Label: Nuclear Blast
Review by Tony Cannella
Dutch symphonic metal legends Epica have always been the model of consistency throughout their career. Each album has been bigger, more grandiose and dare I say… epic than their last with very few missteps along the way. With their latest album “The Holographic Principle”, the band has maintained their usual level of excellence, and then some. The intro “Eidola” sets the atmosphere and leads us into the soaring “Edge of the Blade”. This is a song that has a very rich quality to it. The band uses choirs and the back-and-forth between vocalist Simone Simons and growler/screamer Mark Jansen is pure, classic Epica. “A Phantasmic Parade” is next and is another great track with a memorable chorus, some heavy parts and a beautiful melody. This would make a great single/video track, in my opinion. The next song is one of my favorites. Many people have probably seen the lyric video for the song “Universal Death Squad” by now, if you haven’t, definitely check out. “The Holographic Principle” is also lyrically some of the best work that Epica has done and musically and vocally the band is at the top of their game on songs like, “Divide and Conquer”, “Once Upon a Nightmare” and “Dancing in a Hurricane”. Epica is also known for having at least one epic song on an album and for this one it is the song “The Holographic Principle – A Profound Understanding of Reality”. At 11 ½ minutes it closes the album in classic Epica style. Epica is just becoming one of those bands for me where each new album is an event. After releasing a series of excellent albums, “The Holographic Principle”, may (arguably) be Epica’s best yet.
Rating – 95/100
Tracklist
- Eidola
- Edge of the Blade
- A 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
Line Up
- Simone Simons – Lead Vocals
- Mark Jansen – Rhythm guitar, growls/screams
- Isaac Delahaye – Lead guitar, backing vocals
- Coen Janssen – Keyboards, synthesizer, piano
- Rob van der Loo – Bass
- Ariën van Weesenbeek – Drums
Links