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Epica
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We Will Take You With Us
The End Records/Transmission Loss Records
Release: 8/09/2005
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Rated:
Review by:
Morley Seaver
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This is the third record by the Dutch band, Epica, whose
sound is close to Nightwish and After Forever. In fact,
founder Mark Jansen was also a driving force in After
Forever until he decided to branch off into his own project.
Recruiting new singer Simone Simons, he went for material
that is both bombastic as well as more acoustically
based.
According to the liner notes, this record was made at a
taping of the Dutch equivalent of MTV Unplugged. The
record is sort of split between the band material (Epica The
Works) and the acoustic stuff at the end (Epica Acoustic).
The record begins with "The Facade of Reality" with the
Jekyll & Hyde/back and forth between the full torque stuff
with the growls or Jansen and the beautiful soprano vocals of
Simons. It is sprinkled with bits of John Major and other
post 9-11 related sprinklings.
"Sensorium" is in the same vein, soaring vocals and crunchy
guitars. "Music Consensus" has Simons alternating between
her higher and lower registers, and it makes for a really nice
balance. As a result, it is one of the stronger tracks. "Cry
for the Moon" has some nice orchestral breaks in the middle,
sort of like "Live and Let Die."
"The Phantom Agony" is terrific, made even better by a choir
added to the song. "Seif al Din" starts off at a furious pace,
before Simons goes into an almost Arabic vocal. This cut
shows more than the others how operatic vocals work with a
metal band in some weird way. It doesn't sound a lot
different than the others but somehow the two sounds are
married in a more symbiotic manner.
"Feint," from the acoustic side, is absolutely gorgeous.
Simons has a wonderful voice that is showcased beautifully
here. "Run for a Fall" is another excellent cut, framed by the
subdued guitar and piano, excellent chorus. The next cut is
a cover of the theme from the play "Cats," "Memory," and as
expected, it is very, very good.
Epica is a band that could get lost in the shuffle behind the
hullabaloo about Nightwish and the other high profile bands.
If they can get their music heard, they should be able to
change all that. This is a sonically entertaining band. |
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