Design Your Universe

A good introduction to Epica
I admit, I am a new fan to Epica. I have been meaning to check out their music but never got to it until now. I bought the band's newest album Design Your Universe a few weeks ago. While Design Your Universe isn't quite as good as Elis's latest album Catharsis, I still enjoy it immensely. I really enjoy listening to Simone's vocals and the background vocals by the band's choir. Everyone's vocals meshes well with the aggressive guitar riffs and the pounding drums. My quibble with the album is the frequent guitar solos which I find rather monotonous. I also think some of the songs tend to sound alike, and I am well past being tired of that mix of angelic female vocals with the cookie monster on acid male vocals. That recipe has worn out its welcome. Asides from those flaws, the album is both melodic and aggressive to my liking. My favorite song on the album has to be the ballad "Tides of Time". The melodies on that particular song is stuck in my head. While Design Your Universe is not completely flawless it certainly has made me a fan. I definitely plan on checking out the band's other albums in the future.

Epic Release
Design Your Universe is a a breakthrough release, continuing and expanding on the style and drive heard in their previous release, The Divine Conspiracy. Simmone has never sounded better, using a broader range of her vocal talents than in earlier albums. The band has also expanded the instrumentation, including full orchestra and gothic choir on nearly all the tracks, without losing focus or detracting from their metal sound. The songs are catchier on this release even than on Divine Conspiracy; Burn to a Cinder stands out in this regard. Jansen's growls also fit, where they've sometimes seemed over the top before. All in all a solid release... easily their best to date.

Big risk that pays off
So this is a long time in coming. But here it goes. This is Epicas 4th ablum and it's also the one where they take the most risks. The Phantom Agony was just plain Symphonic metal in the relam of After Forever and old Nightwish. Consign to Oblivion was Symphonic Metal with a bit of rock in there and could be seen as being in the relam of Nightwishs Century Child and Within Temptation and many other female fronted metal bands that came out around that time. In 2007 The Divine Conspiracy mixed the best of there past to albums. There were also parts that were crying out to just be heard better. Such as there first guitar solo and the Prog and Death Metal feel. And for fans of Prog and Death Metal enter 2009 Design Your Universe. If you are fan of Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, New Nightwish, Within Temptation, Sirenia, Tristania, or even Leaves Eyes this may very well turn you off. If you are a fan of Symphonic metal with heavy mixes of Prog, Death and even hints of Black metal then this is just the album for you. For Epica it was a big risk. Jeroen Simons left the band in 2006 and Epica picked up Ariën van Weesenbeek. Then they lost Ad Sluijter and picked up Isaac Delahaye. So what does that do for Epica. Well Isaac and Arien are both from the Melodic Death Metal God Dethroned. What they add is what many female fronted rock and metal bands seem to lack at points balls to the walls metal. Not only is the drumming faster and much more heavy the guitar is a lot more melodic and right up front. You also get six guitar solos. Here's how it all breaks down. Samadhi ~ Prelude: Not there best opening. But it is what it is. Really think of it as more of a lead into the next song. 2/5 Resign to Surrender ~ A New Age Dawns - part IV: This is where it picks up and starts out really great. You also start to hear just how different this album will be from past Epica albums. The choir is at there best and the guitar playing is tops. The solo mid way into the song will really get you to bang you're head. 5/5 Unleashed: For Epica and for any female fronted metal band this is a very heavy sinlge to have. Though at the same time kind of light. It really gives you any idea of just what the album is like and unlike Never Enough is a very well liked single. 5/5 Martyr of the Free Word: Ok so is this the heaviest Epica has ever gotten? Close but no. I would say it's there 4th heaveist song. The songs starts off sounding like it could come froms Slayer or Dark Tranquillity. Then comes Simone after her part it hits right into the Melodic Death Metal side of music with Mark sounding more wicked then he ever has with his growls. You also get Gregorian chants and a really cool solo. This is not for the faint of heart. 5/5 Our Destiny: This song can be over looked many times. But it is a very good song. Not much to say about it. 4/5 Kingdom of Heaven ~ A New Age Dawns - part V: So this most be the heaviest Epica has ever gotten. Well it's getting there I would place this at 3rd. I really enjoy this song from Epica. Also what's different is that it's Ariën van Weesenbeek not Mark that growls on this. If you are fan of Opteh or most Prog Metal music then you may very well like this. If you are fan of Lacuna Coil and Evanescence though this song well be hard for you to get into. But give it a chance. Has great guitar work. Drumming at it's best Simone and the Choir really doing a great job and just any all around very well down song. 5/5 The Price of Freedom ~ Interlude: I can do with out this song. 0/5 Burn to a Cinder: Kind of different for Epica. It has more of a Power Metal feel to it. Simone also really shows what she can do with her voice. She sound very sexy here and it's kind of a different style for her. 5/5 Tides of Time: Prehaps the best balled I have ever heard in metal music. Also near the end Simone has almost any R&B style of singing going on. The guitar solo in here is prehaps the most powerful I have heard. It's in all out really well down song. 5/5 Deconstruct: Like Our Destiny this song is easy to pass over and forget. Because it's placed between two really great songs. But if you give it a chance it is really good. It starts off sounding like it would come from some epic movie and for the most part stays that way. 5/5 Semblance of Liberty: Do you like Melodic Death Metal? If not this stay away from this song. Simone and the choir are in this song. But it's mostly Mark and Ariën here and if you are not into the heavy riffs and pulse pounding drums this will be really hard to get into. If you like Melodic Death Metal like I do you will really enjoy this song. This is the 2nd heaviest songs Epica has ever made so what is the first keep reading. 5/5 White Waters: I really enjoy this song it's simple and soft and I found that Tony Kakko did a much better job then Roy Khan did. Then again Trois Vierges is not that great of a song. 5/5 Design Your Universe ~ A New Age Dawns - part VI: Prehaps the most symphonic song on the CD and very well done. It starts off slow and just buildds and builds it ends with Simones sounding just as good as she always does. :) 5/5 Incentive (Bonustrack): This is the song that shows Epica at there heaviest. It's also all Mark and the guys hear. You will not hear Simone at all. It's pure Melodic Death Metal. If you ever wanted to know what Epica would sound like with out Simone this is the song for you. All other fans who are not into Dark Tranquillity sound songs well be turned off 5/5 >:} All and all this a great CD. there are a few things I would change such as The Price of Freedom and a better place for both Our Destiny and Deconstruct. But for the most part it's one CD I have a hard time putting down.

Good Music
This was a good album,but it could of been better,if there is such a thing,it was overly produced,way to many overdubs,mostly with the back-up vocals,it almost sounds like a church choir backing them up.But Simone Simons puts in another stellar performance,now I don't mind so much Tarja being gone.

A good album with some minor flaws
Okay, I will start out by saying I actually don't mind death metal and have a number of cd's of that genre. I listened to this album a few times before coming to an opinion as I really wanted to like it. In the main I do. In the main I think this album is fantastic. I love the newer guitar work, the solos and the songs. I don't like the death metal vocals. They are unconvincing and have been done far better in far too many other bands, IMO. They sound, if anything, a bit cartoonish. My opinion is that, if you are going to do the beauty and the beast, as Epica have done, is to try and give the beast the same emotional power and ability as the beauty component. Not easy I admit, and the standards I apply reflect that, but there are some male vocalists that would suit .... I am thinking My Dying Bride, or Theatre of Tragedy in their early days for starters. Now, having said all that, and probably creating the impression I hate this album - which is not true, there are many redeeming features. Simone's vocals are as good as ever, the music is varied enough to make it interesting. The guitar work is excellent. The male vocals may not have annoyed me so much if they were used more sparsely. I will still listen to this album in the future, but my enjoyment will be somewhat tempered by its flaws. I am in two minds as to give it 3 or 4 stars. I will give it 4, but I strongly recommend listening to the samples, or the whole disc if possible, first, to make sure you that you don't find any issues, like I did.