Epicby Faith No More

Epic was very unique in it's time. It combined hard rock and rap very successfully, enough to make it to number nine on the Billboard charts; it hit number one in Australia. This was the second single from their third album The Real Thing. It was by far their biggest hit, and they were never really able to follow up on it's success. The song itself was unique and innovative. A hard rocker rapping with a sort of metal energy, leading to a melodic chorus, not a metal scream, but more of a brief pop-like line. The lyrics describe "it", but the song never defined what "it" is; they even ask "What is it?" repeatedly, only to answer, "it's it". So they are somewhere between deeply philosophical and nonsense. But the beat and the tone are important things, and they hold up better than anything else the band has done.

The other tracks on the single include a live version of the Black Sabbath song "War Pigs", an OK version, but I'd stuck to Sabbath. Also two other live songs, "Surprise! You're Dead!" and "Chinese Arithmetic", neither all that thrilling. "Epic" is the real attraction here, a strong song, the only piece really worth your attention.