The Theory of Everything (stylized as ŦĦΣ ŦĦΣΦɌ¥ ΦƑ ΣVΣɌΨŦĦIΠG) is the eighth studio album from Ayreon, a progressive metal/rock opera project by Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, released on 28 October 2013.
In the story, a young scientist sets out to solve the theory of everything, an explanation to all aspects of the universe, while navigating his troubled mental health and personal life.
In the typical style of the project, the album features several guest singers to portray the characters across the album, including Tommy Karevik of Kamelot and Seventh Wonder, Marko Hietala of Nightwish and Tarot, Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil, and Asia and former King Crimson member John Wetton.
It also features various guest musicians such as keyboardists Rick Wakeman (ex-Yes), Keith Emerson (ex-Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), and guitarist Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis).
According to Lucassen, the album is "four long tracks divided into various segments", with each song longer than 20 minutes for a total of almost one hour and a half of music.
[3] The complete number of segments is 42, which is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, recognized by Lucassen as a direct reference.
[5] The Theory of Everything was a commercial success and received acclaim from audience and critics, who praised its instrumental sections, songwriting, story, and the performances of the cast.
After the release of 01011001, Lucassen decided to temporarily put Ayreon on hold, because he was not inspired to continue and also because many critics noted that there was nothing new being offered on 01011001.
[13] Lucassen described the album as "less heavy and more instrumental than 01011001", and also cited the films A Beautiful Mind and Rain Man as inspirations for the lyrics.
Time passes and the rival reveals he can synthesize the therapist's drug if the prodigy helps in a bank robbery ("Quid Pro Quo").
Phase 4 opens three months before the prologue, with the girl and the mother revealing their helplessness in the main character's situation ("Mirror of Dreams").
The girl explains that the father took his own life before the supposed visitation ("The Uncertainty Principle"); he couldn't have been there with his son for the breakthrough ("Dark Energy"), and it could only be a hallucination from the prodigy.
The girl and the mother mourn together the losses of their loved ones, come to an agreement that the world isn't ready to know the Theory of Everything, and decide to move on with their lives.
"[19] Dangerdog Music Reviews called The Theory of Everything "another melodic progressive rock tour-de-force from the creative mind of Arjen Lucassen" and gave a near-perfect score of 4.5 out of 5.
"[20] Despite a positive review, the reviewer for Sputnikmusic pointed out several faults: "the issue with The Theory of Everything lies in an underdevelopment of musical structure and an over reliance on an operatic vocal format that knows no brevity [...] From a storytelling and lyrical point of view, The Theory of Everything fails to focus on the introspective and emotional dialog the way The Human Equation did".
He also criticized the singing performances, calling them "unemotive sing-talking", as well as the characters that he felt less inspired than in previous Ayreon albums.