Epica “The Holographic Principle”
Nuclear Blast records
Epica‘s seventh album The Holographic Principle dedicated to philosophic and urgent topic: virtual reality, indistinguishable from the present. Of course here we can easily go deep into thoughts, citing various thinkers from the past, but also we can call this trivial and not interesting. However, I beg to differ with the skeptics: in a modern world absolutely virtual «like» is not less important (and sometimes more) than basic human needs. An album is talking about near future, but the rate of technology development is real fast nowadays. And forgive me such a trivial example, but the famous movie from brothers (pardon, sisters) Wachowski, in addition to entertained, forced s lots of people to think, is the world around us real, or it’s only illusion?
Well, let’s go back to the music: epic, epic, epic. However, what can you expect from the band with such a name? (Captain Obvious at your service).
Guitars are going to a second plan, rhythm section strictly performs, assigning a leading role to keyboards, choirs and red hair beauty Simone Simons, whose singing is largely a band’s «pasteboard». There was said a lot about her mezzo soprano, but her voice is still impressive.
Choir and orchestra parties became larger, and growls are little less. But this doesn’t make Epica‘s music less metal. Music is also much more various and technically played: some guitar line parts are going to the first plan and play something close to progressive metal, though not so long. After that they like catch themselves and going back. But this distinguishes Epica from many other bands, that make their songs according to formula «intro-verse-chorus-solo-chorus-coda» and try to wrap it into something near-symphonic.
To emphasize some specific song is quite hard, because every one of it is remembered by something different. “Beyond The Matrix” by its motive, “The Cosmic Algorithm” by its heaviness, “Universal Death Squad” sounds totally like soundtrack and “The Holographic Principle – A Profound Understanding of Reality” is so majestic; this list can be continued indefinitely. I’m sure that everyone will find something for himself in this album.
The Holographic Principle is a great and masterfully made music illustration. Pictures and images are sweeping while listening to this album; with this it suggests some certain thoughts. But all this magic ends with its final notes, like you watched entertaining movie. But the lights are on, and you find yourself not in the world that actors, directors and scriptwriters created so diligently (assume that it was diligently), but in a banal line to the restroom. Of course no one takes from you the opportunity to listen to it once again and again, but the “first time magic” become less and less. However it’s not a music problem, but listener’s perception.
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