Failure Epics to release "The Tragedy of Aristophanes of Byzantium"

The Tragedy of Aristophanes of Byzantium is the third release from Failure Epics, centred around the titular character’s real-life journey from student to chief librarian of the Library of Alexandria, from about 194 BCE to 180 BCE.  Happening upon a small footnote while reading about the library, Epworth was inspired to dive into the events surrounding the true life and death of this ancient scholar.  Over the course of nine songs, we follow Aristophanes’ ascension to power, his attempted escape from Egypt, and his eventual imprisonment by the pharaoh Ptolemy V (Epiphanes).

Presented more as a play set to dissonant compositions (featuring a new tuning system devised specifically for the album), the bulk of the instrumentation was performed by Epworth, but features vocal and instrumental contributions from forward-thinking artists like Wax Mannequin and Garbageface.  

Mastered by Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice, Dysrhythmia).

BIO

Failure Epics is the moniker under which musician Jon Epworth explores the more experimental, progressive, and dissonant areas of the metal genre.  The first, self-titled release from Failure Epics (Diminished Fifth Records, 2012) was born from a Canada Council composition grant, with environmental themes woven throughout.  The second album - Sobriety’s Curse (2020) was a reflection on addiction, sobriety, and the consequences of reconciling with past behaviour.