Nuclear Blast
2007
1. Indigo (Intro)
2. The Obsessive Devotion
3. Menace of Vanity
4. Chasing the Dragon
5. Never Enough
6. La'petach Chatat Rovetz (The Final Embrace)
7. Death of a Dream
8. Living a Lie
9. Fools of Damnation
10. Beyond Belief
11. Safeguard to Paradise
12. Sancta Terra
13. The Divine Conspiracy
Epica have been a band who have grabbed my attention since their inception, largely due to my falling in love with Simone Simon's vocals. There are a lot of bands doing symphonic and somber sort of music with female leads so there has to be something to make the band stand out and for me that's largely what Simone Simons has done for this band.
Well one immediate problem with this release seems to be that they bury what I would consider their greatest asset. On Epica's past albums it's always seemed to me that Simone Simons has shined and been in the spotlight where as on this one she seems almost buried at times. The death metal vocals seem to take over more of the album on The Divine Conspiracy and even when Simone's voice is present it seems powerless and buried much of the time as the band seems to try to blend her into other operatic vocals. Really the operatic and death sides of the band seem like an overkill to these ears and really hamper the music. The operatic vocal laying just doesn't seem nearly as powerful or enthralling as Simone Simons can be. The band is more than just her of course, but every band needs a strong frontperson's presence and this release seems sadly lacking in that respect. There isn't much in the way of strong vocals for me to grab onto, the operatics seem cliche at times, and the death metal vocals are distracting from any sort of smooth or epic soundscapes.
In the end I've just gotta call this release flawed. There are a couple great standout tracks like Never Enough and Sancta Terra which have a strong lead vocal presence and stick with you, but much of the rest is forgettable. I can only hope for a better release next time as the band has proven itself capable of much more than this. Personally, I think Epica is becoming distracted with the idea of backing classical soundtrack material like they did for the movie Joyride/The Score: An Epic Journey.
Highlights: Never Enough, Sancta Terra
Rating - 2.5/5
2. The Obsessive Devotion
3. Menace of Vanity
4. Chasing the Dragon
5. Never Enough
6. La'petach Chatat Rovetz (The Final Embrace)
7. Death of a Dream
8. Living a Lie
9. Fools of Damnation
10. Beyond Belief
11. Safeguard to Paradise
12. Sancta Terra
13. The Divine Conspiracy
Epica have been a band who have grabbed my attention since their inception, largely due to my falling in love with Simone Simon's vocals. There are a lot of bands doing symphonic and somber sort of music with female leads so there has to be something to make the band stand out and for me that's largely what Simone Simons has done for this band.
Well one immediate problem with this release seems to be that they bury what I would consider their greatest asset. On Epica's past albums it's always seemed to me that Simone Simons has shined and been in the spotlight where as on this one she seems almost buried at times. The death metal vocals seem to take over more of the album on The Divine Conspiracy and even when Simone's voice is present it seems powerless and buried much of the time as the band seems to try to blend her into other operatic vocals. Really the operatic and death sides of the band seem like an overkill to these ears and really hamper the music. The operatic vocal laying just doesn't seem nearly as powerful or enthralling as Simone Simons can be. The band is more than just her of course, but every band needs a strong frontperson's presence and this release seems sadly lacking in that respect. There isn't much in the way of strong vocals for me to grab onto, the operatics seem cliche at times, and the death metal vocals are distracting from any sort of smooth or epic soundscapes.
In the end I've just gotta call this release flawed. There are a couple great standout tracks like Never Enough and Sancta Terra which have a strong lead vocal presence and stick with you, but much of the rest is forgettable. I can only hope for a better release next time as the band has proven itself capable of much more than this. Personally, I think Epica is becoming distracted with the idea of backing classical soundtrack material like they did for the movie Joyride/The Score: An Epic Journey.
Highlights: Never Enough, Sancta Terra
Rating - 2.5/5
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