New Epica Album(Requiem for the Indifferent) out on March 9th 2012

http://www.epica.nl/?page=news&show=archive

'I'm in tears of excitement right now.New Epica record!It's the 2nd time I've ever anticipated a new Epica realease(been a fan since TDC) and I am absolutely in love with the title.'Requiem for the Indifferent' is such a ironic,yet very true statement.And it's coming out very soon(3 months left!) Show me your excitement!

Yes, I am absolutely excited!! It seems to me like this will be a rather deep record, which really does make sense seeing how crazy this world is becoming...

There's no words for how excited I am for this album to come out. Argh still so much time to go.
Luckily we got the tracklisting and cover now, all very dark



1. Karma
2. Monopoly On Truth
3. Storm The Sorrow
4. Delirium
5. Internal Warfare
6. Requiem For The Indifferent
7. Anima
8. Guilty Demeanor
9. Deep Water Horizon
10. Stay The Course
11. Deter The Tyrant
12. Avalanche
13. Serenade Of Self-Destruction

The titles are a bit MaYaN-ish, but I'm SO excited! Too bad I can't attend the releaseparty any more. ):

So many details, apparently a cashing machine, cross, keys, hunting things, mask, a blooming tree, gas meter..

Interesting

Only thing that now saddens me is " Although you have to wait some more to know how it sounds" on the official site x''S. Bugger.

It sounds like it's going to be a very political album to me!
I agree with Eline about the track titles, very 'MaYaN' sounding indeed

The bonus tracks are called Twin Flames and Nostalgia

EPIC songtitles..

*.* What awesome titles!
Can we have the album sooner?!

Mindblow.

I really enjoy the album titles!It seems that the theme of war is very proeminent cover is very nice,it has lots of symbols on which I cant yet put my fingers on,but over all,I still prefer the cover of DYU
Yeah,the titles are quite Mayan-ish but i hope it sounds nothing like Mayan.It still needs to be Epica:heavy,melodic and VERY F*CKING EPIC!

Came here to post that!It”s good that we have a more official version of the song now,unlike that damn radio stream
If this is the worst song on the album I can safely say that this is album is going to be among my top favourites of 2012

Quote :

TADAA!!

Here we are with the first official teaser of the upcoming album Requiem for the Indifferent, which will be released by Nuclear Blast on March 9th (March 13th in the US). This time however we're doing it like no one has done before, by weekly releasing an extra layer of music, giving our fans a little more insight in the complexity and the different aspects of EPICA's music.
As this is the first video in the series, you'll only hear Arien's drums. However, the next 7 weeks we will add layer by layer, and make the sample longer and longer. Through these videos we will also weekly release backstage pictures, pieces of the album artwork, tour updates, etc, to make the wait for the album just a little bit more bearable! So maybe it is a good thing to subscribe yourself to the official EPICA YouTube channel, and be sure you hear the new layer of music as soon as we post it there.

I'm in love with the layer idea!The drums sound incredible so far!

Quote :

Epica releases "Storm the Sorrow", the first single from the eagerly awaited 5th album Requiem for the Indifferent. This new album from the Dutch Symphonic Metal giants will be released by Nuclear Blast on the 9th of March (13th of March in the USA).

commented by the band: The song "Storm the Sorrow" is the obvious choice for us to release as a first single. It has all the Epica ingredients and also a catchy groove but still is a powerful metal-song. Lyrically, Storm the Sorrow deals with criticism and how to handle that on every level. Funny fact: when we were working on this song, the working title was "Signature" because the rhythm which is used in the verse is based on Yves' signature!

Storm the Sorrow will give you a small insight on what to expect from the new album Requiem for the Indifferent but will also leave you wanting for more!! A video of the song will be shot later this month and will show the band in a way you have never seen before.
You can get the single as a 1-track single download including the original artwork.

Go to the band's official site in order to download .The 2nd teaser is also up there!

[quote]

The 3rd teaser so far! Featuring the rhythm guitars!Honestly I wouldn't be dissapointed if at least this part of the song doesn't have any vocals at all,it sounds jusg plain awesome!DAT RIFF!

PEOPLE,Y U NO INTERESTED IN DISCUSSING THE NEWS????
Anyway,have some samples:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Requiem-for-the-Indifferent/dp/B0075G6IFI/ref=sr_shvl_album_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1328835654&sr=301-5
I have a feeling this album is going to be even better than DYU.FirSt,judging by these samples I can say that the choir will take a very important place within the album as heared on Karma.AlsO I feel it will be more melodic,but that could just be me.So far, I am in love with the samples of Delirium and Serenade of Self-Destruction.They seem to have brilliant Simone moments,and the piano and strings sound tear-dropping beautiful.The latter has a very TPA feel to it,it could be a worth candidate for my new fave song Also,I had a feeling that the title track would have oriental influences just like Fools of Damnation and a good chunk of other songs.Might be on the list too Otherwise,the album seems pretty much in vein of the last two,just more polished and beautiful

WTF WHY AM I JUDGING AN ALBUM ONLY BY A FEW SAMPLES? :O

I love the samples, OMG!! And I also think it'll be their best album again!

I'm glad I'm not the only one I've just realised that there's one month to go(already!?) and we still have to see the official video of Storm the Sorrow by then(hopefully)

I'm honestly not too fond of the new material I've heard so far. Storm The Sorrow is really catchy but it gets way too repetitive. As for the rest of the songs which have leaked/been streaming online lately, I just find them plainly boring; it may be just me. I doubt they've overdone themselves or anything but after the release of such a strong record like DYU, it must be really hard to come up with something as decent as it.

Nevertheless, I'm going to be at their CD release "party" in Tilburg next week. Looking forward to it.

P.S.: Trying to listen more to "Monopoly On Truth" more often so that it hopefully grows on me faster.

You are going to Tillburg?Sweet Jesus,I am jelly right now!

I am listenening to the new album right now.I have heared the first five songs last night but I was too sleepy to continue.Delirium is such a bliss

Thank you!

So yeah, last night was amazing; Epica at their best so far. The show lasted for more than 2 hours, including two encores and an (indeed) special show with pyros and such. On top of that, SiSi wore different outfits and gave her all on stage. I have to admit that I wasn't fond of the new songs at all at first but they've definitely grown a lot on me since last night. I loved the blend between old and new stuff which I was hoping for initially. The full setlist can be found at this location:

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/epica/2012/poppodium-013-tilburg-netherlands-5bdec7e4.html

Thaț is an aweome setlist!Much,much better than on the try-out show!Avalanche

Does ayone want to make a review or to express their opinion regarding the new record?I dont want to be first

At first I really didn't like the album.
I listened to it some twenty times and found it so hard to get into. Then I got Monopoly Of Truth in my head. I like the album, it's musically great but it it's like they've taken a step back. Simone uses a definitely more diverse range of vocal techniques but there's more growls and on RFTI it just trash the atmosphere in most places. It's like having a dog with a sore throat in some places. Terrible.
The choirs on this record and just the music in general are really good, but they sound and bit supressed in places and not all out or as in your face as it was on DYU.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good album,I was just expecting more if I'm honest.

It's prob my favorite from Epica It's way more progressive than the earlier albums and the guitars and Simone's voice are showing a lot more diversity. Avalanche, Serenade, Guilty Demeanor, the title-track and Storm The Sorrow are my favorites atm.
The only songs i didn't love in the beginning were Internal Warfare, Stay The Course and Deep Water Horizon but those have also grown and are part of the perfect combination.

Btw i can't really get why people are complaining about Simone not using her classical voice enough, she is using it more than on the past two albums Just not in every song like TPA.

Ok,I guess it's time I expressed my opioion as well.
I like the album.Yes like is defintely the best word to be used there.Despite being more progressive,Simone's vocals being absolutely nothing short of mindblowing,the album overall didn't do it as well as DYU.I don't know exactly what to say...
First of all,the songwriting.Monopoly on Truth is definetely a masterpiece hands down.I can even call it the EPICA song(by that I don't necessarily mean my favourite,but it has all the elemnts that make Epica Epica.The catchy vocals,the straight-in-your-face choirs,grunts,strings,a great build-up, a very melodic solo).It gives me chills every time I listen to it,it's just pretty much the MOMENTUM of the album,and ironically,I despised the teasers a lot.It's just the 2nd part that makes it all,and recently I've started to dig the first part as well,and now I love it too.There are other songs that did almost the same for me,like Serenade and Avalanche and the delicious Delirium that made me think of brilliant songwriting,Epica at its best.
On the other hand,songs like Deter the Tyrant,Guilty Demeanor and Stay the Course might be the most boring and weakest songs ever written by them.I am sorry for those who like them,but they seem very non-inspired,bland and predictive.
And of course there are the `middle-class` songs(I'm looking at you Internal Warefare,Deep Water Horizon and Storm the Sorrow) which have a lot of potential and I find them pleasent but don't excite me as much as the aforementioned ones,mostly because I feel them very similar with their previous work(except for Warefare,which is very experimental,but just doen't grab me that much,but it has defineteley grown on me .Requiem is a tresspassing song between the ones I love and like,because while being a behemoth of a song,I don't feel it really inspired and I don't think it shines like the previous title tracks.
The instrumental songs(Karma and Anima) are really okay.The intro starts in a very fun way but then it gets more serious when the choir kicks in,and that was quite surprinsing to be honest.Anima,however,sounds like something I've heared before,it doesn't seem that special.
The bonus tracks are better than half of the songs on the album,aspecially Twin Flames,which gives me such a positive vibe,defintely a good ending for the album!I've heared Nostalgia too few times to properly judge it but I remember liking the vocals a lot.

Another issue for me is the mixing,production or whatever.While the vocals,choirs and piano sound crisp-clear the guitar tone is muddy as hell.I know they used that thing on Mayan but I don't like it much.The riffs don't grab me at all.The guitar solos are very good,but there are too few.Bring me back the Burn to a Cinder solo,Isaac!(Kidding,I still want something dfferent)

Now,the vocals.Simone's voice has defintely improved in terms of versatility.I'm not one of those people who cry out for operatic vocals,but damn, those high notes on Avalanche,Serenade and Nostalgia are brilliant .It reminds me a bit of Floor,but Sisi is still Sisi and she's awesome.PERIOD.Mark,however,dissapointed me to no end.The screams have declined in quantity and the grunts seem really boring and not too serious.I am quite sorry for him,as a fangirl .But we all love him anyway <3

LYRICS!Yes the lyrics,as on all Epica albums are some of the most thoughtful,emotional and truthful I've ever heard/read.It seems like Simone is even more involved this time,and she has stepped into the social/philosophical sphere this time.The lyrics of serenade are pure poetry!

All,in all the performance of the band was very good,as usual,they gathered new elemnts such as the prog stuff on Monopoly and Warefare,but at the same time I feel as if they laid back the heaviness and experimentation they had on DYU and replced it with the melodic stuff from CtO(I'm talking about choirs,mostly).Overall it is a really pleasant record,I play it whenever I feel like it.As of now I'd give it a 8.5/10 and rank it as my 3rd Epica album,tied with TDC,after the incredible pair of DYU and TPA(dat atmopshere!haters gonna hate!).But I''ll defintely see it growing in time and I appreciate it even more with every listen

CONGRATULATIONS,EPICA!