Great snippets. Now, where's the full album?

Why I gave it 6:-
1)not that heavy you can call it Progressive rock
2)the guests are not that good (comparing with last 2 albums) and their voices seem so similar to me
3)the lyrics (the language is so weak)
4)the concept (I don't understand how it's end and I need to know what is the theory of everything or any hint about it)
5) [and the most important one] 42 tracks ?!why?! I can handle a 4 long tracks or he can make it 8 or even 6

Well, definitely not the album of the year. Not even in the top 20!

Written by Swamphell on 07.11.2013 at 00:55

Why I gave it 6:-
1)not that heavy you can call it Progressive rock
2)the guests are not that good (comparing with last 2 albums) and their voices seem so similar to me
3)the lyrics (the language is so weak)
4)the concept (I don't understand how it's end and I need to know what is the theory of everything or any hint about it)
5) [and the most important one] 42 tracks ?!why?! I can handle a 4 long tracks or he can make it 8 or even 6

Hope you don't mind , but I'd like to "counter-explain" (lol, is that even a term?) the points you make (no hard feelings(!), just another perspective).

1) Wether or not it's Prog Rock instead of Prog Metal, it shouldn't automatically mean worse music (unless you only like the more agressive stuff). This album relies much more on emotions and atmosphere instead of heaviness. Speaking of that, I think there definitely are bursts of Metal to be found on this album. It's just not thrown at us constantly.

2) The list of guest singers on this album is maybe not as high-profile as in the past, but popularity is not necessarily an indication of quality. Technically, I think there are some awe-inspiring performances here! I'm curious on why you think they're so similar. To me some of them sound very wide and deep, others stretch up high in range and become thinner, some are male, some are female, etc...

3) The lyrics are written in a very straight-forward manner, but in the context of the album I think it all makes perfect sense. They're pretty much the equivalent of dialogues in a movie; They seem to be there to support the characters and the story rather than amaze us with intricate poetry and metaphors (like several(?) people have said here). In the bigger picture within the plot and between the characters, I feel the lyrics become fairly complex.

4) I don't think this album is really all that much about science and mathematics, as much as it is about the emotional bond between human beings and the psychology. I also think the ending was supposed to be vague and mysterious; The unanswered questions are what stays with us the longest. Plus the part where the different characters sort of acknowledged the completion of "the theory", while not spilling it out and giving it away really magnified the effect. It became clear that it was some really powerful stuff, and that keeps the listener wondering and guessing about it. The sense of mystery remains (maybe the next album is going to go deeper into that somehow).

5) I partially agree with this one, as I also found it a bit unnecessary to divide the four songs into all those tracks. But apparently that makes the listening experience easier for some people, and besides that, we can always just pretend the numerous tracks aren't there and just listen to the album as four long songs (which several(?) people have said here). No matter how we look at that, it doesn't change anything on the album.

The album is really long and there's a lot to discover here, you should give it a second chance to see if it's grown on you! (6/10 is a decent rating so there's gotta be something you liked about it?)

There is absolutely no point in rating this album if you give it only one spin and don't even follow the story. This definitely isn't something you're going to put on as some background music while you're browsing the web or such, it takes time and dedication to fully understand what the album is about. I get that many people don't approach to music this way but it's kind of a necessity if you're going to comment about progressive metal. If you're not into it, go listen to genres you like and don't comment on the quality of albums such as ToE, when it's clear you haven't given enough attention to what you're reviewing.

The story flows very well and I agree with the comment posted above how the lyrics should be regarded in the context of dialogues. The actual CD provides additional info about the timespan, notes about the characters' whereabouts and such stuff, which is also very important to look at if we're going to evaluate the quality of the text. Point being, lyrics are arranged to suite the musical form of the album and to provide us with the most general idea of the story and the relationships between the characters - don't search for Baudelaire here, it wasn't Arjen's intent in the first place. That being said, the ending of the story is really nothing short of grand and majestic, similar to what we could experience in an action-packed theatrical movie release. I'm glad that Arjen has expressed a wish to continue this storyline in the future, he surely gave himself a lot to experiment with.

Instrumentally, the album is arranged beautifully and offers a surreal landscape of brilliant melodies - the original keyboard line that goes through all three The Theory of Everything parts sounds so hauntingly ecstatic each time I hear it. Rudess's solo is also one of the highlight's of the album, as the whole Progressive Waves is by itself. Keyboard work in general is outstanding here, I would say.

The vocal ensemble might be the best one yet - especially when you compare how well they all sound put together. One of the basic premises that Arjen had was to depict the relationships between various characters (Arjen is very mindful when it comes to choosing who will sing on Ayreon albums - he first chooses the vocalist and then writes the lyrics for the specific part) so choosing the voices that will carry those characters and their story was of a crucial importance. You really feel the envy and greed in Hietala's voice, the warmth and tenderness in Scabbia's deep contralto, the raw power of Michael Mills as the Father. It's absolutely silly to say how "their voices seem so similar". Really makes me wonder if we're even listening to the same album here.

However, I do have a problem with the track division. The more I listen to the album, the more the whole 42 tracks thing makes less sense. Those accusations of the album "not being catchy enough/memorable enough" come exactly from the fact that people judge the songs as individual entities, rather as parts of a bigger song structure. When you listen to the album as a 4 part release, you get a completely different point of view. The division does come rather handy though, being able to skip to your favourite parts and all that but it's creating a lot of confusion with the perception of the music, imo.

Written by Saidar on 07.11.2013 at 18:54

There is absolutely no point in rating this album if you give it only one spin and don't even follow the story. This definitely isn't something you're going to put on as some background music while you're browsing the web or such, it takes time and dedication to fully understand what the album is about. I get that many people don't approach to music this way but it's kind of a necessity if you're going to comment about progressive metal. If you're not into it, go listen to genres you like and don't comment on the quality of albums such as ToE, when it's clear you haven't given enough attention to what you're reviewing.

The story flows very well and I agree with the comment posted above how the lyrics should be regarded in the context of dialogues. The actual CD provides additional info about the timespan, notes about the characters' whereabouts and such stuff, which is also very important to look at if we're going to evaluate the quality of the text. Point being, lyrics are arranged to suite the musical form of the album and to provide us with the most general idea of the story and the relationships between the characters - don't search for Baudelaire here, it wasn't Arjen's intent in the first place. That being said, the ending of the story is really nothing short of grand and majestic, similar to what we could experience in an action-packed theatrical movie release. I'm glad that Arjen has expressed a wish to continue this storyline in the future, he surely gave himself a lot to experiment with.

Instrumentally, the album is arranged beautifully and offers a surreal landscape of brilliant melodies - the original keyboard line that goes through all three The Theory of Everything parts sounds so hauntingly ecstatic each time I hear it. Rudess's solo is also one of the highlight's of the album, as the whole Progressive Waves is by itself. Keyboard work in general is outstanding here, I would say.

The vocal ensemble might be the best one yet - especially when you compare how well they all sound put together. One of the basic premises that Arjen had was to depict the relationships between various characters (Arjen is very mindful when it comes to choosing who will sing on Ayreon albums - he first chooses the vocalist and then writes the lyrics for the specific part) so choosing the voices that will carry those characters and their story was of a crucial importance. You really feel the envy and greed in Hietala's voice, the warmth and tenderness in Scabbia's deep contralto, the raw power of Michael Mills as the Father. It's absolutely silly to say how "their voices seem so similar". Really makes me wonder if we're even listening to the same album here.

However, I do have a problem with the track division. The more I listen to the album, the more the whole 42 tracks thing makes less sense. Those accusations of the album "not being catchy enough/memorable enough" come exactly from the fact that people judge the songs as individual entities, rather as parts of a bigger song structure. When you listen to the album as a 4 part release, you get a completely different point of view. The division does come rather handy though, being able to skip to your favourite parts and all that but it's creating a lot of confusion with the perception of the music, imo.

Pretty much everything you've said.

As for the whole "track division" thing, Arjen explained this in a recent interview. He stated that the album was written purely as 4 long tracks, and that the whole "42 track division" thing was something he put in at the last minute, simply because people who he previewed the album for stated that 4 tracks of that length would be too much to bear. He also said that it was included so as to satisfy people who thought in the way of "hmm, I really like the Emerson solo. I wish I could skip straight to that part."
To put things in bullet points, the things he made clear in that interview were:
a-) The album was written as 4 tracks, and the whole 42-song subdivision had no influence at all on the writing process.
b-) The album is meant to be listened to as 4 tracks, and 4 tracks alone. If you want the proper experience, listen to the full 20+ minute song. The subdivision is merely for the convenience of anyone looking for a specific part.

The only reason that the subdivision should affect anyone's listening experience, in my honest opinion, is if someone is listening to the pirated version, in which every division is made incredibly obvious with millisecond cuts between each segment. Listen to the actual album version, and that all goes away.

Written by Lethrokai on 07.11.2013 at 19:29

He stated that the album was written purely as 4 long tracks, and that the whole "42 track division" thing was something he put in at the last minute, simply because people who he previewed the album for stated that 4 tracks of that length would be too much to bear. He also said that it was included so as to satisfy people who thought in the way of "hmm, I really like the Emerson solo. I wish I could skip straight to that part."

I believe there was pressure from the record company as well, he must have received an angry brow or two after presenting them 4 very long tracks of complex material.

Nevertheless, the problem with the division is also kind of a psychological matter - people see 42 tracks and all sorts of ideas come to mind. There is no negativity in the division itself, as I said, it's handy and useful (although I had my mind on merging all tracks together in 4 pieces but it would mess up my last.fm scrobbles so I gave up on that). But the bottom line is that it doesn't serve the album justice, it only creates a lot of fuss about a pretty irrelevant issue, when you think about it.

Oh and yes, a real shame the cuts were pretty "hearable" in the pirated version.

Like any Ayreon album, this one is an acquired taste, the lyrics are whimsical and the musicianship and creativity is endless. I give it a 10.

As for the guys who complain about the lyrics, I would advice to listen to some classic opera. Dialogs are very simplistic too, just like Ayreon's rock operas. No poetry or cool statements, but a story to convey.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 05.11.2013 at 16:43

Written by Vonpire on 05.11.2013 at 16:40

Probably the best from this mediocre band called "ayreon", the most overrated band ever on M.S. .

we don't agree on much But here I fully agree with you.

Didn't you forget about Summoning and Alcest just now?

I don't understand why this is so popular... It's way, way overdone in my opinion. I have to respect such diverse and obviously proficient musicianship, but the overall result sounds like a tedious musical to me.

I want to like it but i guess Ayreon is simply too...something...for my tastes... I'm truly not sure what it is, part cheesy, possibly boring, pretentious maybe, but little of it is memorable or very interesting. It is well made and well played but what they made and played is not up to the standards it was done at, like hiring Peter Jackson to do some shitty teen movie or buying a Formula One racer to get to work in the morning, in Iqaluit. I just can't like this album, and just Ayreon in general.

It's a good and intresting album, maybe a little boring, but it's not a METAL album.. Soft progressive rock

Written by Patrick. on 07.11.2013 at 03:43

Written by Swamphell on 07.11.2013 at 00:55

Why I gave it 6:-
1)not that heavy you can call it Progressive rock
2)the guests are not that good (comparing with last 2 albums) and their voices seem so similar to me
3)the lyrics (the language is so weak)
4)the concept (I don't understand how it's end and I need to know what is the theory of everything or any hint about it)
5) [and the most important one] 42 tracks ?!why?! I can handle a 4 long tracks or he can make it 8 or even 6

Hope you don't mind , but I'd like to "counter-explain" (lol, is that even a term?) the points you make (no hard feelings(!), just another perspective).

1) Wether or not it's Prog Rock instead of Prog Metal, it shouldn't automatically mean worse music (unless you only like the more agressive stuff). This album relies much more on emotions and atmosphere instead of heaviness. Speaking of that, I think there definitely are bursts of Metal to be found on this album. It's just not thrown at us constantly.

2) The list of guest singers on this album is maybe not as high-profile as in the past, but popularity is not necessarily an indication of quality. Technically, I think there are some awe-inspiring performances here! I'm curious on why you think they're so similar. To me some of them sound very wide and deep, others stretch up high in range and become thinner, some are male, some are female, etc...

3) The lyrics are written in a very straight-forward manner, but in the context of the album I think it all makes perfect sense. They're pretty much the equivalent of dialogues in a movie; They seem to be there to support the characters and the story rather than amaze us with intricate poetry and metaphors (like several(?) people have said here). In the bigger picture within the plot and between the characters, I feel the lyrics become fairly complex.

4) I don't think this album is really all that much about science and mathematics, as much as it is about the emotional bond between human beings and the psychology. I also think the ending was supposed to be vague and mysterious; The unanswered questions are what stays with us the longest. Plus the part where the different characters sort of acknowledged the completion of "the theory", while not spilling it out and giving it away really magnified the effect. It became clear that it was some really powerful stuff, and that keeps the listener wondering and guessing about it. The sense of mystery remains (maybe the next album is going to go deeper into that somehow).

5) I partially agree with this one, as I also found it a bit unnecessary to divide the four songs into all those tracks. But apparently that makes the listening experience easier for some people, and besides that, we can always just pretend the numerous tracks aren't there and just listen to the album as four long songs (which several(?) people have said here). No matter how we look at that, it doesn't change anything on the album.

The album is really long and there's a lot to discover here, you should give it a second chance to see if it's grown on you! (6/10 is a decent rating so there's gotta be something you liked about it?)

I read ur counter explain and it makes sense in some points and after a more 3 or 4 times listing this album I've changed my vote to 7 :] and this is my "counter - counter - explain" :
1)the music is so awesome as Prog. Rock but I still have my same opinion about it ; I prefer some heavy stuff at least in one song
2) I didin't chang my mind about this one
3) u made sense with this one
4) this one have two option a) if Arjen is going to continue the plot in his next album ts good thing b) if not I'd rather him to back to his previous plots like (10110.. , the human equation and into electric castle) I liked those stuff so much I guess they relate to each other in some way.
5)we agreed on this one

Written by Swamphell on 11.11.2013 at 15:10

I read ur counter explain and it makes sense in some points and after a more 3 or 4 times listing this album I've changed my vote to 7 :] and this is my "counter - counter - explain" :
1)the music is so awesome as Prog. Rock but I still have my same opinion about it ; I prefer some heavy stuff at least in one song
2) I didin't chang my mind about this one
3) u made sense with this one
4) this one have two option a) if Arjen is going to continue the plot in his next album ts good thing b) if not I'd rather him to back to his previous plots like (10110.. , the human equation and into electric castle) I liked those stuff so much I guess they relate to each other in some way.
5)we agreed on this one

Oh, that's cool!
I apologize because I shouldn't have used the words "counter-explain". I made it sound like your opinion was wrong which was not my intention. So I'm glad you didn't take it like that.
Given that Arjen said "01" was the conclusion to the old concept and this new album being the start of something different, I guess we should expect the next albums to continue further with this "Theory"-storyline (unless this new album is completely self-contained from both the old concept and any future ones too... ).

The Theory of Everything is an actual proposed equation in mathematics/science/physics that has no representation of itself it yet. It unifies and explains all the forces of the universe in a single equation, uniting physics and quantum mechanics (see the opening lyric: "Unification of the great and small" - meaning physics and quantum mechanics) so to actually try and spell it out definitely would be (to me) somewhat unnecessary and kind of dangerous in a story-telling sense.

The ending is very simple, and it goes hand in hand with the way the lyrics are written. The lyrics are written so they are meant to be heard, just reading them they are somewhat awkward - that's when the guest singers job comes in to bring in emotional and contextual inflection to the words so as you hear them the story is easily explained as it goes along.

As for the ending (spoiler ahead for those who don't know) when The Prodigy is visited by his father at the lighthouse, and they discover/solve the "Theory of Everything" his father is actually dead, as he killed himself the night before in shame. It is first alluded that all the medication The Prodigy took created this illusion, allowing him to solve the problem (this is done by "The Girl" to "The Teacher"), but the last verse - sung by one of the most amazing voices I've heard, JB as The Teacher - says "Will we ever know how to different handstyles came to grace this blackboard"

So basically, his father DID kill himself - but after death he still came to help his son, The Teacher notices there are two DISTINCT and SEPARATE hand writing styles on the blackboard working in collaboration to solve the problem.

I think perhaps The Theory of Everything could possibly reveal how his father came to aid him after death, and this could be a continuation of the story on the next album. I personally think it's a fantastic and enthralling story about obsessive devotions and the emotional drives everyone has in seeking personal fulfillment.

I've listened to this album a lot. Start to finish about 100 times since it's release. I also dont think the 42 tracks should affect the rating - as it doesn't stop me from listening to it any form. If anything it is nice to have to reference certain parts of the story - but I only listen to the album start to finish, it's just that kind of album for me.

This album is so hard to evaluate for me...
I'm a fan of Arjen and I love the complete discography, but this one has something that seems not to work.
Lyrics sometime sound weird, and the tracks are not always well connected.
So far i gave 7/10, but I understand there is some excellent part in it, so with the time it could grow on me more and I could raise my evaluation...

EDIT: ok, just watching the bonus DVD made me change my impressions and evaòuation to 8/10... :-D

This album isn't boring or anything.

Written by BloodJuNkie on 15.11.2013 at 15:36

This album isn't boring or anything.

Then how else is this?

Written by LascaillesShroud on 14.11.2013 at 03:20

The Theory of Everything is an actual proposed equation in mathematics/science/physics that has no representation of itself it yet. It unifies and explains all the forces of the universe in a single equation, uniting physics and quantum mechanics (see the opening lyric: "Unification of the great and small" - meaning physics and quantum mechanics) so to actually try and spell it out definitely would be (to me) somewhat unnecessary and kind of dangerous in a story-telling sense.

The ending is very simple, and it goes hand in hand with the way the lyrics are written. The lyrics are written so they are meant to be heard, just reading them they are somewhat awkward - that's when the guest singers job comes in to bring in emotional and contextual inflection to the words so as you hear them the story is easily explained as it goes along.

As for the ending (spoiler ahead for those who don't know) when The Prodigy is visited by his father at the lighthouse, and they discover/solve the "Theory of Everything" his father is actually dead, as he killed himself the night before in shame. It is first alluded that all the medication The Prodigy took created this illusion, allowing him to solve the problem (this is done by "The Girl" to "The Teacher"), but the last verse - sung by one of the most amazing voices I've heard, JB as The Teacher - says "Will we ever know how to different handstyles came to grace this blackboard"

So basically, his father DID kill himself - but after death he still came to help his son, The Teacher notices there are two DISTINCT and SEPARATE hand writing styles on the blackboard working in collaboration to solve the problem.

I think perhaps The Theory of Everything could possibly reveal how his father came to aid him after death, and this could be a continuation of the story on the next album. I personally think it's a fantastic and enthralling story about obsessive devotions and the emotional drives everyone has in seeking personal fulfillment.

I've listened to this album a lot. Start to finish about 100 times since it's release. I also dont think the 42 tracks should affect the rating - as it doesn't stop me from listening to it any form. If anything it is nice to have to reference certain parts of the story - but I only listen to the album start to finish, it's just that kind of album for me.

Physics and quantum mechanics aren't different things.

I am referring to the bodies of scientific study that govern the properties and interactions of the "small" (Sub-atomic particles, atoms, etc) and the bodies of scientific study that govern the "great" (stars, galaxies, orbits, black holes, etc.). Wording should of been better, my apologies.

General relativity, and quantum theory - to correct my incorrect wording earlier.

I'm having a lot of trouble getting into this album. Almost no instrumentation in this at all it feels like and the lyrics are terrible. I likely haven't given it enough of a chance, but for now, im extremely disappointed.

Im terrified for this album...if its anything like electric castle I'm excited...but these long albums are so hard to get into.

Damn, having listened to this nearly 10 times I have to say I love the first three phases (songs), but the last song is just rather boring and lame compared to the others. If Phase IV would've been as great as the others, this album would be close to my AotY for sure, but sadly now it isn't. I simply can't ignore that last disappointing song.

When I rate this, I'm docking a point for splitting the songs up into smaller tracks.

Written by BloodJuNkie on 15.11.2013 at 15:36

This album isn't boring or anything.

You're actually right for once. It's not boring at all.

Written by Erik M. on 21.11.2013 at 22:30

Damn, having listened to this nearly 10 times I have to say I love the first three phases (songs), but the last song is just rather boring and lame compared to the others. If Phase IV would've been as great as the others, this album would be close to my AotY for sure, but sadly now it isn't. I simply can't ignore that last disappointing song.

Funny that you'd say that. For me, Phase IV was actually my favourite part of the album. Of course, I've seen so many different opinions on which song was the best that I shouldn't be surprised. I am curious as to why you think this though...

Written by Lethrokai on 23.11.2013 at 13:03

Funny that you'd say that. For me, Phase IV was actually my favourite part of the album. Of course, I've seen so many different opinions on which song was the best that I shouldn't be surprised. I am curious as to why you think this though...

Indeed interesting opinions differ so much. I think only the first few parts of Phase IV are truly great (The Lighthouse and The Argument 2 just sound amazing), but most of the other parts are just a bit boring to me, it just drags on and on without being very interesting. And then the part I truly hate, The Visitation, just brings down the whole song due to its cheesiness, ugh. Also, most Ayreon albums have some sort of epic closing song/outro but that isn't the case at all with this album. It just ends rather abruptly. The first three phases are all much more interesting to me as there's a lot of variety to be found in those, even though there are some annoying parts in every song, but that's not such a big deal.

I used a program to combine all the tracks into only the 4 phases. And it makes listening to the album much more enjoyable for me. Mostly because my phone always inserts a small break between tracks while I'm listening.

I just love this album. My first though when I saw that every song lasted over 20 minutes was: Boooring But no! This album is entertaining from start to finish.

Written by LascaillesShroud on 14.11.2013 at 03:20

I've listened to this album a lot. Start to finish about 100 times since it's release.

You've listened to this 3 times a day for the last 5 weeks? I hope you weren't just sitting there listening to it

Anyways, I'm finally listening to this and 14 minutes in. Contrived, but I really like it