Epica – Discography Ranking

Epica need no introduction. They are currently on the dawn of their third decade of existence having released 8 full length albums, EPs with original songs, and many other stuff in between. Their name was starting to show even from their debut “The Phantom Agony” and with each release bringing them more fans, they have now been cemented as a leading force not only in Symphonic Metal, but Metal in general. The fact that we saw them occupying the opening slot for supergroups like Metallica is not a coincidence. Their name does not lack in comparison when put next to bands like Nightwish or Within Temptation. 

An essential distinguishing factor from the above mentioned bands of the same genre, is that Epica are a team first and foremost. They do not have one songwriter. When they are on stage, they do not rely on their vocalist to carry the show. All members shine equally, are expert musicians, have their own personality during their performances and most importantly you witness a band having fun and enjoying every minute of it, without compromising professionalism. The same teamwork goes during their time in the studio. 

At the time of this article, Epica are working on the successor of “Omega”, so the ranking will consist of their 8 first albums. We could also include some of the EPs like “Solace System” or “The Alchemy Project”, but due to their different scope the comparison would be uneven. Still you can check those EPs as they are great. 

8) The Divine Conspiracy (2007)

Let’s start by saying that Epica do not have any bad albums. Even their weaker full-lengths are some of the best moments the genre of Symphonic Metal has to offer. But we have to start somewhere and “The Divine Conspiracy” takes the bullet. You may recognise the opener of the album called The Obsessive Devotion, one of Epica’s faster moments that was part of their setlist for the last couple of years. There are other hits like Chasing the Dragon, Never Enough and Sancta Terra, we have our usual long-duration epic that is the title track and my favorite Fools of Damnation with some middle eastern melodies. In this album we see Epica following a heavier path as a whole after the full symphonic approach of “Consign to Oblivion” and Simone distancing herself from the operatic singing of the first two albums. 

7) Design your Universe (2009)

This one’s position may create some uproar. From the start we are welcomed by a great collection of songs including the fan favorite Unleashed and a part of the Kingdom of Heaven saga. But I have to admit that after this powerful beginning of consecutive greatness, the latter half cannot compete. Not because the songs are bad, but because the first half of the album is unmatched. We also have perhaps the only ballad of Epica that does not resonate with me, White Waters. In this album Epica follow an even heavier approach than the previous “The Divine Conspiracy” and enter the experiment phase in order to find the sound identity that will lead them to the top (which they succeeded doing a few years later). I have to give extra credit for the neck breaking opening of the bonus track Incentive.

6) Consign to Oblivion (2005)

Being the second entry in the Epica discography, the album continued on the path their debut carved,  but this time orchestrations are more dominant, the Metal part is taking a step back (on the most part at least, there are some heavy outbursts here and there) and the focus is purely on the melodies themselves. Apart from the title track that has solidified its place as the closing moment of all Epica concerts, we have a long time to come across any other moment of the album during the band’s latest events. But don’t let that deceive you, “Consign…” consists only of great music with no filler in sight. Not many songs of the genre can top The Last Crusade, Blank Infinity or Quietus. Simone is also accompanied by the great Roy Khan (Conception, ex. Kamelot) during the straight out of a Disney movie song, Trois Vierges. Ultimately “Consign to Oblivion” is more of a great music album than a great metal album, but that’s a part of its charm and I love it deeply for that. 

5)  Requiem for the Indifferent (2012)

Another odd ranking I have to admit. “Requiem…” has many progressive elements with the band being in full experimentation phase. It would indeed rank lower until I gave it a few listens recently and remembered what a great record it is. Its biggest drawback is perhaps the lack of hit songs, as apart from Storm the Sorrow how many other titles can you name? But regardless, the album is great, even if it needs a couple of listens to get used to. In contrast to what happens in “Consign to Oblivion”, during “Requiem…” we have perhaps the heaviest form of Epica, with orchestrations playing a minor part. There is of course an abundance of choirs and there is no lack of beautiful moments, with Deep Water Horizon shining. The title track along with Serenade of Self-Destruction, are some of the band’s greatest long tracks. For the trivia, the first prints of the physical format had Serenade of Self-Destruction without the vocals, an issue that was amended in later copies. Until I saw an update from their record company, I thought it was just an instrumental. 

4) The Phantom Agony (2003)

The first seeds of Epica were planted by Mark Jansen during his time at After Forever. After his departure due to musical differences, he created a new band called Sahara Dust, that later was renamed to the band we all know and love. “The Phantom Agony” is similar to the first two albums released by After Forever, but with Simone instead of Floor Jansen on vocals. The debut’s songs are straightforward and to the point, guitars are focusing on rhythm and serve a support role, and the drumming while good is simpler than what we are used to today (different drummer behind the kit). Simone is also trying to sound more operatic here so she hasn’t found her distinct singing style yet. But the final result is so good that the “Phantom Agony” is not far from the top positions of this article. Despite their young age, you can distinguish the talent of the band, the songwriting is exquisite and there are songs that are the pinnacle of the genre. I cannot imagine an Epica setlist without Cry for the Moon, I totally miss Sensorium and Phantom Agony during their sets and Feint is one of the most beautiful songs I have heard. Regardless of how far Epica strayed from that sound, “The Phantom Agony” will forever and ever have a place among their best moments, a star that will never fade out. 

3) Omega (2021)

We jump from the start, straight to the end (till now of course) with “Omega”. After the heavily layered and complicated “Holographic Principle”, Epica decided it is time to follow a lighter song structure, but with the usual trademark sound they have adopted since the “Quantum Enigma”. Orchestrations have more room to breathe here and Simone was given more space to work on her vocal lines, which is evident as we are presented with some of Epica’s greatest choruses. The band tries some new stuff, like the Skeleton Key with its creepy atmosphere and children choir, the addition of middle eastern influences in Code of Life and the first time they close an album’s main tracklist with a song that does not pass the 8 minute mark among others. “Omega” keeps the trend of running almost at 70 minutes, a testament of the band’s dedication on writing as much quality music as they can, however this time I wouldn’t mind a song or two missing. Make no mistake though, the album is still a peak moment and a must-listen. 

2) The Quantum Enigma (2014)

In my head, this was a turning moment for Epica. It is where they found the perfect balance between Symphonic and Heavy and the moment they destroyed every doubt by proving to everyone they have a place among the genre’s leaders. Everything is grander than ever! Simone gave us her best performances at that time, orchestrations were bombastic and the guitars declared their presence at all times, with the rhythm section being at the top of their game. There is not a single weak moment and the only reason “The Quantum Enigma” is not on the top spot is personal preference. If you are experiencing the band’s albums with a different order than their release date, the element of surprise may not be there, but that doesn’t take away from the TQE’s splendor. 

1) The Holographic Principle (2016)

I said before that “The Holographic Principle” was heavily layered and kind of a difficult listen. It is true, as there are so many things going on that you need to proceed with many repeats to reach the point where you will stop discovering new details. But it is also an album of unparalleled musicianship. It is heavy and progressive and every song is a surprise. In “The Quantum Enigma” for example you had some back to back songs of similar structure, but the case here is very different. From the theatrical Once Upon a Nightmare we go to the choir heavy Cosmic Algorithm. From the magical Dancing in a Hurricane to the bombardment of Tear Down your Walls and the list goes on. The title track is also my favorite epilogue of any Epica album. The inspiration of the band was so vast, that its  leftovers gave birth to “The Solace System” EP, a 6 full song release that could easily fit in the main package if not for the physical format’s capacity limits. 

Pavlos Pavlakis

On behalf of Metal Domain