The Grand Unification Theory tells the story of the life-and-death cycle, book-ended by the upbeat "Prologue" and the reflective "Epilogue," the latter dedicated to master vibraphonist Milt Jackson. Harris notes, "The two are essentially derived from the same material yet they produce sharply contrasting emotions." "The Birth Of Time," which represents the Big Bang Theory, opens explosively, then moves into the funk-inflected "The Velvet Couch," a flashback to a '70s basement party. From there, the journey continues into a mysterious, almost whispery mood ("Corridor Of Elusive Dreams") and a swinging groove ("Escape To Quiet Desperation") that slows and dissipates to reflect how a drug-induced high blurs and crashes. Harris notes, "The final sound is an empty gasp of the horns." The first half of the suite ends with the dynamics-packed "Song Of The Whispering Banshee," a mournful number that features Mateen offering a muezzin-like anguished vocal sung in Arabic.