Epica
| Epica | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Epica live at Wacken Open Air 2018 |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Symphonic metal |
| founding | 2002 |
| Website | http://www.epica.nl/ |
| Current occupation | |
| Simone Simons | |
Guitar , guttural vocals (mostly growling) |
Mark Jansen |
| Isaac Delahaye (since 2009) | |
| Rob van der Loo (since 2012) | |
| Coen Janssen | |
| Ariën van Weesenbeek (since 2007) | |
| former members | |
Drums |
Jeroen Simons (until 2006) |
guitar |
Ad Sluijter (until 2008) |
bass |
Yves Huts (until 2012) |
Epica is a symphonic metal band from the Netherlands founded in 2002 .
biography
Epica emerged from the band Sahara Dust , which was founded in mid-2002 by Mark Jansen ( grunts , guitar ) together with Helena Iren Michaelsen ( vocals ), Ad Sluijter (guitar), Coen Janssen ( keyboard ) and Iwan Hendrikx ( drums ). After Helena Iren Michaelsen and Iwan Hendrikx left the band at the end of 2002, Simone Simons (vocals) and Jeroen Simons (drums) joined them. As fans of the band Kamelot , they renamed the band after their album Epica . In 2006 Jeroen Simons left the band to devote himself to other musical projects. He was replaced by Ariën van Weesenbeek ( God Dethroned ).
In June 2003 they released their first album The Phantom Agony on the Transmission Records label , two years later the album Consign to Oblivion and the film music album The Score , which includes the soundtrack for the Dutch film Joyride composed by Epica . With the bankruptcy of their record label Transmission Records , the search for a new record label began for Epica. On April 24, 2007 they announced that from now on Nuclear Blast will be their new label.
At the beginning of their first major tour through North America, the band released their third studio album "The Divine Conspiracy" on September 7, 2007 in Germany. On the concept album about religion, which contains 13 tracks, Sander Gommans ( After Forever ) contributes in a song Grunts , which should also be a sign that former rivalries between the two bands have now been resolved. The first single is the song "Never Enough", for which there are two videos.
On January 10, 2008, Epica announced on their website that Simone Simons was infected with multi-resistant staphylococci ( MRSA ) and that most of the upcoming performances had to be canceled. After a further deterioration in their health, the band decided to forego shows completely until their full recovery. Only the US tour at the end of April / beginning of May 2008 was carried out as planned. Long-time guest musician Amanda Somerville stepped in as a singer at short notice . Since mid-May 2008 the band has been performing again with Simone Simons. She also performed at Wacken Open Air 2009.
On December 16, 2008, guitarist Ad Sluijter announced that he was leaving the band. The reason he cited was the stress associated with success, which hindered his creativity. On January 16, 2009, his position was replaced by Isaac Delahaye ( God Dethroned ).
In mid-May 2009, Epica released their first live album, “The Classical Conspiracy”, a recording of a concert in Miskolc , Hungary , which was recorded with the support of a professional orchestra and choir. In addition to epica songs, the album also contains adaptations of classical pieces and film soundtracks.
The following studio album "Design Your Universe" was released on October 16, 2009. As part of a guest appearance, Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica sings in the song "White Waters" in a duet with Simone Simons.
The eleventh single "Storm the Sorrow" was released on February 3, 2012, the fifth studio album "Requiem for the Indifferent" on March 9, 2012.
In March 2012, Yves Huts left the band. He was replaced by Rob van der Loo (ex. Delain, MaYaN).
On September 16, 2012, Epica and Ruurd Woltring wrote the song Forevermore and a video clip as a contribution to the Dutch television show Niks te gek («Nothing too crazy»), in which mentally disabled people can fulfill their dreams.
On March 23, 2013 Epica celebrated its 10th anniversary with a big concert in Klokgebouw, Eindhoven . They played the three-hour concert called Retrospect together with a 70-piece orchestra (Extended Remenyi Ede Chamber Orchestra) and the Choir of Miskolc National Theater , both from Hungary. They had already made music with both of them when they recorded the live CD "The Classical Conspiracy". The concert showed a cross-section of all Epica albums published so far. Also present were Floor Jansen (After Forever, ReVamp , Nightwish) and the former Epica band members Ad Sluijter, Jeroen Simons, and Yves Huts. During the show it was announced that the concert would be released on DVD. The publication date was November 8, 2013.
On April 24, 2013, Epica's official website announced that Simone Simons and her long-time friend Oliver Palotai (Kamelot) were expecting their first child this summer. Therefore, no more live shows were played from July. The appearance at Masters of Rock has also been canceled. The child was born on October 2, 2013 and is called Vincent.
On May 2, 2014, the sixth studio album “The Quantum Enigma” was released, as well as three single releases during the year.
The seventh studio album “The Holographic Principle” was released on September 30, 2016 and shortly afterwards reached top 10 positions in the German, Dutch and Swiss album charts.
style
Epica combines symphonic metal with gothic metal and power metal in their music . In the early albums, oriental arrangements are also shown in the melodies. Epica's music is often referred to as aggressive, bombastic and excessive, often also epic and majestic, sometimes also subdued and withdrawn. The band is also known for their progressive tendencies. In addition to a small orchestra, a small choir is used on their albums to realistically complement the samples . The soprano of the singer Simone Simons is partly supported by male, guttural singing and in the songs "Trois Vierges" and "White Waters" also by clear male vocals from guest singers. In their lyrics, the band often deals with issues critical of religion, for example religious fanaticism, and the search for truth.
Band members
- Epica live at Rockharz 2019
Singer Simone Simons
Guitarist Mark Jansen
Guitarist Isaac Delahaye
Bass player Rob van der Loo
Keyboardist Coen Janssen
Drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek ( Summer Breeze 2017)
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 AT
|
 CH
|
 UK
|
 US
|
 NL
|
|||
| 2003 | The Phantom Agony | - | - | - | - | - |
NL8 (6 weeks) NL |
|
| 2005 | Consign to Oblivion | - | - | - | - | - |
NL12 (8 weeks) NL |
|
| 2007 | The Divine Conspiracy |
DE41 (1 week) DE |
- |
CH29 (4 weeks) CH |
- | - |
NL9 (5 weeks) NL |
|
| 2009 | Design your universe |
DE37 (2 weeks) DE |
AT70 (1 week) AT |
CH27 (3 weeks) CH |
- | - |
NL8 (6 weeks) NL |
|
| 2012 | Requiem for the Indifferent |
DE26 (2 weeks) DE |
AT33 (1 week) AT |
CH14 (4 weeks) CH |
- |
US105 (1 week) US |
NL12 (6 weeks) NL |
|
| 2014 | The Quantum Enigma |
DE11 (3 weeks) DE |
AT30 (1 week) AT |
CH17 (4 weeks) CH |
UK53 (1 week) UK |
US110 (1 week) US |
NL4 (5 weeks) NL |
|
| 2016 | The Holographic Principle |
DE9 (3 weeks) DE |
AT21 (1 week) AT |
CH8 (3 weeks) CH |
UK46 (1 week) UK |
US139 (1 week) US |
NL4 (2 weeks) NL |
|
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ epica.nl: Announcement on the band's official website ( Memento from October 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English, accessed October 7, 2013)
- ↑ epica.nl: Message on the band's official website ( Memento from October 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English, accessed October 7, 2013)
- ↑ Chart sources albums: DE AT CH UK US NL