Nothing could have really prepared me for what was contained within Victims Of The Modern Age. It’s an absolute journey of an album. From ridiculous keyboards, spacey riffing, astonishing singing to more aural drama than you can count on both hands, this isn’t a record that anyone can prepare for. It’s massive, it’s epic and it’s chief Ayreon composer Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s other, other progressive rock/metal project, Star One.
From the name one might be able to infer that this band has a real science fiction vibe to it. However, this album isn’t one of those cheesy sci-fi opuses that relies more on atmosphere than on actual talent to pull itself through. The musicians that Lucassen works with on this album are all top-notch and each of the vocalists really hold things together on every song.
Can something be too epic to be good? Or embarrassing epic? I got that feeling during certain tracks. It is quite a good record and has some ridiculously awesome riffs in just about every song, but sometimes the four (yes, that’s right, four vocalists) just got overwhelming.
This is definitely a progressive album that might put off some who are not into such dense and challenging music. However, if you have the patience to soak it up, this is very accessible music. If an evening with Dream Theater is your idea of a good night then you definitely don’t want to miss out on this album.
In a word: Yes!
