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The wisdom of a band releasing a live recording after only a single studio album will always be called into question, but this '2 Meter Sessies' gig is a apparently quite prestigious over in Holland, so it's at least understandable as to why Epica didn't pass up the opportunity.

The thing that seperates this from your usual live album (or DVD) is that Epica were given the opportunity to 'recreate' the recording of their debut album by being given access to two string quartets and a full choir. This of course means the sound is much richer than it would be at a regular gig, closer to the way they intended the songs to sound without having to resort to backing tracks or extra synth parts.

The performance is divided into two parts - the first 6 songs are live versions of tracks from The Phantom Agony while the final three are acoustic versions of the album's two ballad/semi-ballad tracks and a rendition of the song Memory from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical 'Cats'. I know, I know, I shuddered at the prospect as well, and while it's the worst song on here, but Simone Simons' performance makes it listenable.

Oh yes, Simone. For all you perverts out there (you know who you are), the young lady looks astonishing throughout the recording. With that out of the way, we can get back to the performance.

The six regular songs are performed more or less exactly as they are in the studio. The use of strings and the choir really helps create an atmosphere - I really have no idea how this stuff would sound without them. Boring as Hell, probably. Unfortunately guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen doesn't have the luxury of multi-tracking his vocals in the live setting, and his grunts and screams sound much less impressive than on the album verisons of the songs. He still gets credit for trying though, as he obviously isn't a 'natural' grunter and really pushes himself to get the job done.

The acoustic tracks are not perfomed by the full Epica, only Simone, second guitarist Ad Sluijter and keyboard player Coen Janssen, with assistance from two additonal vocalists, one of whom is Amanda Sommerville of Aina fame. These tracks are really a showcase for Simone's vocals, and she impresses greatly, hitting ever note perfectly. Feint is the best of these three tracks, as Run For a Fall has been edited down to remove the heavy parts and grunted vocals.

The DVD features

Epica: The Works
1. Facade Of Reality 08:15
2. Sensorium 04:54
3. Illusive Consensus 05:05
4. Cry For The Moon 06:46
5. The Phantom Agony 09:02
6. Seif Al Din 04:41
Epica: Acoustic
7. Feint (Acoustic) 04:40
8. Run for A Fall (Acoustic) 04:46
9. Memory (Acoustic) (From the Musical "Cats") 04:37

music videos
the making videos
the making of 2 Meter Sessies
Documentary
Slide Show
Discography
and more.

* Estilo: Symphonic Power/Gothic Metal
* Discográfica y #: Transmission Records TMDVC - 050
* Formato: Grabación original
* Año: 2004
* Extractor:DVD Decypter
* Códec: Monkey's Audio 3.97
* Origen: Origina lDVD
* Tamaño del Fichero: 2.76 GB
* Carátulas: Front, Back, CD

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