AYREON became known on the progressive metal scene for its over-the-top sci-fi stories. But what happens when mastermind Arjen Lucassen focuses on smaller-scale emotionally-driven stories? Well, I think such albums as “The Human Equation” (2004), “The Theory of Everything” (2013), or “Transitus” (2020) provide an adequate answer to that question. Regardless if he writes about leaving the planet because machines have taken over it or about how to handle a gifted child, the albums resonate with the listeners because at the core of his music lie human relations. This is the main reason why “The Theory of Everything” is such a landmark in his discography as well as a classic in its own right. AYREON’s eighth studio album was released on October 28th, 2013, via Inside Out Music.
The story centers around a handful of characters: a child prodigy, a father obsessed with solving the theory of everything, a mother who tries to do her best and protect her family, a teacher who only tries to help the prodigy, a phycologist who prescribes a powerful yet experimental drug, and two of the prodigy’s classmates – a girl and a rival. The relationships and interactions between these characters are what drive the story forward while the decision made by The Father in his quest to find the unifying theory that explains the forces that govern our cosmos (also known as the theory of everything) is the catalyst for the drama that would upend the prodigy’s life and impact his family’s stability. This is equal parts family drama and rock opera as this tragic story could easily be played on a theatre stage as it could be a full-production metal show. Indeed, some of these tracks were played live during the Ayreon Universe shows in September 2017 to the public’s delight.
Clocking in at 89 minutes, “The Theory of Everything” is a rather long affair but once you get sucked into the story, the smooth flow of the music, and the top-tier vocal deliveries from seven world-class singers, time simply flies by. Talking about the protagonists, The Father is a distant and cold character focused on his mathematical equations while The Mother is the emotional cornerstone of the family. Consequently, the excellent vocal deliveries of both Michael Mills (TOEHIDER)and Cristina Scabbia (LACUNA COIL) as the prodigy’s parents, emphasize the strained relations they have with their autistic child. Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT, ex-SEVENTH WONDER) as The Prodigy goes from sounding innocent and sweet at first (“Inertia”) to confident and powerful mid-story (“Collision”) all the way to heartbroken towards the end (“The Note”), and it is his vocal performance that grounds the album and gives weight to the story.
Similarly, the wicked vocals of Marko Hietala (ex-NIGHTWISH, TAROT) make him sound extremely convincing as The Rival while Sara Squadrani (ANCIENT BARDS) delivers an emotional and evocative vocal performance as The Girl, and such tracks like “Magnetism” and “Quid Pro Quo” really showcase their entangled relationship with The Prodigy. Even though JB (GRAND MAGUS) and John Wetton (ASIA, ex-KING CRIMSON) play smaller parts, their portrayal of The Teacher and The Psychiatrist feel like the voice of reason and the voice of hope, respectively, and bring so many nuances and subtleties to the story, especially since each has a different plan for The Prodigy. There’s a recurring joke among the AYREON fanbase that Arjen Lucassen somehow always manages to get the best from the vocalists he works with and listening to such intense performances, one can’t help but agree.
As you can imagine based on the above characters, the music is pretty theatrical, cinematic, and multilayered so as to add dimension and scope to the lyrics. It’s interesting to note how the synth and electronic sounds that make the bulk of the music fit so well not just with such a narrative but also with Troy Donockley’s uilleann pipes and whistles, Ben Mathot’s violin, Maaike Peterse’s cello, and Jeroen Goossens’s flutes. Despite drawing inspiration from many genres and styles, the record feels like a cohesive yet diverse symphony of melodies and harmonies that delight the ears and charm the senses. Actually, this type of mash-up has always been Arjen Lucassen’s specialty, and a track like “Progressive Waves” – where Troy Donockey (NIGHTWISH), Keith Emerson (ex-EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER), and Jordan Rudess (DREAM THEATER) work together in tandem to create an immersive instrumental piece – proves his brilliance and complex writing style.
However, it’s not all orchestral/electronic music as guitars and drums pop up here and there with “Quantum Chaos,” the three-part title track, “Frequency Modulation,” or Steve Hackett’s solo on “The Parting” bringing some heaviness to the fold. And herewith lies the album’s uniqueness factor and main merit – it’s easy listening and engaging without resorting to choruses, big melodic hooks, traditional song structures, or even a conventional album structure. It depends upon the charisma of its vocalists and musicians to sell the story to the listeners, and it succeeds beautifully in this endeavor even if the four proper album tracks – “Phase I: Singularity,” “Phase II: Symmetry,” “Phase III: Entanglement,” and “Phase IV: Unification” – are about 20 minutes of epic progressive beauty, divided into smaller chapters, so to say.
Given all the talent involved and the technical eye for detail that Arjen Lucassen has there is no small wonder “The Theory of Everything” was well received from fans and critics alike. Moreover, a decade later the album still sounds fresh and captivating, managing to hit all the emotional buttons that make it a worthy listen every time. For me, replaying this record is like re-watching a movie I already know but still tearing up at some scenes because the script and the acting are so good. In spite of its non-traditional song structures, rock opera “The Theory of Everything” is one of the best progressive metal albums I have ever listened to and I consider it to be essential listening material for music lovers everywhere, not just metalheads.
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
Phase I: Singularity
01. Prologue: The Blackboard
02. The Theory of Everything Part 1
03. Patterns
04. The Prodigy’s World
05. The Teacher’s Discovery
06. Love And Envy
07. Progressive Waves
08. The Gift
09. The Eleventh Dimension
10. Inertia
11. The Theory of Everything Part 2
Phase II: Symmetry
12. The Consultation
13. Diagnosis
14. The Argument 1
15. The Rival’s Dilemma
16. Surface Tension
17. A Reason To Live
18. Potential
19. Quantum Chaos
20. Dark Medicine
21. Alive!
22. The Prediction
Phase III: Entanglement
01. Fluctuations
02. Transformation
03. Collision
04. Side Effects
05. Frequency Modulation
06. Magnetism
07. Quid Pro Quo
08. String Theory
09. Fortune?
Phase IV: Unification
10. Mirror Of Dreams
11. The Lighthouse
12. The Argument 2
13. The Parting
14. The Visitation
15. The Breakthrough
16. The Note
17. The Uncertainty Principle
18. Dark Energy
19. The Theory Of Everything Part 3
20. The Blackboard (Reprise)
Line-up
Vocalists
JB (Grand Magus) as The Teacher
Sara Squadrani (Ancient Bards) as The Girl
Michael Mills (Toehider) as The Father
Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) as The Mother
Tommy Karevik (Kamelot, ex-Seventh Wonder) as The Prodigy
Marko Hietala (ex-Nightwish, Tarot) as The Rival
John Wetton (Asia, UK, ex-King Crimson) as The Psychiatrist
Wilmer Waarbroek – backing vocals
Musicians
Arjen Anthony Lucassen – electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, mandolin, analog synthesizers, Hammond, Solina Strings
Ed Warby – drums, percussion
Rick Wakeman (ex-Yes) – synthesizer solo, piano
Keith Emerson (ex-Emerson, Lake & Palmer) – synthesizer solo
Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater, ex-Liquid Tension Experiment) – Continuum solo
Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis) – guitar solo
Troy Donockley (Nightwish) – uilleann pipes, whistles
Ben Mathot – violin
Maaike Peterse – cello
Jeroen Goossens – flutes, bass flute, piccolo, bamboo flute, contrabass flute
Siddharta Barnhoorn – orchestrations
Michael Mills (Toehider) – Irish bouzouki
Label
Inside Out Music
