Epica - Omega Album Review - The Metal Protocol

Epica return after 5 years in the abyss with their new album Omega, and boy have I been waiting for this one. Any album that is based around a theory that states a point in the future when the universe returns to a final point of unification (the Omega Point) is peak nerd – my kind of thing. The first single released from the album Abyss of Time – Countdown for Singularity was one of the best songs of 2020, and set the stage for an epic (sorry) album. Don’t let me down now!

I challenge you to name a band that does the female soprano/male death growl better than Epica at present? It’s tricky to get right. Plenty of bands do it but it’s often the death growls that sound horribly out of place. However with Epica, they mix it perfectly. Speaking of vocals, Simone Simons has one of the greatest voices in metal, her voice providing a focal point to captivate and mesmerise.

So what have we got here? A suitably prolonged intro, perfectly building up to that standout 2020 track Abyss of Time – containing the best breakdown of the year (don’t @ me). Latest single The Skeleton Key slows the pace to give us a tasty slice of 7 string chugged ballad. Seal of Soloman brings a distinct oriental twist, and actually reminds me a lot of Dimmu Borgir in the orchestral composition. So far the way the tracks twist and turn keeps things constantly interesting.

Kingdom of Heaven Prt. 3 – The Antedeludim Universe, at over 13 minutes is the centrepiece of the album. Much like 99% of brutal death metal, Epica don’t make it easy to remember the names of their tracks! For the first 3 minutes, Rivers pushes all instruments deep into the back of the mix, leaving Simone’s vocals to take centre stage. When, and only when, you have a vocalist of the supreme talent of Epica can this work. Here, it works magically.

At 70 minutes it’s a long album, and often power metal albums that venture into that length get oversaturated before the last couple of tracks. However, the prolonged symphonic elements and the sheer grandeur of the final product keep Omega from ever feeling tedious.

If I had to sum up Omega in a single word? Compelling. There really is a huge amount packed into this album, but the execution is spot on. It was always going to be hard to beat their legendary album The Phantom Agony. But Epica have done it here with a magnificent album. Simply calling it epic doesn’t do it the justice it deserves.

Score: 9/10

If you enjoyed this post then please share with your fellow metal and non-metalheads. Also please follow The Metal Protocol on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you!