Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Epica - "We Will Take You With Us” - The End/Transmission Records - 2005

Track Listing1. 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 - bonus 10. Falsches Spiel –bonus

Dutch Symphonic Metal sensation Epica bring us a very special recording as a follow-up to their debut album “The Phantom Agony”. On “We Will Take You With Us (2 Meter Sessies) the group presents to the listener a “live-in the studio” recording of their entire debut album with strings and full choir. To make sure that this is not taken as a clone of the first album the group also offers a couple of these numbers performed acoustically and features one unreleased song. This was a band that I found quite by accident when I was looking into After Forever. When I read that Epica (formerly called Sahara Dust) was formed by the guitarist who had left After Forever I knew this would be in the vein of music that I was appreciating. Mark Jansen’s discovery of Simone Simons allowed him to being a different level of player to the Operatic Fronted Metal band and this is surely not a secondary version of his former group either. A singer like Simone Simons brings the Mezzo Soprano as band superstar a possibility and showcasing an album where they perform live in a closed setting shows you that this group can indeed play and does so with very little difference from the fully recorded and produced release “The Phantom Agony”. Those that already own the debut might find this interesting more for the variations and the bonus tracks.

One of the surprises was the inclusion of the song “Memory” from the Broadway musical “Cats”. Simone does a great rendition on this song that was once performed by Barbara Steisand and I think Andrew Lloyd Webber would approve of it. They also feature a German rendition of the track “Run For A Fall” which fans of alternate versions would appreciate the band giving them. My favorites on the CD are “Façade Of Reality” and “Seif Al Din”. Overall this is an impressive piece and falls in line with the type of music fans of Nightwish and Therion tend to follow. There is a companion DVD available and on this you are able to watch this same performance and enjoy some extras. I recommend this primarily for those that really enjoy the debut CD for its added difference and perhaps for those that find this level of music of interest.

Rating: 8/10


Official Web site: http://www.Epica.nl
Epica - We Will Take You With Us - 2005 - The End/Transmission Records

Track Listing1. Facade of Rality 2. Sensorium 3. Illusive Consensus 4. Cry for the Moon 5. The Phantom Agony 6. Seif al Din 7. Feint (acoustic version) 8. Run for a Fall (acoustic version) 9. Memory

Epica are part of the new wave of Dutch female-fronted gothic bands that also includes the likes of After Forever and Within Temptation. Led by guitarist/screamer Mark Jansen and beautiful (not to mention talented) frontwoman Simone Simmons, they manage to create some beautiful albeit unoriginal music. They are also very good at contrasting different elements of their songs - operatic female vocals and aggressive male vocals are both used with a nice variance. Along the same lines, there are lots of fast, heavy guitar led parts in addition to slower, keyboard driven melodies. Epica aren’t a band that’s afraid of the spotlight, and with only a few releases they have risen to the top of their scene.

We Will Take You With Us doesn’t really have any new or exciting material for Epica fans out there. It’s basically most of the songs from their debut album, The Phantom Agony, in a different order. The only song here that was previously unreleased is “Memory” – a song taken from the musical “Cats.” In addition, “Feint” and “Run For A Fall” are both acoustic tracks, taken from an appearance on the 2 Meter Sessies, a Dutch program. They both consist mainly of Simone singing, accompanied by a piano. Her voice really shines on these two songs, more so than on any of the others on this release. Instead of having to compete (for lack of a better word) with the other instruments, Simone is given the full freedom her voice deserves.

I’m not going to go into detail about the other tracks on the album, because that’s already been done. In fact, I’m a bit puzzled to why Epica even bothered to release all of them together like this – they’re already out on The Phantom Agony. Why not release an EP with the two acoustic songs, the “Cats” cover, and maybe one other track? Maybe it’s because EP’s only sell for $5, while “albums” go for $15. I’m not going to draw any rash conclusions (but feel free to do so on your own) at this point, but I’d hope that this isn’t a sign that Epica are planning to walk down the over-commercialized path that often plagues bands in this genre. I’m not saying exposure isn’t good, and they do have a lot of commercial appeal (as their music is relatively accessible) but excessive (and semi-pointless) releases such as this are never a good thing. They still have great material at this point in their careers – I just hope that isn’t compromised in the future.

Unless you’re just dying to hear a few acoustic Epica tracks, don’t bother picking this up (unless it comes with the 2 Meter Sessies DVD that was also released, that might be worth it but I haven’t seen it). You’re better off getting The Phantom Agony, where the tracks are in their proper order (an order which suits them much better). In fact, if you really want to hear Simone shine, pick up the new Kamelot album, The Black Halo. She accompanies Roy Khan beautifully on “The Haunting.” In fact, “The Haunting” is the best performance Simone has done – the overall song and her contribution are far superior to anything Epica’s done.



--Veritas 08.14.05