SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ARJEN ANTHONY LUCASSEN – SONGS NO ONE WILL HEAR

ARJEN ANTHONY LUCASSEN
SONGS NO ONE WILL HEAR
INSIDE OUT MUSIC

I love concept albums, especially when the music, story and lyrics all come together and tell a complete story. This is the case with Arjan Anthony Lucassen’s album Songs No One Will Hear. It is an apocalyptic tale about the end of the world, thanks to a meteorite. Actually, the album is not so much about the end of the world, but how people would choose to spend their last five months on earth. Songs No One Will Hear is Lucassen’s first solo album since 2012’s Lost In The New Real. In between the albums he has worked with Ayreon and a number of side projects, but it has been a while since he released a solo album.

The music is expertly played, including some incredible guitar work throughout the entire album. Lucassen writes very melodic songs that grow as the song plays out. The use of harmonies, narration, and musical arrangements make sure the songs are never boring or uninteresting. Quite the opposite, from the very beginning hysterical DJ/narrator until the last track, the listener is glued to the album, like a great film. The story unfolds and Lucassen brings it to an epic ending, with “Our Final Song”. The song mixes rock and classical moments into a beautiful and haunting ending. It is one of the best prog rock songs in a very long time. The guitars and organ combination is just perfect. Lucassen is able to tap into classic prog rock while creating some very new sounds.

Lucassen has some help with Songs No One Will Hear, such as Mike Mills (from the band Toehider) who provides the narration via a disc jockey. He is quite outstanding. Also supporting Lucassen are Irene and Floor Jansen, Robert Soeterboek, Marcela Bovio, and Patty Gurdy. Mills does bring some humour to the work, but so does Lucassen. People’s reactions include partying and the rocker “Shaggathon” is quite fun. While “Goddam Conspiracy” is equally amusing for different reasons.

All in all, Songs No One Will Hear is a remarkable achievement. It is connected to Ayreon’s Transitus (2020), which makes it an even more interesting album. But even as a standalone story, this is a work of art. It is a movie for the mind and is another classic rock opera. It works on many levels, Lucassen is a talented musician, composer and storyteller. This is an album in which one can simply close their eyes and get lost. It is a worthy journey. It is prog rock at its finest.

SPILL FEATURE: AN HOUR OF ESCAPISM – A CONVERSATION WITH ARJEN ANTHONY LUCASSEN

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