Although the DVD is in PAL format only, my DVD player (a Pioneer) reads it like it was in NTSC format. The DVD is a 45 minutes documentary of the "making of" of Consign To Oblivion which is very interresting for any real Epica fan here.

You seriously won't be diasppointed if you like gothic metal along with symphonic metal (since they recorded it with an 8 pieces orchestra and a choir). This is truly an almost perfect album (and I'm usually very critical about music) :)


Awesome   May 16, 2005
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This album is so great.... after The Phantom Agony, Epica comes back to conquer all, Simone's voice is wonderful, Mark's music, the choir..., you listen to it again and again and again....

You have to buy this cd ;)


Consign to Oblivion has just raised the bar for the entire genre.   October 10, 2005
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This cd is in a class that no other band in this genre can touch. It took long enough for my favorite website to get this cd in(theendrecords). It was only $11 compared to the $39.49 on Amazon, i had to wait a few more months but i have $28 more bucks in my wallet.
Anyway, I agree with one of the other folks below me i loved there first cd but it was a bit repetitive, this cd is not. the cd will be in my top 10 more then likely at the end of the year. This cd is so much more powerful then Phantom Agony more of everything. it just blows my mind the leap they made form Phantom Agony to this cd there are faster parts, slower parts, very agressive parts, very relaxing parts, the choirs, symphonies used are perfect.
This band and this particular cd has a little bit for everyone.
i'm a metal head, i love thrash and death, so i like the fact that Mark Jansen has a bigger part on this cd with his growling, his voice complements hers perfectly. This band has grown and evolved a lot since The Phantom Agony and it shows in every song this is a very mature second cd.
Tristania, After Forever, Within Temptation, The Sins of Thy Beloved, Leave's eyes, Sirenia(was my favorite of the bunch until this cd came out). I have at least one if not 2 cd's from each of these previous bands, and as good as they are they cannot compete with Epica and this new opus Consign to Oblvion. "CtO" is as about well rounded a cd as you will find, the arrangements are perfect, her voice is heavenly, beautiful, moving etc etc, (this is coming from a guy who loves Arch Enemy, Exodus, Mercenary, Soilwork, Illdisposed etc, get the idea, 75-80% of my music is growling or screaming) and i'm loving this cd more everytime I listen to it, as much as i like these other bands and there vocalists, Simone Simons owns them all. This cd has just raised the bar for the entire genre.


Impressive   October 17, 2005
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

Epica's newest release, Consign to Oblivion, is a KILLER album. You're probably thinking that the use of killer to describe a Symphonic Metal album is a little peculiar but I'm sorry, the usual adjectives like magnificent or remarkable fall short here. This is surely the best Symphonic Metal album to be released since Therion`s, double masterpiece Lemuria/Sirius B, amazed everyone in May of last year. But that was last year and this year Epica has taken the torch from the likes of After Forever, Sirenia, Tristania and Penumbra and ran away with it. I would say that Consign to Oblivion is their `Magnum Opus', except I wouldn't be surprised to see them top it. This is only their second album and I thought their first, The Phantom Agony, was fabulous and wrote so with my March 4, 2004 review. Far be it, for me to put a limit on Epica's potential.

Epica's creative founder, lead guitar player, Mark Jansen, is a former member of Holland's After Forever. He left them a couple years ago, citing the usual, artistic differences. From my perspective, it looks Mark was right, Epica is soaring, while After Forever is foundering after three mediocre albums.

Epica's lead singer, Simone Simons, an attractive woman with long flaming red hair is competition to Cristina Scabbia for the most attractive Femme Metal singer but singing wise, she is no Floor Jansen, the exquisite singer for After Forever. Then again, who is? Nevertheless, Simone really isn't bad. In fact she's pretty good and has done a commendable job on Consign to Oblivion. The remaining members of Epica's nuclear family are Ad Sluijter - guitars, Coen Janssen - synths, Yves Huts - bass and Jeroen Simons - Drums and percussion.

If I were to have a problem at all with this album, which I don't, it would be the odd choice of Consign to Oblivion as a name for the album, a reference to the historical oblivion or the empire of the Mayan Indians, which again is the odd choice for the subject matter of this marvelous album but that's what it is and who am I to second guess so talented composer in the face of such beauty

One thing is irrefutable, Epica's music is epic, bombastic, highly melodic and cinematic. The fact that it is cinematic, shouldn't be surprising since Epica has a forthcoming, mostly instrumental album, simply entitled The Score, an album containing `film music`.

Mark Jansen himself, has said, "We have a great admiration for people such as Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman. They are the major composers of the great Hollywood films of this era. The sound of Epica is a combination of scores and elements from metal and rock." and Epica's label, Transmission Records describes their music as, `classical/ film music with the elements of metalrock.'

Now, if I may, I'm going to quote myself from the aforementioned Phantom Agony review from last year, "I like this new direction. It also reminds me, somewhat, 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. ", so yes, I guess it is movie style music. You know what? I don't care. If it feels good to my aural senses, that's what counts and this music is what I like and if you have marveled at the wonderful music in some of your favorite movies like Gladiator and Lord of the Rings, you should too!