie are just at the beginning and at the starting point of this Journey.. There are a million Stories to tell about this Project. And or course of many other Project's beside this one. A Rabbit hole... The biggest rabbit hole you can find! But it's a way better you'll exploring it by yourself. So I would like to recommending Valley of the Queen's from the Ayreon Univers Live Show. Everybody Dies as well! The whole Show was unbelievable good! Because this can't happen often. Because it's not that easy to get all the Singer's and Musicians all together at one time you can imag. But... In October 2023 it will happened again! It's called: Ayreon - Beneath the Waves Live Show! So please don't miss it. You won't forgive it yourself! Just watch the whole Ayreon Universe Show... And you will find out what I'm talking about...

Ayreon, and by connection Arjen Lucassen, is a unique experience. Each project is special. A special shout out to Arjen - I bought a project CD and 'missed' the window for a signed piece. To my total surprise, my copy was signed. It was clear he read my personal note and lament I missed the release. Amazing artist, and clearly in touch with the community. Oh, a bonus note, he found Floor Jansen decades ago with After Forever... long before she was as well known. Clearly the man knows talent and clearly talent knows his genius. One of my favorite composers/musicians/writers.

Ayreon's next live shows, in September '23, have sold 15,000 tickets within minutes of being put on sale. Should be a phenomenal show, as they always are.

If you liked Tommy Karevik - have a listen to Ayreon's "The Theory of Everything" - he plays a lead role in it and it's an incredible album. Marko from Nightwish also plays a big role in it.

Rosalie, there is ONLY one word to describe what Arjen does in the Ayreon project; GENIUS! Arjen, I wish I could afford your DVD of the entire project... unfortunately, I can't so I just go on seeking sections on RU-vid. God Bless you both.

Gosh! I have to apologize. Sorry,dear Rosalie.🥰 Because I have to mention, that it was a great pleasure watching your reaction to this. THANK YOU!🥰 Seeing you headbanging at the End was just great! Your Face Expression's during this Video as well! But I have to tell you the truth... Nobody really wants to change you into a Metalhead. Because there's no need for this. Normally this automatically happened while listen to Ayreon... ^^ lol ^^ Because of all this different Music Styles Arjen is creating. Pop, Rock, Metal, Progressive, Jazz, Blues, Classical, Opera, and so many many more different Styles. A whole Universe of Music. And Arjen passed by every single Music-Planet so far. He's such a Genius. Also Beethoven, Bach or Mozart comes to mind listening to his Music. Also this unbelievable great sounding Production of his Music speaks for itself. The perfect Sound for Music like this in my humble opinion. Unfortunately RU-vid Videos doesn't really that good. It's really needs a great sounding Hi-fi system. And a great sounding Headphone. To get the whole experience. My own Ayreon Experience started with when Into the Electric Castle came out. Around 1996? My CD Dealer bought me a copy of this from the Netherlands at this time. Before it was released in Germany where I live. A couple of Months before it was released in Germany. And I was just blowin away! Good Times... And since then I'm now a very, very happy little Ayreonaught!^^ Oh! What I also forgot to mention was : Arjen often throws the "FLOOR -Bomb". ^^ Always if a song need's it. From beginning on... So many many thanks for sharing this video with us. I really appreciate it! Have a great start into the new week - and into a completely new World of Music. I can't wait to see what comes next. Thank you.

Heard this song a long time ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tommy is one of my favorite all time vocalists. His bands Kamelot and Seventh Wonder are both amazing

Hahaha, Floor (and Irene too) works with Arjen sice she was 17 (way before Nightwish) ans sometimes is listed as member of Arjen`s band Star One. (Ayreon is more a kind superproject than a band) And Ayreon`s albums are a prog operas (with proper stories etc), and one of them was even played on stage few years ago. Here is a link to one of songs from that: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0zaJlvmpLrw.html You can see there Irene Jansen (Floor`s older sister). Damn, Jansen sisters are really tall. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theater_Equation#Cast Fun fact: "The project, directed by Lucassen's former manager Yvette Boertje, originally was to consist of three fan-made concerts performed under the title Ayreon's The Human Equation Theater Experience; however, after some of the original cast and musicians showed interest in the project, the organizers decided to make it a greater venture." It started as fan project but when oryginal musicians heard of that they wanted to be part of it. That they liked it. When You look at more Arjen related videos and songs you will find recuring musicans and singers. Like a bunch of friends that likes to work together. And some real famousones (Bruce Dickinson, Joe Satriani, Floor Jansen, Marko Hiatala etc.) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KF-pdp12lk8.html (here is track with Irene for a change, it is easy to mistake her for Floor)

wow how I enjoy how capable you are of enjoying music in general with such passion, in fact I enjoy it that way too. Greetings from Argentina, member of the Nightwish army.

Best reaction to Ayreon I've seen. Thanks!

An amazing assembly of artists.

Ayreon isn't based on tv shows that's his other project Star One that does the TV SHows and Movies

You're going to love other Ayreon life performances with an equal range of singers. Suggestions: Everyobody Dies, Valley of the Queens, etc. Others will no doubt suggest some great songs.

Yes, "Maiden" was an allusion to Iron Maiden, their instrumentalists are known for their wide use of the "galloping" technique. Great band and iconic, they were probably the most popular of the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" bands that emerged from the UK in the late 70's and early 80's. They still record and tour today, and just released a new album last year. Also, one of the first male singers on this track was James LaBrie of Dream Theater, another band you'd probably like. A progressive metal band combining elements from 70's prog rock (tricky time signatures, complex compositions, highly technical instrumentalist skills) with the power and epic nature of hard rock and metal.

Check out some more of Arjen's music, especially the live shows from Tilburg as they have both Floor and her sister Irene singing 🤘

The world of Ayreon is such a rabbit hole ! You can dig for hours ! As for Tommy Karevic, you can hear him with his band Kamelot; another very interessant metal band

Hi Rosalie, great reaction, as always. Finally you experienced the genius of Arjen A. Lucassen, the absolute master of Progressive Rock & Metal Operas. And now you got "food" for weeks to check out all the bands of the amazing cast in this video, not to mention all the Arjen stuff that is absolutely worth listening. Nightwish and Epica you already have done, even if there are so many more great videos to check out, but now you have Dream Theater (James LaBrie), Symphony X ("Sir" Russell Allen), Kamelot (Tommy Karevik), Circus Maximus (Michael Eriksen) and Blind Guardian (Hansi Kürsch) to check out, just to name my personal favourites in this cast. The only "problem" is that somehow Arjen's genius is capable of squeezing the absolute very best out of all these different artists, so that some say - and I have to agree to a certain extent - you won't get better performances with some of these artists' original bands. In case of Floor, Simone, James, Tommy etc. this obviously isn't true. But if you check out the whole Ayreon back catalogue with the literary hundreds of musicians that have participated throughout the years, there is some truth in this controversial statement.

Dang!!!!!! This is great! Loved it!

That was AWESOME.

Oh! I forget to mention this. As you were talking about Iron Maiden. Bruce Dickinson was also involved in Ayreon. In just one Song. It's called : Into the Wormhole. And Arjen actually working on the Universal Migrator Part I and II REMASTER! And this new Version was released a couple of weeks ago. You will love it!🥰

Na-na na-na na-na got tickets for '23.. na-na na-na, tickets for '23 😁 Fun fact: Arjen & Floor go waaaaay back. In 2002 already, Floor and her sister Irene sang in Arjen's Star One concert. The whole Ayreon/Star One universe features way too many stars to mention here, but others will provide no doubt. Cheers from Amsterdam! 🤘

If you wanna now more about Arjen Lucassen, you should watch this : Tea Time Interview: The greatest epic metal opera composer of all time! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zNd6rtIaVr0.html

Thank you for another great reaction to a legend of metal, subbed for your metal journey. As noted, Ayreon is a project using some of the biggest names in metal and, of course, the compositional genius of Arjun Lucassen. Ayreon are rock operas that tell the tale of our ancestors and their journey from planet Alpha to now. Just like classic opera, each singer plays a character in the story. Each of these albums adds to the story. Arjun has another project called StarOne that is also science fiction oriented; each song is based on a science fiction movie or TV show. Arjun has classic stage fright and rarely performs live due to the complexity of gathering the people required but a few live shows have been done under the Ayreon Universe theme and are incredible examples of metal collaboration. Hopefully you will continue to explore the worlds Arjun has created. For StarOne I recommend his just released remix, Dawn of a Million Souls with Russell Allen and Michael Romeo of Symphony X or Into the Black Hole with Bruce Dickenson of Iron Maiden. Again, thanks for examining this masterpiece. Keep rocking.

For us " oldies " this is very much a welcome throwback to the 70s and the days of Prog Rock and Rock Operas 😂

Great reaction 🙂🤟

Marvelous reaction, thanks.

This was awesome! I love watching your reactions and listening to your comment. Keep up the great work!!!!

Such a wonderful reaction. I thoroughly enjoyed watching your little journey to discovering Ayreon. Such a plethora of amazing musicians - it's incredible he has brought them together.

Wow! Amazing.

Great Reaction :-) !!!

Another great and fantastic one today thanks for doing this one it does remind of a rock opera type of song I liked it alot my first time hearing it so it was a fun ride today always learning something here. as always your ride or die forever Eyy Ooo

Arjen is a brilliant artist! If you liked this song you will definitely like: Ayreon - The Eye Of Ra (Universe) with the Jansen sisters.

I loved your reaction! You don't need to wait until next year. You became a true metalhead the moment you made that stank face during the guitar solo 🤘

Thanks! Love your reactions.

Arjen is a musical mastermind! This is Beethoven level of composition! Love his work in general, and "The Source" album is probably his best piece. Perfect mix of music and vocals, and an immersive story.

Time to show Tommy and his original band (Seventh wonder) some love? Maybe "break the silence" or "tiara's song" to stay in the sci-fi theme.

Hi, nice reaction, best regards from Poland

I felt the same when I first heard this song. Brilliant reaction and cheers from the Low Countries ! (slowly turning into a metal queen :)

The Mike Mills part is the most amazing thing I have ever seen a musician do.

Blind Guardian - The bard's song & Valhalla live Wacken 2016. You saw Hansi in this one.

...and Floorish at the end..what can I say..there is a beauty on this world..:)

Yeah Rosalie, you get it 😊

1 of moust amaizing reactors..Who is not finish her art on the wall..this globuss map thingy..;)

Great reaction, Rosalie…I think you’d love Ayreon’s live performance of Everybody Dies.

You are also turning me into a metalhead. LOL That was impressive!

Thx for recommending Idan Raichel! Gotta check that out. Don't know many artists who actively try to resolve the situation in Israel/Palestine so thx for the recommendation. Ayreon (Arjen) has also worked together with the Israeli choir Hellscore Choir btw, for a song where they sing check out Ayreon - Lost Children of the universe (Featuring Steve Vai, Irene Jansen, Marcela Bovio, Rpy Khan and Tony Martin, and the Hellscore Choir)

I like your expression at 9:48 as you realise just how amazing and complex this composition is. Gentle disbelief ;-)

The rock coming our of Europe is making miss/remind me of the 70's. Very well done. From the US.

Did you know they did (and next year will do) live stage performances? Ayreon/Star One is on YT :) Fun fact: Floor first appeared in 2000 in one of Arjen's projects...

Rosalie - shiny as always been

Definitely check out more Ayreon 😊

I think U R The Legend!;)