*Spoiler Alert*
Jorge Rivera-Herrans has been working on a series of albums since he was a college student in 2019, and starting 2022 he’s been releasing them all, with the final album in the series likely set to come out in a few months. Before officially releasing songs, he gained fans on TikTok by posting behind the scenes clips of his work on the musical concept albums.
Fans have eagerly been looking forward to this particular album in the EPIC saga – a series of songs that take inspiration from Homer’s “Odyssey,” which is a Greek epic poem that includes Greek gods and characters. The albums are presented in a musical-style format, weaving a storyline with audio and lyrical imagery. The main character, Odysseus, goes through trials, temptations, and turmoil while he is far from his home for over a decade, facing Poseidon’s wrath. “The Vengeance Saga” specifically covers Odysseus escaping confinement, receiving help from a god and facing Poseidon on his way home.
“Get in the Water” has been a song that fans were looking forward to for a long time, as the unreleased demo was teased by Rivera-Herrans as with many other songs from EPIC. The song is a chilling one, as Poseidon catches Odysseus in the ocean just as he is about to reach his home, threatening him to surrender and face certain death in the waters. The song’s eerie notes and emotional vocals carried this concept to its fullest potential, making it shine on the album.
“Six Hundred Strike” is a song that fans didn’t talk about much beforehand, as there were barely any released snippets — but it quickly garnered just as much popularity as “Get in the Water” upon release due to the twist the song throws in the plot. As Jorge said before, EPIC doesn’t follow the “Odyssey” accurately- and this song definitely takes a big, but satisfying deviation as Odysseus retaliates against Poseidon in a sadistic manner, enacting vengeance on the god.
Rivera-Herrans took inspiration for this song from video game boss fights and fights in anime, which shows in the upbeat instrumental and Rivera-Herrans’ bold vocals. A guitar, an instrumental motif representing Odysseus, makes a fitting appearance in the song, adding to the hype, fast-paced mood.
Despite the praise, some fans have said the song felt out of place with the anime-influenced production and big plot diversion. Other fans have defended “Six Hundred Strike” by pointing out that EPIC is not a musical which linearly follows the plot of the “Odyssey.” While it may not stand true to the source material, it still creates a solid character arc, following up on earlier material where Odysseus was succumbing to violent urges.
Steven Rodriguez is a brilliant casting for Poseidon, with his raspy voice carrying the rage and arrogance of the old God of the ocean. Rivera-Herrans, who sings as Odysseus’ in EPIC, brilliantly portrays the fear of a mortal that is at a God’s mercy. When the character dynamic is flipped, the pain in Rodriguez’s voice almost makes listeners feel bad for him while they simultaneously feel encouraged to cheer for Odysseus as Rivera-Herrans portrays the perfect mixture of anger, grief and defiance in his voice.
“Not Sorry For Loving You” is a sullen song that makes one sympathize slightly with the character of Calypso, even as she trapped Odysseus on her island for seven years. The details in this song are impeccably executed upon closer inspection. The calypso as an instrument makes an appearance, and the only voices that can be heard in this song are Odysseus and Calypso, emphasizing how he is the only other person on her isolated island.
Though the song is a beautiful one, with Barbara Wangui’s lovely vocals, it does feel like an odd placement in the album narratively, with some fans saying it should have been a conclusion to the last album as Odysseus leaves the island.
“Dangerous” is a more upbeat synth pop track, with the god, Hermes, telling Odysseus how to survive his journey home, playing on his cheeky nature even with his grim warnings to the hero. Meanwhile,“Charybdis” is a track that is somewhat repetitive in its melody, but it has a gorgeous instrumental that makes the listener successfully imagine having a fight with a sea monster in the ocean, with its gripping intro and Odysseus’ defiant guitar motif.
“The Vengeance Saga” has all the great qualities that EPIC is known for, with references to past events in the storyline, musical motifs for characters, and a cohesive emotional narrative with its main character, Odysseus, following arcs foreshadowed in past songs. Despite critiques of the album’s latter half not fitting with the storyline due to Poseidon being easily defeated, most agree that the album is musically consistent with previous sagas and has solid production.
Thus, it can be argued that the album can stand alone relatively successfully, despite some previous sagas having a stronger quality in that department, “The Vengeance Saga” still has some of the most iconic tracks in the series. EPIC has quite the dedicated fanbase, with many animators having come out with beautifully done animations, most commonly posted on YouTube, adding to the experience of following this album’s storyline. Now fans eagerly wait for “The Ithaca Saga,” where Odysseus returns home to his family after many years, and can finally protect them from the dangers they are facing.
Verdict: “EPIC: The Vengeance Saga” is a unique passion project with a lot of heart and work behind it, and it clearly shows. This album, regardless of divided opinions on the storyline’s progression, has built a lot of anticipation for the final installment in the saga through its dramatic moments and shocking emotional arcs.
