Epica - Design Your Universe
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Free Music Notes for Design Your Universe
Free Music Review: Epica does it again!
Hit: 5 Stars
After the long anticipation of waiting for Epica to release a new CD, it is finally here! I'm not one to write reviews on every CD I like, but I think this one deserves it. I truly believe this is one step forward for Epica once again. There isn't one CD by this band I could really say stands out as my favorite because they all have their ups and downs. With Design Your Universe, the band decided to go for a more "heavier" sound and prove why they belong in the symphonic metal genre. Many will argue it's a bad thing and many will probably say it's good for them. I am one of those who says good for them! Fans of "Consign to Oblivion" may not be too happy with this change as that was the only CD with very few of Mark's repeated growling, and altogether the CD had a more soft side to it.
On this CD most of the tracks feature the growling, and as an added bonus, way better choirs. Epica also did something they have never done before-- they added guitar solos. I felt this was missing for a long time from their music and kept wondering when they would add them in. They belong in the songs and they definitely don't take away from them. Simone sings in a much more variety of ranges and goes from sounding almost "pop" like to her usual operatic voice. The band has also added a Duet featuring Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica) and actually has two songs over 9 minutes long ("The Kingdom of Heaven" and "Design Your Universe").
"Design Your Universe" explores the topic of new breakthroughs in quantum physics and their 13 tracks as well as their lyrics revolve around this topic. Truth be told, I had to read their Wikipedia page before I even began to understand what they were singing about. A lot of times, Epica explores topics that seem very deep and something that you really have to explore on your own; re- read their lyrics before you even remotely began to see the light at the end of the tunnel telling you what exactly you're hearing. This however is something that sets the band apart from the other hundreds of female fronted symphonic metal bands. The fact that their messages are deeply hidden within their music makes you listen to them over and over again to figure it all out. They just released their new video "Unleashed" which is track number 3 on their new CD. I watched it on YouTube and I truly didn't understand it at first. Then I read an interview online with Mark where he went onto explaining that the video portrays a married couple who go home to their apartment and the woman's husband gets shot by burglars. The man dies, but his soul still lingers there and doesn't understand he's dead or why his wife can't see him. That right there is something that isn't very obvious on the first watch, but can eventually be figured out.
Epica seems to be always so convincing with their lyrics and messages, that sometimes hidden deep within there are corny bits to their songs and some things that make you just go, Why? This CD actually only had two tracks where those feelings evolved for me. The first one being the duet with Tony Kakko. "White Waters" is truly a beautiful love song, and Simone does a top notch job. However, Tony's vocals weren't up to par for me. It took away the credibility for me that this song was written by a symphonic metal band, it wasn't really powerful enough and actually brought me minutes of Deja Vu when I listened for the first time to Nightwish's first release where the male vocals were provided by Tuomas. The song is good, but the male vocals bad... The second time I asked why and this time I actually burst out in chuckles, this has never happened to me before, was on the song "Kingdom of Heaven". The song itself is really heavy, but somewhere along the way, somwehere in the middle to be more exact the song is just butchered for me. There is a spoken piece in there, I believe it might be Mark? (I am not one hundred percent sure on that) God actually speaks.
"God: It's not your time
You have to go back... back!
Now!
Guy: No, no, I don't want to return,
Please let me stay here, don't make me go back
God: Go back, you've got work to do"
The above was taken straight from their lyrics. Just reading it, it isn't bad, but give it a listen on the track and it sounds unconvincingly lame. Why? simply because the person playing God and the guy God is talking to is voiced by the same person (at least it sounds that way). There isn't a variety between the two people talking and it seems like the person is arguing with themselves in an almost schizophrenic way. It really ruined the heavy mood of the song, at least for me, and made the whole track rather unconvincing because by the time it was over, I was still stuck on the one spoken piece. However, none of these reasons are reasons why this couldn't be a five star CD and none of the tracks are bad. They are all awesome in their own right. Stand out tracks for me were "Martyr of the Free World", "Resign to Surrender", "Burn to a Cinder" and a very pretty slow songs is "Tides of Time".
Once again a top notch release from Epica, and definitely one step forward. They don't seem to be the type of band that by their second or third release tone down and don't improve. Finally a band that actually gets better and better. They deliver the "goods" every single time and leave you with a release you don't get tired of listening to. This isn't something that will ever make it to the radio in the U.S.A. or something that you will hear blasting out of people's cars (although you might hear it from mine), but it is GOOD and they are talented. They weren't ruined by MTV or people's opinions and keep growing as a band.
Free Music Review: Best Symphonic Metal of 2009
Hit: 5 Stars
Should you be concerned about Epica fifth full-length album and the unrestrained glee with which the band throws everything in the mix, then the kitchen sink, a sample of George H.W. Bush, quantum physics, the Mayan calendar and the Tibetan Book of the Dead for good measure ?
Oddly, No. Design Your Universe could have become a monument of kitsch but the dutch symphonic metal band makes it work. It is richer than its predecessor, Divine Conspiracy (TDC), even though it does not have as serene and accomplished a showcase as Chasing the Dragon ; the two longest tracks, Kingdom of Heaven and the title track, are majestic but less approachable.
For those unfamiliar with the genre, Symphonic Metal is a melodic form of metal, often female-fronted, that at times flirts with progressive rock and is an improbable melting pot of proto-metal like Motörhead, showtunemeisters like Andrew Lloyd Weber, past academic music pioneers like Carl Orff and epic film score writers like Hans Zimmer. Epica is front and center of the second generation of bands embracing the genre.
Epica has a new line-up with Ariën Van Weesenbeek now a full-time member on drums and Isaac Delahaye taking over lead guitar. Both come from the death metal band God Dethroned and their presence ensures that Epica, instead of drifting slowly away from the Beauty and the Beast template of the genre like Within Temptation did long ago, stands its ground... Therefore, instead of veering towards a mostly soprano-fronted sound like Tarja's Nightwish while keeping a few grunts for the scenery, Epica embraces the contrast with some excellent results, in particular on the title track, Martyr of the Free World or Deconstruct.
That said, Epica is more than ever Simone Simons' stage. Her voice does not seem to have suffered from her medical problems and she is at ease with pop or operatic vocals. Being a mezzo-soprano, her voice is particularly rich in the mid-range. Of course, singing for a symphonic metal band where bombast is the blood of life, she is often used in a higher range where her timbre shines less, to deliver the soaring anthems that are the guilty pleasure of the genre. And that she does magnificently on many tunes, the most impressive being Tides of Time which could have been syrupy but is instead a great metal lied, perhaps better than Living a Lie or Safeguard to Paradise on TDC.
Since DYU is an Epica album, the song roster cannot be simple. There is of course a quasi-mainstream song, the early released and first video Unleashed which is remarkably catchy, in the same commercial vein as Never Enough from TDC. But songs on an Epica album are often part of something more complex. Not only can they act as prologue (Indigo or The Final Embrace on TDC, Samadhi and the Price of Freedom here) but they also belong to song cycles that span several records. The first one, The Embrace that Smothers, dealing with organized religion, was a collection of nine songs started when Mark Jansen was still with After Forever, and came to a close with TDC.
The second, A New Age Dawns, deals with the collapse of the Mayan culture and possibly with the new, fashionable Y2-12 bug (the end of calendar times...). This cycle was started in 2005 on Consign to Oblivion and DYU adds three songs to the ongoing catalog: Resign to Surrender, Kingdom of Heaven and Design your Universe. They add to the canon and fuse with the overall vibe of DYU: not only that our passivity will be our downfall but also that it is not too late, that we can will ourselves to change the tide, design our universe if you will.
This of course makes Epica's work a little complex to follow. The effort as a whole, particularly seen album to album, is titillatingly ambitious, like an Ayreon continuing saga or Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy's chronicling of his recovery.
All this makes Design Your Universe a spectacular, no compromise Symphonic Metal album and probably one of the best albums of the year in any genre. It is particularly welcome since the ranks of Symphonic Metal are temporarily thinned. After Forever, perhaps the most underrated of all the founding groups of the genre, is disbanded and Floor Jansen is still at work putting a new band (ReVamp) together. Within Temptation has a light schedule due to baby duties. Nightwish will show in 2010 whether they can follow their brilliant Dark Passion Play or follow the less impressive Made in Hong-Kong. Krypteria and Lacuna Coil have both produced in 2009 good but very mainstream poppy albums and others like Tristania or Xandria have to adapt to a new singer.
Which leaves Epica at the top of their game with their best album yet.
Free Music Review: More Cowbell!!
Hit: 5 Stars
OK, I'm lying. I don't really want more cowbell. Ridiculous Saturday Night Live skit notwithstanding, I was just saying that to get your attention. What I DO want, though, is to see more of this scorching lead guitar work on future Epica releases. Band leader Mark Jansen had gone on record in the past as saying he only wanted to play rhythm guitar because that is what he is best at doing. Former second guitarist Ad Sluijter had never wanted to play lead either. So Epica's first three releases didn't have any lead guitar to speak of.
Enter Isaac Delahaye. The new second guitarist was more than happy to shred some leads on this album, and it has taken this band to a new level. While their previous opus, The Divine Conspiracy, was of course another wonderful platter of Epica brilliance, it did seem, at least to this listener, to get bogged down a bit in the muddied waters of sameness. Familiar guitar rhythms, accentuated by the expected use of classical instruments. Loved it, but not really anything different from the first two albums.
The lead solos now produced by Delahaye's axe light a new fire under the operatic mayhem and neo-classical wizardry already present with this band, opening wide vistas of potential melodic landscapes. It allows the orchestral elements to be bigger, bolder, bulkier. The classical background works so well with the lead guitar, each of them complementing the other seamlessly.
The beautiful Simone Simons is in top form, providing us with her usual power and professionalism behind the mic on every song. Her dynamic vocal range infuses each song with emotional passion and variety, from in-your-face to serene, from fast to slow. Spy the 1:54 mark on "Tides of Time" (a ballad), where she effortlessly glides from her higher pop registers in which she started the song, right into her higher operatic registers, without missing a beat. Quite impressive.
Speaking of vocals, Jansen now has a partner in grunting crime, that of new drummer Arien van Weesenbeek, who lends his own growls to that of the band's fearless leader.
There are thirteen tracks on this album, two of which are short instrumental interludes and two of which are ballads (one being a duet with Sonata Arctica's Tony Kakko). That means there are nine really solid - and delightfully long - heavy rockers. "Kingdom of Heaven", part V of Jansen's "A New Age Dawns" story, is the ever-present big epic found on every one of their albums, this one clocking in at thirteen and a half minutes and delivering so many impressive time changes and other surprising elements, that it will make your head spin. The title track, which brings the album to a close and is the final piece of "A New Age Dawns", extends beyond nine minutes and has unique nuances of its own.
Subject-wise, the lyrics encompass a wide range of topics, but center on the idea of freedom and the illusion of freedom. Note their use of audio clips that highlight the smarmy, vacuous rhetoric of political leaders, found in the interlude track "The Price of Freedom", and in the song "Semblance of Liberty". They pull no punches here, laying open the hypocrisy of Western "freedom". They even include Goethe's famous quote, in the song "Resign to Surrender", spoken, I assume, by Weesenbeek: "None are more hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe that they are free."
So yeah, avoid the cowbell, guys. Keep the lead guitars. Once again you have proven your worthy status at the top of the Orchestral Metal hill. I knew right away when I heard the first couple songs for the first time, that this was going to be one hell of an album. I applaud loudly!
Free Music Review: epica strikes again!
Hit: 5 Stars
-In my opinion, Epica just gets better each year. Vocally, there are very few bands that can boast of the quallities brought to the table by the red-headed front woman Simone. Her stage presents, charisma, and overall style of singing has easilly ranked her the best female vocalist in metal by my book. (besides Tarja of corse.) All that aside, they really did somthing unique, taking the symphonic aspects of nightwish, and combinding them with the Death metal elements installed by mark. Over the years they have improved in song-writing skills, and, despite a few flaws, I consider this to be their best release. Following close behind would be 'Consign to Oblivion.' This album is freakin' HEAVY. Simone and mark have never sounded better! Simone graces this work with pure and versitile vocals, combinding some elements of classical, jazz, and rock/pop in her singing technique.Her range seems to be wider than before, and the high notes come out pure as gold. Absolutly beatifull. As for mark, I feel like he shines out alot on this album. His growling has never been up to par with some of the other growlers such as Mikael Adkerfeldt or paul kuhr, But they really have improved. I here alot of whining about it, and that annoys me. I will agree that his vocals were crappy on the debut, but now the've improved, greatly complimenting the angelic vocals of simone in demonic harmony... like a war in heaven. This ain't a radio-freindly band. Get used to it! The tracks on this album all shine out in their own way. Some better than others. This time around, I can detect a strong Opeth influence, what with the progressive stuff.I can even hear a bit of Dimmu Borgierish elements on certain passages, which I think is pretty cool! I kinda love it actually. This band has produced a peice of art that ranges from lovly balads such as 'Tides of Time', to the headbanger tunes like 'Martyr of the free world.'
Is this album perfect? If it isn't perfect, it's pretty close to it! I used to laugh at their lyrics back when they made 'The Phantom Agony.' On this album, they follow the same approach, and there are a few cheesy passages here and there, but they are doing it in a way so that it seems less like a freakin' sermon, and more like genuine poetry.I can't lie though, there are a few brief occasions when I feel like I'm being educated in the philosophy of quantum physics, but hey! It's better than the braindead slasher stuff. Me, I'm all for deep and thoughtfull lyrics, and I have to give these guys props for putting so much time into their writing. They appear to be written by Simone for the most part, with Mark doing a few as well. I don't know if they can follow this release with a worthy proceder, but I will remain optimistic, in hopes that Epica still has room for more great music. Now go buy it!
Free Music Review: Nothing Comes Close
Hit: 5 Stars
I have roughly 160 Gigs of Metal/Rock/Death/Black Metal/Industrial/Symphonic/Goth etc all collected over the last 10 years or so, and nothing I have ever heard can in my opinion hold a candle to this album. I have never felt the need to write a review about music, after listening this a couple times I couldn't stay away from writing about it.
This album is bombastic to the extreme in a way that makes other attempts seem silly, however it pulls it of the flawless execution. It is so deeply layered with a multitude of sounds and flawlessly pulls off grunt vs harmony that I can't fault any of the main songs (the ballads are not my style, of which there are only 2 on this album).
As a musician myself I can appreciate the intricacies of blending an orchestra, choir, and female fronted death metal band, and doing it well. It is very well done, the transitions are fluid and dynamic. There is quite a bit of mixing major and minor for a dark yet inspiring and powerful sound, especially when the orchestra stays major and the electronic strings all go minor, then layer in Simon over the top with her unbelievable vocals that have an incredible range of style and sound, and it comes together in an album that does not fit in a little package of "symphonic metal" or any other label, it defies it, and it does it well.
I think why it strikes me as so unbelievable is that it takes so many components of all the different various types of rock/metal/etc that I listen to and combines it into one band with extremely complex songs that still have enough accessibility to be enjoyable. Epica doesn't go off roaming on technical timing or odd off beat breaks to prove they can do it, they do it, but that is not the focal point, the focus is the balance of Simon and everything else in harmony. Yes, it has honest to god Harmony.
In the same way that certain classical pieces can inspire very strong emotional reactions in people who truly appreciate them, Epica can inspire the same, and oddly enough, Kingdom of Heaven, a near 14 minute song, can swing emotion all over as it twists and turns through power portions and then flows back into a darker death sound.
All that said, if you like complex, strong music that you can listen multiple times and pick out new things for quite a few listens, this album is for you, though, if you want something that you will hear on the radio and be "cool" , this isn't it, they will never get air time, it's too much for the general public to consume.
Forget 5 stars is a 10/10 :)