EPINIKION hailing from The Netherlands were formed in 2020. The symphonic Metal outfit released their sophomore album "The Force Of Nature". It was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (AMORPHIS; ARCH ENEMY; DELAIN). The album has a length of almost 59 minutes, and it is an independent release. The album starts with the two-minutes orchestral intro "The Noon, The Sun And The Stars". Starting with the piano, the strings drive the intro forward, and as time goes by, it becomes more and more bombastic as the brass join in, seamlessly transitioning into the title track. "The Force Of Nature" is a mid-tempo track with tight guitar riffs, accompanied by the double-bass drumming. The vocals are clean and vary between the medium to higher end of the vocal range. The melodies are catchy, especially during the chorus parts with anthemic chorus lines. The orchestral arrangements are notable during the chorus and the extended break, with the strings being most prominent. "Lessons In Life (Are For Free)" starts with the vocals, leading into a fast verse part, driven by heavy guitar riffs supported by the orchestral arrangements. The choruses slow down to a measured tempo with powerful guitar riffs and plenty of double-bass drumming. The vocals offer many tonal shifts from deeper towards higher pitched notes. The break is driven by the arrangements with the brass and the strings being most prominent.

"Come Into My World" is a mid-tempo track with a lot of Rock vibes, especially during the verse parts. The track lacks the heaviness of the previous songs, and the highlight is the chorus part with catchiness in the melodies. "Your Ultimate Joy" starts with dark melodies delivered by the guitars and the strings, leading into the mid-tempo verse part, driven by tight and heavy guitar riffs, the double-bass drumming, and the strings. The vocals offer a lot of diversity in terms of vocal range and a few oriental vibes in the melodies. The break includes an extended and very contributing lead guitar solo. After the break, there is an abrupt tempo switch and there is a fast sequence with tight riffs and the double-bass driving the track. "Your Ultimate Joy" is a heavy and powerful song and an album highlight. "I Thought You Were On My Side" slows down and it starts with the guitars, strings, and the vocals. The vocals utilize mainly higher notes. Halfway through the track, all instruments join in and the track develops into the album ballad with powerful guitar riffs, while the orchestral contributions are very prominent. Highlight of the track is the lead guitar solo during the break. "Don't Wake Up The Dead" is introduced by a short orchestral pre-lude, transitioning into thunderous guitar riffs at a measured tempo. The verse part starts with the strings and vocals only, while the guitar riffing, basslines, and drumming join in shortly afterwards. The track develops into an alternation of powerful, guitar-driven parts and the quieter parts led by the strings, where the vocals build the bridge between the two. The break is arguably the heaviest and darkest part with punishing guitar riffs, the brass, and the strings.

"Don't Wake Up The Dead" is another album highlight. "Monsters In My Head" has a lengthy introduction by the strings and brass, transitioning into heavy and powerful guitar riffs at a measured tempo. The verse part is driven forward by the guitar riffing, the double-bass drumming and the vocals, which utilize almost the full vocal range. The melodies are once again orientally inspired. The choruses change to mid-tempo for the chorus line; however, the choruses include some complexity and twists. The break, starting after five minutes, needs quite some time to develop and it eventually results in a very comprehensive lead guitar solo. For a track that includes three verse/chorus parts and a break, "Monsters In My Head" is pretty lengthy, and with more than nine minutes the longest album song. "Two Hearts" is another slow song, with the verse part led by the strings, the basslines, and the vocals. The guitars join in during the first chorus part. The melodies are dark and melancholic. The break offers another fine and contributing lead guitar solo, carrying forward the sad and melancholic nature of the track. "Run With The Wolves" is a switch in sound and tempo. It is one of the faster and heavier album tracks. The guitar riffing is heavy, while the vocals offer a lot of tonal shifts towards higher pitched notes. It is a mid-tempo track, where the orchestral arrangements are notable but more in the background. The break delivers heavy guitar riffs with more prominent orchestrations than during the rest of the track. "Run With The Wolves" was released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below. "What Goes Up Must Come Down" has a quiet start, however, it transitions into a heavy track at a measured tempo with thunderous guitar riffs during the verse parts. The chorus part utilizes the double-bass drumming once again, but main emphasis is on the versatile vocals, which undergo distinct tonal shifts. The break offers almost a staccato type of riffing and a lot of lead guitar contributions. The orchestral arrangements are not overly prominent with the strings the main contributor.

The album finishes with "Eyes Will Glow" and after a short introduction, the track develops into a mid-tempo track with heavy guitar riffs and the strings being quite prominent. While the verse parts include some calmer parts, which are intensified by the vocals, the melodies of the choruses are catchy, direct with powerful guitar riffs. "Eyes Will Glow" is arguably one of the heavier songs and a good way to finish the album. EPINIKION deliver an interesting symphonic Metal album. "The Force Of Nature" offers traditional symphonic Metal with the emphasis being on "symphonic". The orchestral arrangements are always present, but there is a good mixture of heavier, guitar-driven songs, and tracks where the orchestral arrangements are more prominent. The album has its ups and downs as there are a couple of tracks which cannot quite keep up with the others. In addition, some tracks are a bit lengthy. The vocals are very versatile and build the bridge between the symphonic and the Metal components of the tracks. The songwriting may need some polishing. The album is well produced. EPINIKION are still at the beginning of their career and time will tell where their journey will go to. "The Force Of Nature" will have their share of fans.