EPICA
“THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE”
Album Review By Rick Tilley
9.5/10
We really should have got around to reviewing this release much sooner because Epica’s seventh album ‘The Holographic Principle’ is quite simply amazing and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they are the leading, Female Fronted, Symphonic Metal band around at the moment. I have been a fan of Epica since day one, they have never failed to impress me and whereas some bands in this genre seem to hit a plateau Epica soar higher with each new album. Now I know that’s my personal opinion but if you are a lover of this style, it shouldn’t matter whether they are your favourite or not, this, nearly, fully conceptual album will impress and if it doesn’t then there is something wrong with you!
Starting with the near three minute instrumental intro ‘Eidola’ puts you in the mood completely. This is hugely bombastic and cinematic, it’s so big Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody couldn’t do it better and thanks to keyboard player Coen Janssen it leaves you breathless with its scope. This leads into first song proper ‘Edge Of The Blade’ and it has to be one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard in a long while. Its main riff and chorus is so ridiculously bouncy I can see the crowd jumping at gigs. Now I’ve seen some mention that this song shouldn’t be on the album as it is too throwaway compared to the progressive brilliance of the remaining tracks but, as a band on a major metal label, I’m sure there is some attempt to appeal to the widest audience possible and if Epica can pull in new fans with a song of this nature then so be it! I certainly don’t think it sounds out of place. All this in the first seven minutes of the album and I still haven’t mentioned the vocals of Simone Simons. I know everyone out there will have their favourite female vocalist but, from an operatic standpoint, Simone is my number one. She displays the perfect balance between her mezzo-soprano and her more natural singing voice; it always seems perfectly in control and never over the top! As for the harmonies throughout the album, well they are second to none and her vocals compliment the music in a way that no other vocalist could do for Epica.
Epica isn’t just Simone though and having already mentioned the stunning keyboards (which haunt throughout the albums running time) it would be very remiss of me not to mention the rest of the line-up. I think it’s fair to say Mark Jansen has never been the best harsh singer on the planet but he has improved tremendously in recent years and his performance here, as it was on Epica’s last album ‘The Quantum Enigma’ is by far his best work. Isaac Delahaye’s guitar work continues to shine brightly and since he joined Epica have made huge leaps in quality. This also rings true with drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek who is an absolute powerhouse and uses the drums as a proper instrument rather than as just a keeper of time and he works extremely well with bassist Rob van der Loo. Add to that all of the other instruments they play and the contribution of real choir and classical players mean the sound on the ‘The Holographic Principle’ is absolutely huge!
Story wise the content here is about the possibility that everything in the universe could actually be a computer generated hologram, a thought provoking idea and one I will investigate further on this album when my reviewing schedule allows. I know that will happen because I can see myself listening to ‘The Holographic Principle’ regularly in any downtime I get. Several songs don’t cover the concept but, according to the band, they were too good musically to leave out and nothing here sounds remotely like it shouldn’t be on the album. That’s fine with me; there is no rule to say every song has to be concept based or not is there? Epica have found their winning formula and they continue to digest what has gone before tweaking everything to make it slightly better. I honestly thought that they wouldn’t be able to improve on ‘The Quantum Enigma’ but they have! There is no point in me going into too much detail about its contents because you need to discover that for yourself. What I will say is that The Holographic Principle’ is full of magic from start to finish and Epica’s best album to date!
TRACKLIST
Eidola
Edge Of The Blade
Phantasmic Parade
Universal Death Squad
Divide And Conquer
Beyond The Matrix
Once Upon A Nightmare
The Cosmic Algorithm
Ascension-Dream State Armageddon
Dancing In A Hurricane
Tear Down Your Walls
The Holographic Principle-A Profound Understanding Of Reality
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