EPICA – “The Phantom Agony” (20-year classic)

EPICA
“The Phantom Agony”
CD (Transmission/ADve)

After being kicked out of After Forever, Mark Jensen is now back with a new band and a debut album. Not new, but solid, what the six-piece from the Netherlands delivers here with “The Phantom Agony”, quasi a further development of Mark’s ideas. As the band name suggests, the combo is dedicated to epic Gothic Metal with great classical and film music influences. The choir does not merely play a supporting role in Epica, but often takes the leading part. The soprano voice of singer Simone, the grunt vocals of Mark and the orchestra are equally in focus. This is somewhat at the expense of the guitars and the bass, but it thickens the atmosphere. Even if you can find little surprising in the song structure – the individual pieces are well thought out and also do not copy themselves on the album. With “Feint” there is the obligatory ballad, while with “Seif Al Din” Mark’s grunt vocals are blasted into our ears. “Façade of Reality” is probably the most varied track: starting with thrashy guitar runs and then moving into calmer, almost folkloric realms, Mark’s and Simone’s vocals, a nice melody, fast and slow parts, very successful chorus and a short excerpt of a speech by Tony Blair. All in all, the epic total length of up to almost nine minutes remains to be mentioned. Playing tips: “Cry for the Moon”, “Façade of Reality”.

Melanie Haack

(The review was first published in the Orkus! issue September 2003)

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