Arjen Lucassen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arjen Lucassen
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Lucassen with Stream of Passion in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Arjen Anthony Lucassen |
| Also known as | Arjen A. Lucassen, Iron Anthony, Anthony |
| Born | 3 April 1960 Hilversum, Netherlands |
| Origin | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Genres | Progressive rock, heavy metal, folk, electronic, psychedelia, classical |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitars, bass, Hammond, keyboards |
| Years active | 1980–present |
Arjen Anthony Lucassen (born on April 3, 1960) is a talented Dutch musician. He is a singer, songwriter, and plays many instruments. He also produces music for other artists. Arjen is most famous for his long-running music project called Ayreon. This project combines progressive metal music with rock opera stories.
Arjen started his music journey in 1980 as a guitarist and backing singer for the Dutch heavy metal band Bodine. He was known as Iron Anthony back then. Later, in 1984, he joined another band called Vengeance. After eight years, he left Vengeance because he wanted to create more progressive music. Two years later, he released his first solo album, Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy, under the name Anthony. This album was not very successful at first.
In 1995, Arjen released an album called Ayreon: The Final Experiment. He sang, wrote all the songs, and played most of the instruments on it. This album led to the creation of his main project, Ayreon. Even though it was not well-known at first, Ayreon became very popular with its third album, Into the Electric Castle. This album made Arjen famous as a composer of rock operas. After Ayreon's success, Arjen started many other music projects. He created and composes for Star One, Guilt Machine, and The Gentle Storm. He also created Ambeon and Stream of Passion. Arjen writes most of his songs, but sometimes his musical partners help with the lyrics.
Arjen plays many different instruments. His main instruments are guitar and keyboards. But he also plays bass, banjo, and more. Throughout his career, including all his bands and projects, Arjen has released many albums. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, two EPs, and seventeen singles. He has also worked with many other artists like Shadow Gallery, After Forever, Within Temptation, and Avantasia. He has appeared on over 50 albums!
Since he started Ayreon, Arjen has become very respected by music critics. Many call him a "genius" and praise his unique music and how he puts songs together. For example, a reviewer from AllMusic said that his music is so amazing it's "like reviewing the world's tallest building. It doesn't care; it just goes on and on."
Contents
Arjen Lucassen's Music Journey
Arjen's love for music began in the 1960s when he became a big fan of The Beatles. He decided to learn guitar after hearing Ritchie Blackmore play in the album Made in Japan. One of his first bands was called Mover, which he joined around age 18.
Early Bands: Bodine and Vengeance
Bodine (1980–1984)
In 1980, Arjen joined the band Bodine. He was known as Iron Anthony and played on their albums Bold as Brass (1982) and Three Times Running (1983). Arjen learned a lot about playing music tightly and in tune during his time with Bodine. However, he felt that the band didn't like melodic music as much as he did. He was already interested in progressive music back then. In 1984, Arjen left Bodine to join Vengeance.
Vengeance (1984–1992)
In 1984, Arjen joined the new band Vengeance. He was impressed by their performance when they opened for Bodine. Arjen helped the band become one of the most successful in the Netherlands at that time. Vengeance disbanded in 1992 after a successful farewell tour.
Later, in 1997, Arjen wrote two songs for a new Vengeance album called Back from Flight 19. Even though he helped with the album, he did not rejoin the band.
Starting Solo and Ayreon's Rise
Solo Debuts (1992–1995)
After leaving Vengeance, Arjen tried to start a new band called Planet Nine, but it didn't work out. In 1994, he released his first solo album, Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy, under the name "Anthony." It wasn't a commercial success. Arjen said people didn't understand his new musical style. This was a challenging time for him.
Ayreon's Debut and Fame (1995–2000)
After his first solo album, Arjen started working on The Final Experiment. It was released in 1995 as Ayreon: The Final Experiment. The album featured many different music styles, from folk to progressive metal. Soon after, Ayreon's first single, "Sail Away to Avalon", was released.
A year later, Arjen continued the Ayreon project and released a second album called Actual Fantasy. This album is unique because it's the only Ayreon album without one big story concept. The single "The Stranger from Within" came from this album. It didn't sell very well. Arjen decided he would make one more album, and if it wasn't successful, he would stop Ayreon.
In 1998, the Ayreon album Into the Electric Castle was released. It was a huge success and received great reviews. Many people still consider it one of Arjen's best albums. Because of its good reception, Arjen decided to continue the Ayreon project.
The next two Ayreon albums, Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer and Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator, were released at the same time in 2000. They sold well and were liked by critics.
New Projects: Ambeon and Star One
Ambeon (2000–2003)
In 2000, Arjen created Ambeon, his first side-project since Ayreon. He wanted to explore a softer music style. He was the composer and played most instruments, while 14-year-old Astrid van der Veen was the singer and lyricist. They released their only album, Fate of a Dreamer, in 2001. The album had a unique atmospheric sound, mixing Celtic, gothic, progressive, and dark ambient influences.
Star One (2002–2003)
In 2002, Arjen started another side-project called Star One. This is the only side-project where he has made more than one studio album. Star One featured four main singers: Dan Swanö, Russell Allen, Floor Jansen, and Damian Wilson. Arjen played guitar, keyboards, and hammond organ. Their first album, Space Metal, was released in 2002. One year later, Live on Earth was released. This was the first live album in Arjen's career and included Ayreon songs.
More Ayreon and Stream of Passion
The Human Equation and 01011001 (2003–2008)
Four years after Universal Migrator, Arjen released Ayreon's sixth album, The Human Equation. It was a big success, reaching No. 7 on the Dutch album charts. Many critics thought it was Arjen's best album since Into the Electric Castle.
In 2005, Arjen created Stream of Passion. He wanted to make a more traditional progressive metal band with symphonic and gothic influences. He also wanted to feature the talents of his friend, Mexican singer Marcela Bovio, who had sung on The Human Equation. Arjen composed the music, and Marcela wrote the lyrics. They released the album Embrace the Storm in 2005. Stream of Passion also toured and released a live album, Live in the Real World, in 2006. Arjen left the band in 2007 as he had planned. The band continued successfully without him.
In 2008, Arjen released a new Ayreon album, 01011001. It was very successful and reached No. 2 on the Dutch album chart. This album was meant to be the end of the Ayreon storyline. Arjen decided to take a break from Ayreon after this album.
Other Projects and Ayreon's Return
Ayreon Hiatus and Other Projects (2008–2012)
In 2009, Arjen announced his new side-project: Guilt Machine. This project had a smaller group of musicians compared to his other projects. Their first album, On This Perfect Day, was released the same year. It received good reviews.
In 2010, Arjen brought back the members of Star One. They released the band's second studio album, Victims of the Modern Age. This album was very successful and received great reviews.
On April 23, 2012, Arjen released Lost in the New Real. This was his first solo album in 18 years. On this album, Arjen sang all the main vocals, wrote all the lyrics, and played almost all the instruments. He also asked the Dutch actor Rutger Hauer to narrate between the songs, similar to what he did on Into The Electric Castle.
Ayreon Revival and The Gentle Storm (2012–2017)
On August 23, 2012, Arjen announced that he was composing "a new project." On October 9, 2012, he revealed it was a new Ayreon album, planned for 2013. He confirmed that the album would start a new story, separate from the previous Ayreon albums.
On March 26, 2013, Arjen announced the name of the new Ayreon album: The Theory of Everything. This album was released on October 25 and received positive reviews.
On April 22, 2014, Arjen announced a new project with Dutch singer Anneke van Giersbergen. She had worked with him before on Ayreon albums. He described it as "an epic double concept album" that combined "classical meets metal" and "acoustic folk."
On September 2, 2014, Arjen revealed that his collaboration with Anneke van Giersbergen was a new band called The Gentle Storm. They released a cover EP and their first album, The Diary, in 2015. Anneke wrote all the lyrics, and Arjen composed the music.
Between September 18 and 20, 2015, a live version of The Human Equation was performed. Arjen appeared at the end of each show and helped produce the DVD/live album, The Theater Equation.
On October 6, 2016, Arjen announced a new Ayreon studio album. He revealed its title, The Source, on January 19, 2017. The album was released on April 28, 2017, and was a big success, topping the album charts in the Netherlands.
Ayreon Live Performances (2017–Present)
In November 2016, Arjen announced the first official Ayreon concerts for September 2017, called Ayreon Universe. The show featured 16 singers and 11 musicians who had all worked with Arjen before. It included songs from Ayreon and Star One. One of the performances was released as a live album/DVD on March 30, 2018, titled Ayreon Universe – The Best of Ayreon Live.
On December 7, 2017, Arjen announced another Ayreon concert for June 22, 2018, at Graspop Metal Meeting. Arjen himself performed a few songs at this event.
Between September 13 and 15, 2019, the album Into the Electric Castle was performed live in its entirety. This was similar to The Theater Equation in 2015. It was released as the live album Electric Castle Live and Other Tales on March 27, 2020.
On May 8, 2020, Arjen revealed that his next album would be an Ayreon album called Transitus. It was released on September 25, 2020, along with a comic book.
Beginning in February 2021, Arjen started hinting at a new Star One album. On October 6, 2021, he revealed it would be titled Revel in Time. The album was released on February 18, 2022.
On January 19, 2023, it was announced that Arjen had formed a new band called Arjen Lucassen's Supersonic Revolution. They released their 1970s-influenced album Golden Age of Music on May 19, 2023. Arjen also worked with Simone Simons on her first solo album, Vermillion, which came out on August 23, 2024.
About Arjen's Life
Arjen has said that "Music is everything" to him. He loves both listening to and creating music. He believes that even if he wasn't successful, he would still be making music. He feels that music chose him.
Arjen's personal motto is "the meaning of life is to give life meaning." He even included this sentence in the Ayreon song "The Sixth Extinction" from 01011001. He considers himself a very logical person who believes in science.
Family and Relationships
Arjen has an older brother named Gjalt. Arjen sometimes includes a "Gjalt joke" in his album booklets. He was married to Jolanda Verduijn, who played bass on The Final Experiment, but they separated in 2006 or 2007.
Arjen is currently in a relationship with American guitarist and lyricist Lori Linstruth. She used to be his bandmate in Stream of Passion and Guilt Machine, and she has also been featured on several Ayreon albums. Even though she stopped performing actively in 2010, she still works as his manager. She also helps with many other tasks for his albums. For example, she helped write the story and lyrics for the Ayreon album The Theory of Everything. Lori helps supervise all his work, especially his lyrics, because English is her first language. She is also an English teacher.
Health
During the recording of The Human Equation from 2003 to 2004, Arjen had some back problems. Doctors found he had a hernia. He even had his examination filmed to use it for a video shoot.
Since 2007, Arjen has had permanent anosmia, which means he cannot smell. In the same year, he faced some difficult times, partly due to this condition and his constant work.
On September 3, 2012, he shared that he had been experiencing tinnitus (a ringing in his ears) for two months.
Discography
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1 Lucassen also contributed to the 1997 album Back from Flight 19, but was not credited as band member.
2 Despite being considered by Lucassen as a compilation of unfinished demos, the album was released as a new studio album with Lucassen credited as band member.
See also
In Spanish: Arjen Lucassen para niños
- List of ambient music artists
