Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Ayreon
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2013
Runtime: 89:54
Rating: 4.5/5
Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the tireless ‘narrator’ of epic tales, is one of the biggest workaholics in the world of progressive rock/progressive metal. He’s best known for his concept-driven project Ayreon, even though he also juggles a whole bunch of other side projects like Star One, Guilt Machine, Ambeon and Stream of Passion. Ayreon has been Lucassen’s ‘baby’ since the very start in 1995, when it began as a wonderful outlet for his passion for creating ambitious rock/metal operas. Ever since, the big chief has kept a firm grip on the whole creative project as the central musician, producer, composer and glue holding it together, while the other guest musicians keep rotating – except for drummer Ed Warby, who has been Anthony’s constant collaborator since 1998. Over that time Ayreon have put out a good number of more or less highly regarded concept rock operas featuring a whole galaxy of top-class musicians, and above all some of the best singers in the rock world.
All of that went swimmingly up to and including the album »01011001 (2008)«, after which Lucassen (seemingly) closed the book on the Ayreon story, feeling he’d somehow run out of the right inspiration and ambition for further convincing rock-operetta adventures. Reviews of »01011001« were mostly positive, sure, but plenty of fans collectively concluded that everything was fine and dandy and the album sat within expected sonic boundaries, yet Ayreon just didn’t have anything thrillingly fresh to offer anymore, nothing that could really fire up the listener’s imagination the way it so incredibly well did on the earlier masterpieces, led by »Into the Electric Castle« (1998) and both parts of the »Universal Migrator« (2000) saga.
Lucassen himself admitted and announced that he’d burned out creatively on Ayreon, so he took a five-year break. During that time he threw himself into other projects, led by the space rock/metal-leaning Star One, so he stayed fully employed, but a spark kept smoldering inside him, and from it Ayreon blazed back to life with the new album, pompously titled »The Theory of Everything«. The pause paid off handsomely: in terms of arrangements and rhythms, if not atmosphere, this is the most complex work in their entire history, once again carrying a pretty deep conceptual message, delivered, as you’d expect, by a superb lineup of guest singers.
On »The Theory of Everything« Mr. Lucassen has assembled what is arguably his most impressive cast of prog rock musicians yet, with legends like cult bassist/vocalist John Wetton (Asia, ex-King Crimson), keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman (ex-Yes), guitar grandmaster Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis) and another legendary keyboard genius, Keith Emerson (ELP), all taking part. The other, somewhat younger collaborators who left their mark this time around also belong to the elite of the great virtuosos, which goes especially for keyboardist Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), while singers Christina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Tommy Karevik (Kamelot), Micahel Mills (Toehider), Marco Heitala (Nightwish), JB (Grand Magus) and Sara Squadrini (Ancient Bard) are highly regarded by anyone who actively follows the prog metal scene. Interestingly, Lucassen himself isn’t among the singers this time, since he devoted himself entirely to instrumental and production duties.
In keeping with the well-established and expected Ayreon tradition, the album features several different singers (exactly eight this time), all playing different characters from the concept; JB takes the role of the Teacher, Scabbia steps into the role of the Mother, Wetton (how fitting) plays the Psychiatrist, Harevik is the Prodigy, Mills is the Father, Hietala is the Rival and Squadrani appears as the Girl. With names of this caliber, mostly prog rock legends, it’s no surprise that the new album leans a bit more toward prog rock than its heavier predecessor »0101101«. »The Theory of Everything« hits less hard than the predecessor, and there are more instrumentals this time, which leaves room for some striking improvisations courtesy of the aforementioned masters. Something Ayreon have always sworn by are colorful folk rock arrangements built on lots of traditional instruments, plus gorgeously lush symphonic interludes, and there’s truly plenty of both on »The Theory of Everything«. The expected metal guitar escapades are here too, and they mesh nicely with the orchestral sections.
This time the concept of »The Theory of Everything« isn’t a sci-fi story, as was customary, if not the rule, on most earlier albums, with the exception of »The Human Equation« (2004), where the concept played out inside a human brain. Instead it’s set in a realistic setting, partly inspired by films like ‘A Beautiful Mind’ and ‘Rain Man’, as well as by the book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. At the same time it’s a completely fresh start for the conceptual saga, given that »0101101« marked the end of the original Ayreon story, which kept building on itself across several albums.
This double album, split into four segments/chapters (Singularity, Symmetry, Entanglement and Unification), sucks the listener into the heart of the conceptual-atmospheric action from the very first second, much like most earlier Ayreon efforts, and keeps them hooked almost to the very end, since there are practically no dull moments. There are a huge number of tracks, a full 42, although they’re all actually parts of four ‘carved-up’ epics of more than 20 minutes each, so the choice of arrangements and stylistic experiments is truly rich and will delight many a prog rock gourmet. The album simply has to be listened to as a whole, so picking out all sorts of ‘favorites’ makes no sense at all.
The convincing interplay of male and female vocal lines is extremely subtle and unpretentious throughout, as you can plainly hear on the opening »The Blackboard«. The title track is an epic creation split into four separate parts and so deserves special mention. Already on the first part of this ‘carved-up’ suite, which sounds like a close encounter between Gabriel-era Genesis and Yes, you can marvel at the vehement virtuoso antics of Messrs. Hackett and Wakeman. On »The Teacher’s Discovery« everything is set in pentatonic scales, which lends the atmosphere a touch of mysticism. »The Teory of Everything« also stands out for its many folk rock-tinged interludes, which you can hear already on the excellent »Progressive Waves«, where Mr. Emerson delivers an unforgettable solo orgy on the Moog modular.
Even the rare softer, power-ballad moments like »Quid Pro Quo« come off as thoroughly tasteful, while Celtic mysticism is conjured up again and again by pieces like the pastoral treat »Mirror Of Dreams«, which has traditional pipes too. You also don’t need a magnifying glass to find electronic samples between the punchy guitar phrases, thanks to tracks like »The Visitation«. And on the third part of the title track, yet another successful fusion of prog metal and symphonic rock that arrives just as the album is nearing its end, Ayreon prove in a particularly splendid way that they’re true masters at creating intense atmospheric drama.
»The Theory of Everything« may well be the most mature achievement in Ayreon’s discography so far. This isn’t an album that every listener (and that includes the longtime faithful) can crack after just a couple of spins; it demands a lot of patience and time, but that pays off richly in the end, because every listen lets you discover and hear something completely new, something previously undiscovered, which is perhaps the best proof of its refreshing quality. Since roughly the »Universal Migrator« saga, when they hit their creative peak, practically nobody expects or demands that Ayreon be eternal guarantors of musical innovation, and yet Maestro Lucassen has pleasantly surprised everyone who thought he’d already completely emptied his rich treasury of compositional ideas, with some brilliant ideas this time.
Lineup
Vocalists: (in order of their roles)
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, Seventh Wonder) as the Genius
Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot) as the Rival
John Wetton (Asia, ex-King Crimson) as the Psychiatrist
Instrumentalists
Ed Warby (Hail of Bullets, Gorefest) – drums
Rick Wakeman (ex-Yes) – keyboards
Keith Emerson (ELP) – keyboards
Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) – keyboards
Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis) – lead guitar
Troy Donockley (Nightwish) – whistles, pipes
Ben Mathot (Dis) – violin
Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) – cello
Jeroen Goossens (Flairck) – flute, bass flute, piccolo, bamboo flute, contrabass flute
Siddharta Barnhoorn – orchestration
Michael Mills (Toehider) – Irish bouzouki
Wilmer Waarbroek – backing vocals
Arjen Anthony Lucassen – electric and acoustic guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, analog synthesizer, Hammond organ
Production
Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Track List
CD 1
“Phase I: Singularity” (23:29)
1. Prologue: The Blackboard
2. The Theory Of Everything Part 1
3. Patterns
4. The Prodigy’s World
5. The Teacher’s Discovery
6. Love And Envy
7. Progressive Waves
8. The Gift
9. The Eleventh Dimension
10. Inertia
11. The Theory Of Everything Part 2
“Phase II: Symmetry” (21:31)
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
Length: 45:00
CD 2
“Phase III: Entanglement” (22:34)
1. Fluctuations
2. Transformation
3. Collision
4. Side Effects
5. Frequency Modulation
6. Magnetism
7. Quid Pro Quo
8. String Theory
9. Fortune?
“Phase IV: Unification” (22:20)
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)
Length: 44:54
