Give me choirs, pianos, organs, violins, bells, cellos and great female singing. This is why I like the music of Therion, Within Temptation, Nightwish and Edenbridge to name a few.

Enter, Epica!

Epica is good! Epica is very good! Epica is magnificent, Epica is, well....Epic! Epica is a breath of fresh air in this genre of music I like to think of as the new wave of metal music for the new millennium. Not really better but a little different.

This is a highly melodic symphonic composition reminiscent of a historical movie score. Beware! A couple songs have raspy male vocals.

I never thought anyone would top Within Temptation until fellow Dutch band Epica came along. I'm still not sure they have but it's close. Epica is a new Dutch band following in the footsteps of two Dutch giants - Within Temptation and After Forever. Founder Mark Jansen is very familiar with After Forever since he was one of their founding members and a former guitar player. He left A.F. citing artistic differences. Like W.T.and A.F., Epica plays Symphonic Metal with a female singer, Simone Simons whose voice is pleasant enough but doesn't seem to have the power of some of the other European divas.

Phantom Agony

The first thing I notice about this album is that it reminds my of a musical score for a historical movie. I can see myself turning down the sound and playing this album whilst watching The Highwayman or the Count of Monte Cristo, emoting romance, tragedy and adventure.

Phantom Agony is also reminiscent of Therion's recent efforts, which is another reason I like the CD, with the intrinsic use of a choir of two sopranos, two altos, a tenor and a bass and a small orchestra of three violins, two violas, two cellos and a contrabass. Occasionally heavy, but never hard, keyboards and the orchestra play a more sifnificant role on this album than the guitars and that's fine with me.

Song/Track list
1] Adyta (The Neverending Embrace) (1:26)****1/2
2] Sensorium (4:48)****1/2
3] Cry For The Moon [The Embrace That Smothers - Part IV] (6:44)*****
4] Feint (4:19)****
5] Illusive Consensus (5:00)****1/2
6] Facade Of Reality [The Embrace That Smothers - Part V] (8:12)*****
7] Run For A Fall (6:32)****1/2
8] Seif Al Din [The Embrace That Smothers - Part VI] (5:47)****1/2
9] The Phantom Agony (8:59)*****
10]The Phantom Agony (4:34)***** single version

Out of necessity all songs have a similar sound and feeling so I will describe the highlights.

"Cry For The Moon" (The Embrace That Smothers - Part IV)
the songs starts out with Simone and is taken over by the choir, which is magnificent. The middle contains faster drums with a clever mixture of soaring violins answered by the choir. There are some male growls but it feels like it's part of a story. This is an intriguing song.

"Facade Of Reality" (The Embrace That Smothers - Part V) bombastic guitar and violin laden sounds prevail. The pieces of Latin lyrics and dark grunts give this song an epic quality. Halfway through the song becomes much slower and cello and violins support Tony Blair commenting on terrorism after the events of September 11th. Thereafter the pace gets back to normal.

"Phantom Agony", the title tracks uses recurring refrain consisting of short violin notes, the choir, the bass guitar and bass drums throughout this 9 minute epic masterpiece. The whispering in the beginning and ending adds a nice touch. The last couple minutes of this song is a good example of how this album feels like a movie score.

"Phantom Agony" single version is a bonus track on the ltd edition. It's about half as long as the epic version.

Conclusion

If you are under the impression that I like this album, good for you, you got that right. Now that you're on a role, you need to check this out and at least see why I'm so impressed. Why? Because you don't want to get the most important thing wrong, do you?

Similar bands

Within Temptation, After Forever, Therion, Nightwish, Penumbra, Orkrist, Tristania, The Sins of Thy Beloved, Sirenia


"Musical Endeavours Of Epic Proportions"   June 16, 2004
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

For many years the Heavy Metal world was missing the presence of talented women vocalists. Of course, we had the wonderful Doro Pesch and Lita Ford but others were clearly few and far between. However, the past several years have seen this void filled to a very satisfying capacity. We can now count on the existence of bands that are fronted by these amazing singers who add both beauty and grace to music as powerful and complex as their voices. Joining the ranks of Tarja Turunen (Nightwish) & Floor Jansen (After Forever) is Simone Simons of Epica.

Epica (formerly called Sahara Dust) have just released their debut effort entitled "The Phantom Agony" on Transmission Records. This CD is a very well crafted piece. As I listened to the CD, I was reminded of the singer named Annie Haslam who performed for the art/progressive band Renaissance back in the mid 70's. Of course I fear that I am dating myself with a reference such as this but the voices were very similar. When I brought it up with Simone of the band she told me that she had never heard of her before. Of course, Simone is only 18 years old. Yes, I said 18 and she sings like I have not heard in some time. She is also a very beautiful girl, so make sure to check out the pics on the site.

Of the 8 tracks on the there are a few who stick out as my favorites most immediately. They are "Sensorium", "Facade of Reality", and "Seif al Din". The number of tunes is by no means a reflection on the CDs length as the piece runs a little over 50 minutes. Not bad for a debut. The music is deftly performed by the group who combine haunting operatic chorals and spectacular metal skills. As a drummer I always listen to the drums, and really enjoyed the work by Jeroen Simons. He holds it together quite well. In addition to Simone's high pitched Arias there is the male vocal by Mark Jansen. He uses the growls so prevalent in a lot of Black Metal. At the same time he is providing some serious guitar shredding. After Forever fans might miss his playing, but I think they will enjoy his new band quite a bit. Epica, by the labels title of them is considered Epic Gothic Metal, yet it is not as gloomy as some Goth pieces I have heard. The opening sequence "Adyta" gives the feel of some religious service or foreboding chant as it begins with a very dramatic choir piece.

Packaging wise, the CD comes with a fully detailed booklet, lyrics and photos and some great artwork imagery. Like other releases, this comes in a limited-edition Ecobook version, but I did not have this for review purposes. I enjoy extensive liner notes and lyrics, especially in these high priced music retail markets and the listener should get the most for their money. As I described in my After Forever review, the fans of Nightwish will be able to enjoy this group since the music is similar enough to be appreciated by them, however it is different enough to be enjoyed as a totally separate entity. It is a group that I hope tours in the United States for I think they will be a welcome change.

Epica is:
Simone Simons - Mezzo - Soprano
Mark Jansen - Guitars, Grunts, and Screams
Ad Sluijter - Guitars
Geon Janssen - Synths & Piano
Yves Huts - Bass
Jeroen Simons - Drums and Percussion

There are also some considerable Orchestrations as the band employs Violins, Cellos and Violas on the CD. There is also an Epica choir. The list of contributors on that end was too vast for me to provide, so please refer to the band site.

Epica Official Site: www.epica.nl


Over...everything   August 12, 2005
 7 out of 10 found this review helpful

Epica, with the word Epic already in the name, there is little left to the imagination. The songs are very medieval and over dramatic. Think Sonata Arctica's "Winterheart Guild" dramatic, now cross that with Nightwish vocals and you sort of get the idea. Most of the songs are nightly, best played with the blistering moon shimmering through your window, awaiting a spirit to come and take your soul. "The Phantom Agony" is as epic as it gets when it comes to gothic metal. The songs are not mostly about romance and the failed morbidity of it (did I just coin a word). In the songs lie a story, these songs would fit any gothic horror film, only if it took place in a medieval era. The vocals are very Tarja T. from Nightwish, while the music is very power metal with gothic drops and hints. The guitar riffs build and build until it orgasms into some high note trauma, bleeding at the zeneth of something jaw dropping. It is very beautiful, but admittingly, at times it can get boring and feels overdone. That does not mean Epica is not putting on one hell of an album together. It is very Lord of the Rings, in terms of action. You can almost judge this album like a movie. There is drama, action, there is pace and rhythm, and eventually everything builds up. The songs on "The Phantom Agony" run more like a soundtrack. The vocals are male and female. The typical beauty and the beast, if you love it, you love it, if you hate it, you hate it. Simple as that. Epica might seem very cliche' and like every other band in the genre, but they are taking everything in terms of the music to excess. Still very well orchastrated, and elegant. For fans of Nightwish, Theatre of Tragedy, The Sins of thy Beloved, and Tristania.


Can't praise them enough...   November 6, 2004
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I'm a very fan of After Forever, Tristania, Theatre Of Tragedy and Therion among other "similar" bands. I don't want to say they look or play like each other; actually they all have their own sound, their own style of playing, writing lyrics and so on. When I say similar, I mean they all make amazingly beautiful music!

I took notice of Epica when knew that Mark Jansen left After Forever. So I listened to some samples from their official site (www.epica.nl) - after that I was sure I had to buy their album. The lyrics are meaningful and deep; the instruments are very well played; the choirs create a haunting atmosphere and the vocals from Simone Simons and Mark Jansen make an excellent contrast. They deserve more than five stars.

So, I recommend "The Phantom Agony" for everyone that appreciates one or more of the aforementioned bands. You'll not be disappointed.


You want this album in your collection   February 5, 2005
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I hate comparing bands, but Epica definitely should be in your collection. This album is THE most rewarding and enjoyable.

Mark Jansen has really left After Forever behind, this CD surpasses their best "Prison of Desire". A notable difference for me is the subject matter and atmosphere. You can't help feel an Islamic undertone rather than Catholic. I hope the average listener can appreciate a reaction to terrorism, and the beautiful art that comes out of this. In the least, expect a strong meaning and message behind great compositions.

This CD is a relief because ANYONE can enjoy it, even those new to the genre.
+ Best writing I've heard in a B&B band
+ The singer Simone Simons is very talented, strong and capable for carrying the band further.
+ The chants, like the whole album, are light and calming, not fast and overused.
+ The high/low growls are fitting for the subject matter, set the tone for many songs, and as always illuminate the singer.
+ Memorable songs "Cry for the Moon", "Feint" and "Phantom Agony" (which took awhile to appreciate) among others.
- The only complaint is the poor word choice in "Seif al Din".

I won't rate the songs because EVERY song is GREAT--BUY IT! (yes that implies supporting the band, not pirating)