Scott's Song by Song #54: Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Songs No One Will Hear

 

Welcome to issue #54 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong). For more information about this series, click here: 

https://www.facebook.com/share/Gc2VkwHQWGLdeaDd/?mibextid=oFDknk

Arjen Anthony Lucassen is no stranger to fans of modern progressive rock music. Best known for his project Ayeron which has eleven studio albums credited to that name between 1995 and 2020, thus far.  The Dutch composer/multi-instrumentalist began playing professionally as early as 1980, in the Dutch metal band Bodine (using the stage name Iron Anthony). Later he joined the band Vengeance.  His first solo venture came in 1994 under his middle name of Anthony, and he started the Ayeron project soon after.  That “brand” has become well-established as an outlet for Lucassen’s prog/prog-metal rock operas, composing all of the material, and playing most of the instruments, with guest musicians and singers on board to achieve his vision.  Over the years, Lucassen has had numerous other projects, such as Star One, Ambeon, Stream of Passion, Guilt Machine, Gentle Storm, and Supersonic Revolution, along with albums under his own name.  If nothing else, the man is certainly prolific!  As I count it, this is the fourth “solo album” from Lucassen, including the first one as Anthony “Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy”, 1996’s album of cover songs “Strange Hobby”,  2012’s “Lost in the New Real” , and the one I am about to review, “Songs No One Will Hear” released on September 12, 2025 on Inside Out records.

The album is available in a standard version, which is just the songs without narration, and the deluxe version, which has two additional versions, one with narration and one instrumental only version.  For the purposes of this review, I have chosen to use the version with narration, to get the full vision of the concept.  According to his official website, the concept is as follows:

“At its core, Songs No One Will Hear is bound by a profound concept: what would people do if they only had five months left to live because of an asteroid impact? Expect an emotional rollercoaster, delving into both the light and dark aspects of human nature.” 

The line-up of musicians onboard is as follows:

- Irene Jansen / lead & backing vocals

- Koen Herfst / drums

- Joost van den Broek / Hammond organ

- Ben Mathot / violin

- Jeroen Goossens / flute

- Jurriaan Westerveld / cello

- Arjen Anthony Lucassen / lead vocals, all other instruments

- Micheal Mills / narration (For clarity, this is NOT Mike Mills from REM, but an Australian musician from a band called “Toehider”)

With:

- Floor Jansen / vocals on "We'll Never Know"

- Robert Soeterboek / vocals on "Our Final Song"

- Marcela Bovio / vocals on "Our Final Song"

- Patty Gurdy / hurdy-gurdy on "Our Weary Soldier"

As usual, this is a cold listen, never having heard any of the tracks until now.  Without further ado, let’s check it out!

Track 1 - End of the World Show (0:42)

In the guise of a humorous radio DJ, Mike Mills tells us that a giant asteroid is heading toward earth and will impact the planet in 5 months time. There is a bit of “The End of the World” sung in there, to make me wonder if he was the one from REM, but see above in the credits.   This sets the stage for what is to come.

Track 2 - The Clock Ticks Down (7:14)

Ominous chords lead-in Lucassen’s vocals. I believe there is a Mellotron in the soundscape.  Iren Jansen takes over on vocals after about a minute.  Lucassen takes back over on the next verse. The sound is big and spacious with lots of reverb. At 2:40 a proggy synth riff takes over, followed by heavy guitar.  Lucassen then gives us a wonderful, if short guitar solo.  With the new groove, harmony vocals continue, with guitar fills between phrases.  At around 3:50, Lucassen returns on lead vocals with an effect on his voice and less instrumentation accompanying.  Acoustic guitar is the primary instrument here, before it begins to build again.  By 4:20, he plays another brief guitar solo.  The various rhythmic sections provide a sense of excitement and anticipation.  Things get quieter at around 5:20 following a big drum fill.  By 6 minutes or so it gets big again.  A heavy riff takes over around 6:30.  The song ends (on my version) with another brief bit of narrative information again from Mills.  He talks about how there are some “Asteroid Deniers” out and about, even though the asteroid is clearly visible with the naked eye.  Spectacular opening track!

Track 3 - Goddamn Conspiracy (5:08)

The flute on this one during the opening riff gives it a slight Tull vibe, but with heavier guitar.  Lucassen sings the verse in a sinister voice, while Irene Janssen sings in harmony on the chorus.  Awesome Hammond organ at around 1:25. On the second verse there is a violin fill or two.  This is a hard-rockin’ track!  I love the riff that begins around 2:40!  The bridge is very riff-oriented as well.  I like the drum part around 3:45.  The song-proper ends around 4:40 on the line, “It’s all about MONEY” with the final word being delivered by Irene Janssen in a humorous manner.  Mills then returns with narration.  He is basically saying that the corrupt world leaders and the wealthy elite are screwed too.  Great rockin’ song!

Track 4 - The Universe Has Other Plans (5:52)

This begins with a violin solo, backed by synth.  Soon an ominous riff takes over.  The tempo is a bit slower on this one.  Things quiet down for the verse.  There are cool harmony vocals from Irene Janssen between Lucassen’s lead phrases.  The sound on this is huge, yet clear.  There are some odd-meters on this one.   Ben Mathot plays a wonderful violin solo in the middle of this track.  The verses are quieter while the choruses are enormous sounding. Lucassen takes a guitar solo after 4:30.  I believe that the message of this song is that no matter what we plan to do with our lives, sometimes they become moot as the universe, as the title tells us, sometimes has other plans.  Mills again closes the song out with more DJ narration.  He says that there is no point in liking and subscribing, as “by the time the algorithm figures out how to monetize the apocalypse we’ll all be stardust”.  He then asks, what would you do if you only have 5 months to live.  Another fantastic track!

Track 5 - Shaggathon (3:08)

Because, of course, there will be one!  A brisk acoustic guitar rhythm starts us off, and the tone becomes Beatle-esque.  The chorus tells us there is “one last wild and steamy shaggathon” going on!  Guitar and violin trade licks in the instrumental breaks.  This one gets a little “adult”, obviously, so be careful of who might be around when you play it!  As the song ends and narration takes over a dog barks.  Fun track!  Mills then tells us, however,  that the situation is deteriorating around the world, and asks how we can “build a future when there isn’t one”.

Track 6  - We’ll Never Know (Featuring Floor Janssen)  (5:27)

Floor Janssen, sister of Irene, is best known as the current lead vocalist of the Dutch symphonic prog-metal band Nightwish. A clean electric guitar and modulating synth sound starts us off with a drumbeat.  The vocals soon start (Lucassen) followed by Floor Janssen, then they harmonize.   At around 1:30, there is a different melody, which they sing in octaves.  The tempo is moderately slow here.  Of course, they are singing about “a world we’ll never know”.  At around 3:20 there is an instrumental break with Floor using her voice as a wordless instrument, singing a melody over the top. The song begins to get more intense as we proceed.  Floor’s vocals are great!  She hits an incredible high sustained note before the guitar feature.  This concludes this hauntingly beautiful song, then narration takes over.  He tells of an unusual guy named Dr. Slumber who has a big blue bus to help people get as far away from the impact zone as possible. Then gets a correction saying that the bus actually will go to the impact zone to ensure that death is the result!  OH MY!

Track 7 - Dr. Slumber’s Blue Bus (4:33)

This begins dramatically with a moderately fast tempo.  Arjen sings first here.  Nice guitars as we go to the chorus sung in harmony with Irene.  I really like how Arjen is delivering his vocals here.  Really nice harmonies. Guitar solo around 2:45. For such a dark subject, the song is downright cheerful.  The final chord, however, leaves the song unresolved before the narration returns.  He describes the scene at Dr. Slumber’s island and the reports are that it is nice, filled with dancing and singing.  Basically, the message is to enjoy what you’ve got today while you still can.

Track 8 - Just Not Today (3:47)

A melancholy melody, with the violin begins this one.  It’s an acoustic ballad.  He is singing about making the best of what we have left. It’s a very folky song with nice harmonies and great fingerstyle acoustic guitar playing.  Once again, though, the final chord leaves the song feeling unresolved.  The narration returns, he is saying that TV and the internet have been shut down and he has to resort to a ham radio broadcast.  He questions why people are looting because they can’t take it with them, and they won’t even have a grave.  

Track 9 - Our Final Song (14:34) 

It is indeed our final song.  Two additional vocalists are enlisted here:  Robert Soeterboek and  Marcela Bovio.  Let’s check out the closing epic. Mysterious sounding chords start the last leg of the journey. Vocals soon join in.  Different layers are added as we proceed. After 1:30, a rhythm pattern begins to develop. At around 2:20 the intensity begins to build.  There is a distinct rhythm change at 2:45 with odd meters and the flute taking a solo.  After a short harmony vocal segment, violin, then keys take the spotlight.  The song keeps building in intensity. At 4:50, things quiet down and the synth accompanies the vocals. By 6 minutes, things begin to build up again, slowly. At around 6:25 big power chords hit and some of the tension releases.  Things slow down at just before 7 minutes.  There is a calmer instrumental segment, with guitar taking the lead.  At 8:15, the flute takes over briefly, then the guitar comes back to the front.  At around 8:45, things get intense again, but by 9:30 it drops back down as he describes the asteroid about to make impact.  Afterward, loud intense music takes back over.  Loud and soft sections keep alternating. At around 11 minutes, he starts singing about how this is the end, and he sings about writing songs no one will hear, thus giving the album its title.  By 12:20, double bass drums accelerate the tempo.  We then hear the explosion.  Somehow, Mills on his ham radio broadcast says, “Oh my god, it’s actually happened.  I doubt anyone is still listening, but if by any chance someone does….thank you, and remember, always look on the bright side of…” and it ends.  Acoustic guitar comes next. Arjen sings with his strumming. The mysterious chords from the beginning of the song, along with explosive sound effects, which crescendo to an abrupt halt.  The spoken words “Mission complete, let the new phase begin” are then spoken. Wow, what a roller coaster that was!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

I couldn’t tell you how many “end of the world” concept albums are out there, but this one somehow makes it fun, scary, emotional, and intense all at once. I am no expert on the music of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, but I have heard a fair share of his work.  I truly enjoyed that album.  It is engaging from start to finish.  This is now in the conversation for being one of the best albums of 2025, which has been a strong year overall.  The production and arrangements are astounding.  I can’t give this any less than 4.75 out of 5 stars.  Highly recommended.

__

Thanks for reading.  If you enjoy my content, please react, comment, share and follow my page.  

Also, I have now compiled all of my reviews and spotlights going back to the 100 Greatest Prog Albums challenge on my new Blogger site.  I hope you’ll check it out here:

https://scottssongbysongandspotlights.blogspot.com/

Please SUBSCRIBE if you like what you see, and COMMENT on my posts there!

Prog On!

Scott

___

LINKS FOR LISTENING (and buying): 

Surprisingly, the entire album was posted to YouTube by Lucassen himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff9vNNMfF7M

This is the link to his website where it can be purchased in 3 different forms, including LP.

https://www.merchandise.nu/en/collections/ayreon-30th-anniversary