INCLUDES SPOILERS

“EPIC” is a concept musical that is being written and produced by Jorge Rivera-Herrans. The musical itself follows the story of “The Odyssey;” one of the epic poems that was written by Homer. As of now, the musical has four sagas, since the musical began releasing at the end of 2022. When “EPIC: the Troy Saga” was released, following the first album, the next three were released over 2023 and the beginning of 2024.

“EPIC: the Troy Saga”

“The Troy Saga” starts off with the first song of the entire musical, “The Horse and the Infant.” The song follows the final battle of the Trojan War, where Odysseus is leading his men. During this same song Zeus visits him, where Zeus gives an order to Odysseus to kill Hector’s son, who is an infant. The next song, “Just a Man,” is Odysseus lamenting over what he must do, but in the end, he kills the infant. The next time Odysseus is seen is after he leaves Troy. In “Full Speed Ahead,” he’s talking with two of his friends over how they should go about feeding their crew of six hundred men. At the end of the song they come across a mysterious island. Odysseus goes to explore the island alongside his friend, Polites, who spends the entirety of the fourth song of the album, “Open Arms,” trying to convince Odysseus to trust the world again. The final song of “The Troy Saga” is “Warrior of the Mind,” which is Athena visiting Odysseus and reminding him that as a warrior, he needs to think with his mind.

“EPIC: the Cyclops Saga”

“The Cyclops Saga” starts with the song “Polyphemus” where Odysseus encounters the cyclops by that name while searching for food to feed his troops. Because of the death of his sheep, Polyphemus attacks. The attack leads to the fight that happens in the next song, “Survive,” as well as the deaths that follow. In the third song of the album, “Remember Them,” Odysseus tells his crew that they need to remember their fallen comrades, which will give them the strength to win the fight against Polyphemus. After winning the battle, at the end of “Remember Them,” Athena visits Odysseus for a second time and tells him to kill Polyphemus. When he refuses, this leads to the final song of “The Cyclops Saga,” “My Goodbye.” In this song, Athena scolds Odysseus for his reckless behavior. They argue, which leads to Athena abandoning Odysseus for the rest of his journey home.

“EPIC: the Ocean Saga”

“The Ocean Saga” starts with the song “Storm,” where Odysseus and his fleet are facing an impenetrable storm which threatens to destroy their ships. They come across an island in the sky, and Odysseus plans to explore it. In “Luck Runs Out,” Eurylochus tries to convince Odysseus out of it, but he still goes anyway. On the island, Odysseus finds the Wind God Aeolus, who traps the storm in a bag, telling him to keep it safe. Odysseus keeps it safe for several days before it’s opened, sending them to the land of the giants. Following that, Poseidon appears, and in “Ruthlessness” he reveals that Polyphemus is his son. Poseidon is here for vengeance, and sinks all of Odysseus’ fleet except the ship Odysseus himself is on. In a last ditch effort to escape, Odysseus opens the bag of storms, which gets his ship away from Posiedon and his wrath. Odysseus succeeds in escaping from Poseidon, and this interpretation of the story continues in the fourth saga.