:: Epica - The Divine Conspiracy

Epica

After some modest success on Transmission Records, Dutch symphonic power/metal act Epica have finally graduated to Nuclear Blast Records for their highly anticipated conceptually based third studio effort The Divine Conspiracy’. This time around, the six-piece act have altered their sound enough to show some real growth and maturity from two years ago, which is immediately evident with the stirring orchestral/operatic introduction piece ‘Indigo (Prologue)’. The album really gets underway with ‘The Obsessive Devotion’, and if the introduction piece had yet to convince listeners of the band’s growth, then this track certainly will. While it’s clear that Simons’ vocals have grown in leaps and bounds in the two years away (on tour), it’s the combined effect of Jansen’s greater presence on backing growls, Weesenbeek’s diverse work behind the kit and the overall heaviness of the guitars that really stand out in Epica’s overall favour.

The equally fast paced, aggressive and operatic based ‘Menace Of Vanity’ follows along similar lines to the former track, while Simons shows off her captivating voice in the haunting acoustic based ‘Chasing The Dragon’. Towards the tail end, Jansen interjects with some vocals and some heavier guitar parts, but somehow it doesn’t sound out of place. Instead, the track is given some interesting turns, all of which add further depth. The single ‘Never Enough’ is as straightforward sounding as the band get with its catchy hooks and predictable structure, making it a somewhat obvious choice for selection, but it’s after the exotic Arabian instrumental ‘La’petach Chatat Rovetz’ that Epica really get to stretch out.

The epic three part suite ‘The Embrace That Smothers’ begins with the first movement ‘Death Of A Dream’, which is predominately heavy and very guitar driven. The shorter second movement ‘Living A Lie’ features a greater orchestral/choir element with a mix of clean/growled vocals, while the concluding movement ‘Fools Of Damnation’ brings the song to a dramatic climax with its fast power metal like pacing and use of middle eastern musical influences throughout. The stripped back ‘Safeguard To Paradise’ again allows Simons to stand out as a vocalist with only an orchestra providing a backing, while the dramatic ‘Sancta Terra’ follows along similar lines, but with band playing an equal part alongside the orchestra. It’s at this point that I would have been more than pleased with the album. At just over an hour in length, ‘The Divine Conspiracy’ is a long, but without having overdone things. Unfortunately, the band decided to finish things off with the thirteen-minute title track ‘The Divine Conspiracy’. Although a good song, it’s far too drawn out with its extended orchestral elements, which in turn actually does the song more damage than good. Apart from being spared a little selective editing in places, Epica has succeeded to surpass their previous efforts with the inclusion of several new elements and influences, making ‘The Divine Conspiracy’ one of the stronger efforts to emerge from the symphonic metal scene since After Forever’s release earlier in the year.