Released October 15, 2021
🎧 Epica – A Cinematic Odyssey by Keith Richie
“Music is a potent mood regulator. Simply by listening, our frame of mind changes. It can open a portal to another dimension where all sense of normality vanishes. “
Epica is a sweeping, cinematic journey through sound — a richly layered, emotionally expansive album that fuses ambient electronica, Berlin-school sequencing, and science fiction themes into a single immersive experience.
Crafted by Texas-based composer Keith Richie, Epica builds upon the legacy of his prior work (Ambient Highways, Skylines, For the Willow Wept…) and draws clear inspiration from ambient and electronic greats such as Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Carbon Based Lifeforms, and John Carpenter. But what sets Epica apart is its deeply narrative structure — an album that plays like the score to an epic sci-fi or fantasy film that exists only in the listener’s imagination.
Each track serves as a chapter in a larger story: from the ethereal swell of “Remote Isolation” and the meditative pulse of “Rebirth,” to the childlike wonder of “Tiny Creatures” and the twilight tension of “Dusk.” The album peaks with the soaring title track “Epica,” where layered synths, cinematic drums, and Mimi Page’s haunting vocals conjure visions of interstellar heroism. The closing track, “There Are Other Worlds Than These,” named after Richie’s own publishing label and referencing Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, delivers a powerful finale — triumphant, textured, and emotionally resonant.
Like a great novel, Epica is filled with both wonder and tension, beauty and darkness. It’s music built not just for listening, but for feeling — perfect for dreaming, writing, reading, or escaping into other worlds. It invites replay after replay, each listen revealing deeper textures and hidden details.
Fans of sci-fi film scores, ambient storytelling, and imaginative soundscapes will find much to explore here. Epica is not just music — it’s a sonic universe waiting to unfold.