{"id":52855,"date":"2016-09-08T07:50:44","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T12:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=52855"},"modified":"2016-09-08T07:50:44","modified_gmt":"2016-09-08T12:50:44","slug":"epica-the-holographic-principle-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2016\/epica-the-holographic-principle-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Epica | The Holographic Principle"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis<\/span>
\n– Sr. Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"epica_thp_500\"Epica – THE<\/strong> quintessential Symphonic Metal act – is poised to release its latest evolutionary gem entitled The Holographic Principle<\/em>. Die-hard fans of the band will certainly not be disappointed, and Epica weaves enough conventional elements into its sonic tapestry that their seventh studio release will garner a large number of new supporters. Full of traditional bombast and fire, The Holographic Principle<\/em> will stand as one of Epica\u2019s strongest symphonic outings, yet there are countless passages that will appeal to fans of Classical, Orchestral, Operatic, and almost every other Metal genre.<\/p>\n

Fronted by the ever powerful voice of Simone Simons, Epica continues to mix sci-fi & gothic themes into its lyrics and music. In the case of The Holographic Principle, the band’s tone has shifted to the positive. Simons does her usual very capable job with her operatic vocals but spends more time singing in a crisp and clean conventional fashion than on previous releases. She shares the mic with guitarist\/growler Mark Jansen to deliver a solid one-two vocal punch. Their voices are backed by one of the tightest bands active today: keyboard player Coen Janssen, drummer Arien Van Weesenbeek, guitarist Isaac Delahaye, and bassist Rob Van Der Loo. Their long time collaboration shows as their musical delivery is near perfect.<\/p>\n

In the band’s own words The Holographic Principle<\/em> explores \u201cthe very fibre of our reality\u201d in a Matrix-inspired way. The album opens with the powerful mood piece \u201cEidola\u201d \u2013 a track with lush keyboards and strong choral vocals that build in power as it progresses. The decidedly bouncy and upbeat \u201cEdge of the Blade\u201d features a wandering vocal pathway that goes from Simone’s soft and near-whispered clean singing to her full on operatic power, while Jansen’s guttural growls and fabulous choral vocals from the rest of the band provide a strong melodic counterpoint. \u201cA Phantasmic Parade\u201d features a good deal of Simone’s vibrant operatic range and plenty of Jansen’s growls. The Terminator\/ kynet inspired \u201cUniversal Death Squad\u201d is a full-on symphonic attack build on manic drums, thrashy guitars, and booming bass with plenty of over-the-top choral vocals mixed in. By this point the overall warmth and depth of Epica’s effort become truly apparent \u2013 they have moved away from synthesized instruments and toward \u201creal\u201d physical strings, brass, and winds \u2013 a noticeable sonic difference. \u201cDivide And Conquer\u201d features some great vocal back and forth between Simons and Jansen.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond The Matrix\u201d is arguably the best track on the CD \u2013 a rolling, theatrical, triumphant tune that snaps from orchestral madness to vocal\/bass Hard Rock and back \u2013 the essence of Epica. The band softens to violin and strings during the sweeping \u201cOnce Upon A Nightmare,\u201d a track that allows the passion in Simone’s voice to shine \u2013 but quickly cranks the intensity back up while searching for answers to \u201cThe Cosmic Algorithm.\u201d The darker, more Gothic side of Epica shows itself thanks to Mark Jansen’s superb growls on \u201cAscension – Dream State Armageddon\u201d, and a brief spoken passage that sums up the story of the release. Middle Eastern and Asian overtones (thanks to some well done exotic instruments) make \u201cDancing in a Hurricane\u201d unique \u2013 almost a folk metal tune, while \u201cTear Down Your Walls\u201d rolls in some soft atmospheric touches before becoming an intense Symphonic\/Progressive heavy rocker. The eleven minute plus epic \u201cThe Holographic Principle – A Profound Understanding Of Reality\u201d sums up the album \u2013 running that gamut from choral chant to soft piano to bluesy guitars to \u2026 well, you get it.<\/p>\n

As always, Epica seems to take the approach that bigger is better, and they thrive on throwing in everything into their music \u2013 including the proverbial kitchen sink. This at times sense of reckless abandon is what makes Epica what they are today \u2013 a fearless and unapologetic act that pulls no punches and always seems to be having fun as they perform. Vibrant vocals, excellent musicianship, maximum effort and a near perfect balance between orchestral majesty and metal swagger make Epica’s The Holographic Principle<\/em> a winner!<\/p>\n

Genre: Symphonic Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nSimone Simons (vocals)
\nMark Jansen (guitars, vocals)
\nCoen Janssen (keyboards)
\nArien Van Weesenbeek (drums, vocals)
\nIsaac Delahaye (guitar)
\nRob Van Der Loo (bass)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tEidola
\n2.\tEdge Of The Blade
\n3.\tA Phantasmic Parade
\n4.\tUniversal Death Squad
\n5.\tDivide And Conquer
\n6.\tBeyond The Matrix
\n7.\tOnce Upon A Nightmare
\n8.\tThe Cosmic Algorithm
\n9.\tAscension – Dream State Armageddon
\n10.\tDancing In A Hurricane
\n11.\tTear Down Your Walls
\n12.\tThe Holographic Principle – A Profound Understanding Of Reality<\/p>\n

Label: Nuclear Blast<\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/www.epica.nl\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis – Sr. Columnist — Epica – THE quintessential Symphonic Metal act – is poised to release its latest evolutionary gem entitled The Holographic Principle. Die-hard fans of the band will certainly not […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":52857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13652],"tags":[2317,1656,339,8929,1100,12734],"class_list":{"0":"post-52855","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2016","8":"tag-cd-review","9":"tag-epica","10":"tag-nuclear-blast","11":"tag-simone-simons","12":"tag-symphonic-metal","13":"tag-the-holographic-principle"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}