Epica's 'Ωmega' - Album Review

For those of us who love symphonic metal, the Netherlands' Epica are one of the most exciting bands. While other bands in the genre have, almost, crossed over into the mainstream here in the UK and can now fill arenas; Epica have continued to diversify their sound and push themselves into heavier and more progressive territories. This is certainly not meant to be a slight against bands like Within Temptation and Nightwish who have gained success beyond which is usually enjoyed by symphonic metal bands, as I really love both (especially Nightwish, who remain an extremely creative force), but there is really something special about Epica - and their reluctance to water down their sound (something which Within Temptation could certainly be accused of) to appeal to the masses. Not that Epica need to do so, as they are a still very popular band despite their dense and progressive sound. It has been great following them here in the UK over the past decade or so and seeing them somewhat rise through the ranks. They are now able to pull in healthy crowds on multiple UK shows, and their tours are always much-anticipated events in the UK metal scene. I have seen the band live a handful of times over the years, and they always put on a great show. They are the sort of band that makes their complex music come across so effortlessly live; and this is partly because they always look like they are having a tonne of fun. This sense of fun often finds its way onto their albums, despite the heavy lyrical themes that are often touched upon, but perhaps it is best observed in their most recent release. Ωmega, the band's eighth studio album, was released last month following quite a lengthy gap between releases. Recorded during the early parts of 2020, the album's release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic - and this delay contributed to Ωmega following five years after the band's last full-length effort. The long gestation period, however, was worth it in my opinion as Ωmega is a really fantastic album. Despite loving everything the band have put out, Epica are a band that, for me, have only gotten better over time. Both 2014's The Quantum Enigma (which I reviewed here) and 2016's The Holographic Principle (which I also reviewed here) saw the band tightening up their sound while losing none of their progressive flair. For me, Ωmega is the natural continued evolution of Epica's sound - further tightening things up and placing an even greater emphasis this time around on hooks. Epica's songs are always very memorable, despite their complexity, but the majority of the songs on Ωmega really hit home for me after only a couple of listens - which harks back to the accessibility of the band's early work. This is why I feel that the sense of fun that the band exhibit on stage has really been captured here - as there are a lot of huge hooks to be found in and amongst the heaviness, progressive arrangements, and dense orchestral sound. In my view this can be put down to both the gelling of the band's current line-up, who have been together nine years at this point, and another excellent production job courtesy of Joost van den Broek.

As with all of the band's albums, Ωmega opens up with an instrumental orchestral piece. Alpha - Anteludium is typical of the band's usual scene-setters, although possibly less bombastic overall. Coen Janssen's piano melodies and some flute courtesy of regular collaborator Jeroen Goossens open the album up in a gentle fashion - but it is not long before the orchestra and choir join in, slowly ratcheting up the tension until the album segues into Abyss of Time - Countdown to Singularity. Being the album's first single, Abyss of Time is an extremely melodic track - and it is a song that really establishes the core sound of the rest of the album to follow. The sense of fun described earlier can be heard throughout, with many of the hookier moments of 2005's extremely accessible being Consign to Oblivion being channelled here. Frontwoman Simone Simons makes use of her pseudo-operatic vocals during the verses, a style that she has used less and less on the band's recent albums, her trade-offs with Mark Jansen again sounding like a throwback to the band's early work as a result. Much of the song is upbeat, with a soaring chorus that is one of the band's best, but grinding heavy sections are also included. One such section sees Jansen and fellow guitarist Isaac Delahaye slowing things down with something of a doomy bridge passage - their riffing the antithesis of the symphonic and melodic meat of the song. The Skeleton Key follows, and it ups both the overall heaviness and creativeness. While Abyss of Time essentially represents Epica's core sound, The Skeleton Key does something a little different - while still maintaining a familiarity. The song's chorus is very typical for Epica, with lush orchestrations and Simons' powerful vocals, but the verses sound very different for the band with twinkling piano melodies, a rumbling bassline from Rob van der Loo, and poppy, enigmatic vocals from Simons. She sounds very different throughout the song's verses, her almost-whispered approach working well against the playful bass and piano backdrop. Jansen's heavier sections provide a contrast, with more slow-paced riffing to back his growls, but these moment are fairly short-lived - with the focus instead on Simons and her diverse vocal approach. The song only improves as it moves on too, with a children's choir joining in, before Delahaye launches into a brief guitar solo that leads into a final reprise of the hooky chorus. Seal of Solomon opens with some Eastern-tinged melodies, something which will be expanded upon in a later track, but the song as a whole is a perfect representation of where Epica are in 2021. Anyone who has been enjoying the band's recent albums will instantly recognise the sound that they are going for here. The heavier side of the band dominates, with a lot of focus placed on Jansen's growls throughout. He takes the lead throughout the grinding verses, with Ariën van Weesenbeek laying down a creative and groove-based drum pattern behind him. While Simons will always be the star of the band, Jansen's growls have always played an important part in Epica's diversity. While many symphonic metal bands use growls for occasional effect, Jansen has always been a big part of what makes Epica special. He always has a significant role to play, and Seal of Solomon is one of the tracks here that really showcases this - his growled verses contrasting nicely with the choir-led choruses.

Gaia ups the pace after the grinding Seal of Solomon, van Weesenbeek's drums setting the pace, with the guitarists settling in for a good old-fashioned chug throughout. This is another song that seems to hark back to the band's earlier work, with its unabashed symphonic flair and slightly more synth-based orchestrations. There is much less of the band's progressive nature on display here, as this is a song that goes for the throat more with hooks and pace. The song never really slows down at all, and even though Simons dominates the song vocally she adds a bit of grit to her delivery to allow her to compete with the heavier backing. She has been one of the best singers in metal for a long time, but she proves time and time again throughout this album why. In many ways this simpler song feels like a real showcase piece for her, with the melodies again instantly lodging in the brain. Code of Life puts the band's progressive side back on full display however, with the Eastern melodies teased earlier now utilised in a big way. Zaher Zorgati (Myrath) adds some occasional Arabic vocals throughout, his subtle contributions adding to the overall sound of the piece, and the orchestra goes all-out throughout - adding Middle Eastern themes to every part of the diverse and heavy track. Epica have done a number of songs based around Eastern melodies in the past, but this one might be my favourite yet - at least from a melodic perspective. There is a real simplicity to some of the hooks, despite the overall heaviness and dense arrangement, with the chorus here being another winning moment - with some of Simons' best vocals on the album. Those looking for more easy melodies will instantly latch onto single Freedom - The Wolves Within, which has another huge chorus and a punchy riffing style throughout that brings the singles of the band's last couple of albums to mind. Despite the hooks here, this is not as much of a throwback as some of the other songs here. In many ways, the song is another perfect representation of the modern Epica sound - or at least the more accessible side of it. The riffing style throughout is modern and chunky, while the choirs and orchestrations are dense and powerful. There are also moments of true death metal here too, with Jansen growling over some evil-sounding riffs that shake the song up briefly - usually just before Simons launches into another rendition of the hooky chorus. This is another song that is sure to go down well live due to its stadium-ready sound, with a vibe overall that is very similar to previous favourites like The Essence of Silence.

The real progressive centrepiece of the album however is Kingdom of Heaven - Part III: The Antediluvian Universe, which is the longest track here by some distance. Despite the length and diversity found throughout the album, most of the songs here are much shorter than is average for Epica. Only three songs here breach the six minute mark, and this is the only one to exceed 10 minutes. In similar fashion to Epica epics of the past, there is a lot going on throughout the track - but it is one of the highlights here as a result. This is because each part of the song is memorable, and there is nothing here that is added for the sake of length. The full range of Epica's diverse sound is featured here too, with some of the heaviest Jansen-led sections on the album sitting perfectly side by side with Simons' delicate vocals and soaring choruses. The band have done a lot of lengthy tracks in the past, but this is song has already become one of my favourites - and I would not be surprised if the song becomes a live favourite going forward due to the amount of hooks found throughout, perhaps replacing one of their other lengthier pieces. Despite the whole band really pulling together here, the star of the show for me however is Janssen - who's keyboard playing throughout really makes the song what it is. His piano playing throughout is busy and full of virtuosity, while his old-school 1980s-esque synth solo towards the end really comes out of nowhere - but it perfectly fits in with the song's progressive nature. The song is the album's centrepiece as a reason, and it is a track that I am likely to never tire of hearing. After the big 13 minute-plus blow out, it is only fitting that the album should head into calmer waters for a bit of a break - and the gentle Rivers provides such respite. It is the only real ballad of the album, and it strips back the band's core bombast to focus on Janssen's delicate piano work, subtle strings, and Simons' vocals. The song is similar to some of the piano ballads of Epica's past, but due to its position in the tracklist it seems to hit a little harder than usual. I prefer Epica going at full tilt, but there is a real beauty to Rivers - which hits harder following the all-out bombast of the third part of Kingdom of Heaven. The song does get a little more 'full' as it moves on, with drums and guitars joining in to thicken the sound, but it never really deviates from its core identity - with the additional instruments coming in towards the end to boost what was already there, rather than transforming the piece into something more complex.

Synergize - Manic Manifest is a much more groove-based piece. Following the little break provided by Rivers, the band are now ready to rock again - but this is not a particularly fast-paced song. While there are some faster riffs and drum patterns, here, on the whole is much more mid-paced with modern-sounding riffing and a strident, hard rock-esque vocal approach. The song is not as 'manic' as it could have been, but there is still a lot going on here. Moments of drama thanks to the choir, Jansen's harsh vocal-led sections, and the occasional blast beat do add some mania - with a great, technical guitar solo from Delahaye also adding to the overall diversity. It is a track with a lot going on, and as one of the few 'longer' tracks here that is to be expected - but it is a perfect representation of modern Epica as a result. Twilight Reverie - The Hypnagogic State segues straight from the previous song, as it explodes from a quiet moment that Synergize ends on. While the songs are somewhat different in style, they feel like they were written to be together - with one contrasting with the other. There is a lot more pace and drama in this track compared to its predecessor, with the song coming across as much more dynamic as a result. Simons unleashes some of her pseudo-operatic vocals during the pre-choruses, to great effect, while the band's old-school use of spoken work sections is revisited here with Vicky Psarakis (The Agonist) delivering a short, but dramatic, monologue that heralds the arrival of a heavy harsh vocal section and a technical guitar solo. The album comes to a close with Omega - Sovereign of the Sun Spheres, another longer-form track that once again puts progressive songwriting at its core - with plenty of the modern Epica tropes on display throughout. While not as diverse as the third part of Kingdom of Heaven, it is probably the second-most progressive and adventurous piece here - but everything really hangs together well despite the variety. Jansen delivers some of the best harsh vocals of his career during a lengthy death metal section that includes some nasty riffing from him and Delahaye, while the latter launches into a long and technical guitar solo later in the song that might be his best on an Epica album. There are probably more guitar solos Ωmega than on any previous Epica album, which is a real treat as Delahaye is a very underrated lead player in my opinion. Not wanting to be left out either, Simons also lays down some of the album's best vocals during some operatic sections. She focuses less on hooks here, which gives the song more of a denseness than many of the other tracks on the album, but the grandiose approach works to bring everything together perfectly, and it is the perfect way to end the album as a result. Overall, Ωmega is another fantastic album from Epica. Despite only having it for a few weeks, it has already become one of my favourite albums by the band - as the mix of melody and progressive arrangements is possibly the most well-balanced it has been yet. The album is a perfect balance of the hooky, old-school Consign to Oblivion and the modern, progressive The Quantum Enigma - and the result is an album that is both accessible and melodic, as well as challenging and progressive.

The album was released on 26th February 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Abyss of Time - Countdown to Singularity.