(Nuclear Blast) Total Time: 144:00
EPICA are one of the well known bands of the “female fronted symphonic metal”, and were founded in 2002. They present to us a great project, a double live cd that contains a full live show with a 40-piece orchestra and a 30-piece choir, recorded in Miskolc, Hungary, on June 14, 2008. Even more, besides the symphonic versions of the band’s songs, the album includes adaptations of classical themes and movie scores, performed by the band, the orchestra and choir.
I will continue by saying that I am not a big fan of EPICA. EPICA focus too much on the keyboards and Simone’s amazing voice. Their albums may sound impressing cause of the great production and the crystal sound, but in the end, the songs are really what matters. And most of their compositions have nothing that could really make a difference; they are very typical, despite the great orchestrations. In every album there are only a few songs which have some good keyboard melodies that save the day, and of course the most important thing, the absolutely brilliant voice of Simone Simons whose performance is 70% of this band.
But since this review is about a live album, there is no point in trying to review it focusing on the quality of the songs. You will find some of the finest moments of EPICA in this cd. If you are not familiar with EPICA’s music, this is a good point to start; this cd can function as a compilation of the band’s works. The great performance of the band and orchestra should be mentioned. Moreover if you like classical music, soundtracks, bands with classical elements in their music, this album is a good choice, although the part with the classical themes and movie scores tends to be a bit boring. Bottom line is, if you are fan, go on, you will have a good time, if you don’t really like EPICA so far, this album will not change your mind.
