| The Phantom Agony |
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| Released | 5 June 2003 (2003-06-05) |
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| Recorded | January–March 2003 |
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| Studio |
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| Genre | Symphonic metal |
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| Length | 51:43 |
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| Label | Transmission |
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| Producer | Sascha Paeth |
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- "The Phantom Agony"
Released: 29 October 2003
- "Feint"
Released: 8 January 2004
- "Cry for the Moon"
Released: 13 May 2004
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Professional ratings| Review scores |
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| Source | Rating |
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| AllMusic | |
| Sea of Tranquility | |
| Musical Discoveries | |
| Metal Ship | |
| Lords of Metal | |
| Metal Reviews | |
The Phantom Agony is the debut studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. It was released in 2003 by the Dutch label Transmission Records. It is the first album recorded by guitarist Mark Jansen after his departure from the band After Forever. On this album, Jansen continues with the collection of songs that make up The Embrace That Smothers. The first three parts can be found on Prison of Desire (2000), After Forever's debut album, and the following three parts can be found on The Divine Conspiracy (2007), Epica's third album. These songs deal with the dangers of organized religion.
The album was re-released on 23 March 2013, which coincided with Epica's 10th anniversary Retrospect show, as a 2-disc expanded edition by Epica's former record label Transmission Records.