Epica - Kingdom of Heaven part 2. What an epic journey! Reaction

[@Percy92]

I'm so happy you also did part 2. And yes I'm one of the people that says that part 2 is my favorite out of the three.

[@kaNjiXIII]

I'm happy as well, looking forward to part 3, but the mystical 'zen'-like vibe of part 2, really got me. :)

[@mikedown3219]

When Simone comes in with “Each new discovery…” after the quiet reflective guitar piece is one of my favourite Simone vocal passages, just gorgeous. Then Isaac comes in with that uplifting guitar solo, magic stuff. It’s a great song and, like you, I wonder why they never play it live, especially when they play with orchestra and choir.

[@Tuclix]

Part of it might be the difficulty of getting a throat singer for just one song.

[@kaNjiXIII]

Thanks for pointing your favorite part out, love to hear that. Also they are masters in 'blending in guitar solos', not sure if these words make sense, but it's what I'd call it. :)

[@UnHyl8urself]

Thank you, man! This is by far my favorite reaction video for The Quantum Enigma. This song is an underrated masterpiece! Let me mention some the reasons why it doesn’t get the hype it truly deserves, unlike Parts 1 and 3. The band cannot play this song live along with the other two parts because of the duration. Part 1 and Part 3 each run for 13 minutes, while this one is another 11 minutes. Performing all three for the sake of completing the trilogy would consume a lot of time. EPICA has an extensive catalog, with their 9th album set to release in 2025. Their shows typically last around two hours and include 13-15 songs. They also aim to represent various eras of their music during their setlists, making it challenging to include this song. Unfortunately, this means we don’t have any official live footage of this masterpiece. I hope one day they’ll do it-with a full orchestra and choir! Unlike the other two songs, this one doesn’t feature Mark prominently. He only comes in during the last three minutes. Also, the structure of this song isn’t as complex compared to the other two parts.

[@kaNjiXIII]

Thank you for that interesting comment, that's thought through very well. So far it's my favorite part, but I'm missing 3 of course. :) Thinking about it like that makes absolute sense, 37 minutes for 3 songs, takes a lot of stage time away from other songs, but as you said, I'd also love to see it brought to live, with choir and orchestra.

[@edsonoliveira7521]

I think people don't really like part two because it's not a song that has a lot of variations, it's more linear if we compare it to the others, but for me it works really well if we take into account The Quantum Enigma as a theme, it makes sense with the cover art that it's also a kind of more zen song.

[@kaNjiXIII]

I totally get that, but for me it was the perfect vibe on that day, it really is 'Zen'. :)

[@renejensen7799]

Congratz on hitting 1000 subscribers!! The thing with Epica is, they do not have a bad song on any album, they got masterpieces, great songs, and good songs, thats it, and yes, you also still got lots of other sides of Epica to discover, like when Simone does a full ballad, with absolute Simone in focus, thats songs like Rivers, Canvas of life, and yes a lot more, so i think after KoH part 3, you should go for a full ballad, or you should maybe listen to Epicas breakthrough song, Cry for the moon, proberly the song Simone have sung most times ever!!

[@kaNjiXIII]

Oh thanks, I didn't realise that, time for a 'thank you' video I guess. :D I really think so as well, everything is AT LEAST good and always interesting. Ballad would be amazing, I think 'cry for the moon' was recommended with another song from Omega Alive, because they blend into each other, but I have to check that. :)

[@wildhoney126]

@@kaNjiXIII “cry for the moon” is certainly not a ballad, but it is the very first song by Epica, the very first single in their discography, at least for this reason it deserves attention. As for ballads. Even their ballads are different 😁 some are extremely simple like “rivers”, and there are those that start out as a ballad, but can really go wild, like “chasing the dragon” or “run for a fall” 😁 but Epica has another noteworthy side - acoustic instrumental covers of their own heavy songs and these covers are very cool made in a variety of musical styles. So if at some point you want to listen to something not heavy performed by them - check out the acoustic versions 😁 jazz, country, even Latin music was on their last album.

[@kaNjiXIII]

Ah ok, then I got that mixed up in my mind. :) I recorded 'Rivers+Once Upon a nightmare' from Omega Alive today. :) That made me quite happy. :D I definitely want to go to the different versions, that's so interesting.

[@wildhoney126]

@@kaNjiXIII here are some songs , for example: “Abyss of time” (official video) and “abyss o’time” (official acoustic video) or “storm the sorrow” (official video) and “storm the sorrow” acoustic live pinkpop 2014

[@apaysse]

Hell yes, now you are ready for part III. It MUST be Omega Alive version please. Prepare your jaw =) And don’t wait too long for it haha Cheers!

[@kaNjiXIII]

Of course, you know it. If there's a live version, I'll go there. :D I'll do my best, but it's a 13 minute song. hahaha cheers :)

[@jaapblaauw3735]

Brilliant song! 👍

[@eckligt]

Good choice on doing all three. I agree, it would have been so cool if they did this in one of the big concerts that get professionally filmed and recorded.

[@kaNjiXIII]

To be honest, I would have been mad if I missed out on part 2, I loved it.

[@theqveenofthorns]

Ha, so glad you asked about the Latin. It's been a few years since I had Latin (I'm an ex-historian), but this is how I would translate the Latin parts: We exchange ideas Nothing is certain (He) who observes, is seen It's a part of (the quantum enigma, as we hear in English) Everything is energy We feel it's strong Energy is growing stronger through observing Life is a sea of infinite possibilities If something waits to emerge until we observe it we will achieve

[@kaNjiXIII]

Uuuuh, thank you :D You get the MVP Medal. How does one become an 'ex'-historian? :) I think I need to keep thinking about these lyrics for a bit.

[@theqveenofthorns]

@@kaNjiXIII No, you're the real one for even reacting to this song 💙Now I just have to find a way to bribe you into doing some Tristania or Trail of Tears... I'm sort of a lot of ex-things, but in this case it's pulling through three years of uni and ending it just before the finish line. Surprisingly, I wasn't the only one who did that. Folks had their final thesis done, best in class, said screw it two weeks before the end. So I went from an ex-artist who swore to never make a living doing art or design to a historian, to an ex-historian making a living doing art or design. It's cool, I'll die poor either way :)

[@kaNjiXIII]

Of course, it's number 2 in a trilogy, I had to. :D Are that Epica songs, or bands? I think the best way is to keep reminding me. :) Oh, that's interesting, any particular reason? Also weird that you weren't the only one. BUT what you learned is forever, it's still a massive win. :) Oh, I feel that, we all gonna die poor. xD

[@theqveenofthorns]

@@kaNjiXIII They're bands. Gothic metal, both bands shared a lot of members along the years (and with Sirenia as well), and both combine growls, female and male cleans and choirs. Tristania is by far THE band for me, every album is completely different, but the quality remains. If you were to give one song a shot, I'd say Tristania's Crushed Dreams is where it's at, from their most symphonic album. It really came down to one professor, I suppose. Goes to show you that teachers really matter - after all, they were what turned me from art in the first place, too :D

[@KaisaValkama]

Hi kaNjii! Nice to see You so happy listening to this. It was very first listening for me as well. Fine echoes from medieval times, catchy chorus and some uplifting quitar-solos. I tried to translate latin parts of text with google translator, but they sang too quickly😂. Omne=all, est=is, vigor=strength, sentimus=we feel, eum=him.....find out the rest your self. Thank you for this, can't wait what you will be your next reaction..yours Kaisa ❤

[@kaNjiXIII]

Glad to see you, also listening to the song for the first time. :D Thank you for trying. :) @theqveenofthorns did a great job with the translation in another comment.

[@KaisaValkama]

Ok. Thank you. I found the translated text❤

[@nebulajumper6216]

Thanks for this man, not many reviewers take the time to listen to this one. My prefered part is part 3. Mainly because of the great "Alive" performance. With Epica, the songs are just one part of the experience. To me, part 3 is also a bit more technical, so that is a plus too.

[@kaNjiXIII]

No, thank you for coming by so often.

[@Tuclix]

I'm glad you did part two, as it often gets overlooked. It's not as ,,bombastic'' as parts one and three, but it has it's own charms. It's way more... atmospheric? It's more a great and complete composition, rather than an endless assault of individual memorable parts. If you want something very different, but equally as great from Epica, try some of their Acoustic versions. They recorded some of their songs with acoustic instruments and some of them are a completely different arraingement borrowing musical elements from folk, gypsy music, jazz, and other styles. If you feel up to it, it would be amazing if you did a ,,double reaction'', where you listen to the original, and then to the acoustic version, as they are basically two completely different songs. For those, I'd suggest any of the following: Universal Death Squad / Universal Love Squad (acoustic) Dancing in a Hurricane / Dancing in a gypsy camp (acoustic) Omega - Sovereign of the Sun Spheres / Omegacoustic I like your reactions. You're yourself, without trying to pretend interest to appeal to your viewers. Much love from the Epica fanbase.

[@kaNjiXIII]

I think 'atmospheric' is the perfect word, very well put. That's exactly why I liked it that much. That's a super cool and interesting idea, thank you so much. Especially when they are arranged differently, I'll try my best not to forget it. Feel free to remember me if you get the impression that I did. It's just so many songs haha. And thank you, that means a lot. I wouldn't want to waste my time, or anyone else's time, for that matter, pretending. Life's too short for that.

[@johnveerkamp1501]

only EPICA LIVE ,PLEASE !!!!!

[@kaNjiXIII]

Usually yes, but I wanted to do part 2 as well and as far as I know, there is no live version of part 2. :)

[@MrSh0110]

Great stuff. After you’re done with KoH3, check this epic masterpiece from their 7th album - Epica - The Holographic Principle - A Profound Understanding of Reality

[@wildhoney126]

What a song. Bombastic 😁

[@MrSh0110]

@ knew it before?

[@kaNjiXIII]

That has been recommend for some time now. :) Will definitely happen at some point, but I think next needs to be a ballad and something shorter. :)

[@andreaswennberg9542]

Its not a bad song, it only needs a good music video or live performance. Like loosing half of the song when there is no visual. Have become an important part for me because they do really good videos and live performances. Artists for both ears and eyes. And now hoping for Kingdom of Heaven Pt3. My favorite 😁. Lets see who you are Part 1, 2 or 3.

[@aesbj9228]

Yeah now that you said it I think that's how I feel about it too. I would love to see a live performance with all their usual stage energy and light show etc

[@kaNjiXIII]

Like I said, I don't know why they never did it, this song is meant to be played live. :O Part 3 is gonna be the next Epica song, no worries. ;)

[@joppepeelen]

check out the live versions much bettert :)

[@kaNjiXIII]

I think there is no live version for this one. :)

[@wildhoney126]

I still can't get into this song.. I don't have this problem with their other long progressive songs 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@kaNjiXIII]

It's so interesting how people just tick different with these things. :)

[@Dmitriy88S]

а мне наоборот первая кажется слишком репитативной

[@wildhoney126]

@@Dmitriy88S в первой части много крутых запоминающихся гитарных тем, очень красивая мелодичная акустическая часть и шикарно сделанный брейкдаун после нее и вкусное олдскульное соло 👌

[@Dmitriy88S]

@@wildhoney126 да, но основная секция слишком часто поторяется и успевает утомить

[@aegars]

maybe its too lengthy to do live with orchestra

[@kaNjiXIII]

I feel like after what they did at the symphonic synergy, that song cant't be a problem, but I don't know of course. :)