Stuck In My Skull 541 -- "Sensorium"

Song: "Cry for the Moon" || Artist: Epica || http://youtu.be/jxWHrHC2Qe4 ||

Comments: Hello and happy Friday, everyone! For today I figured I would switch things up and quit talking about EDM. Instead, I'd like to take today to talk about one of my favourite sounds in metal: Epica. Epica is seriously fantastic, and it kills me that I haven't had time to listen to their more recent albums in full yet. For the amount of time I spend listening to them, Epica is seriously underrepresented on this blog. Their live album "The Classical Conspiracy" is one of my go-to albums, whether I'm being productive, gaming, or just relaxing. This song is taken from Epica's first full-length studio album, "The Phantom Agony," which I was shocked to realize came out in 2003. Man, this song is old, but it's one of my favourites. Let me put this in context. In 2003, Nightwish still had Tarja Turunen as a vocalist and was between the albums "Century Child" and "Once." Kamelot had just kicked out it's sixth studio album, "Epica," the first of the two-part story of Ariel which they finished in "The Black Halo." Sonata Arctica was releasing it's third album. This song is old. But enough about that, let's talk about why it's good. For one, I can't get enough of the opening riff -- that combination of piano and guitar does amazing things for the song and works wonderfully with the strings. All of them set the stage for and completely drop off to sit the focus squarely on the opening verses of the lyrics, which are phenomenal in both writing and performance. The way Simone Simons vocals work both with and around the other instruments is far-and-away one of Epica's greatest strengths. When I say 'greatest strengths,' that could imply that there's some sort of corresponding weakness. If there is, I can't find it. I'm generally not even a fan of rough vocals, but the interplay of the rough and clean vocals in this song is absolutely perfect and I can't help but love it. When a song makes you truly enjoy something that you wouldn't otherwise care for, you know you've got a winner. Check it out, and don't forget to like us on Facebook! Have a great weekend!