Epica
We Will Take You With Us

THE REVIEW

Tracklist:

    1. "Façade of Reality"

    2. "Sensorium"

    3. "Illusive Consensus"

    4. "Cry For The Moon"

    5. "The Phantom Agony"

    6. "Seif Al Din"

    7. "Feint"

    8. "Run For A Fall"

    9. "Memory"

In some people's opinion, they might have overdone it. But the final result is amazing! Making everything more majestic, besides the group (and thus the splendid voice of Simons), are three violinists, three cellists, six female singers, and two male singers.

The DVD opens with "Façade of Reality", a fantastic song not only musically but also for the depth of every single word in the lyrics. During a purely orchestral interlude, a voice recites:

"For those who lost their lives on September 11th and those who mourn them; now is the time to find the strength to build a community. Let this be their memorial monument."

"Façade of Reality" is characterized by constant changes in speed and by the usual call and response between Simons' angelic voice and Mark's powerful growl & scream. It is quite a heavy song (especially in the intro) that symphonic metal enthusiasts will surely love.

The journey continues with the philosophical "Sensorium", masterfully interpreted by Simons, and why not, made very interesting by the presence of the choir that (and it shows) works hard not just vocally, but also in terms of engagement: the continuous gestures of understanding, the smiles exchanged between Simons and some of its members, show the camaraderie and harmony that reign in that studio.

The third track is "Illusive Consensus", a song with profound lyrics, but not very significant musically speaking.

Moving on, we find "Cry For The Moon", a true pearl generated by Mark's genius. A protest song against the wrongdoings of the Church, music as never purely orchestral yet heavy at the same time, thanks to the powerful growl of the guitarist-singer-composer (a jack of all trades, in short) and made visually interesting by the headbanging of the group and the enchanting Simons, who in this track brings out the best of herself by delivering a surprising lyrical vibrato.

We pass to "The Phantom Agony", where it's almost the choir that dominates (intro, chorus, and various song parts entirely sung by this latter) along with Jansen's voice. What is noticeable is surely the length of the song (9:10 min), which however does not compromise listening, never being trivial but having, just like "Façade of Reality" constant changes in speed.

The first part titled "The Works" concludes with the devilishly heavy "Seif Al Din", a bit out of the ordinary (double pedal flurry in various points, growl as the main voice and Arabic instruments), perhaps the most interesting to listen to but surely not the best song produced by Epica.

The second part, titled "Acoustic", contains three songs played with piano and cello and sung by Simons and the two main female singers. Thanks to these three tracks, we can fully appreciate Simone's angelic voice, and, why not, relax after the emotion of live heavy metal.

The third part is the making of the DVD, which can be watched either without subtitles or with English subtitles. Nothing wrong for those who know English, but those who don't understand it well will have to limit themselves to hearing Simons and others say incomprehensible things. 

We now move on to the "Extra", where we find the music videos of "The Phantom Agony", "Feint" and their respective making, which however have the same flaw as the DVD making. Continuing, we are "introduced" to the singers ("The Voices Of The Phantom Agony"), after which we can enjoy the "Slide Show", i.e., the most significant photos of the "2 Meter Sessies" and read the discography of Epica. 

In conclusion, an exciting DVD, especially for those who love Symphonyc (present!) and, consequently, for those who adore Epica. The only flaws are the "Extra", not very interesting (perhaps totally useless) for those who don't know Dutch or, worse, who are ignorant of English.

Rating: ****°

Post-review considerations: It's my first review, moreover written for a DVD, be lenient and, please, give me good advice to continue writing reviews! Thank you! :P