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After Finland with Nightwish, the Netherlands is surely the second country known for its female fronted (gothic) metal bands. Within Temptation, After Forever, Delain, Autumn, The Gathering and off course Epica are the most well known.

If you like their previous album 'Design Your Universe' you don't need to read any further, just buy this new album. After a bombastic intro "Monopoly on Truth" opens rather fast and the standard has been set. The grunt/clean singing vocal combination and beautiful choirs like on the song "Delirium" are a blessing for your ears. Front woman Simone Simons still increases her vocal performance, in the higher regions, but also in the lower ones.

Every know and then Epica serves a little resting point, like the piano part "Anima". Just when you start to doze off on the beautiful piano tunes, the most heavy song "Guilty Demeanor" wakes you up. To mention a favorite or best song is impossible, they are all of high quality. Technical riffs, nice keyboard parts, superb drumming, piano parts, choirs and good vocals are the ingredients of this album. Fans of Therion should also take a listen, because I think they will be pleased by this album too.

Mark Janssen, Isaac Delahaye, Yves Huts, Coen Janssen, Ariën van Weesenbeek and Simone Simons have made an almost perfect album and if I tell you that Sascha Paeth was responsible for the production, I can rest my case.

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