Label: Inside Out Music
Review by Tony Cannella
Arjen Anthony Lucassen released the last album on the Ayreon moniker back in 2008. Since then he has kept his creative spirit alive working on various other projects. Now he returns with the latest Ayreon opus entitled, “The Theory of Everything” and for someone who has a long career based on big, grandiose epic productions, “The Theory of Everything” may just be his biggest and most thoughtful yet. It is always interesting to see some of the musicians Arjen uses on the Ayreon albums and “The Theory of Everything” is no different. Some amazing singers make appearances here including: Tommy Karevik from Kamelot, Marco Hietala from Nightwish, John Wetton from Asia, King Crimson and Uriah Heep, Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil and Sara Squadrani from Ancient Bards. The list of musicians is even more impressive reading like a prog rock super group: Rick Wakeman (Yes), Keith Emerson (ELP), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Steve Hackett (Genesis) to name a few. The talent assembled here is mind boggling.
“The Theory of Everything” consists of four songs (or phases as they’re referred to) spread out over 2-discs and 90-minutes. This is a true rock opera. Each singer plays their part and the songs flow seamlessly from one to the other to move the story along. This album reminds me of when I was a young lad and artists actually released albums that you could delve into and become immersed in and listen to from front to back to front again. The talent truly makes the songs come alive throughout this rock opera. The limited edition also comes with a bonus DVD that includes the making of the album, which is interesting for all who wonders how a project like this comes about.
Wow… In the end there is a lot to decipher on “The Theory of Everything”. Like a lot of lasting art some of the songs on here may take some getting used to and others are a lot more immediate. This is not something that you will listen to once and think “this is cool” then move on to the next album. In this day and age of “fast food music” Arjen continues to challenge his fan base. “The Theory of Everything” is a hugely entertaining prog rock epic masterpiece and a helluva fun journey.
Rating – 85/100
Tracklist
Disc 1
- Prologue: The Blackboard
- The Theory of Everything Part 1
- Patterns
- The Prodigy’s World
- The Teacher’s Discovery
- Love and Envy
- Progressive Waves
- The Gift
- The Eleventh Dimension
- Inertia
- The Theory of Everything part
- The Consultation
- Diagnosis
- The Argument
- The Rival’s Dilemma
- Surface Tension
- A Reason to Live
- Potential
- Quantum Chaos
- Dark Medicine
- Alive!
- The Prediction
Disc 2
- Fluctuations
- Transformation
- Collision
- Side Effects
- Frequency Modulation
- Magnetism
- Quid Pro Quo
- String Theory
- Fortune?
- Mirror of Dreams
- The Lighthouse
- The Argument 2
- The Parting
- The Visitation
- The Breakthrough
- The Note
- The Uncertainty Principle
- Dark Energy
- The Theory of Everything part 3
- The Blackboard (reprise)
Line Up
Vocalists
- JB as The Teacher
- Sara Squadrani as The Girl
- Michael Mills as The Father
- Cristina Scabbia as The Mother
- Tommy Karevik as The Prodigy
- Marco Hietala as The Rival
- John Wetton as The Psychatrist
Musicians
- Arjen Anthony Lucassen – Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Mandolin, Analog Synthesizers, Hammond, Solina Strings
- Steve Hackett – Lead Guitar
- Rick Wakeman – Keyboards
- Keith Emerson – Keyboards
- Jordan Rudess – Keyboards
- Ed Warby – Drums
- Troy Donockley – Uilleann Pipes and Whistles
- Ben Mathot – Violin
- Maaike Peterse – Cello
- Siddharta Barnhoorn – Orchestrations
- Michael Mills – Irish Bouzouki
- Jeroen Goosens – Flute, Bass Flute, Piccolo, Bamboo Flute and Contrabass Flute
- Wilmer Waarbroek – Backing Vocals and Guide Vocals