Arjen Lucassen Announces Two Special Releases

An Ayreon live event is not just any concert. It’s a monumental occasion where the highest-calibre musicians and an enormous production come together to forge a bombastic spectacle. The rarity of these shows only adds to their uniqueness. In September 2023, Arjen Lucassen’s ‘01011001 – Live Beneath the Waves‘ sold out five performances at Poppodium 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Today, Ayreon is excited to announce the release of this concert on 3LP, 2CD+DVD, Blu-ray, Earbook, and digital formats on 17 May, through Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group. Indulge in a taster with the first live video of “The Sixth Extinction” HERE.

17th May will also see the release of Lucassen & Soeterboek’s Plan Nine album ‘The Long-Lost Songs’ via Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group. To go with the album announcement, they have revealed the video for “Before The Morning Comes”, which you can watch HERE. 

‘01011001 – Live Beneath the Waves‘

This live production, based on the critically acclaimed 2008 concept album ‘01011001,’ was performed in its entirety, followed by a number of encore songs. The stage came alive with an imposing backdrop, LED screens showcasing fantastic visuals, lasers, pyrotechnics, special effects, and a unique live surround sound experience – a setup that would be at home on Broadway or London’s West End.

Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen, alongside keyboardist Joost van den Broek, assembled a remarkable lineup, featuring many original cast members from the 01011001 album and various special guests such as Simone Simons (Epica), Damian Wilson (Threshold), Anneke van Giersbergen, Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), Tom Englund (Evergrey), Daniel Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation), Marcela Bovio (MaYan), Brittney Slayes (Unleash the Archers), Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian), John Jaycee Cuijpers (Praying Mantis), Maggy Luyten (Beautiful Sin), Michael Mills (Toehider) and Wudstik, among other incredible musicians. 

The band featured top instrumentalists from the genre – Ed Warby (Drums), Johan van Stratum (Bass), Timo Somers (Guitar), Marcel Coenen (Guitar), Joost Van Den Broek (Keyboards) and more. The enigmatic Lucassen himself made an appearance, marking this as the largest cast in Ayreon’s live show history, which is no mean feat. ‘Live Beneath the Waves‘ vividly brings to life the water planet Y, immersing audiences in this technological underwater world.

The opening song “The Age of Shadows” showcases eight incredible singers, perfectly introducing the show and setting the tone for the musical journey to come. What follows is a mesmerising ride, so buckle up and enjoy your stay on Planet Y!

Lucassen & Soeterboek’s Plan Nine – ‘The Long-Lost Songs’

It was the early nineties, and musical polymath Arjen Lucassen had begun working on several projects: a solo album, a progressive-rock opera and a rock album. Around this time, he watched singer Robert Soeterboek perform live with Bodine, his former early-eighties heavy metal band. “His vocals truly impressed me, a rarity!” Lucassen recalls. “He had the charisma and power of singers like David Coverdale and Robert Plant. Discovering that we really got along personally, we decided to collaborate on some songs, just for fun.”
  
They would meet daily in Lucassen’s small ‘studio’ – a bedroom with a mattress and an old 8-track tape recorder. There, they recorded around 20 basic ideas. They brought in Peter Vink on bass, Cleem Determeijer on Hammond, and Rob van der List on drums, who has since passed away, and attracted interest from producers and labels. In the early-nineties Grunge landscape, landing a record deal was challenging. Some labels were interested but hesitated due to fears about being able to sell albums in the era dominated by bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Eventually, the repeated rejections wore them down. “I decided to start working on my rock opera project, expecting it to be the last musical thing I would ever do. My Final Experiment, so to speak!” Lucassen adds.
 
Soeterboek joined the German band Wicked Sensation and worked with Lucassen on the first Ayreon album and throughout the years in the studio and live, as well as being the frontman for The Cotton Soeterboek Band. 
 
Fast forward to 2022, and they revisited those recordings. “For the song Annie Moore we involved Peter and Cleem on bass and Hammond, and Peter’s wife Mirjam van Doorn on backing vocals, with my current go-to drummer, Koen Herfst, adding his magic,” Lucassen explains. “Everyone involved was excited by the result, and I found it so inspiring that I re-wrote and re-recorded several other Songs. Soon, I couldn’t stop! Robert and I spent weeks digging through our old cassettes and DAT tapes, discovering many potential gems we hadn’t yet developed. Before we knew it, we had enough songs for a full album and more.”
 
The album encapsulates a glorious treasure trove of 11 original songs with a loving 70s and 80s nod. It’s a blistering romp through the good time rolling rocker of “Let It Ride”, the Beatles-esque “Doctor Robert’s Medicine Show,” the bluesy groove of “Annie Moore,” the chugging glam stomp of “High-Speed Chase” to the 80s metal of “Ice on Fire”, whilst “The Preacher” would fit on a number of Arjen’s back catalogue records. The bonus disc features all the demos and some more newly recorded tracks. 
 
Lucassen continues, “We wanted the best and most suitable musicians for this album who could tour with Robert. Koen handled the powerful drums. Rob van der Loo (Epica) laid down a solid bass foundation. The talented Irene Jansen delivered amazing backing vocals, as always. And, one of the world’s best guitarists, Marcel Singor, played the virtuoso solos with his immediately recognizable style.” 
 
The Long-Lost Songs are lost no more. Plan Nine is reborn, giving the long-lost songs a second life!

Track List