Forostar
Ancient Mariner
1."Samadhi (Prelude)" – 1:26
2."Resign to Surrender (A New Age Dawns, Part IV)" – 6:18
3."Unleashed" – 5:48
4."Martyr of the Free Word" – 5:03
5."Our Destiny" – 6:00
6."Kingdom of Heaven (A New Age Dawns, Part V)" – 13:35
7."The Price of Freedom (Interlude)" – 1:14
8."Burn to a Cinder" – 5:40
9."Tides of Time" – 5:33
10."Deconstruct" – 4:13
11."Semblance of Liberty" – 5:42
12."White Waters" (feat. Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica) – 4:44
13."Design Your Universe (A New Age Dawns, Part VI)" – 9:28
I am in awe by this awesome record.
Really their best effort I think.The new guitar played Isaac Delahaye certainly made his impact with his beautiful solos. We knew him from his work with God Dethroned and I am glad Epica takes advantage of this quality.
Marta (my wife) made a review about it, check it out, if interested:
Epica – “Design Your Universe”
by Marta Samitowska
Big orchestral arrangements, choirs and the bombast reminiscent of epic film soundtracks. Yes, another Epica’s album is out. It’s not that difficult to recognize them when “Samadhi” – the album’s intro – begins. But is “Design Your Universe” simply just another typical Epica CD? On the one hand, all the ingredients of the Epica-style are there. Yet on the other hand, everything is presented to us in a newer and improved form.
Epica's songs' structures have always been quite elaborate. But this time they are even more complex. Almost every composition on this album - whether it's a 5 -minute long track or a 13-minute long epic - is rich and far from simple. This time it really takes a while before one gets familiar with all the songs well. I've given this album already more than 10 spins, but I still cannot say that I know it well. There are no sing-along choruses a la "Cry For The Moon" that stay in your head already after the first listening. Maybe because there is so much going on in the songs and because of fewer repetitions, the melodies are this time a bit less in the foreground. But that doesn’t mean they are not beautiful or catchy. I just think this time there’s more emphasis put on other elements, such as groove, rhythm and tempo changes and some new arrangements. It is also the Epica’s first CD recorded with drummer Arien van Weesenbeek and guitarist Isaac Delahaye – both ex-God Dethroned - as permanent band members.
The song that follows the intro – “Resign to Surrender” – is the best example of it. It represents “Design Your Universe” quite well, with its heaviness, powerful grunts, strong vocals of singer Simone, powerful drums, and nice choirs. It’s a good headbanger and a perfect “opening” track. What would be the other highlights of this album? Hmm, it’s quite hard to say, since almost every song is an interesting piece of music. Would it be the atmospheric “Our Destiny” with its beautiful bridges and chorus? Or “Deconstruct” with the nice interaction in the chorus between the grunts and Simone’s vocals and catchy choir middle? Or “Kingdom of Heaven” – the album’s epic centrepiece – with a solid instrumental passage with some slight progressive elements. It also contains some dramatic spoken passage of God sending some lost soul at the gates of Heaven back to Earth (or at least that’s how I interpret it). Or the title track with its beautiful chorus sung by the choir that echoes a bit of Tristania on “Beyond the Veil?” Or “Tides of Time,” perhaps the most touching and most beautiful Epica ballad, containing perfect vocals of Simone and a very intense bridge followed by a nice guitar solo?
Speaking of guitar solos: Epica had never really explored this territory in the past. But now with Isaac as their new guitarist - the man known for his great, melodic solos - it would have been a real shame not to use his soloing skills on the new cd. Apart from his solo in the ballad, I also really like the one in “Kingdom of Heaven.” The overall guitar sound is also richer and more varies. The elements such as the calm, acoustic intro to the title song, or the guitars in the verses of “Martyr of the Free Word” or the Metallica-like clean guitars in “White Waters,” are all new for the band.
What I also love about this album is the use of the choirs. I have always been a fan of the Epica choirs, especially on the second and the third album. But on “Design Your Universe” the arrangements are even better: more playful, more original and more sophisticated. The choirs don’t just sing along; they have their own independent parts, arranged with a real finesse. They are not just an addition or an embellishment. They really add a lot to the compositions. I think they are a bit more atmospheric this time. There are more layers to them. Also the male voices play a bigger role this time (e.g. Gregorian-like passages in “Martyr of The Free Word”). The nicest choir parts for me are the chorus of the title track, and the second half of the single “Unleashed”- there the choirs are really masterly woven into the composition!
Although Epica has always had a big following and has gained lots of critical acclaim, I still sometimes had the impression that some die-hard metal-heads or elitist "femme metal"-lovers, still never took the band that seriously. Well, Epica has nothing more to prove. With "Design Your Universe" they have shown they can create a real heavy metal album with many headbang moments and powerful grunts, but at the same time still stay true to their bombastic sound. It is a challenging album. Not only for the band, by incorporating some new elements (guitar solos), expanding their sound (e.g. a bit of different choir arrangements, richer guitar sound) and playing with the song structures (more tempo and rhythm changes than ever before). But also for the fans. I'm also glad that Epica hasn't taken a more commercial path, which might have been tempting having seen their fellow bands Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation or Nightwish reach the mainstream audience more and more. Instead they've produced their most complex, most mature and most metal album so far.
where did you get it? 