**Spoiler Alert**
“EPIC: The Musical” is a series of albums by Jorge Rivera-Herrans that retell Homer’s Odyssey in song form — specifically inspired by the style of musicals. The songs in this series of sagas include many musical aspects common in musicals, such as background choruses, character dialogue and sound effects for certain scenes.
Each “saga” is an individual album, detailing phases in Odysseus’ journey home. The ninth album, released on Dec. 25, 2024, is the final installment in the saga, showcasing the final struggles of the hero as he reaches his homeland after 12 long years. Fans were eager to hear the story’s ending–although most know that Odysseus ends up getting home. Overall, Rivera-Herrans’ musical interpretation of these events is an enjoyable listen.
“The Challenge” is an emotional ballad featuring Anna Lea’s beautiful vocals as Penelope longs for her husband. Penelope must ward off the suitors vying for her hand by presenting an impossible challenge, and still keeps hope for her husband to return despite waiting for over a decade. In “EPIC,” each character has a musical motif. Penelope’s viola was a beautiful start to the song that conveys a hopeful tone on its own.
“Hold Them Down” is a brilliantly menacing villain song from the suitors’ point of view. It’s mainly sung by Ayron Alexander, who plays Antonichius, a particularly bold suitor who leads the others in their desperate efforts to grasp the throne. Alexander’s deep vocals and bold performance of such a malicious character earned praise from fans.
The instrumental is dark and slow, making the suitors feel like a leering threat waiting to strike Telemachus and Penelope. There are dark allusions to threats of sexual assault in this song, demonstrating how this saga didn’t shy away from darker aspects of Penelope’s predicament.
Here, Odysseus makes his entrance, having hidden in the palace all this time, hearing the suitors plans. Thus, the album transitions to the song aptly named “Odysseus,” a five minute song about Odysseus slaughtering the suitors. In this track, a suitor begs for mercy, but he gets killed promptly and Odysseus claims his “mercy died to bring me (Odysseus) home.” The song doesn’t hold back any of the brutality in the original poem — with the screams of the slain suitors in the instrumental, to lyrics explicitly condemning the threats of sexual assault against Penelope.
Odysseus’ electric guitar motif can also be heard when he saves his son from dying to the suitors, but with more intensity than in previous songs. Rivera-Herrans made “Odysseus” a rage-filled piece that satisfies the listener despite the brutality, as one may empathize with him at this point after his trial.
Fans have mentioned that before this, only monsters in past sagas, such as the cyclops and Scylla, have had their own songs named after them. But now, Odysseus joins the monsters with his own song, demonstrating how he became a “monster” himself. The chorus in the background singing Odysseus’ name makes him feel like he has fully descended to the brutality similar to beasts in his past. It’s a chilling and perfect conclusion to the track.
“I Can’t Help But Wonder” is a lovely song that showcases the emotional moments with Odysseus reuniting with his son, where each of the men wonders what struggles the other has faced. Miguel Veloso, who plays Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, has been praised by fans as a strong casting choice since his voice sounds quite similar to Rivera-Herrans.
Both singers deliver beautiful vocal performances with soft, emotional vocals. Athena and Odysseus’ conversation in this song also introduces interesting characterization, with Teagan Earley delivering softer vocals for the goddess than in previous songs. Athena, who used to encourage brutality, now dreams of a kinder world, while a battered Odysseus, who used to try his best for his now deceased crew, expresses that those dreams are behind him now.
Penelope and Odysseus’ song “Would You Fall in Love with Me Again” was the conclusion fans were waiting for all this time, perhaps with as much anticipation as Penelope waiting for her husband to return. This song is the longest one on the album, and fans were happy about this, as it feels like a fitting and satisfying end to the saga.
The tradition of musical motifs in “EPIC” can be found here as well, with the instrumental referencing Odysseus’ past tragedies in songs as he confesses his crimes to his wife. Lea’s strong vocals carry out complicated and passionate emotions in between love and rage when Odysseus doubts that she can love him after all he’s done.
Fans enjoyed the album, with several saying that the final duet made them emotional. Critics of the storytelling choices in the previous “Vengeance Saga” album praised the “Ithaca Saga” for keeping events simple, focusing on satisfying emotional arcs for the climax of Odysseus’ rage as well as his family reuniting.
Though fans were left with bittersweet feelings, as this was the end of “EPIC,” Rivera-Herrans does have unreleased songs that were cut from the saga. There is no cominformation for the release of these cut songs. He also continues to respond to fans on social media, giving insight into his intentions for certain choices made in the story.
Regardless of “EPIC” coming to an end, fans have been animating amazing videos on YouTube, creating visuals for each of the songs on the album. It’s been a steady tradition for animators in the fanbase, so there’s plenty of content to watch even after listening to the album.
Verdict: “EPIC: The Ithaca Saga” is a beautiful ending to an album series that gained many dedicated fans for its musical storytelling and musical quality. The album highlights the complex character of Odysseus through a unique interpretation of the original story.