A tale of determination and fighting against fate and the Gods, Jorge Riverra-Herrans’ “Epic” retells the tale of Homer’s “Odyssey” through music and storytelling. The idea for “Epic” was originally for Rivera-Herrans’ college thesis, but eventually was released as an entire concept album on Tik Tok and Instagram. Originally released in 2022, but re-recorded and re-released after some legal disputes, Rivera-Herrans’ “Epic” is a concept album sharing the story of Odysseus’ (Jorge Rivera-Herrans) return home to his wife Penelope and the seemingly never-ending roadblocks he faces like an angry cyclops, the rage of a god, hungry sirens and goddesses who wish to hold him captive. The album takes a wide range of musical genres to portray the emotions and struggles that Odysseus suffers through.

This collection of songs has had me coming back again and again. For starters it’s a story most people wouldn’t expect to see as a musical concept, and Rivera-Herrans did an amazing job at capturing the emotions of Odysseus and his crew throughout the songs. While it sticks to the plot of “The Odyssey”, Rivera-Herrans also adds his own twists to it by fleshing the story out more to make it engaging and entertaining. Every time you revisit the songs you find hidden details you originally missed the first time. Recurring melodies pop up and add more depth to the songs and even the instruments used are specific to the tale and characters. It’s one massive intertwined story of love and hope about wishing to go home and facing every challenge that blocks your way.

”Epic” shows the highs and lows of Odysseus and his journey home, how after 10 years of war Odysseus still can’t get home as he angers the god Poseidon (Steven Rodriguez) and suffers through another 10 years of destruction and fighting to survive. The saga blends mythology with modern music, keeping it exciting and relatable for people who may not know Greek mythology.

The album is split into two acts with nine smaller sagas. Throughout each saga we see a variety of themes starting with the idea of choices. The first saga, “Troy”, begins with Odysseus having to decide if he saves or sacrifices the child of his enemy Hector. Throughout the rest of the album we see Odysseus keep coming back to these choices that leave him struggling between the lives of another and his own. Another recurring theme is the struggle with the consequences of your actions. Is it considered right to sacrifice six men if it means the rest can survive, or does it make you a monster? Alongside questioning his humanity and choices, the theme of undying love also follows Odysseus in his journey. The one thing that stayed on Odysseus’ mind during the twenty years away from home is his wife and son. Throughout the songs we hear multiple times where Odysseus mentions his wife Penelope and son Telemachus, showing how they are his sole motivation to get home and that he is willing to fight and become a ruthless monster just to see them once again.

There are a lot of musical choices that Rivera-Herrans chooses that make “Epic” so much better. One is to have unique instruments to represent the major characters. Odysseus is represented by a guitar, he’s shown by an acoustic nylon guitar in his gentle and soft moments while a rough electric guitar represents him as he starts to change more to be a monster. This change in instruments helps portray the emotions and changes that Odysseus goes through over the course of “Epic”. Penelope (Anna Lea) is represented by the viola, her parts staying gentle and beautiful up until the final song when she gets to show off an electric viola in her angry moments at Odysseus. Athena (Teagan Earley) is shown by a piano, which Rivera-Herrans chose because he felt it captured the mysticality of the goddess. The character with the most interesting instrument to represent them is the son Telemachus (Miguel Veloso). Telemachus is portrayed by both the guitar and viola to show his connection to his parents while also having hints of a piano in it to show how he is mentored by the goddess Athena. Each of these specific instruments helps listeners know who is portrayed throughout the songs, even when they’re not singing or outright mentioned. It also shows just how much effort Rivera-Herrans put into planning “Epic” by giving characters individual instruments. While the style of “Epic” spans across multiple genres including orchestral, pop, electronic, and rock, Rivera-Herrans uses this wide array to build specific feelings with each ‘scene’ during the songs. Rivera-Herrans also repeats a lot of key lyrics and tunes throughout his songs, like in the background of the final song “Would You Fall in Love With Me Again”, as Odysseus tells Penelope all the things he has done, the melodies from main songs throughout the saga play in the background. Another example of recurring melodies is at the end of the song where the tune of “Just a Man” returns, showing how throughout the entire journey and after all the horrors Odysseus had seen and caused, he is still just a man who wants to see his wife.

The final song in “Epic” portrays a lot of musical techniques that made the entire album more unique to me. “Would You Fall In Love With Me Again” is when Odysseus finally is home after twenty long years and is about to finally see Penelope again. To start the song we hear a single viola, Penelope’s instrument, then a breath from Odysseus before he calls her name. The song is almost curious at the beginning as Penelope questions if the man before her is actually her husband. The guitar that plays alongside Odysseus is soft and gentle, the acoustic nylon guitar represents the Odysseus Penelope knew before he left for war. While when Odysseus explains the things he did, the guitar changes to a soft electric guitar to represent how he changed yet is still the man Penelope loves despite what he says. Also while he is explaining the things he’s done during those 10 years away, there are motifs from previous songs throughout the sagas that represent what he’s done. We also get to see a change in instruments with Penelope, as she tests to see if Odysseus really is who he says to be. The viola changes to be electric as well as playing a recurring tune that symbolizes someone playing tricks on another. Odysseus replies with a rough electric guitar, just to realize she’s only trying to see if he really is her husband,  and the guitar changes back to the same soft nylon guitar.

One thing I enjoy about “Epic” is how much Rivera-Herrans connects and interacts with the fan base. Multiple fan artists were asked by him to animate videos to go along with his songs and Rivera-Herrans has answered many fan questions and included them in the process of creating the sagas, showing deleted tracks and hidden parts in songs.

I don’t have many critiques for “Epic”, but I do wish the final saga was longer and that there was more focus on Penelope and Telemachus. I understand it is hard to cover every detail of a book and just because the final saga covers less than the books doesn’t mean that “Epic” is a bad retelling of “The Odyssey”.

Overall, “Epic” keeps you hooked with each song about how Odysseus’ journey will go as you question if he’ll ever get home or not. Whether you’re familiar with the journey of Odysseus or not, I believe anyone can enjoy “Epic” and the story it brings.