EPICA – Aspiral – review

EPICA – Aspiral – review
Nuclear Blast

Ah, Epica. They got promoted to my favourite symphonic metal band, circa “The Quantum Enigma”. I’m sure they were pleased to hear that. And they’ve held firm in that position ever since. But it’s been four years since their last proper studio album. For sure, “The Alchemy Project” was fabulous, but have they maintained their quality level on “Aspiral”? Well, that’s a definite hmm.

Whilst I understand the marketing techniques of the modern world, I can’t be doing with all these pre-release videos. I like to digest an album as a whole. Mainly because, when I heard the second ‘single’, “Cross The Divide”, I despised it. Quite the worst thing I’d heard from Epica in aeons.

Now, in the olden days, I wouldn’t have heard it in isolation. It would have been part of the album. It’s also the opening track, so my listening experience was tainted by previous hearings. It’s just as well that the best track on the album is next. “Arcana” is everything I want from an Epica song. It’s a glorious piece of symphonic metal, bombastic without being pretentious A good save.

But for the first time in a long time, I found my attention wandering. Especially, on the three lengthy A New Age Dawn tracks. “Darkness Dies in Light (A New Age Dawns, Part VII)”, “Metanoia (A New Age Dawns, Part VIII)” and “The Grand Saga of Existence (A New Age Dawns, Part IX)” take up 22 minutes of the running time and while some may hanker for the Epica of twenty years ago, I’m not one of them.

Sandwiched inbetween you’re getting “T.I.M.E”, “Apparition” and “Eye of the Storm” which sound like the Epica songs that fill the space between the absolute bangers on earlier releases. But here, they’re filling in the space between other fillings. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very good record. It’s just not great. Which is what Epica have previously delivered.

Granted, the production is superb and, as demonstrated by her solo record, Simone Simons has never been in better voice. But, sitting next to “Omega” in their catalogue, it pales. They’re still one of the best symphonic metal bands around but by their own high standards, this doesn’t really hit the mark.

They’re about to set off on another two years of touring so it’ll be a while before any new songs appear. And for the first time in over a decade, I won’t be slavering with anticipation.

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.