EPICA

This is the second Kamelot’s album that I got after Karma. Epica is the first Kamelot’s concept album. The concept itself was inspired by Goethe’s Faust. You can find the band’s descriptions of the concept at their website.

And now for the tracks…

‘Prologue’: A short and rather quiet track that lead you straight to the next song…

‘Center of the Universe’: This track is really cool; it’s a fast tempo track with more power metal feeling to it, and in the middle part, there’s a female vocal on the background, followed by some heavy riffs.

‘Farewell’: This track follows the previous track very well. Great melody, with fast tempo and orchestration piece as well.

‘Interlude I (Opiate Soul)’: An intersection between the tracks, with some Latin phrases sung by male and female voice.

‘The Edge of Paradise’: Following the interlude, this track is good, and the melodies are quite catchy

‘Wander’: This is a nice, slow track. Great melody and vocals by Khan as well.

‘Interlude II (Omen)’: Another interlude, a short track that then leads to…

‘Descent of the Archangel’: The tempo becoming fast again in this track. More power metal feeling in this track. Luca Turilli of Rhapsody contributed a guitar solo here.

‘Interlude III (At the Banquet)’: A sort of short monolog, followed by some guitar tunes, and then…

‘A Feast for the Vain’: This track also has some catchy melodies and some orchestration parts in the middle.

‘On the Coldest Winter Night’: Another soft and mellow track. The guitar melodies here are great, and Khan’s vocals are also good.

‘Lost and Damned’: This track has a good opening, with piano tunes that followed by the beat. There are also some nice Violin sounds that included in this track.

‘Helena’s Theme’: A short nice track with female only vocals and some orchestration parts here.

‘Interlude IV (Dawn): Following the previous track, this one comes with some short narrations.

‘The Mourning After’: This track has a medium tempo, with some catchy refrains, especially at the ending part.

‘III Ways to Epica’: The last track, but not the least. This track ends the albums very nicely. The chorus was sung by both male and female voice here. Nice melody here and there’s some tempo shifting too that made this track more prog feeling.

Overall, Epica is a great album. I don’t find a single weak track here, and the concepts are quite nice too. Kamelot combined power metal and progressive elements very well here, and this album is definitely worth listening. Highly recommended for prog metal fans.