Requiem for the Indifferent

Requiem for the Indifferent is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. It was released on 9 March 2012.[1] It was the final album to feature original member Yves Huts on bass guitar.

Requiem for the Indifferent
Studio album by
Epica
Released9 March 2012
RecordedSeptember–November 2011
StudioGate Studio, Wolfsburg, Germany,
The Huts Studio Antwerp, Belgium,
CFJ Studio, Oss, The Netherlands
GenreSymphonic metal
Length72:51
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerSascha Paeth & Epica
Epica chronology
Design Your Universe
(2009)		 Requiem for the Indifferent
(2012)		 The Quantum Enigma
(2014)
Singles from Requiem for the Indifferent
  1. "Storm the Sorrow"
    Released: 3 February 2012
  2. "Forevermore"
    Released: 21 September 2012

Background

Title

According to Mark Jansen, "This title refers to the end of an era. Mankind can no longer stick their head in the sand for the things that are happening around us. We are facing many challenges. There is an enormous tension between different religions and cultures, wars, natural disasters and a huge financial crisis, which is getting out of control. More than ever we will need each other to overcome these problems. As we are all connected; the universe, earth, nature, animals and human beings, this period in time will be the prelude to the end for those who still don't want to, or simply won't see it. A Requiem for the Indifferent but also a possibility for a new beginning with great new chances!"[1]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[2]
AllMusic[3]
Sonic Seducerfavourable[4]

General response to Requiem for the Indifferent was positive. AllMusic stated that the album "is a typically elaborate and ambitious affair, incorporating copious amounts of choral work and classical arrangements into the band's neatly established blend of goth, progressive, power, and symphonic metal."[3] Natalie Zed of About.com staff considers Requiem for the Indifferent "a transitional album for the band", which tries to expand their musical range experimenting with "weird" riffing and new combination of vocals, while "losing none of the richness that has gained them fans."[2]

Track listings
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Karma (Prelude)"JansenMark Jansen, C. Janssen, Simone Simons1:32
2."Monopoly on Truth"Jansen, SimonsIsaac Delahaye, Jansen, Simons7:11
3."Storm the Sorrow"SimonsC. Janssen, Simons5:12
4."Delirium"SimonsC. Janssen, Delahaye, Simons6:07
5."Internal Warfare" (Dedicated to the victims of the 2011 Norway attacks)SimonsJansen, Delahaye, C. Janssen, F. Schiphorst, Jack Driessen5:12
6."Requiem for the Indifferent"JansenJansen, Delahaye8:34
7."Anima (Interlude)" Jansen1:24
8."Guilty Demeanor"JansenJansen3:22
9."Deep Water Horizon"SimonsJansen, Delahaye, C. Janssen, Jack Driessen6:32
10."Stay the Course"JansenJansen, Delahaye, Simons4:25
11."Deter the Tyrant"JansenDelahaye, Jansen6:37
12."Avalanche"SimonsJansen, Delahaye, Simons6:52
13."Serenade of Self-Destruction"SimonsJansen, Delahaye, C. Janssen9:52
Total length:1:12:51
2xCD Boxed Set Deluxe & European Bonus Track
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
14."Nostalgia"M. JansenM. Jansen3:26
North American Bonus Track
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
15."Twin Flames" (Soundtrack Version)M. JansenM. Jansen5:02
iTunes/LP Bonus Track
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
16."Twin Flames" (Regular Version)M. JansenM. Jansen4:47
Not Released Tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
17."Deter the Tyrant" (Grunt Version)M. JansenI. Delahaye, M. Jansen6:37
18."Forevermore" (featuring Ruurd Woltring)R. Woltring, S. Simons, M. JansenR. Woltring, S. Simons, M. Jansen, C. Janssen, I. Delahaye, R. van der Loo, A. van Weesenbeek, J. van den Broek3:38
Disc 2 (2xCD Boxed Set Deluxe Only) [Instrumental Version]
No.TitleLength
1."Karma (Instrumental Version)"1:33
2."Monopoly on Truth" (Instrumental Version)7:10
3."Storm the Sorrow" (Instrumental Version)5:11
4."Delirium" (Instrumental Version)6:07
5."Internal Warfare" (Instrumental Version)5:12
6."Requiem for the Indifferent" (Instrumental Version)8:33
7."Anima (Instrumental Version)"1:25
8."Guilty Demeanor" (Instrumental Version)3:21
9."Deep Water Horizon" (Instrumental Version)6:32
10."Stay the Course" (Instrumental Version)4:26
11."Deter the Tyrant" (Instrumental Version)6:37
12."Avalanche" (Instrumental Version)6:52
13."Serenade of Self-Destruction" (Instrumental Version)9:51
Total length:1:12:51

Personnel
Band members
Additional musicians
  • Epica Choir:
    • Linda Janssen, Laura Macrì - sopranos
    • Amanda Somerville, Tanja Eisl - altos
    • Previn Moore - tenor
    • Christoph Drescher - bass
    • Simon Oberender - additional Gregorian voice on "Internal Warfare"
  • Amanda Somerville - backing vocals, vocal arrangements, lyrics editing
  • Rob van der Loo - bass guitar and music on "Forevermore"
  • Ruurd Woltring - music, lyrics, clean vocals and screams on "Forevermore"
Production
  • Sascha Paeth - producer, engineer, mixing
  • Simon Oberender - engineer, mastering
  • Olaf Reitmeier - engineer, vocal lines production
  • Miro - engineer, orchestral arrangements
  • Joost van den Broek - orchestral arrangements on "Forevermore"

Editions

There was an error with all physical copies of the album's first edition, in which track 13, "Serenade of Self-Destruction", is an instrumental version without Simons and Jansen's vocal tracks. As compensation, Nuclear Blast Records decided to make the track (with the vocals) available as a free download. The glitch was corrected in the digipak versions.[5] This instrumental version has a small part of vocals from Simone Simons at the very beginning,[6] which makes it different from the total instrumental song released separately, on which you only hear the piano at the beginning.

To date there are nine different editions of the album:[7]

  • The standard edition features the 13 tracks above.[8][9]
  • The CD + shirt edition contains the standard edition of the album, along with a T-shirt in the size of choice.[10]
  • The digipak edition contains the standard album and the bonus track "Nostalgia".
  • The 2-LP white vinyl edition is limited to 150 copies and contains an A2-sized poster.[11]
  • The 2-LP black vinyl edition, which contains an A2-sized poster.
  • The mailorder edition, limited to 500 copies, contains a wooden box, which includes the limited digipak, an exclusive instrumental CD as bonus, artwork postcards and a certificate.[12]
  • The American edition features the 13 tracks above and the bonus track "Twin Flames" (soundtrack version).
  • The 2-LP clear vinyl edition, which contains an A2-sized poster.
  • The 2-LP instrumental black vinyl edition, which contains an A2-sized poster.

Singles

Storm the Sorrow

On 3 February 2012, the band released on iTunes the single "Storm the Sorrow", characterized by melodic vocal lines and electronic influences.[13] The video, shot in the middle of the same month in Amsterdam, was released on 24 April.[14]

Forevermore

Epica appeared as guests on Niks te gek (Nothing too crazy), a Dutch television program in which mentally disabled people can get their wishes granted. In this specific case, the dream of Ruurd Woltring was to be able to record a song with Epica. The band rearranged "Forevermore", a song written by Woltring, into their style and recorded a duet with him. The video for the song, in which you can see Epica in the studio together with Woltring, was released on 24 August. The program's episode was broadcast on 16 September.[15] On 21 September, "Forevermore" was released as the official single for purchase at iTunes for charity.[16] It's also the first single featuring Rob van der Loo on bass guitar. Woltring about "Forevermore": "I wrote the song myself. At that time, it was still called "Stairway to Heaven", though. I once listened to a couple of Van Canto's songs ("Water, Fire, Heaven, Earth" and "Hearted") and "Our Farewell" by Within Temptation. Then, I came up with this great idea to combine the music of these songs and add my own lyrics to it. The lyrics actually tell the story of a boy, who meets an angel. She gives him the feeling that they belong together, even though their worlds lie far apart, and thus wants to take him to heaven. A devil however tries to pull the boy down into his world, in which he doesn't succeed, because of the angel's positive energy."[17]

Charts
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[18] 33
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[19] 30
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[20] 27
Czech Albums Chart[21] 49
Dutch Albums Chart[22] 12
Finnish Albums Chart[23] 37
French Albums Chart[24] 35
German Albums Chart[25] 26
Japanese Albums Chart[26] 172
Norwegian Albums Chart[27] 37
Portuguese Albums Chart[28] 36
Swedish Albums Chart[29] 53
Swiss Albums Chart[30] 14
UK Albums Chart[28] 112
US Billboard 200[31] 105
US Top Rock Albums[31] 29
US Independent Albums[31] 15
US Top Hard Rock Albums[31] 7
gollark: More substantively, it's a big planet: we could simply live on it and extract resources from others.
gollark: Venusing Earth is probably quite hard. Although I think it'll happen naturally in a billion years or so.
gollark: This would be bad for technology, slow and/or wildly unethical, and not very helpful except under negative utilitarianism.
gollark: Subsistence farming is actually boring and unpleasant though. It is good that we stopped doing it. Although "monke" would be hunter-gathering, strictly. Which is no longer possible at scale due to loss of habitats and population growth.
gollark: That would be silly. I just do things at the correct time.

References
  1. "EPICA: New Album Title Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  2. Zed, Natalie. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent review". Heavy Metal. About.com. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  3. Monger, James Christopher. "Epica Requiem for the Indifferent review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  4. Eck, Markus (2012). "Epica: Herzensangelegenheiten". Sonic Seducer (in German). No. 3. p. 126.
  5. "Free Download". Nuclear Blast. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  6. Video on YouTube
  7. http://www.nuclearblast.de/en/products/tontraeger/cd/cd/epica-requiem-for-the-indifferent.html
  8. http://store.nuclearblastusa.com/Item/Epica_-_Requiem_For_The_Indifferent_-PRE-ORDER-/40702
  9. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Requiem-for-the-Indifferent/dp/B0075G6IFI/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328663564&sr=301-1
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20120223000457/http://www.nuclearblast.de/en/products/tontraeger/cd/cd/epica-requiem-for-the-indifferent.html. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. https://web.archive.org/web/20120113041849/http://www.nuclearblast.de/en/products/sonstiges/epica-requiem-for-the-indifferent-coloured-vinyl.html. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. https://web.archive.org/web/20120129232820/http://www.nuclearblast.de/en/products/tontraeger/cd/cd-boxset/epica-requiem-for-the-indifferent-mailorder-edition.html. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. "Storm the Sorrow - Digital single release". Epica Official Website. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  14. "Epica News: April 2012". Epica Official Website. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  15. Belafatti, Marco (25 August 2012). "Epica: la band partecipa ad un programma televisivo per realizzare il sogno di un ragazzo affetto da disabilità mentale" [Epica: the band takes part in a television program to achieve the dream of a boy with mental disabilities] (in Italian). Spaziorock.it. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  16. ""Forevermore" ora acquistabile" (in Italian). Epica Italy.it. 22 September 2012. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  17. "An interview with Ruud Woltring". La Voce di Galileo. WordPress.com. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  18. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent (album)". Austriancharts.at (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  19. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent". Ultratop (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  20. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent". Ultratop (in French). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  21. "Hitparáda - TOP50 Prodejní Týden - 201212" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  22. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent (album)". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  23. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent (album)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  24. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent (album)". Lescharts.com (in French). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  25. "Album - Epica, Requiem for the Indifferent". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  26. "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.
  27. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent (album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  28. "EPICA: 'Requiem For The Indifferent' First-Week Sales Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  29. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  30. "Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  31. "Requiem for the Indifferent - Epica". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
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