"Whether it's with his solo work, his main project (Ayreon), or his other projects (such as Star One, The Gentle Storm, and Guilt Machine), Arjen Anthony Lucassen has continuously proven to be a top-tier musical craftsman. Seriously, virtually no one else fuses exceptional songwriting with equally imaginative, vibrant, complex, and dynamic instrumentation as distinctively and distinguishably as him, and just as importantly, he regularly finds the best performers in the progressive rock /metal world to bring his creations to life.

Nevertheless, Songs No One Will Hear is another excellent entry into Lucassen's catalog that - for better or worse - contains precisely what fans want and expect from such a unique and consistent artist. There's certainly a lot to discover and applaud with what he's doing differently, and even at its most conventional and recognizable, it can't help but appeal simply because Lucassen is so damn good at what he does. In other words, Lucassen's latest LP won't blow you away with its freshness or unpredictability, but it absolutely will deliver a trademark batch of stellar songs that everyone should hear." JB-TPR

"Now, in 2025, Lucassen has returned back to the solo world once again on the InsideOut label, this time tackling the themes about the end of the world with humanity on the brink of collapse for a nuclear war that's about to happen. Chaos, humour, and raw emotion, its all there in this guitar-driven, prog-rock, and in your face attitude that'll make you buckle your seat belts and prepare for the end to occur.

With fellow maestros such as Joost van den Broek, the Jansen sisters (Irene and Floor), Stream of Passion's Marcela Bovio, Patty Gurdy on Hurdy Gurdy, Plan Nine's Robert Soeterboek, and Kaleidoscope / Fairfield Parlour's Peter Daltrey to name a few, this is an out of this world album Lucassen has unleashed for 2025 so far." ZN-EAD



Essential Track: Finally (pun intended), we come to "Our Final Song." Maybe this is what Arjen is strumming on acoustic guitar on a beach with his faithful Papillion. It's a 15-minute beast of a track. While much of this album is "Diet Ayreon," this last track is fully switched on. No, it does not have 10 different vocalists, or Akerfeldt growls or Hevy-Devy screams, but all the other trappings are there. The rising and falling action, the elaborate arrangements, the bombastic keys, the slamming guitar chords. It's all there." ES-SP
 

Read the full reviews on The Prog Report , and echoes and dust.

Listen and watch the videos on the artist YouTube Channel.

Buy the Album from InsideOut Music, or wherever great Prog music is sold.
 

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There are no NewEARS show announcements at this time


Click on the following link for a complete list of bands that have played for the NewEARS Art Rock Series
 

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10/11/25	Steve Hackett - Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo	The Cabot - Beverly, MA
10/11/25	Lotus Land - American Rush Tribute	Blue Ocean Music Hall - Salisbury, MA
10/12/25	Geoff Tate's Operation Mindcrime - The Final Chapter - Mindcrime performed in its entirity for the last time!	Sacred Heart University Community Theatre - Fairfield, CT
10/14/25	Steve Hackett - Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo	Ridgefield Playhouse - Ridgefield, CT
10/14/25	Geoff Tate's Operation Mindcrime - The Final Chapter - Mindcrime performed in its entirity for the last time!	The Strand - Providence, RI
10/15/25	Steve Hackett - Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo	Ridgefield Playhouse - Ridgefield, CT
10/15/25	Geoff Tate's Operation Mindcrime - The Final Chapter - Mindcrime performed in its entirity for the last time!	The Wilbur - Boston, MA
10/16/25	King's X	Space Ballroom - Hamden, CT
10/17/25	King's X	Tupelo Music Hall - Derry, NH
10/17/25	The Slambovian Circus of Dreams- as part of The Vagabond Ball	Colonial Theatre - Pittsfield, MA
10/18/25	King's X	Aura - Portland, ME
10/22/25	Dream Theater - "An Evening With" - Playing Parasomnia in Full	Veterans Memorial Auditorium - Providence, RI
10/23/25	Steve Morse Band - The Triangulation Tour	Somerville Theatre - Somerville, MA
10/24/25	MACALAS - The Music of ELP & Beyond	Seven Angels Theatre - Waterbury, CT

Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett announces the dates for his 2025 US tour: Steve Hackett - Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo. To mark the 50th anniversary of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Hackett is including a selection of highlights from this iconic Genesis album.

Steve Hackett's timeless guitar-work was woven throughout Genesis' classic 70s catalogue of albums. In recent years he and his outstanding touring line-up of Roger King (keyboards), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Jonas Reingold (bass, backing vocals), Rob Townsend (saxophone, flutes, additional keyboards) and Craig Blundell (drums) have brought many of these albums back to the concert hall to great acclaim. Special guest, Amanda Lehmann will be joining the whole of the US tour on guitar and vocals. Many fans have also been asking for more tracks from The Lamb to be included. What better way to celebrate half-a-century of this remarkable album than to include a selection of Lamb Highlights alongside some of Hackett's finest solo work and unmissable Genesis Greats.

"I'm hugely looking forward to this tour," says Steve Hackett, "including 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' favourites as well as other iconic Genesis numbers along with solo gems."

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Click here for Season 4-12 and the latest podcast from Delicious Agony - Progressive Rock Radio

Click here for a complete list of artists that have appeared on the NewEARS Prog Show Season 1-3

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