THE CLASSICAL CONSPIRACY

EPICA - The Classical Conspiracy is in many ways a fantastic live CD, but at the same time there are parts that can be hard to listen to. The music is fantastic (a little cheesy at times) but the mix of orchestra, choir and metal is pulled off without a hitch. But (and it's a big one in my book), there are issues with this live album that I feel could have been easily avoided.

First the good: This live album is split up into two discs. A major portion of the first disc is all classical/soundtrack music played by the orchestra with the EPICA musicians filling in on guitar, bass, keys and drums. The mix of orchestra and metal on many classic pieces is really interesting to hear. The highlight for me, the song that makes my inner geek sing, is their rendition of John Williams' - Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back. It's truly a head-banging moment. There are a few pieces on which EPICA does not play, one solo piece sung by the lovely Simone Simons, and a beautiful duet with Simone and Angelika Hircsu. Two of the orchestral numbers were written by EPICA's bass player, Yves Huts. The first being very reminiscent of Holst's - Mars, Bringer of War. Starting at Track 12 of the North American version (Track 13 of the European version) EPICA begins their full set and it continues onto and completes disc 2 of the set. The addition of the full orchestra and the choir gives their songs a much fuller sound. Personally I am not a huge fan of live CDs, as I prefer watching live acts, or DVDs instead, but EPICA live sounds nearly as good as they do on their studio recordings. Simone Simons' voice is stunning and is a excellent counterpoint to Mark Jansen's grunting vocals.

Now the bad: The band banter with the crowd is really distracting. This is just my personal opinion, but I don't need to hear a lot of band banter on a live recording ("Are you having a good time?...crowd screams....Are you having a good time?....crowd screams again" yes I am. Get on with the CD). On a DVD it's fine and even welcomed, but on an audio CD I find it unnecessary. Also band banter shouldn't overlap the song intros. I want to hear the musicians play. One final nitpick. Did the sound engineer have microphones pointed at the audience? The clapping during some of the songs was far too loud, and on the intro to Cry for the Moon the clapping along is really out of place (out of rhythm too) and distracting. It's a real shame on such a lovely intro.

Bottom line: This is an excellent CD for any fan of EPICA. If you are a fan of symphonic metal in general then the first disc would be a real treat. For EPICA fans this CD will be a 5 star rating. For fans of the genre in general it's a solid 4. Although the production value could have been better, it's not enough for me not to recommend this CD.