The release of a new Epica album has been commonly been referred to as a celebratory time in symphonic metal. Every offering the band has conjured in the past has surpassed it’s predecessor in every way, always leaving something to look forward to with the successor. We look to see if the flying Dutchmen can continue their trend of exponential brilliance with the latest opus, ‘The Holographic Principle‘.
[tracklist]
01. Eidola
02. Edge Of The Blade
03. A Phantasmic Parade
04. Universal Death Squad
05. Divide And Conquer
06. Beyond The Matrix
07. Once Upon A Nightmare
08. The Cosmic Algorithm
09. Ascension – Dream State Armageddon
10. Dancing In A Hurricane
11. Tear Down Your Walls
12. The Holographic Principle – A Profound Understanding Of Reality
[/tracklist]
[details]
[record_label]Nuclear Blast Records[/record_label]
[release_date]30th September 2016[/release_date]
[/details]
‘The Quantum Enigma‘ ranks as one of my personal symphonic metal favourites. It had everything from a diverse vocal range on both the soprano and death spectrum, along with a beautifully formed catalogue of songs that struck both the artsy boundaries of progressive music while maintaining the memorable melodies captivated in a broad array of instruments and choirs. It’s been established in my mind of the last couple of years that this is going to be a pretty hard one to beat, but I know that ‘The Holographic Principle‘ is certainly going to give it a good go.
And it’s a pretty convincing start. Building up with Epica’s most bombastic intro yet in ‘Eidola‘, the use of more instruments and choirs than ever before becomes quite apparent before launching into the opener of ‘Edge of the Blade‘. It assumes the traditional Epica qualities of epic symphonics, crunching guitars, diverse vocals and of course that massive chorus that defines a visual landscape in parallel with the theme of the album.
The idea that Epica go bigger and better every time is hardly an elusive feat in this album. ‘The Holographic Principle‘ is simply massive. There may be use of more instruments, more choirs, and a lot more going on, but Epica’s songwriting structure allows it all to happen without it being too much. All it does is contribute to an already superbly rendered sound.
Tracks such as ‘Divide and Conquer‘ highlight how Epica’s metal foundations invite such a diverse palette of music to enhance the track to a progressive masterpiece, while ‘Dancing in a Hurricane‘ and it’s ethnic multitude of drumming and Arabian scales invites the band to drop in some refining metal to what could already be considered a soundtrack piece.
‘The Holographic Principle‘ is proof that Epica have the right formula to create a magnificent album, and that all they need to worry about is how they can make it better than the last one. It’s yet another grand accomplishment – a surpassing catalogue of tracks that took what I thought was the best they could offer in ‘The Quantum Engima‘, and powdered it into dust. Simply put – the album is symphonic metal perfection.
You can pick up ‘The Holographic Principle’ here, out September 30th via Nuclear Blast Records.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]Yet another notch in Epica’s golden belt. ‘The Holographic Principle’ is another statement as to why Epica are the best in the symphonic business.[/why]
