"Menace of Vanity" by Epica from The Divine Conspiracy

Hm, interesting violin—yikes! Like Nightwish's "Nemo", the Dutch band Epica to like leading into rapid-beat drums. (Hey, it keeps you awake.)

Then some barely-audible growling enters the song, and I grimace every time I hear it. The tempo and music flow together with obvious intention, but it's not very memorable, at least not for me. I do like what Epica does with the strings, though, and the drum works very well (though it gets fast!).

Lyricwise, the song matches the religion concept album it's on (The Divine Conspiracy). "Menace of Vanity" speaks of a refusal to "join the games" demanded by a "misplaced sense of superiority; the result of your unbearable form of vanity."

And that's it to the lyrics. Sounds to me like Epica is calling vain those who denounce sin.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting the lyrics. It may just be denouncing those who do play hypocritical games, but I do know I've listened to the song four times in a row and don't have any of the words sticking in my head. Even Rebecca St. James can beat that.

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Lyrics: 3/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 3/5
Overall: 6/10

"The Valley" by Epica from The Score

Oops. I pick a song from Epica's MySpace page to review, and it happens to be one of their (few?) instrumental songs.

The Dutch metal band Epica doesn't seem to be heard of much, and usually it's only referenced in comparison to more popular foreign bands like Within Temptation and Nightwish. This particular song was more remeniscent of Within Temptation's earliest from Enter, though not as good.

That's not to say the music wasn't attractive. It was in the dark epic adventure kind of way. The orchestral elements meld in a way that people who like the style will find attractive. (Think the foreboding action songs from The Lord of the Rings' soundtracks, toss in a bit more cliché, and you'll have "The Valley.")

Though I know I've not heard "The Valley" before, in each part of it I feel like I'm in the middle of a musical number I've heard far too many times. I can't identify what precisely it reminds me of; perhaps bits and pieces of sci-fi TV shows' music combined. That's the closest that I can come up with.

It's not bad. I just don't find it "wow!"ing or even memorable.

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Lyrics: n/a
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): n/a
Overall: 6/10