epica- design your universe. the fourth release from this dutch symphonic metal band. 'the divine conspiracy' was a breakthrough for them, and it will be a feat to match up to.
1.samadhi (prelude)
ahh, it begins in full epic glory. a teasing one minute of orchestral variations that whets your appetite for grandiosity.
2.resign to surrender (a new age dawns - part iv)
a song that is not too heavy on the death metal, and focuses more on the symphonic elements of epica. it follows a medium tempo, and nothing noticeably progressive. still, a good opener that introduces oneself into epica's world. i'm not entirely sure what the lyrics are about-- something about our freedom being limited by our current condition. also, it has latin! nec plus ultra (nothing more beyond) is sung by the choir throughout the verses. simone's voice is as strong as ever, but she hasn't pushed herself yet.
3.unleashed
begins with a heavy orchestral intro and leads into simone in the verse. they lyrics deal with being unable to be oneself (for what reason i don't know). the layering of metal and symphonic elements in the verse alone are amazing. every second is incredibly detailed and structured. the chorus showcases simone, which later leads into a quiet, brooding interlude that escalates to the final two choruses.
4.martyr of the free word
a wonderfully heayy and symphonic opening riff set one off guard for the much more reserved verse that uses clean guitar (for a bit). the melody of the verse is haunting and powerful, and so are the lyrics. the song deals with freedom of speech and being open/tolerant to diverse opinions. a strong song in terms of melody, variation, lyrics (they use latin again!), and heaviness. the solo is the most developed from this album yet heard. this will be a great song to hear live.
5.our destiny
simone gives a taste of her alto soprano voice. the song is about fighting through a decaying relationship. the tempo is not slow, but flows at a comfortable pace. the vocal melody has some really strong sections, but is less powerful in other places.
6.kingdom of heaven (a new age dawns - part v)
opens with a tantric choir chant that sets up nicely with a menacing bell and string intro. next is a simple, heavy riff that is somewhat related to the upcoming verse. divided into five parts, the first is about institutions trying to prevent innovation and scientific advances. the second part is quite similar to the first, with little transition. the music during these first two parts is typical for epica. the transition into the third movement has playful, progressive guitar/orchestral mimicking. an acoustic guitar is next used to slow things down. the acoustic riff is slightly off tempo but comes back to normal time when the vocals resume. next is a spoken dialogue between two actors which leads into the guitar solo. finally, the fifth movement is a reworking of the second.
7.the price of freedom
a brief intermission featuring clips from speeches such as malcom x ("the price of freedom is death"), mlk jr.... and obama.
8.burn to a cinder
the orchestrations provide an eastern atmosphere that is heard faintly in previous songs and is echoed through such terms found in song names and lyrics (samadhi, sahasrara). there is a progressive instrumental break. later, simone sings the chorus with only slight accompaniment. there follows a solo, and then the final choruses.
9.tides of time
a truly beautiful melody on the piano. this ballad is one of their best. the song is about the constancy of love throughout changing seasons, times, etc. miss simmons' soprano voice in the chorus is the best i can recall at the moment. full accompaniment slowly builds through the song and the climax sees the end.
10.deconstruct
a commonplace epica song. the message in the lyrics are extremely cliche and overused (we're ruining ourselves and the planet through greed, cooperation is the only way).
11.semblance of liberty
growled vocals on the verse wrapped inside a catchy riff. the lyrics deal with private self interest harming public virtue (total b.s.), i think.
12.white waters
any song featuring tony kakko is going to be great, and this is no different. the guitarwork is mostly clean, almost in a gothenburg sound (well, not really-- it reminds me of amorphis). an eastern or oriental influence is heard again amidst a stripped down sound compared to the rest of the album. the lyrics deal with a man seeing a vision in the water, presumably his lost or dead lady-friend.
13.design your universe (a new age dawns - part vi)
an epic, using a lot of choirs but also more reserved verses. this song is missing something to make it great. as it is, it sounds uninspired and forced.
14.incentive
the bonus track. i don't have the lyrics for it, so i won't be able to tell you much from that angle. musically, its fast and aggressive, completely without simone's singing.
well, it turns out 'design your universe' doesn't match 'the divine conspiracy'. yes, it is more symphonic than 'the divine conspiracy' (as hard as it is to imagine that possible), but at what cost? it has fewer catchy leads or melodies, less aggressive death metal passages, and less progressive elements. its an epic that was engineered, not created, and so it feels heartless a lot of the time. perhaps we've put too much pressure on them to be more symphonic that they've sacrificed a bit of everything else that made them great. still, it has some great songs...just..not as many great songs as from their previous works.
