Epica (band)
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever. Originally formed as a symphonic metal band with gothic influences, Epica later incorporated strong death metal elements into their sound. Starting with their third album, progressive metal influences also became evident. Additionally, the band often incorporates thrash metal and groove metal riffs, black metal elements, power metal sections, and influences from Arabic music. Some songs also incorporate electronic elements, djent transitions, and folk metal melodies inspired by Middle Eastern, Chinese, and Celtic traditions.
Epica is also known for its attention to vocal melodies, which contrast with the heavy instrumentation by weaving catchy, sophisticated, and emotionally expressive lines. The band's sound prominently features a combination of soprano vocals, performed by Simone Simons, and growled vocals, provided by Mark Jansen. They primarily write their own lyrics, which explore philosophical, psychological, spiritual, moral, scientific, environmental, socio-political, global, topical, and personal themes. Epica is also recognized for its extensive use of orchestral arrangements and operatic choirs.
In 2003, Epica released its debut album, The Phantom Agony, through Transmission Records. Consign to Oblivion followed in 2005, debuting at No. 12 on the Dutch charts. After Transmission's bankruptcy, the band signed with Nuclear Blast and released its third studio album, The Divine Conspiracy, in 2007, which charted at No. 9 in the Netherlands. Design Your Universe brought the band even greater success, debuting at No. 8 on the Dutch Albums Chart and charting across Europe, while also receiving widespread critical acclaim. Epica's fifth studio album, Requiem for the Indifferent, was released in 2012. Well received by critics, it achieved international success, entering the US Billboard 200 at No. 104 and Japan's Oricon Albums Chart at No. 172.
At the beginning of May 2014, the band released their sixth album, The Quantum Enigma, which was a huge international success, debuting at No. 110 on the US Billboard 200 and peaking at No. 4 in Epica's homeland of the Netherlands. In June 2015, Epica was awarded the Music Export Award, which is given to the Dutch act with the most international success in the past year. Their seventh album, The Holographic Principle, was released in September 2016 to continued international success, matching the peak chart position set by its predecessor in the Netherlands. The band released their eighth album, Omega, in February 2021.
History
''Cry for the Moon'' (2002)
In early 2002, at 23 years old, Mark Jansen left After Forever due to creative differences. He then began searching for musicians to create a more classical/symphonic music project, initially named Sahara Dust. In late 2002, the band approached Helena Iren Michaelsen to be its frontwoman, but she was soon replaced by Simone Simons, who was Jansen's girlfriend at the time. The band's lineup was completed by guitarist Ad Sluijter, drummer Jeroen Simons, bassist Yves Huts, and keyboardist Coen Janssen. The name was later changed to Epica, inspired by Kamelot's album of the same name.Epica then assembled a choir and a string orchestra to perform with them. Still under the name Sahara Dust, they produced a two-song demo titled Cry for the Moon in 2002. As a result, they were signed to Transmission Records.
''The Phantom Agony'' (2002–2004)
The Phantom Agony is the first full-length studio album by Epica. It is the first album recorded by guitarist Mark Jansen after his departure from the band After Forever. The album was produced by Sascha Paeth and released in June 2003. In this album, Mark Jansen continues the collection of songs that make up "The Embrace That Smothers." The first three parts can be found on Prison of Desire, After Forever's debut album, and the following three parts can be found on The Divine Conspiracy, Epica's third album. These songs address the dangers of organized religion. The song "Façade of Reality" on the album was written about the September 11 attacks and includes fragments from speeches by Tony Blair.The album was followed by three singles: “The Phantom Agony,” “Feint,” and “Cry for the Moon.”
''Consign to Oblivion/The Score – An Epic Journey'' (2004–2006)
Their second release, entitled Consign to Oblivion, was influenced by the culture of the Maya civilization, which can be noticed on songs in the "A New Age Dawns" series. "A New Age Dawns" refers to the time system of the Mayan people, which extends up to 2012, and makes no reference to what may happen past that year. Consign to Oblivion was composed with film scores as a basis, with Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman cited as major inspirations. The album features guest vocals by Roy Khan on the song "Trois Vierges." Epica also joined Kamelot as a support band on parts of their tour to promote The Black Halo album, to which Simons had contributed her vocals on the track "The Haunting."Two singles were released from the album, "Solitary Ground" and "Quietus."
Epica's non-metal album The Score – An Epic Journey was released in September 2005 and is the soundtrack for a Dutch movie called Joyride, though it could also be considered their third album. Mark Jansen describes the album as typical Epica, "only without the singing, without the guitars, no bass, and no drums."
In 2005 and 2006, Epica went on their first tour throughout North America with Kamelot. After the tour, drummer Jeroen Simons left the band to pursue other musical interests. In Fall 2006, Simone once again contributed vocals to a Kamelot album, this time on the tracks "Blücher" and "Season's End" from the album Ghost Opera. In December, Ariën van Weesenbeek from God Dethroned was announced via Epica's official website as the guest drummer for their new album, but not as a permanent band member.
''The Divine Conspiracy''/''The Classical Conspiracy'' (2006–2009)
In September 2007, Epica headlined their first tour through North America and released their third album, The Divine Conspiracy, this time under a new label, Nuclear Blast. That December, Ariën van Weesenbeek was announced as Epica's permanent new drummer. The band toured North America again in April 2008 with Into Eternity and Symphony X, this time with Amanda Somerville filling in for Simone Simons, who had contracted a staph infection. The album was released on 7 September 2007 through Nuclear Blast in Europe.The concept behind The Divine Conspiracy is that God created many different religions for humanity to discover and overcome in order to realize that, in essence, they were all the same. This theme is encapsulated in the album title, "The Divine Conspiracy." Additionally, the album concludes the Embrace That Smothers saga, which began in After Forever's Prison of Desire and continued in Epica's The Phantom Agony. In total, The Embrace That Smothers is a series of 10 songs exploring the dangers of organized religion.
The first single from the album, "Never Enough," was released on 10 August 2007, accompanied by a music video. The second single, "Chasing the Dragon," was released in 2008 without an accompanying video.
On 16 December 2008, Ad Sluijter left the band, citing frustration over being unable to enjoy composing music due to deadlines. His successor on guitar, Isaac Delahaye, was announced in January 2009. Isaac was a member of God Dethroned.
Also in 2008, Epica recorded The Classical Conspiracy, their first live album. The live performance took place in Miskolc, Hungary, on 14 June 2008, as part of the Miskolc Opera Festival, where Therion had performed a similar show the year before. The show featured a 40-piece orchestra and a 30-piece choir, and the setlist included not only Epica's own songs but also covers of classical pieces by Antonio Vivaldi, Antonín Dvořák, Giuseppe Verdi, Edvard Grieg, and soundtracks from movies like Star Wars, Spider-Man, and Pirates of the Caribbean. The live album was released on 8 May 2009 through Nuclear Blast Records.