Timeless musical monument - A review of Ayreon's Timeline

Ayreon's Timeline is the best example for a perfect greatest hits collection. This starts with the wonderful cover artwork that references past releases without looking bland. It continues with a gigantic booklet and poster that offers everything a fan wants to know. Even the quality of the physical material used here is second to none and looks amazing in any collection.

The Dutch progressive rock mastermind summarizes his eclectic career perfectly. This small boxed set includes three discs with running times of seventy-four, seventy-six and seventy-seven minutes. The tracks are presented in chronological order. Some of them have been modified slightly to blend into one another and make for coherent, entertaining and fluid transitions. Track lengths vary between one minute and a half and twelve minutes and a half. Acoustic versions meet single edits and full-fledged progressive metal epics. The final song on the third disc is a brand new tune that serves as an atmospheric epilogue to the first fourteen years of Ayreon's career and can be considered one of Arjen Anthony Lucassen's best songs ever.

This boxed set also includes a DVD with about two hours of extra material. Some of it has been released on multiple outputs throughout the years but die-hard fans even get some new material as well. This DVD includes rare live recordings, concise teasers and exclusive looks behind the scenes. This DVD gives the evocative progressive rock music of Ayreon rarely seen visual components since Arjen Anthony Lucassen very rarely played concerts back in those days and didn't give a whole lot of interviews either.

Sincerely, there isn't one thing to complain about this beautifully crafted greatest hits boxed set. If there were only one Ayreon album you should own, this is the one you should go for. Timeline is perfect for die-hard fans, occasional listeners and complete newcomers alike. Anyone who likes space-influenced progressive rock music should own this output that offers value for money.

Final rating: 100%