I know that many people saw Epica as an extension of After Forever (since it includes within its ranks former members of After Forever). To be 100% honest with you I also pretty much think the same thing. I mean apart from the different vocalist both bands seem to play pretty much the same thing. Symphonic Metal; well, mostly symphonic music with Metal elements. Both have brutal vocals, none of them has guitar solos. Even Simone (Simons, vocals) has told me that the biggest difference between the two bands is the extensive use of choir in Epica!
Epica was formed by Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever. Their debut album The Phantom Agony was released back in 2003 and it included several songs of a concept story Mark Jansen had originally started with After Forever. With only one album the band had amazing impact, they toured extensively for the following years and in the peak of their popularity was the release of  CD / DVD We Will Take You With Us including their performance in a known Dutch TV show called 2 Meter Sessies.
The new album called Consign To Oblivion sounds like a natural evolution of the band's first attempt. The brutal vocals have been pretty much whipped off (they appear from track 6 - why do I get the feeling that in their next album there will be no brutal vocals?) and still there is absolute absence of guitar solos. However there are several differences in other aspects of their music. First of all Simone's vocals sound at least ten times better. She sings high, she sings low... she sings pretty much whatever she wants; damn this woman has a great voice. The songs' structure seems more solid. Where in their first album the songs seemed like a vessel for the choir to kick in, now there is actual interest in the entire song. Dance Of Fate sounds quite modern while Black Infinity is simply amazing. Just for the record, there seems to be a set of songs carrying the same story (like a short concept).
The production is once again top notch and I am sure this will also go in the whole package of the album, after all Transmission is a label known for its outstanding well packaged releases.
All in all Consign To Oblivion can be considered as a far better piece of work compared to the band's debut album.