Album shakes the soul with righteous music

Dutch metal band Epica have been in the music scene since 2002, and they have released 10 albums. Their latest release, Omega, is powerful. The vocals from Simone Simons and Mark Jansen light each track with strong and emotional sound, the guitar playing from Jansen, Isaac Delahaye and Rob van der Loo shreds the atmosphere with energetic guitar riffs, the synths and grand piano from Coen Janssen give each tune a high-pitched dramatic sound and the drumming from Ariën van Weesenbeek shakes the background with steady drum beats. Omega is a great album because it puts Epica’s heavy metal creativity on full display.

Powerful “Abyss of Time – Countdown to Singularity” displays how strong the vocal chemistry is between Simons and Jansen. Both vocalists have different vocal styles, but when their voices collide into each other, the sound is absolutely beautiful. Simons’ angelic vocals contribute to the emotions that are lingering in the atmosphere, and Jansen’s vocals are strong due to how he grunts out the lyrics. Both Simons and Jansen are gifted performers who sing their hearts out on “Abyss of Time – Countdown to Singularity,” and fans will love the vocal performance.

Mystical “Code of Life” features wonderful guitar playing by Isaac Delahaye. Each guitar note turns into a hard-hitting riff that can hit deep with those who are listening. Ultimately, what is enjoyable is how Delahaye’s guitar playing becomes faster and louder every time he strums the strings on his guitar. “Code of Life” is a solid piece of work by how Delahaye uses his guitar to create an energizing noise.

Harmonic “Freedom – The Wolves Within” is a lovely piece. Jansen uses synths to create a dramatic feeling and creates drama by using these synths to create the sound of people chanting. In some ways, the chanting indicates how serious this tune is because the sound of the high-pitched voices brings the feeling of wanting to break free or continuing to wreak havoc on those who hurt you. Jansen does a great job with showing who he is as a musician while performing on “Abyss of Time – Countdown to Singularity.” 

Beautiful “Rivers” is a compelling composition due to how strong Simons’ voice truly is. She kicks it up a notch by singing on a higher pitch, and the higher she goes, the more emotions can be felt. This tune is different from the rest by how soft and melodic Simons’ voice is while singing with strong emotions. She uses her voice to shine on “Rivers,” and it is mesmerizing how she carries herself through the whole piece.

Magical “Twilight Reverie – The Hypnagogic State” displays solid drum playing from van Weesenbeek. Throughout the entire tune, van Weesenbeek shakes the background with rhythmic drum beats that blend in well with the rest of the instrumentation, and it seems like each drum beat has a swift kick of rock and roll behind it. If people want to hear a tune that has dynamic drum playing, “Twilight Reverie – The Hypnagogic State” can satisfy their needs.

Epica did a great job with Omega. In the end, the vocals and instrumentation shows how bold the band is with their music.