Ever wanted to hear a fantastic metal rendition of The Imperial March from Star Wars, complete with dual bass drum assault? I can just imagine Darth Vader rocking out to this one, plus there's also medley's from the Spiderman and Pirates of The Caribbean movies. That and a great deal more is here on Epica's The Classical Conspiracy, the band pay their respects to some of classical music's masterpieces, and of course add a good selection of original Epica material, all on two CDs. Epica's music has always had its share of classical components, and they also released an orchestral album called The Score, which was the soundtrack for the movie "Joyride". So I'm sure the fans of their music will appreciate what Epica have achieved, and welcome both CDs.
The performance captured for The Classical Conspiracy was recorded in Miskolc, Hungary, featuring Epica with a substantial orchestra and choir. It could be argued that Therion are the masters at getting that orchestral/metal combo to sound just right, well while there are differences in their music, Epica show here they also sound amazing.
Disc one titled "Classical Set" is just that, once orchestral opener "Palladium" is over the band join in for the dramatic "Dies Irae". Many classical music enthusiasts will disagree, but the likes of "Presto", "Montagues & Capulets" and "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" sound great with a dose of heavy metal. The last part of this disc has the start of Epica's material, tracks such as "Indigo" from The Divine Conspiracy and "Sensorium" from The Phantom Agony sound fabulous. Disc two "Epica Set", my picks would include "Sancta Terra" also from The Divine Conspiracy and "Illusive Consensus" from The Phantom Agony, speaking of which that title track is on here also, all sounding stellar in this setting. "Consign To Oblivion" is a great track to close with.
Epica's The Classical Conspiracy, is much more than just another metal band doing the whole live orchestral thing, it's what the music of Epica was destined for. There is no need to highlight individual performances, when all those involved were on fire. I was tempted to score this higher, but feel after this live album they have just released their best work yet, with Design Your Universe, so it's only fair that gets the 5/5.
Track list:
CD 1:
1. Palladium
2. Dies Irae
3. Ombra Mai Fu
4. Adagio
5. Spiderman
6. Presto
7. Montagues & Capulets
8. The Imperial March
9. Stabat Mater Dolorosa
10. Unholy Trinity
11. In The Hall Of The Mountain King
12. Pirates Of The Caribbean
13. Indigo
14. The Last Crusade
15. Sensorium
16. Quietus
17. Chasing The Dragon
18. Feint
CD 2:
1. Never Enough
2. Beyond Belief
3. Cry For The Moon
4. Safeguard To Paradise
5. Blank Infinity
6. Living A Lie
7. The Phantom Agony
8. Sancta Terra
9. Illusive Consensus
10. Consign To Oblivion
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