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Author here. I wasn't sure if it was bad etiquette to submit my own article to HN but decided in the end that it might actually interest the community. For fan

Author here. I wasn't sure if it was bad etiquette to submit my own article to HN but decided in the end that it might actually interest the community. For fans of metal and sci-fi, I should mention that Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen does much more than just write science-inspired metal operas for Ayreon. He also has another project called Star One[0], where each song is based on an iconic sci-fi movie, book or series (Blake's 7, Doctor Who, Dune, Alien, Star Trek, A Clockwork Orange...). [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STAR_1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STAR_1

mhd 11y ago
Although I wouldn't be sure how covers of both Hawkwind's "Orgone Accumulator" and Donovan's "Intergalactic Laxative" would come out on the science tally...
wnevets 11y ago
01011001 a great metal opera album from Ayreon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/01011001 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/01011001
- livatlantis 11y ago
  01 is actually how I discovered Ayreon. I'm now going back and listening to older albums. Was surprised at the number of incredible guests! (Bob Catley, James LaBrie, Bruce Dickinson, Floor Jansen, Jordan Rudess, Hansi Kürsch...).
kazinator 11y ago
Hey man. "Event Horizon" is like the #2 track in my phone's "frequently played" list, edged out for #1 spot by Annihilator's "Sonic Homicide"! Those Stratovarius guys should consult some native English speaker before finalizing lyrics. "A star dies collapsing in its core" can be corrected to "into its core"---and then the number of syllables actually scans better; we don't have to stretch the "-ing" over an extra beat. The song is not really about "it involves someone approaching a black hole in a spaceship with an onboard computer that has a vaguely Russian accent". The speaker in the song imagines that. The beginning is: Standing outside in darkness My breath is steaming The skies open wide I hear the silent screaming Deep in the dark, somewhere in space Spinning around, leaving no trace We can regard this as the speaker's imagination being stirred with thoughts of distant black holes, as he stands clear sky on a winter's night. The main element there is that of suicide: nothing matters: I can see the point of no return And when the light is slowly turning to red Life gives away, there's no concern On this cold night under the stars, the speaker voice is fantasizing about dying by steering a ship into a black hole, ignoring the evacuation alarms that are going off.
- livatlantis 11y ago
  It didn't even occur to me to try to read the song in any but the most literal sense. Your explanation is very compelling! The only thing that detracts from it is the relative cheerfulness of the song (especially the keyboard/guitar duet that starts at about the 2m30s mark) -- although who knows, it could very well represent euphoria associated with the prospect of imminent liberation? Thank you for this! Glad you like Strato; I love the way Event Horizon shifts to Elysium, a song I listened to three times a week for 4 months on repeat on my 20-minute bus commute back when I was in uni.
lukifer 11y ago
Thanks for sharing, all sorts of good finds in this thread. :) Allegaeon is perhaps my favorite metal band, and their songs frequently revolve around physics, biology, sci-fi, and futurism: The God Particle: http://youtu.be/hthQvqbyyZg http://youtu.be/hthQvqbyyZg Accelerated Evolution: http://youtu.be/z2JKv7hGz1Y http://youtu.be/z2JKv7hGz1Y Dyson Sphere: http://youtu.be/tk1aLKTmgXU http://youtu.be/tk1aLKTmgXU
ionised 11y ago
Haha, I haven't listened to Star One in quite a while! I really liked the one album I heard though, Space Metal. I think I originally gave them a listendue to their having Russel Allen (of Symphony X) as vocalist. I was not disappointed. I'll have to check out that second album!

mhd 11y ago

Although I wouldn't be sure how covers of both Hawkwind's "Orgone Accumulator" and Donovan's "Intergalactic Laxative" would come out on the science tally...

wnevets 11y ago

01011001 a great metal opera album from Ayreon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/01011001 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/01011001

livatlantis 11y ago
01 is actually how I discovered Ayreon. I'm now going back and listening to older albums. Was surprised at the number of incredible guests! (Bob Catley, James LaBrie, Bruce Dickinson, Floor Jansen, Jordan Rudess, Hansi Kürsch...).

kazinator 11y ago

Hey man. "Event Horizon" is like the #2 track in my phone's "frequently played" list, edged out for #1 spot by Annihilator's "Sonic Homicide"! Those Stratovarius guys should consult some native English speaker before finalizing lyrics. "A star dies collapsing in its core" can be corrected to "into its core"---and then the number of syllables actually scans better; we don't have to stretch the "-ing" over an extra beat. The song is not really about "it involves someone approaching a black hole in a spaceship with an onboard computer that has a vaguely Russian accent". The speaker in the song imagines that. The beginning is: Standing outside in darkness My breath is steaming The skies open wide I hear the silent screaming Deep in the dark, somewhere in space Spinning around, leaving no trace We can regard this as the speaker's imagination being stirred with thoughts of distant black holes, as he stands clear sky on a winter's night. The main element there is that of suicide: nothing matters: I can see the point of no return And when the light is slowly turning to red Life gives away, there's no concern On this cold night under the stars, the speaker voice is fantasizing about dying by steering a ship into a black hole, ignoring the evacuation alarms that are going off.

livatlantis 11y ago
It didn't even occur to me to try to read the song in any but the most literal sense. Your explanation is very compelling! The only thing that detracts from it is the relative cheerfulness of the song (especially the keyboard/guitar duet that starts at about the 2m30s mark) -- although who knows, it could very well represent euphoria associated with the prospect of imminent liberation? Thank you for this! Glad you like Strato; I love the way Event Horizon shifts to Elysium, a song I listened to three times a week for 4 months on repeat on my 20-minute bus commute back when I was in uni.

lukifer 11y ago

Thanks for sharing, all sorts of good finds in this thread. :) Allegaeon is perhaps my favorite metal band, and their songs frequently revolve around physics, biology, sci-fi, and futurism: The God Particle: http://youtu.be/hthQvqbyyZg http://youtu.be/hthQvqbyyZg Accelerated Evolution: http://youtu.be/z2JKv7hGz1Y http://youtu.be/z2JKv7hGz1Y Dyson Sphere: http://youtu.be/tk1aLKTmgXU http://youtu.be/tk1aLKTmgXU

ionised 11y ago

Haha, I haven't listened to Star One in quite a while! I really liked the one album I heard though, Space Metal. I think I originally gave them a listendue to their having Russel Allen (of Symphony X) as vocalist. I was not disappointed. I'll have to check out that second album!