ALEX MASI – The Theory Of Everything

Alex Masi has a long and decorated history in the world of Heavy Metal. With over fifteen albums under his belt, including a Grammy nomination, he doesn’t have to prove himself to anyone. His latest instrumental solo album, The Theory Of Everything, shouldn’t require an introduction. You would expect to receive the same phenomenal guitar mastery which Masi has historically produced over the years.

The Theory Of Everything, as its name implies, embodies a wide variety of musical styles and tastes. You literally get a little bit of everything with this album. Masi is the sole performer on this album playing all instruments. He also wrote, recorded, mixed, and produced the entire album. That is not something that many artists can do, and is worth mentioning. There is clearly an abundance of talent here.

Regarding the different musical styles on The Theory Of Everything; of the ten tracks, none are alike. In fact, it is even a stretch to categorize this album as “Metal”. One of the predominant musical themes is an unusual Industrial Rock/Techno sound which appears on most tracks. Masi also likes to use some peculiar sounding keyboard noises and sound effects to link the bridges on many of the tracks. Masi does take some risks on this album, and depending on your taste, you will either love or hate some of the tracks. One of the biggest risks which Masi presents is the track “Have A Talk With God”. This song is a classic Funk laden melody with several keyboard sound effects which bridges into a Jazz fusion section in the middle, then back to the Funk theme to the end with a shredding guitar solo.

Some of the other noteworthy tracks are the hard rocking “Theory Of Nothing”, the gentle and melodic “The Past”, the shredding “Big Bad Science”, and the very risqué “Ladies Of The House”.

Upon first listen, this album may be hard to accept if you are not a seasoned fan of Masi. It has a very messy flow, and the tracks tend to meld into each other. This album may take two or three listens to finally gain a true understanding of what Masi is attempting to achieve. The only things really missing from this album are any Classical themed songs which have appeared on some of Masi’s previous work. Regardless of that however, you have to respect Masi’s overall talent. The package he has put together on The Theory Of Everything is ground breaking and potentially trend setting. For that reason alone, Masi deserves a lot of credit for his labor.