Design Your Universe

Design Your Universe is the fourth full-length studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica, released on 16 October 2009. It was the first album to feature officially new band members Isaac Delahaye on guitar and Ariën van Weesenbeek on drums.

Design Your Universe
Studio album by
Epica
Released16 October 2009
RecordedDecember 2008 – June 2009
StudioGate Studio, Wolfsburg, Germany,
The Huts Studio Antwerp, Belgium,
The Iceman Studio, Ypres, Belgium,
GenreSymphonic metal
Length74:50
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerSascha Paeth & Epica
Epica chronology
The Classical Conspiracy
(2009)		 Design Your Universe
(2009)		 Requiem for the Indifferent
(2012)
Singles from Design Your Universe
  1. "Unleashed"
    Released: 25 September 2009
  2. "Martyr of the Free Word"
    Released: 30 October 2009

A Gold Edition re-release of the album was released on 4 October 2019.[1]

Overview

Pre-release and production

The band entered Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany on 2 March 2009 to start recording the album with usual collaborators Sascha Paeth, Amanda Somerville and Michael 'Miro' Rodenberg.[2][3]

The band's previous album, The Divine Conspiracy, was dealing with the idea that God created many religions and that it was to man to understand that they are all the same, and this album will be dealing with the power of thoughts and imaginations, as Mark Jansen stated:

The album title, Design Your Universe, deals with new breakthroughs in quantum physics. It proves that we are all connected to each other on subatomic level. Also, it shows that we can create or at least influence matter with our thoughts… a very interesting fact. Because it changes everything for us, our whole worldview collapses once you accept these facts and integrate them in your lives. So this had to become the new album title.[3]

Three songs of this album continue the A New Age Dawns saga, which started on the album Consign to Oblivion of 2005.

Sonata Arctica frontman Tony Kakko announced in an interview with La Grosse Radio.com that he would duet with Simone Simons on the album.[4] His vocals for the song "White Waters" were recorded in Finland and later mixed with the other sound tracks.

The song "Resign to Surrender" was published on the MySpace website of the record label Nuclear Blast on 23 September 2009.[5] and the video for "Unleashed" premiered on the band's MySpace site on 25 September 2009.[6]

The bonus track "Incentive" is one of the very few Epica songs to not feature Simone Simons in any capacity.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[7]
AllMusic[8]
Lords of Metal(90/100)[9]
Metal Storm[10]
Papel Mag(favorable)[11]

Reception has been positive from both critics and fans. The album debuted at No. 8 in the Dutch charts, being the highest position an Epica album had reached until that moment. The album remained on the chart for five weeks, and re-entered in No. 94 for one week due to the band's performance at the 2010 Pinkpop Festival.[12]

Design Your Universe World Tour
Epica performing at Norway Rock Festival in 2010.

After the release of Design Your Universe, Epica set out on a World Tour to support the album. They did a CD release party at The Paradiso in Amsterdam. They performed at some summer festival concerts in the summer of 2010 and returned to the United States and Canada in late fall 2010. Several dates in Europe, specially in the Netherlands, were sold out. The band also did a South American Tour, performing in Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Uruguay. They played also in many important rock and metal festivals in Europe, such as Wacken Open Air, Pinkpop and Masters of Rock, in front of very large audiences.[13][14]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicNotesLength
1."Samadhi" (Prelude)Mark JansenJansen 1:27
2."Resign to Surrender" (A New Age Dawns, Part IV)JansenJansen, Jack Driessen, Simone Simons, Isaac DelahayeFeatured on JamLegend video game6:19
3."Unleashed"SimonsCoen Janssen, Jansen, Delahaye 5:48
4."Martyr of the Free Word"JansenAriën van Weesenbeek, Janssen, Jansen, Delahaye 5:03
5."Our Destiny"SimonsJansen, van Weesenbeek, Yves Huts, Simons, Delahaye 6:00
6."Kingdom of Heaven"
  • I. "Hold in Derision"
  • II. "Children of the Light"
  • III. "Bardo Thödol"
  • IV. "Paragons of Perfection"
    •
  • V. "The Harsh Return" (A New Age Dawns, Part V)
JansenJansen, Delahaye 13:35
7."The Price of Freedom" (Interlude)InstrumentalJanssen 1:14
8."Burn to a Cinder"SimonsJanssen, Jansen, Delahaye, Simons 5:41
9."Tides of Time"SimonsJanssenOrchestral arrangements by Brian Reese5:34
10."Deconstruct"SimonsHuts, Jansen 4:14
11."Semblance of Liberty"JansenJansen, Delahaye 5:42
12."White Waters"SimonsJansen, Simons, Delahayefeaturing Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica on vocals4:44
13."Design Your Universe" (A New Age Dawns, Part VI)JansenJansen, Delahaye, Janssen 9:29
Bonus tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicNotesLength
14."Incentive"JansenJansen, DelahayeLimited and Gold Edition bonus track4:14
15."Unleashed" (duet version)SimonsJanssen, Jansen, DelahayeiTunes bonus track, featuring Amanda Somerville on vocals5:50
16."Nothing's Wrong" (Heideroosjes cover)HeideroosjesHeideroosjesJapanese edition only3:24
The Acoustic Universe - Gold Edition bonus disc
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
15."Burn to a Cinder"SimonsJanssen, Jansen, Delahaye, Simons5:32
16."Our Destiny"SimonsJansen, van Weesenbeek, Huts, Simons, Delahaye5:13
17."Unleashed"SimonsJanssen, Jansen, Delahaye5:06
18."Martyr of the Free Word"Jansenvan Weesenbeek, Janssen, Jansen, Delahaye3:56
19."Design Your Universe" (A New Age Dawns, Part VI)JansenJansen, Delahaye, Janssen8:21

Personnel
Band members
Guest musicians
  • Tony Kakko – clean male vocals (on "White Waters")
  • Amanda Somerville – soprano vocals (on "Unleashed (Duet Version)"), backing vocals, vocals production, engineer, vocal coaching and lyrical editing
  • Brian Reese - orchestral arrangements (on "Tides of Time")
  • Epica Choir:
    • Linda van Summeren, Bridget Fogle - sopranos
    • Amanda Somerville, Cloudy Yang - altos
    • Previn Moore - tenor
    • Melvin Edmondsen - bass
    • Simon Oberender, Olaf Reitmeier, Coen Janssen - additional baritone and bass vocals
Production
  • Sascha Paeth - producer, engineer, mixing, backing vocals
  • Simon Oberender, Olaf reitmeier - engineers, editing
  • Miro Rodenberg - mastering, orchestral arrangements

Charts
Country Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[15] 70
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[16] 66
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[17] 40
Dutch Albums Chart[12] 8
Dutch Top 30 Alternative Chart[18] 1
French Albums Chart[19] 31
German Albums Chart[20] 37
Japanese Albums Chart[21] 228
Swiss Albums Chart[22] 27
US Heatseekers[23] 12
gollark: You remember things by going over them when you don't remember them particularly well.
gollark: That's... not how memory works, as far as I know?
gollark: There is actual research on this. I forgot what it says, mostly, but there is.
gollark: Yes.
gollark: That sounds very* effective**.

References
  1. Epica announce the release of Design Your Universe - Gold Edition - epica.nl. 17 July 2019. Retrieved on 2019-07-19.
  2. "EPICA: New Album Title Revealed?". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 20 April 2009. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  3. "EPICA Completes Work On New Album, Announces North American Tour". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  4. "Tony Kakko, chanteur de Sonata Arctica" (in French). La Grosse Radio.com. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  5. "EPICA: New Song Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 23 September 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  6. "EPICA: 'Unleashed' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  7. Bowar, Chad. "Epica - 'Design Your Universe'". Heavy Metal. About.com. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  8. Freeman, Phil. "Epica Design Your Universe review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  9. Smit, Bas. "Epica - Design Your Universe". Lords of Metal.nl. Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  10. Anderson, Baz (16 October 2009). "Epica - Design Your Universe". Metal Storm. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  11. Aneudys Santana, Pedro (14 October 2009). "Epica's Extreme Universe Makeover…with an Orchestra!". Papel Mag.com. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  12. "Epica - Design Your Universe (album)". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  13. Epica Announces North American Tour with Scar Symmetry, Mutiny Within and Blackguard metalunderground.com. 9 May 2010. Retrieved on 2010-05-15.
  14. "Epica Online". Epica.nl. 21 January 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  15. "Epica - Design Your Universe (album)". Austriancharts.at (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  16. "Epica - Design Your Universe". Ultratop (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  17. "Epica - Design Your Universe". Ultratop (in French). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  18. "Alternative Top30 - 24/10/2009". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  19. "Epica - Design Your Universe (album)". Lescharts.com (in French). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  20. "Album - Epica, Design Your Universe". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  21. "エピカのCDアルバムランキング、エピカのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE" (in Japanese). Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  22. "Epica - Design Your Universe". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  23. "Design Your Universe - Epica". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
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