Epica - Omega
Friday Release in the Time of Coronavirus #80
Do you like symphonic metal?
If so, you will probably be interested to hear that Epica have released their eighth studio album, "Omega".
The Dutch symphonic metal band, whose music blends gothic and power metal, are now one of the most prominent and successful bands on the scene. They have even broken into the mainstream and are already regular visitors here in Israel.
Five years have passed since the band's last full-length album, "The Holographic Principle", but the wait seems to have been well worth it. On first listen, this sounds like an excellent album: 12 tracks spread over 70 minutes that, for now, seem to rank among the band's most significant achievements of recent years.
The album features several guest artists, including Zaher Zorgati of Myrath, who provides the Middle Eastern-style vocals on the excellent, Eastern-influenced track "Code of Life".
At the heart of the album is the six-part composition "Kingdom of Heaven, Part 3 – The Antediluvian Universe", another chapter in the "Kingdom of Heaven" series written by guitarist and growler Mark Jansen as a farewell dedicated to his grandmother after her death.
The album moves between forceful symphonic metal, as on "Synergize – Manic Manifest", and softer, more melodic pieces such as "Rivers", recorded with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and a children's choir. Singer Simone Simons said the song symbolizes both calm and uncertainty in life, its ebb and flow. She explained that calm water represents peace, while a strong river current means that you "have to face challenges and swim against the tide of life".
This may not be "The Divine Conspiracy" or "Design Your Universe", but it certainly sounds like an excellent album.
Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
To listen to the album, click here.
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