![]() But to be fair, Simons does have her great moments in general: She shines with her soft operatic vocals and mostly when she is singing at medium pitch, as found in “Once Upon A Nightmare” and “Dancing In A Hurricane”. The fact that she tries to improve her singing with every new release is praiseworthy, though – she probably tried everything from classical and slightly oriental to pop singing. Anyone who hasn’t been blinded by Simons’ bright blue eyes and fabulous hair will hear that she is not the strongest live performer in general, and even on CD, you will notice that it is Marcela Bovio, Epica’s studio background vocalist and former frontwoman of Stream Of Passion, who makes Simons’ voice shine most of the time. It is just ironical that their own singer seems to be struggling, too. Yes, everyone who has ever tried to sing along to any Epica song will know how challenging it is. Also, I still don’t see any reason why Epica’s frontwoman Simone Simons is considered one of the best (if not THE best) vocalist in symphonic metal. If the last two songs on a record are boring, it does affect the overall experience quite a lot. I also feel like the last two tracks “Tear Down Your Walls” and the epic “The Holographic Principle – A Profound Understanding Of Reality” lack any kind of interesting parts. I have mixed feelings about “Edge Of The Blade” – this track sounds like it was compiled of two absolutely different songs the chorus sounds very beautiful, though. “Divide And Conquer” and “Beyond The Matrix” sound like classic Epica songs, the latter reminding me of “Sensorium”. ![]() “A Phantasmic Parade” is another track worth mentioning – the violin picking at the beginning is particularly exciting. “Dancing In A Hurricane” is another highlight on this record: It contains different elements like tribal drumming, oriental melodies, a catchy chorus and a massive instrumental bridge which sounds inspired by the Star Wars movie soundtrack – it is definitely one of the best Epica songs of all time. Tracks like the instrumental intro “Eidola”, the darker tracks “Ascension – Dream State Armageddon” and “Universal Death Squad” (most progressive track on the album) and the semi-ballad “Once Upon A Nightmare” definitely have a musical vibe to them. Musically, this album may be the most diverse Epica output to date and if you are new to the band, “The Holographic Principle” may be a good starting point for you. Lyrically, this new record sounds very promising: Most songs are based on the emerging theory that our universe is a massive hologram. ![]() That is what leads us to their most recent release, “The Holographic Principle”. Looking back at the very beginnings of Epica, it is obvious that they have been growing immensely as musicians and songwriters. Their mix of the “beauty and the beast” concept for the vocals, their epic instrumental songwriting, additional choirs, beautiful melodies and, last but not least, exciting lyrical topics and concepts, simply works – even someone as cold-hearted as me will eventually have to admit that. Additionally, Epica’s 2014 release “The Quantum Enigma” is probably one of the most joyful records I know – I have several people who can attest that I regularly dance and sing along to both of this records. “The Divine Conspiracy”, Epica’s third record, was their first album I truly enjoyed, mainly because of its oriental vibe. And their music is indeed quite enjoyable and catchy. Trying to understand the hype about the Dutch symphonic metal band for years now, I found myself listening to their music way more than I ever intended to. When it comes to Epica and their music, people seem to either love them or they can’t stand them – I actually don’t fall into any of these categories.
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