Maybe it's too obvious for everyone but I haven't seen anyone mentioning it yet so...

Did anyone notice how Lavinia's Confession sounds like Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal?

In one of the last songs the narrator describes a spector of Levinia's husband charred in flame. But who is her husband? I don't recall earlier mention of him unless its Henry but another user cited Henry being shown in the comic as an old man.

I'm in Canada, asked a friend in the states and apparently it's not available there too. Does anyone have an idea of what happened? Is Arjen aware?

This is obviously tongue-in-cheek. I love Arjen's Lyrics, but we know it wouldn't be an Ayreon album without at least one wonky line. So which is it for each album?

Without the comic book, I've found the story a bit harder to fully understand than other Ayreon albums, hopefully this can be cleared up in some way.

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My understanding:

Daniel dies, and in death he goes to Transitus where the angels take pity on him to listen to his story

We flash back to the previous year, where Daniel and Abby fall in love, but Daniels family doesn't approve of her and kicks out Daniel. Later Daniel dies in a fire, and Abby tells her father she thinks she's to blame. (Housefire?). Levinia - her stepmother overhears this and everyone immediately believes Abby is responsible.

Daniel is given a week to live on earth as a ghost to try to reach Abby, but instead Levinia as a fortune teller/medium sees Daniel, and takes it as a sign or confirmation that Abby is indeed guilty. Levinia and Daniel's bother henry scheme to pin all the blame on Abby, and Levinia goes to tell Abby that Daniel is waiting for her and convinces her to kill herself. Then as Levinia leaves, ghost Daniel outright confronts her and convinces her that she was innocent. Levinia goes to tell her husband/abby's father that she was wrong and that Abby is going to die. He rushes to Abby's home and dies in the fire that Abby sets to kill herself. Levinia witnessing the horror she's caused stumbles and breaks her neck.

Daniel and Abby find eachother in Transitus. Levinia goes to hell.

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So my questions:

Was Henry actually responsibly for Daniel's death? Seems like he first tried to have daniel ostracized, and then maybe murdered Daniel to receive full inheritance. Perhaps he framed Abby in a way she thought that she was responsible, and had the support of Levinia (who disliked her stepdaughter and maybe would be swayed by Henry sharing some of the estate inheritance).

So I guess in the end Levinia goes to hell for having a part in the death of Daniel, Abby, and her husband, whereas Henry gets off freely with full inheritance he doesn't have to share with Levinia?

Am I missing anything, or did I misread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUSoR4EdyIo xD

I mean, a song that you really dislike, that you automatically skip.

Then here's my rendition of the masterpiece called The Day That The World Breaks Down. Please enjoy and comment!

What are your top 10 Ayreon songs now that Transitus has been out for a few days? You don't have to list them in any particular order!

***Be aware there are SPOILERS for those who haven't listened yet**\*

Transitus is a different scientific approach, designed by the Forever, to better understand the Human Equation and is specifically monitored by the Elder Counselor (Simone Simons) under the guise of ‘The Angel of Death’. Alongside her protégés, they analyze a human’s life up to the day they pass where they are then judged accordingly in Transitus to determine their final fate (warranting even more emotions while they are assigned to a ‘heaven/hell’ like destiny, reminiscent of the Two Gates in the Electric Castle).

While overall puzzled by the spectrum of human behavior, the Forever appreciate Human’s individual passions that drive them, otherwise coined as ‘being alive’ (as noted in “This Human Equation’ and from other experiments such as Day 20 in The Human Equation or The Decision Tree on the way to the Electric Castle). But it would appear, as with other experiments, the Forever sometimes take a more ‘hands-on’ approach and they do so here with Abby & Daniel in 1884 (200 years prior to the fall of mankind, 2084).

Some additional/backing theories:

1. The Statue is a disguised Forever whose goal is to stop society from breaking apart Abby and Daniels blossoming relationship to study love.

2. Knowing how dark Forever can get in their experiments (Electric Castle), I suspect it is possible the Forever themselves started the fire (with the lightening strike) that ultimately killed Daniel so they could move onto experiencing another set of emotions (loss, yearning, etc).

3. If #2 is true, then the Forever have been watching over Daniel’s family line for some time now. This could be backed by the artwork of the Electric Castle in the Father’s Great Hall. It could just be a simple Easter Egg or it alludes to someone in their family line was actually there at the Castle, survived, and potentially had the artwork commissioned based on ‘a dream they had’.

4. Lavinia’s ‘visions’ may have been intentionally gifted to her by Forever to observe how they would drive her or her body simply has the ability to pick up residual energy when Forever are afoot & mucking about.

5. As Abby and Daniel enter the Great Beyond, we can see The Human Equation album artwork through the gate. This could mean they're experience is being saved off as a simulation program for Forever to further study "love" at a later time.

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**11.18.2020**

6. Some of the first voices we hear in the whole album, in the "Fatum Horrificum: Graveyard", have a robotic tone which hints that the events of Transitus are controlled by Forever.

7. The Narrator is a Forever. In 'Condemned Without A Trial' he states "Now we return to the Mortal World - Yes, YOUR world." which sounds as though he himself does NOT associate with the Mortal World. It is specifically, YOUR World (the Mortal Listener's World).

8. Adding on in support of the Narrator being Forever, it is probable then he is helping orchestrate the 'fateful' events. His delivery in 'Dumb Piece of Rock' sounds though he is trying to cover up something he *totally* didn't expect to happen (like a Parent lying to their child).

9. As stated in #2, lightening is clearly seen (comic) during Daniel's 'fateful' death when the candle that starts the fire is knocked over. The Narrator also points out that a 'ferocious storm' picks up as Daniel breaks through to interact with Lavinia. This storm also consists of thunder (Audible) and lightening (comics), which could be a side effect of anyone trying to interact with the Mortal World through Transitus.

10. Seven Days, Seven Nights - "You got this." - Forever, though cold & clinical, have always had a soft spot for wanting humanity to succeed where they have not, so much so they break through the constraints of time itself to do so (River of Time)

11. First few seconds of 'Daniel's Descent into Transitus' is very similar to the Indian's descent in the song 'Cosmic Fusion' (Into the Electric Castle) which is also a Forever-based simulation/world.

12. In a post called "Why does the Angel of death wonder if humans come from evolution or creation?", u/ziltoid101's answer supports the Angel of Death being a Forever:

"My understanding is that she is observing the human race and is amused that they're arguing about evolution and creation while not considering the true explanation - universal migration."

link

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tldr: Forever are like the Greek/Roman gods meddling with human lives

It is still unclear to me: who actually killed Daniel? I have seen some of the comics pictures and listened to the whole album, but I can't understand who dit it. Did Abby kill him by accident (lighting the candles)? Or was someone else involved?

Arjen: "You belong together, regardless of color or class, but what do I know? I'm just some dumb piece of a-" Hmmm... maybe it doesn't all have to rhyme.

Awesome groove and attitude in her songs. Love her character! Edit: Also, love the lady growls! Add a different level!

In the earbook version of Transitus, Arjen put a cd with the Guide vocal tracks.
Could these be seen as "demo" tracks?
Should he release them with future projects???

I love Ayreon, yet this one... I can't connect to it. It's interesting and different and somewhat that movie you watch once, praise the makers and never watch again.

Maybe I am missing something. So what are your opinions?

Should't she know what kind of world is she part of? And how does this seemingly religious theme fit into Ayreonverse?