Sunday, November 29, 2009

The Harmony of Religion


I just got the new album by Epica (Epica: Design Your Universe).

So what? You say, what has that got to do with Scientology? Let me explain:

When I first listened to this album I was wondering if these guys were Scientologists. The lyrics I could hear and some of the song titles sounded very Scientological to me.

For example: From the song "Unleashed":
"I'll exist again
No more lost endeavors
Nothing to contend
When I'm free"
So I hunted down the lyrics and read them. (Great lyrics by the way). Once I found the lyrics, I discovered why I thought they sounded Scientological: they are from Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, so no wonder they speak to a Scientologist. (In case you didn't know, the Buddhist and Hindu religions are ancestors of Scientology.)

Anyway, the album is great. The genre is gothic metal (that's metal with a classical vibe, this album includes orchestra and operatic chorus). I highly recommend it.

I like complex, fast and loud music and this is certainly that. But it is tempered with quiet pieces such as "Tides of Time" and "White Waters", but even when the album is loud it never drowns out the music or the vocals. And, the lead vocalist, Simone Simons, has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard, the album is worth it just to hear her sing.

Anyway, it just showed me how much people of different religions can end up in harmony.

I'll leave you with this from the song "Design Your Universe":
"Don't forget you're able to
Design your own universe"


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Didn't know you liked power metal. I approve.

Grahame said...

Yes, I like power metal, but Epica are gothic metal, which is quite a different genre.

I think it is so cool to hear death metal style grunt vocals spouting Eastern Religious Philosophy.

There is even one song on the album representing the Tibetan Book of the Dead and the various steps a newly dead person is thought to go through to either reach a higher state or return to Earth in a new body.

I find lyrics like that much more interesting than the usual "love/sex" lyrics of the pop genre.