Two years after the monumentally massive splendour of The Phantom Agony (2003), Epica released their majestic successor Consign to Oblivion. On this album, inspired by the Mayan culture, the group around mezzo-soprano Simone Simons and guitarist Mark Jansen broke new ground. The music was getting more accessible and the variety of the compositions grew, ranging from unadulterated gothic-metal to ballads. "This album marks Epica's growth into maturity", Mark Jansen stated. "This is the album I always wanted to make. Now we've finally had the opportunity and the capacity to realize a project like this.
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