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RELEASE DATE: 2009-11-03
LABEL: Nuclear Blast Records
TRACKLIST:
1. Samadhi (Prelude)
2. Resign to Surrender: A New Age Dawns, Part IV
3. Unleashed
4. Martyr Of the Free Word
5. Our Destiny
6. Kingdom Of Heaven: A New Age Dawns, Part V- Hold in Derision/Children
7. Price Of Freedom (Interlude)
8. Burn To A Cinder
9. Tides Of Time
10. Deconstruct
11. Semblance Of Liberty
12. White Waters
13. Design Your Universe: A New Age Dawns, Part VI
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Design Your Universe
Epica
THE REVIEW:
The fourth release from Dutch symphonic metal powerhouse Epica combines the pompous string-laden tsunamis made familiar by big budget Hollywood movies with gothic metal. A bit of Disney magic is also brought into the mix by the band's tendency to still use the combination of deep growls and clean female vocals, a method often criticized as dated and passé. In metal, there are no such things as dated and passé - old Metallica and Maiden records play as well as they did 20 years ago and 60 year old rockers still find fans among the younger audience. It's all about quality, which is the main question in this review.
In general, “Design Your Universe” is a damn good gothic metal album. It's not the best, nor even top ten, but it's damn good and it might even be worth dying your goatee black for. Why is it good? The riffs and songs are solid, although not too blatantly radio-friendly. Simone Simons sings like an angel, and Mark Jansen doesn't growl like a complete douche.
The power metal elements on this album are fine, and support the vocal contrast of light and dark Epica is known of. It's a bit too heavy for the Nightwish fans, a bit too epic and pompous for Goths, but for the female vocal-loving metal head, it's perfect. “Design Your Universe” might be the best album by Epica so far, and is a safe purchase for fans of the band and genre alike.
POSTED BY: slaitila on 2009-10-29
RANK:
 
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