Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

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Band
Epica
Title
The Divine Conspiracy
Type
LP/EP
Company
Nuclear Blast
YOR
2007
Style
Gothic/Symphonic
11/7/2008 - Review by: Vinaya Saksena

Epica
The Divine Conspiracy

Company: Nuclear Blast
Release: 2007
Reviewer: Vinaya
Genre: Gothic, prog

  • Growly male vocals puts a major damper on this album



  • Now, this one is just plain frustrating! This ambitious entry into the increasingly crowded subgenre of female-fronted, semi-symphonic prog-thrash something-or-other pushes many of the right buttons--and not just the ones the record companies tell female-fronted metal bands to push, either. So who's to blame for this less-than-glowing review? Cookie Monster, that's who!

    At least that's the way it sounds. Thankfully, Epica's principal voice on record is the superbly smooth-voiced mezzo-soprano (so sez the press release) of Simone Simons, and when she's at the helm, the band sounds its best for it. Rudely interrupting the splendid pageantry on many occasions, however, is a male voice that sounds suspiciously like that gruff-voiced, cookie-craving, blue-haired critter from Sesame Street. Actually, the liner notes say it's rhythm guitarist and songwriter Mark Jansen who's to blame for the aforementioned gurgling, though the indistinct and decidedly unmusical sound his voice produces could easily be mistaken for Cookie Monster or one of his countless vocal imitators in the death metal genre.

    As you might have surmised, Jansen's tuneless growls drastically reduce my enjoyment of this otherwise well-conceived record. And it frustrates me as a reviewer, because the band members have obviously put a lot of work into The Divine Conspiracy, which combines typical female-voiced, goth-metal pomp and circumstance with elements of Dream Theater-inspired prog-metal and thrash. The execution is flawless, and the arrangements smart, particularly on "Fools of Damnation" (part of the multi-part "The Embrace that Smothers") and the album's first full song, "The Obsessive Devotion," which kicks in after a two-minute prologue called "Indigo."

    Honestly, I hate to sound superficial, but for me, that one bothersome factor of the growly male vocals puts a major damper on this album, which might have received another star or more from me otherwise. I admire the band's musical ambition and thought-provoking, sometimes introspective lyrics, but for best results I would recommend that in the future Jansen heed the advice of the late Frank Zappa--Shut up and play yer guitar!


    • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
      2.5 :AVE RATING

    ALL REVIEWS FOR: EPICA
    TITLE
    DOR
    COMPANY
    REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
    Consign To Oblivion
    2005
    The End
    Ken Pierce1/16/2006
    -
    Epica vs Attack on Titan Songs
    2018
    Nuclear Blast
    Greg Watson9/27/2018
    3.5
    Requiem for the Indifferent
    2012
    Nuclear Blast
    Greg Watson3/28/2012
    4
    The Divine Conspiracy
    2007
    Nuclear Blast
    Vinaya Saksena11/7/2008
    2.5
    The Holographic Principle
    2016
    Nuclear Blast
    Greg Watson11/1/2016
    4.5
    The Phantom Agony
    2004
    Transmission Records
    Ken Pierce6/9/2004
    -
    We Will Take You With Us
    2005
    The End
    Ken Pierce1/2/2006
    -
    We Will Take You With Us
    2005
    The End
    Veritas8/17/2005
    -

    ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: EPICA
    INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE


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