Dutch pomp-metal band Epica, fronted by classically trained mezzo-soprano Simone Simons, released their second album for Nuclear Blast only a year after their label debut, the more unique The Classical Conspiracy.
That two-disc live set found them performing a mix of classical works and their own songs with backing by a full orchestra and choir.
This album offers more of their bombastic goth metal songs, with Simons' vocals floating atop an ever flowing stream of complicated drumming, epic riffs, and shredtastic solos.
The use of orchestral instruments to add John Williams-like climaxes is intermittently successful, but the music is just as frequently stripped down to an unaccompanied piano or to just the rock band, and that works, too.
The very occasional interruption of male death growls is less necessary; frankly, the band should just let Simons do her Sarah Brightman-esque thing and keep the riffs cranking behind her.
If you like this sort of thing (Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, After Forever, Leaves' Eyes, etc., etc.), or if you're a big Andrew Lloyd Webber fan, this is exactly the sort of thing you'll like.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samadhi (Prelude)Mark Jansen | Epica | Play | 01:26 | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| 2 | UnleashedIsaac Delahaye, Mark Jansen, Coen Janssen, Simone Simons | Epica | Play | 05:48 | 13 MB | 43 MB |
| 3 | Martyr of the Free WordIsaac Delahaye, Mark Jansen, Coen Janssen | Epica | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 38 MB |
| 4 | Our DestinyIsaac Delahaye, Yves Huts, Mark Jansen, Simone Simons | Epica | Play | 06:00 | 13 MB | 41 MB |
| 5 | The Price of Freedom (Interlude)Coen Janssen | Epica | Play | 01:14 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 6 | Burn To a CinderIsaac Delahaye, Mark Jansen, Coen Janssen, Simone Simons | Epica | Play | 05:40 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 7 | Tides of TimeCoen Janssen, Simone Simons | Epica | Play | 05:33 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 8 | DeconstructYves Huts, Mark Jansen, Simone Simons | Epica | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 9 | Semblance of LibertyIsaac Delahaye, Mark Jansen | Epica | Play | 05:42 | 13 MB | 43 MB |
| 10 | White WatersIsaac Delahaye, Mark Jansen, Simone Simons | Epica | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 11 | Resign To Surrender (A New Age Dawns - Part IV) | Epica | Play | 06:19 | 14 MB | 47 MB |
| 12 | Kingdom Of Heaven (A New Age Dawns - Part V) | Epica | Play | 13:35 | 31 MB | 97 MB |
| 13 | Design Your Universe (A New Age Dawns - Part VI) | Epica | Play | 09:28 | 21 MB | 66 MB |
| 14 | Incentive | Epica | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 79 mins | 181 MB | |||||
| 79 mins | 557 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaac Delahaye | Composer, Guitar |
| 2 | Epica | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 3 | Mickey Hart | Producer |
| 4 | Yves Huts | Composer, Guitar (Bass) |
| 5 | Mark Jansen | Composer, Lyricist, Mixing |
| 6 | Coen Janssen | Baritone (Vocal), Bass (Vocal), Composer, Piano, Synthesizer |
| 7 | Tony Kakko | Vocals |
| 8 | Linda Van Summeren | Soprano (Vocal) |
| 9 | Melvin Edmondsen | Bass (Vocal) |
| 10 | Previn Moore | Tenor (Vocal) |
| 11 | Olaf Reitmeier | Baritone (Vocal), Bass (Vocal), Editing, Engineer |
| 12 | Simon Oberender | Baritone (Vocal), Bass (Vocal), Editing, Engineer |
| 13 | Simone Simons | Composer, Lyricist, Photography |
| 14 | Amanda Somerville | Engineer, Lyricist, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |