Arjen Anthony Lucassen has made a career of doing what he damn well pleases.
Whether it’s Ayreon (the living embodiment of “if less is more, then just think how much more, more could be”) or one of his myriad other endeavours, he always likes to explore.
This solo record is a concept album. Essentially, we’ve got five months before an asteroid destroys us all, and this is Lucassen’s take on what that might look like.
“The Clock Ticks Down” sets the scene for the apocalypse, but it does so in typical fashion. It’s unmistakably Lucassen: ambitious, yes, but never impenetrable.
“Goddamn Conspiracy” carries that same balance. First, Deep Purple would kill for it. Second, the way it pokes fun at conspiracy theorists is fantastic.
Like all concept records, it only works if the songs are strong enough. And like all Lucassen songs, the ones on “Songs No One Will Hear” are magnificent.
“The Universe Has Other Plans” is a perfect example. Exploring how even “the corrupt leaders and wealthy elite” are going to die “before the algorithm figures out a way to monetise the apocalypse” might sound weighty, but Lucassen just knocks out the best power metal thing you’ll ever hear.
The thing about him is he never takes it too seriously. Take the ‘60s-themed “Shaggaython,” which asks what you’d do with your last five months—it isn’t po-faced prog at all.
The nihilism at its heart—and let’s be honest, we can all spot the symbolism—is made real on the ballad “We’ll Never Know.” Its harmonies elevate it into a different space entirely. The way it builds feels like it belongs in a stage musical, and you can easily imagine the whole record being performed in that kind of setting.
“Dr. Slumber’s Blue Bus” imagines a scenario where people march directly to the impact site, poking fun at cult followers—and as I live about five miles from where the Reform Party conference is taking place, the threat feels a little too real.
“Just Not Today” changes the mood completely: a string-laden meditation on “the day after,” if you will. It’s another moment where the sheer ambition of the record shines through.
As the world crumbles and people loot and riot, the rest follow Dr. Slumber to Sanctuary Island. From there, the final track, “Our Final Song”—all 14 minutes of it—unfolds.
There are no easy answers here, though. Everyone still meets the same fate, and yet the way Lucassen ties all the loose ends together is stunning.
When it comes to Lucassen, there’s a genius at work. It’s tempting to picture him as a kind of eccentric professor tinkering away in a lab somewhere, but the truth is his music is always accessible, always rooted in the song itself. And of course, this is a parable for the world we live in right now.
If we really are facing the end of days (and it feels closer every time you turn on the news), then at least listen to “Songs No One Will Hear” before you go—and make the title a lie. It’ll make the impending apocalypse a whole lot more palatable.
Or, is it all an Illusion anyway as the last line hints. On that bombshell, as the narrator for the album might say, stay tuned.
Rating: 9/10
