รายชื่อเพลง
1. Indigo (Prologue) 02:05
2. The Obsessive Devotion 07:13
3. Menace of Vanity 04:13
4. Chasing the Dragon 07:40
5. Never Enough 04:47
6. La'petach Chatat Rovetz (The Final Embrace) 01:46 i
7. Death of a Dream (The Embrace That Smothers Part VII) 06:03
8. Living a Lie (The Embrace That Smothers - Part VIII) 04:56
9. Fools of Damnation (The Embrace That Smothers - Part IX) 08:42
10. Beyond Belief 05:25
11. Safeguard to Paradise 03:46
12. Sancta Terra 04:57
13. The Divine Conspiracy 13:56
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ฟังแล้วมาลองดู review ของท่าน Khull กันต่อนะครับ
Authentic Latin choirs, a real symphony, and sweeping melodies. Beginning with a rather ambient feel that lasts throughout, more instruments are introduced in a slow but steady fashion until the choirs fire up in the final thirty seconds; culminating to an all time high in intensity. The two minutes of Indigo is an introduction Epica fans have come to expect, yet neither the introduction on A Phantom Agony nor Cosign to Oblivion truly established what Indigo does on The Divine Conspiracy; that is, a precursor who matches composition perfectly with the style of the entire album, and not a frilly, pointless piece to tack on at the beginning. A track that calmly states “Welcome, now sit back and willingly forfeit yourself to us for the next hour.”
This is Epica, yet another female fronted symphonic power/gothic outfit offered by the Netherlands. Originally formed and influenced by America's Kamelot, they have since carved their own niche in the genre, emphasizing the word symphonic significantly more so than their surrounding bands. After all, employing the services of a professional orchestra is not a task these other bands would go the extra mile to do, instead utilizing an extensive mix of synths and keyboards in order to induce a quasi-orchestral soundscape. Had Epica decided to pursue that route, this album would've lost nearly all of it's beauty; orchestra driven songs such as Indigo, La'petach Chatat Rovetz ～The Final Embrace, and The Divine Conspiracy would lose virtually all of their appeal factor and grandeur.
Of course, Epica aren't all about sweeping orchestras or choirs; they certainly wouldn't be metal if that were true. The more conventional instruments play equally important roles in The Divine Conspiracy.. The two guitarists, Mark Jansen and Ad Sluijter, incorporate a style and sound quite different than the usual; quick, heavy, and low pitched strumming with a certain roundness to it, hovering constantly between skillfully simple and slightly technical, and contrasting well with the orchestra. Menace of Vanity has the two men playing at a pace and tone reminiscent of black metal, and can be found again during sections of Chasing the Dragon, Death of a Dream, and the title track. Beyond Belief features a particularly awesome-but-short solo showing a bit more in the way of technicality. On the reverse side, they're both drowned out occasionally by either Simone's vocals or the bombastic orchestra; however, this is only limited to sections of Beyond Belief and Fools of Damnation. Also, as one would expect with symphonic power/gothic, there's not much in the way of headbanging riffs.
In addition to being one of the guitarists, Mark Jansen is in charge of the harsh vocals on the album, which are found in every track but Indigo, La'petach Chatat Rovetz ～The Final Embrace, Safeguard to Paradise, and Sancta Terra . They appear most often as a line or two before choruses, like on Never Enough, or as a couple lines acting as their own, small section, such as Chasing the Dragon or Beyond Belief, and alternate between low gutturals or extremely high shrieks multiple times on each song. His growling isn't outstanding; in fact, it lacks any special quality to it at all, yet it fits the context of the music well enough. When juxtaposed with Sander Gommans from After Forever on the song Death of a Dream, it becomes painfully obvious which of the two growlers is superior.
Ariën Van Weesenbeek's drums also have a very solid and real sound, and he wields them adeptly throughout the album, utilizing cymbals, snares, and bass as needed . Sometimes heard as a vicious double bass attack, such as Menace of Vanity or Death of a Dream, and other times carrying a decent and mellow beat, as on Sancta Terra and Never Enough. Similar to the two guitarists in situation, the drums tend to mesh with everything else, although not to the point of being indiscernible.
Keys and bass, done by Coen Janssen and Yves Hunts respectively, take the exact same hits. Their issue is that they're simply out played by the opposing instruments. It tends to be difficult to tell where the orchestra ends and the keys begin, and often you'll find yourself wondering whether or not they're actually playing anything beyond the technical bits. That piano on Safeguard to Paradise is just that; whereas I originally believed it to be a keyboard doing that. Bass is the same, only they're trying to compete to be heard over the guitars. They're definitely audible during the slower sections of each song, but don't expect to hear them over the hyper-fast strumming on Menace of Vanity.
Simone Simons vocals are truly something to behold when they arrive, and she's improved greatly since Cosign to Oblivion. Her mezzo soprano style of singing is still consistent and quite clear, but there's far more force and presence in her voice now than before. She also hits a wider range of notes compared to Epica's earlier works. The Obsessive Devotion, Never Enough, and Fools of Damnation have her singing in a rougher way with less soar and pitch and more realistic tone and force, and for those craving her more quasi-operatic tone, Chasing the Dragon, Beyond Belief, Safeguard to Paradise, and the title track offer just that. My personal favorite is the style she uses on Death of a Dream and Sancta Terra; how it smoothly combines the above two examples, alternating perfectly between the verses and choruses.
2007 was a fantastic year for symphonic metal, and The Divine Conspiracy emerges on top. Standout songs include Chasing the Dragon and the title track, although each track is still exceptionally good. This is an album masterfully composed and beautifully woven together, despite the minor issues with instrumental presence and growling, to create an amazing concept album of religion and time, and an effort well worth your time and money. Epica is performing at their finest, and their music here reaches for nothing short infinity itself. My only concern is that this might be their creative peak; this will not be an easy album to surpass by any means.
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