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epica omega
Artist: Epica
Title: Omega
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Release Date: 26th February 2021
Label: Nuclear Blast


Album Review

If you are more into Easy Listening, then stop reading here, because EPICA is anything but a band whose music underlays a simple construction pattern. Their last album, ‘The Holographic Principle’, was too much of everything, millions of sound effects, plenty of instrumental layers, many changes in sound and tempo and if that was not enough, very complicated stories lay behind the lyrics, to make it short, an album you could hardly listen through. With mixed feelings I started listening to their latest release ‘Omega’ and my goal was, to listen through the whole album, before forming an opinion.

My ultimate highlight was ‘Kingdom of heaven - Part III’ - this song had so many fantastic moments, that I had to listen to it again, before listening through the album. Together with the two previous songs of the opus, this would be worth playing live on stage, maybe as a special show in the future. Vocalist Simone Simons proves that he vocal range and the control over her voice makes her one of the top vocalists in the Metal scene at the moment. The whole song is like the soundtrack of a monumental movie and the story behind it will fascinate you for sure. But no worries, this is not a classical or orchestral album, EPICA added layers of fantastic guitar riffing and it will be a thunder of guitarwork that will shake the venues, whenever the songs will be performed live.

If you are a lot in vocals, you should definitely pay attention to ‘Abyss of Time - Countdown to Singularity’. The vocal parts are alternately performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen and you’ll get goose bumps on your skin, when a choir marks the intro to the ultimate and mysterious melodic metal final. This song is the perfect combination of all the talents united in EPICA underlines by a fantastic choir arrangement. To underline the faster and harder Metal attitude, the album kicks off with ‘Alpha - Anteludium’ and Mark’s fantastic growls deliver the message that EPICA will not slow down or soften their music an inch. ‘Abyss Of Time’ is a storming fast forward song, with excellent guitar riffs and interesting drum parts. ‘The Skeleton Key’ sounds like an obvious NIGHTWISH copy. For me EPICA is what you can call Metal, if you take away the orchestral sounds and NIGHTWISH is not. The only EPICA song that doesn’t work this way is ‘The Skeleton Key’ it would remain a soundless skeleton and I’m sure, EPICA had better songs that did not made it on the album.

‘The Seal Of Solomon’ has an interesting oriental sounding attitude without being kitschy. ‘Freedom - The Wolves Within’ is a heavy and straight forward song and maybe the most Metal one on this album while ‘Rivers’ reminds me a bit of the Goth elements EPICA used in their earlier days. It’s a song that can raise deep sadness in your heart and Simone performs the vocals in such a heart-breaking manner, that it is a perfect song for the dark times the world is facing once in a while. ‘Omega’ sees you of and it seems that EPICA, a band with five songwriters put together the best every member had to offer coming to songwriting and mastering vocals and instruments. It makes you long for more.

If you are curious about the stories behind the vocals, you should consult the booklet and do some research. The result will show you how perfectly the instrumental layers support the stories that are told. It was definitely worth to wait for five years and EPICAS well deserved break opened new sources they could draw inspiration from. ‘Omega’ is the perfect album for the current times. ‘Kingdom of heaven - Part III’ will draw you into a fantastic world and for more than 13 minutes you can escape everything around you. ‘Freedom - The Wolves Within’ offers you to bang your head and get rid of everything that might get on your nerves. ‘Rivers’ will soothe you and ‘Omega’ will let you find some well-deserved fireworks within.


Tracklist

01. Alpha - Anteludium
02. Abyss of Time - Countdown to Singularity
03. The Skeleton Key
04. Seal of Solomon
05. Gaia
06. Code of Life
07. Freedom - The Wolves Within
08. Kingdom of heaven - Part III - The Antediluvian Universe -
09. Rivers
10. Synergize - Manic manifest
11. Twilight Reverie - The Hypnagogic State
12. Omega - Sovereign of the Sun Spheres


Line-up

Simone Simons - Vocals
Mark Jansen - Guitars & Growls
Isaac Delahaye - Guitars
Coen Janssen - Synth & Piano
Ariën Van Weesenbeek - Drums
Rob Van Der Loo - Bass


Website

www.epica.nl / www.facebook.com/epica / www.instagram.com/epicaofficial


Cover Picture

epica omega


Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total 9 / 10




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