Author Topic: Epica appreciation thread (Read 62732 times)

jingle.boy · « **Reply #210 on:** October 21, 2015, 10:10:12 PM »

North American Tour announced:

Dates for the 2016 North American Enigma Tour with Moonspell and Starkill are:
01/21/16 Irving Plaza - New York, NY
01/22/16 Opera House - Toronto, ON Canada
01/23/16 Imperial Theatre - Quebec City, QC Canada
01/25/16 Agora Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
01/26/16 Diamond Pub Music Hall - Louisville, KY
01/28/16 Mill City Nights - Minneapolis, MN
01/29/16 Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL
01/30/16 Ready Room - St Louis, MO
02/01/16 Lincoln Theatre - Raleigh, NC
02/02/16 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
02/03/16 House Of Blues - Orlando, FL
02/4/16 - 02/8/16 70.000 tons of metal
02/9/16 Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré - San Juan, Puerto Rico*
02/11/16 Gas Monkey Bar & Grill - Dallas*
* EPICA only

Might just take this in, being on a Friday night an all.

cramx3 · « **Reply #211 on:** October 22, 2015, 05:34:21 AM »

Well this is the replacement tour for canceling midtour due to Simone's father's medical scare last month. I will be trying to go to the NYC show. I am glad to see Epica isn't giving up on N.A. after the disasters of the last tour and the attempt of the tour before that.

goo-goo · « **Reply #212 on:** October 22, 2015, 07:50:48 AM »

Nice. I'll be going to the Dallas show.

The Cat Of Tuscany · « **Reply #213 on:** October 25, 2015, 05:03:20 PM »

WHAT?!?!?! They're coming to my hometown?!?!?! This NEVER happens with bands I like!!!!!

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #214 on:** October 25, 2015, 05:17:42 PM »

I'm going to try to go to the Orlando show, even though it is midweek.

mrrct · « **Reply #215 on:** December 03, 2015, 08:04:15 AM »

Just picked up Consign to Oblivion on iTunes this past week. I now have their full discography, save for rarities like The Score soundtrack and Road to Paradiso, much of which actually shows up on the bonus tracks of Consign anyway.

I consider it one of their better records. They still play the title track, "Quietus," and "Sancta Terra" quite often, so they probably do as well. I only had live versions of those songs off Retrospect and The Classical Conspiracy, so I was glad when this finally got (re)released in the U.S.

I agree with a lot of the posters here that Mark Jansen's growls are annoying at times, laughable at others. I also agree with Bosk1 and others that their subject matter is usually ludicrous, particularly on Design Your Universe and The Divine Conspiracy. Consign supposedly has to do with Mayan civilization, but it isn't so obvious that it smacks me in the face. Maybe if I had a lyric sheet and/or could understand the choirs in particular it would be more obvious.

Their last album, The Quantum Enigma, lacked the memorable songs of some of its predecessors, and little of it will probably be played live when other albums of theirs are released, but I found it to be a pleasant listen and in a way one of their best, because I can listen to it without skipping any of the songs. I thought that the last four or five songs were particularly pleasant (if not good), and most of them were also made into acoustic tracks on a bonus CD.

Their least favorite album of mine would be the one previous to Quantum, Requiem for the Indifferent. There is very little memorable aside from the single, "Storm the Sorrow."

cramx3 · « **Reply #216 on:** December 03, 2015, 08:26:12 AM »

I really like Requiem and think Storm the Sorry is the least memorable from that.

I actually like all of their albums though and think thave have gotten better over time, although I think Simones vocals have gotten slightly worse. (and contrary the growls have gotten better)

Destiny Of Chaos · « **Reply #217 on:** December 03, 2015, 09:25:19 AM »

Because DTF...

1. Consign to Oblivion
2. Design Your Universe
3. The Phantom Agony
4. Requiem for the Indifferent
5. The Quantum Enigma
6. The Divine Conspiracy

mrrct · « **Reply #218 on:** December 03, 2015, 10:51:15 AM »

1. Consign to Oblivion (for the epic title track, "Quietus," and "Solitary Ground")
2. The Phantom Agony ("Cry for the Moon," "Feint," and the title track are exceptional)
3. The Divine Conspiracy (mainly for "Sancta Terra" and "Never Enough," their only attempt at a crossover hit)
4. The Quantum Enigma (very solid but unspectacular; "Unchain Utopia" and the last 3-4 tracks)
5. Design Your Universe (strong combo in "Unleashed" and "Martyr of the Free World"; "Kingdom of Heaven" also highly regarded)
6. Requiem for the Indifferent (mostly dull IMHO; "Twin Flames" reminds me of those overblown Oscars performances; monotonous interludes)

It should be noted that none of these albums are bad, at least if you like the genre (Symphonic Metal with Progressive undertones). As a whole the band is superior to recent, Disney-Nightwish, full-on pop-mode Within Temptation, or After Forever, the band that Epica spun off from. More grunting than their competitors, less popish than all, maybe a little less progressive than middle-period After Forever. Simone is maybe a little less talented than Tarja or Floor, comparable to Sharon (though more polished), but more than Anette or Charlotte from Delain. None of the guitarists in the genre are really virtuosos, but Ad and later Isaac are more than good enough, with Mark contributing as the main writer. The second drummer, Arjien, is more of a basher than the orginal, Jeroen. Neither bassist, Yves or Rob, really stand out. I actually like their keyboardist Coen better than most of his competitors in the field because he isn't as overbearing as Holopainen or Spierenburg, although it may be because they want to be more guitar-driven.

gazinwales · « **Reply #219 on:** December 03, 2015, 12:23:52 PM »

TQE is prob my fave Epica, not a dud track and when I saw them perform live last year, these songs really came to life.

I don't mind Mark's grunts at all, in fact I bought both his side project albums, Mayan

cramx3 · « **Reply #220 on:** December 03, 2015, 01:50:46 PM »

Its tough to rank these albums, they are a very consistent band IMO. I also said they are getting better as they go, but thats not reflective in my album rankings, but that was meant as in overall as a band I feel like theyve gotten better over time.

The Divine Conspiracy
The Quantum Enigma
Consign to Oblivion
Requiem for the Indifferent
The Phantom Agony
Design Your Universe

That could completely change on any day, but I do think Divine Conspiracy is my favorite overall

metrojam · « **Reply #221 on:** December 03, 2015, 02:18:41 PM »

Quote from: gazinwales on December 03, 2015, 12:23:52 PM

TQE is prob my fave Epica, not a dud track and when I saw them perform live last year, these songs really came to life.

I don't mind Mark's grunts at all, in fact I bought both his side project albums, Mayan

Agree about TQE, its their best by far, i.m.o., love every song on it and was my favourite release of 2014. Seen them live many times and they never fail to deliver the goods. Deserve to be much bigger than they are.

cramx3 · « **Reply #222 on:** December 03, 2015, 02:44:37 PM »

Quote from: metrojam on December 03, 2015, 02:18:41 PM

Quote from: gazinwales on December 03, 2015, 12:23:52 PM
TQE is prob my fave Epica, not a dud track and when I saw them perform live last year, these songs really came to life.

I don't mind Mark's grunts at all, in fact I bought both his side project albums, Mayan

Agree about TQE, its their best by far, i.m.o., love every song on it and was my favourite release of 2014. Seen them live many times and they never fail to deliver the goods. Deserve to be much bigger than they are.

If only they don't cancel the US tour again.... I would really love to see them, just hasn't worked out for different reasons each time.

mrrct · « **Reply #223 on:** December 03, 2015, 03:37:36 PM »

Quote from: cramx3 on December 03, 2015, 02:44:37 PM

Quote from: metrojam on December 03, 2015, 02:18:41 PM
Quote from: gazinwales on December 03, 2015, 12:23:52 PM
TQE is prob my fave Epica, not a dud track and when I saw them perform live last year, these songs really came to life.

I don't mind Mark's grunts at all, in fact I bought both his side project albums, Mayan

Agree about TQE, its their best by far, i.m.o., love every song on it and was my favourite release of 2014. Seen them live many times and they never fail to deliver the goods. Deserve to be much bigger than they are.

If only they don't cancel the US tour again.... I would really love to see them, just hasn't worked out for different reasons each time.

First Simone fell ill with MRSA in 2008, so they had Amanda Somerville fill in for her that tour. I think their next couple of tours were fairly normal for DYU and RFTI. The touring cycle for TQE has been a disaster, at least in America. First, they were booked third on a bill behind Machine Head and Children of Bodom in venues they were able to headline themselves two years prior. Then, Machine Head cancelled the tour at the eleventh hour, claiming they wanted to finish their album, though I wouldn't be surprised if ticket sales were slow with this weird conglomeration of bands that probably didn't have a lot of crossover between fans. They then set up another American tour a year later, in which the keyboardist sat out because his wife was ill, and then they ended up dropping out when Simone's father fell ill himself. They are making up the dates this winter. I hope their next album cycle they have better luck in the U.S.

cramx3 · « **Reply #224 on:** December 03, 2015, 03:44:35 PM »

Yea, so much shit has happened to them when they try to tour the US. And for me, the last time they DID play in the NYC area it was the night before my sisters wedding so I couldn't go. Id like to go this time, but I may have to travel for work during that time.

cramx3 · « **Reply #225 on:** January 23, 2016, 08:23:14 PM »

So finally saw them this past Thursday night. It was their first show in the make up make up tour "The North American Enigma Tour" A fairly standard set for the band and they performed very well. The most notable thing about his concert was the crowd. At least 40% women (makes sense for more females, but I'd say that was more than Nightwish or Within Temptation). There was a very large pit for most of the show which was fine, and even fun when I joined for short spurts. When I got close, in front of the pit but behind the front barrier folks was when things got interesting.

First, I was rocking out pretty hard, but within my own space and there was pushing and moving as normal with a pit. Twice, I noticed this one girl moved out of her way just to push me. First time I didn't think much, second time I knew she was pissed at me. Maybe I figured I bumped into her, I didn't know, but I looked her right in the eye and said "don't take it personally" and she definitely heard me and immediately turned around and walked away

so then later I moved close to the front and next to her guy, who was taller and a well built dude. I wouldn't of known it was her dude, but she put her arm out around her guy and pushed me off him. That's when I looked over and saw her whisper into his ear and then he turned into a tree. Stood so still and firm and would not budge as me or other people bumped into him with the crowd. After another song I was able to squeeze in front of him and I think he realized I was just rocking out and within the groove of the crowd so he relaxed his branches. Turned into no big deal, but was just so funny how people react.

Then, during the encore, the pit formed essentially a human launch pad. They set up a way for people to run, jump, then be launched into the air, and be carried by the people in the front as crowd surfers to the barrier. It was funny, but then became non stop. I said it was a lot of females at the show, the crowd surfers were half women, but also the people up front were a large part women who couldn't hold the people up. This one guy and myself just got into a rhythm of going low to catch peolpe then lifting and launching them into the bouncers at the barrier. We were high fiving and fake lateral pressing as we just did a huge upper body work out launching people. After the song, Simone asked to stop the crowd surfing.

Well before I even got there, I had an insane cab ride (where the driver cut everyone off, yelled at them, and honked his horn at least 50 times) then I made my own video of my clips from the show, then added someone else's full video just to show when Simone asks to stop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIH9Q30SL0E
https://youtu.be/3vsA5Mtl80M
https://youtu.be/DRf-JRUkRgU?t=1h29m1s

Prog Snob · « **Reply #226 on:** January 23, 2016, 08:44:43 PM »

Nice videos man.

One day, I'll have to tell you about my cab ride in Atlantic City.

DarkLord_Lalinc · « **Reply #227 on:** January 23, 2016, 09:03:21 PM »

The last Epica album I heard was The Phantom Agony. I really liked the band, but for some weird reason I lost interest and stopped following them. What nice stuff have they released since then that's worth checking out?

Prog Snob · « **Reply #228 on:** January 23, 2016, 09:53:41 PM »

Just check them all out. They all have amazing moments. You can use YouTube to check them out or Spotify if you have it.

Consign to Oblivion
The Divine Conspiracy
Design Your Universe
Requiem for the Indifferent
The Quantum Enigma

cramx3 · « **Reply #229 on:** January 23, 2016, 10:57:05 PM »

I like their newest The Quantum Enigma and The Divine Conspiracy as my favorites

The Cat Of Tuscany · « **Reply #230 on:** March 24, 2016, 06:06:41 PM »

Apparently Epica has a lot of songs for their new album:

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/epicas-mark-jansen-on-next-album-we-are-in-a-luxurious-position-that-we-have-way-too-many-songs/

jakepriest · « **Reply #231 on:** March 24, 2016, 06:17:28 PM »

I used to listen to the first two Epica albums a lot back during 2008-2009, but I haven't really touched the band since except for the Unchain Utopia single (which I loved). I'm gonna try and get back into them once I finish going through all the DT albums. Do you guys reckon I should go chronologically or start with the newest album?

ronnibran · « **Reply #232 on:** March 24, 2016, 06:27:37 PM »

Their newest album is the first album I ever tried out and I LOVED it. I bought their greatest hits at a good cost from amazon next and it blew me away. I still listen to that very regularly. Epica is a great band, looking forward to their new album. My favorite Epica song is Design Your Universe. Definitely check that song out.

I never check out bands chronologically, I actually probably do reverse chronologically usually. (not that there's anything wrong with the other way)

The Cat Of Tuscany · « **Reply #233 on:** March 25, 2016, 03:05:55 PM »

Quote from: jakepriest on March 24, 2016, 06:17:28 PM

I used to listen to the first two Epica albums a lot back during 2008-2009, but I haven't really touched the band since except for the Unchain Utopia single (which I loved). I'm gonna try and get back into them once I finish going through all the DT albums. Do you guys reckon I should go chronologically or start with the newest album?

My personal favorite is easily their debut album, The Phantom Agony. It's a good starting point.

bosk1 · « **Reply #234 on:** May 27, 2016, 03:43:06 PM »

Is it just me, or does Serenade of Self-Destruction at times sound way too upbeat, given the subject matter?

adace · « **Reply #235 on:** May 31, 2016, 08:09:16 PM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyc2shVctMI

QE is an amazing record so I'm super stoked to hear this one. Can't wait!!

Adami · « **Reply #236 on:** May 31, 2016, 11:48:09 PM »

Should be good, but I'm hoping they start to branch out or try new things. They're sounding really samey for a few records now.

Prog Snob · « **Reply #237 on:** June 01, 2016, 05:12:01 AM »

Looking forward to some new Epica. Adami is right, though. They should do something different, maybe revamp the sound a bit.

cramx3 · « **Reply #238 on:** June 01, 2016, 07:06:16 AM »

Im excited for a new album, I loved the last release.

adace · « **Reply #239 on:** June 03, 2016, 02:04:56 PM »

Really beautiful cover.

cramx3 · « **Reply #240 on:** June 03, 2016, 02:13:04 PM »

I really like it as well, cover art means very little to me, but I'm a sucker for spacey art.

Big Hath · « **Reply #241 on:** June 03, 2016, 02:23:21 PM »

Quote from: cramx3 on June 03, 2016, 02:13:04 PM

I'm a sucker for spacey art.

like this?

Prog Snob · « **Reply #242 on:** June 03, 2016, 02:24:20 PM »

That's a bit of a different cover for Epica. It could mean something different with the music, too.

cramx3 · « **Reply #243 on:** June 03, 2016, 02:29:19 PM »

Quote from: Prog Snob on June 03, 2016, 02:24:20 PM

That's a bit of a different cover for Epica. It could mean something different with the music, too.

I feel like its both similar and different and I think you may be onto something, they mentioned in an IG post about this album being somewhat different, but I don't put too much into that as a lot of bands say something similar before new albums are released. They have also said they had an abundance of songs for this album and I think it may be their longest in terms of album length, but that also increases the chance of some different types of songs.

Prog Snob · « **Reply #244 on:** June 03, 2016, 02:53:12 PM »

With so many songs written, that could also mean bonus tracks and whatnot.

News: Track-by-track video for Paralyzed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd5TbGbalPs&feature=youtu.be

Author Topic: Epica appreciation thread (Read 62732 times)