Year : 2009 (Gold Edition 2019)
Style : Symphonic Power Metal , Female vocals
Country : Netherlands
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 243 mb
Bio:
Ever since EPICA emerged on the scene at the end of 2002, the band has been living in a whirlwind of studio recordings, interviews, screaming fans, live performances and a rock 'n roll lifestyle. With every new album EPICA pushes the boundaries by reinventing their distinctive style, and nothing seems to stop the band on their rise to the top.With their previous record ‘Design Your Universe', seen by many as a true milestone in bombastic and symphonic metal, EPICA seemed to have found the perfect musical mixture between classical and heavy music. The album entered the charts everywhere and consolidated their position among the top of today's metal acts. An extensive tour marathon with over 200 headlining shows allover the globe proved both their ambition and their success.This time EPICA once again raises the bar with their fifth album called 'Requiem of the Indifferent'. Full of trademark hymns, significant lyrics, powerful guitar riffing alternated with cinematic interludes, Simone Simons' angelic voice, it is a very logical step after ‘Design Your Universe'. Again it is an album which has to grow on the listener, so make sure to give it a couple of spins to get the whole picture. As with every album, EPICA mixes hard, technical and fast with intimate and slow, with as good as everything in between. However, this time around it are the huge contrasts which make ‘Requiem for the Indifferent' stick out. The album will take you on a journey through brutal metal, sweet melodies, technical instrumental passages, theatrical moods, epic orchestration, varying vocal ranges, catchy tunes followed by complex songwriting, etc. More than ever the band connects all these extremes flawlessly, making this a more dynamic, more versatile, more detailed, more style crossing EPICA than before. All of this is actually an acccumulation of individual talent, as EPICA happens to have some of the finest musicians around. Ariën Van Weesenbeek, one of the best drummers in the metal scene, supported by the solidness of bass player Yves Huts. Isaac Delahaye, known for his adventurous guitar riffs and praised for his tasty soloing. Mark Jansen, main songwriter of the band, rhythm guitarist & grunter. The classically trained pianist Coen Janssen, who is also responsible for all the choir arrangements. And last but not least frontwoman Simone Simons, who has an extremely diverse, unique and enchanting voice. ‘Requiem for the Indifferent' is proof that this sextet is on a constant quest for renewal and that only the best is good enough.The album title refers to the end of an era. Mankind can no longer stick their head in the sand for the things that are happening around us: tensions between different religions and cultures, wars, natural disasters, a huge financial crisis. As we are all connected; the universe, the earth, nature, animals and human beings, this period in time will be the prelude to the end for those who still don't want to, or simply won't see it. A requiem for the indifferent but also a possibility for a new beginning with great new chances.Once again, EPICA produced the new album along with Sascha Paeth (AVANTASIA, KAMELOT) at the Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany.'Requiem of the Indifferent' will be released on the 9th of March 2012 (13th of March in the US), after which the band will start promoting the album with a big production world tour.
Album:
For many years now, EPICA have been riding the high waves of success, delivering stunning album after stunning album, embarking on massive tour endeavours covering the whole globe time and time again. In 2019, however, after an impressive 17 years on the fast lane, the Dutch symphonic metal titans take a step back. To take a break and a deep breath, yes. But even more so to reflect on what got them to this point in the first place.The answer to that is easy. Exactly ten years ago, EPICA released what is today widely regarded as their breakthrough album. While being far from a newcomer back then – with three impressive albums, a soundtrack record and a live orchestra project under their belts – the release of »Design Your Universe« marked the watershed between a fairly well-known symphonic metal band with high ambitions and an international phenomenon of great prowess. With striking momentum and a carefully maintained balance between epic metal grandeur and monumental orchestral soundscapes, between pure cinematic bombast and teeth-clenching heaviness, between Mark Jansen’s abysmal grunts and Simone Simons’s vocal force of nature, »Design Your Universe« stormed the charts all over Europe and took the band onto an altogether different level.To this day, »Design Your Universe« is an album cherished by band, fans and critics alike, making its tenth anniversary the perfect occasion for a lavish re-release. “I had the feeling that we were creating something special”, founder Mark Jansen remembers of the recording process. Today, it’s one of his favourite EPICA records. “Plus, it had the best sound we ever accomplished to this day.” Courtesy of long-time producer and friend Sascha Paeth, »Design Your Universe« marked not only a new musical peak; it featured such a stunning production that Jansen was even sceptical of re-mixing it in the studio for this re-release. “The sound is brilliant, so why change it?”, he laughs. In the end, they agreed on staying very close to the original sound, carefully twisting some knobs here and there to introduce the seminal record to the digital era. “Back in 2009, albums still were compressed a lot due to the ongoing loudness war in metal”, he recalls. “Today, you have more room for the mixing process again, making the whole music sound more dynamic.”New techniques or not: Boy, did these songs age well! Modern classics in their own right, ‘Martyr of the Free Word’, ‘Unleashed’, power ballad ‘Tides of Time’ or the unforgettable epic ‘Design Your Universe’ have long since earned their places in the throne room of symphonic metal. “It was really nice to somewhat re-live the making of the album”, Jansen says. “My favourite song was and still is ‘Kingdom of Heaven’. It has all the elements EPICA stood for at the time, but even more so because it is dedicated to my grandmother who passed away while we were recording this album. It will always have a special meaning to me.” And not only to him. “Mark’s grandmother was a very important figure for the whole band”, Simone Simons says. “Her house was our rehearsal space from the beginning of EPICA. She always greeted us with a smile and made sure we had everything we needed.” Simons dedicated ‘Tides of Time’ to her, making it a very emotional album for EPICA.But »Design Your Universe« was even more than that. It is the record that laid the foundation for their future success: Their first album with Ariën van Weesenbeek as their new permanent drummer, Isaac Delahaye as their new guitarist and artwork alchemist Stefan Heilemann (Heilemania) as their visual sidekick, EPICA for the first time had all the ingredients that were about to propel the trailblazers right to the top. “Isaac literally joined the band when we were on the brink of entering the studio”, Jansen recalls. “He had very little time to contribute to the album, and yet he did a massive job working on the guitars with me. He clearly lifted the songs to another level. So maybe it was even an advantage that time was that limited. We couldn’t overthink things. I have the feeling it had to be like that.”Sometimes, it just all falls into place. »Design Your Universe« is one of those rare cases were everything simply seems to click, where everything happens just the way it is supposed to be. “A record is a success when it always triggers the same emotions – no matter how old it is. And these songs still pierce my heart through and through”, Simons states. Needless to say, it is also her stellar vocal performance on this one that left a permanent mark on the genre of symphonic metal. “I was more than happy with how my vocals turned out in the studio”, she nods. “I was able to do yet another step forward which is something I always try to accomplish. There’s just no guarantee if you will succeed.”.She did. The band did. And now, ten years after the birth of this new figurehead of symphonic metal, Mark Jansen (rhythm guitar, vocals), Simone Simons (vocals), Isaac Delahaye (guitar), Rob van der Loo (bass), Coen Janssen (keyboards, synthesizer, piano) and Ariën van Weesenbeek (drums) revisit the iconic album, additionally gracing the re-release with five sublime acoustic versions of some of the most beloved songs. “We were astonished by how well the tracks sounded and really enjoyed making them. They bring something new to the table”, Jansen beams. Simone adds: “I loved doing these acoustic versions. I really had the best time! I mean, turning a heavy monster like ‘Martyr of the Free Word’ into a ballad simply shows how strong the song really is.” This, of course, holds true for every tiny fraction of the 74 minutes and 50 seconds of »Design Your Universe«. Pure symphonic bliss, executed on the highest level. Or, to quote some Marvel Comics lore: Every hero has his origin story. This is theirs. A commanding game changer as epic and monumental as it was ten years ago.
Line Up:
Simone Simons - Vocals, Lyrics (tracks 3, 5, 8-10, 12), Songwriting (tracks 2, 5, 8, 12)
Yves Huts - Bass, Songwriting (tracks 5, 10)
Ariën van Weesenbeek - Drums, Vocals (grunts, spoken word), Songwriting (tracks 4, 5)
Mark Jansen - Songwriting (tracks 1-6, 8, 10-13), Guitars (rhythm), Vocals (harsh)
Isaac Delahaye - Songwriting (tracks 2-6, 8, 11-13), Guitars (lead)
Coen Janssen - Songwriting (tracks 3, 4, 7-9, 13), Keyboards, Piano
Tracklist:
CD1: Design Your Universe
01. Samadhi (Prelude) 01:27
02. Resign to Surrender (A New Age Dawns - Part IV) 06:19
03. Unleashed 05:48
04. Martyr of the Free Word 05:03
05. Our Destiny 06:00
06. Kingdom of Heaven (A New Age Dawns - Part V) 13:35
07. The Price of Freedom (Interlude) 01:14 instrumental
08. Burn to a Cinder 05:41
09. Tides of Time 05:34
10. Deconstruct 04:14
11. Semblance of Liberty 05:42
12. White Waters 04:44
13. Design Your Universe (A New Age Dawns - Part VI) 09:29
14. Incentive 04:14
CD2: The Acoustic Universe
01. Burn to a Cinder 05:32
02. Our Destiny 05:13
03. Unleashed 05:06
04. Martyr of the Free Word 03:56
05. Design Your Universe 08:21
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
