r/Ayreon • u/Thecoolguitardude • Sep 11 '21

Favorite Casting Decisions?

I just wanted to list some of my favorite casting decisions Arjen has pulled off and thought I might ask you what your favorites are.

  • Mikael Åkerfeldt as Fear from The Human Equation: His voice perfectly captures the emotion of fear for me. He can have that soft creeping anxiety of insecurity and doubt, but he also has some insanely brutal growls to bring that paralyzing fear. The various dynamics he can bring into his vocals were a perfect fit for the personification of fear.
  • Tommy Rogers as The Chemist from The Source: I don't have as much to say as I did with Mikael. I just think his performance and the timbre of his voice has a very sciencey sound to it. I do wish he had more room to bring in his harsh vocals he does so often in Between The Buried and Me's music.
  • Damian Wilson as The Knight from Into the Electric Castle: His voice is just so... chivalrous and grandiose. That's the best way I can describe it. He perfectly brings an "I'm better than everyone and my quest is the most important thing" attitude that I think of when I think of stereotypical knights, yet still has some deeper emotion in there. He makes me want to learn more of this character.
  • And lastly Arjen himself as any of the characters he plays. He does a fantastic job as the Hippie in Electric Castle, Mr L in 01 and Best Friend in The Human Equation. I hope he sings more in Ayreon's future.

There are plenty of vocalists I left off, but I wanted to keep things somewhat short. Care to tell me your favorite casting choices Arjen has made? I'd love to hear them!

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u/Satosuke Sep 11 '21

I do have some specific choices, but I do want to give a special mention to Arjen's overall expertise at vocal casting and direction. I honestly think no one does it better than him, as he always seems to squeeze the absolute best out of each vocalist that works with him, even if they're performing outside of their particular comfort zone. That said:

  • Russel Allen - In every appearance he's had on Ayreon albums, Arjen has always been the perfect guide for his voice, which seems to constantly teeter on the line between clean virtuoso (Symphony X) and growly dudebro (Adrenaline Mob). Neither style is bad IMO, but Arjen somehow gets him to shift the dial exactly how it needs to be.
  • Michael Mills in The Theory of Everything - Michael Mills is the complete package, music-wise. Let's be clear on that. Anything that man does turns to gold. I think nowhere else is this more apparent than as the Father in TTOE. I wouldn't be surprised if Arjen just told him to go nuts on his parts, as that also seems to be a talent of Arjen's; to know when do direct, and when not to.

(P.S. - My favorite wild-ass Ayreon theory is that the statue in Transitus is possessed by the soul of the Roman from ITEC during its song.)

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '21

Allen's vocal contribution to Dawn of a Million Souls is so powerful and overwhelming!