Design Your Universe
| Design Your Universe | ||||
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| Studio album by Epica | ||||
| Released | 16 October 2009 | |||
| Recorded | December 2008 – June 2009 | |||
| Studio | Gate Studio, Wolfsburg, Germany, The Huts Studio Antwerp, Belgium, The Iceman Studio, Ypres, Belgium, |
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| Genre | Symphonic metal | |||
| Length | 74:50 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Sascha Paeth & Epica | |||
| Epica chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Design Your Universe | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   |
| AllMusic |  |
| Lords of Metal | (90/100) |
| Metal Storm |    |
| Papel Mag | (favorable) |
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.
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.
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.
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. 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. and the video for "Unleashed" premiered on the band's MySpace site on 25 September 2009.
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Wikipedia