It's no secret if you're a regular reader to this blog that Epica gets alot of love from Draeden and I. I've reviewed the last album Design Your Universe. Draeden did a concert review or two and a Succubus Showcase.
Now I'm not going to wax all poetic and melodramatic about this band. I had a spell where I was digging symphonic gothic metal bands and Epica was in that pile. What was originally a band that sounded like it should be scoring films turned into a well rounded band by the last album. As time has gone by Epica is about the only band worth a shit in this genre. Within Temptation is flirting with movies and comic books. Nightwish well let's just say my expectations are low and After Forever went defunct. Plus unlike my touchy feely counterpart I actually posted a picture with a cleavage shot. Simone doesn't want to be viewed as someone up there that's just tits and ass well to bad. I'd motorboat her. So there is that. Anyways, here is without a doubt my favorite track by this band. Enjoy.
Amanda Somerville may not be a front-woman for a band on any sort of permanent basis but in no way does that diminish her necessity to be appreciated.
Amanda has performed with the best as well as creates her own music. She's released 4 solo cds and has a project called Kiske/Somerville with Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske. She even covered for Epica in their time of need when Simone Simons was ill and toured with the band taking center stage - and doing a fantastic job of it too (I should know, I was there).
Looks like Coen Janssen of Epica is talking some time off, while they're touring (again) for personal reasons. In a time where it seems like where a quite a few bands have made these announcements as of late, this one is at least for a good reason, and definitely temporary. Last time Coen didn't tour was when he was marrying his new wife and going on their honeymoon and Kamelot pianist Oliver Palotai covered his spot flawlessly. Looks like Oliver better brush off his Epica music sheets because he's going to need them again, as Coen and his wife are expecting their first child.
Here's an official statement from the band:
Coen will not be joining Epica on the 70.000 tons of Metal cruise and the Latin-American dates early February.
"As you might know. Linda, my wife, and I are expecting our first child. The due date happens to be around the same time as the cruise. As you might understand, I will stay at home since I don't want to miss the birth of my first child."
Joining Epica on keyboards for these show is Oliver Palotai (Kamelot/Sons of Seasons), friend of the band and the right man for the job because of his amazing talent.
Congrats to the Janssens' on their great news and hope all goes well. Epica will most definitely be in good hands, as Oliver is a bad-ass and can play just about anything.
Please visit and spread the word about these Links:
How else can I start off this tribute to the incredibly gorgeous and talented women of Metal than to spotlight the most beautiful voice in the world: Simone Simons of Epica.
Simone has been melting the coldest of hearts longer than Epica has been melting faces, I'm sure. Her voice is like none other and she commands the stage and all of our attention like a queen from her throne. With the control of a seasoned veteran she can soothe you with a soft spoken lull or she can whip you into a frenzy with the power of a hurricane. She can melt your heart with the sweetest words or take you into despair with melancholy steeped with the pain of heartache that you'd swear came from the freshest of wounds.
She has the ability to implant emotion of any sort, comforting or violent, and you feel it all; buried within the expertly crafted music that Epica creates.
Simone is obviously doubly blessed with both the voice of an Angel and the beauty of a timeless starlet who's goddess-like visage will always be remembered and adored.
Simone is a classic beauty, natural and honest in her living, breathing perfection. Her angelic features are known far and wide and the voice contained within can be found all over the Metal community: not only with her band Epica but guest vocalist with Kamelot, Aryeon and Sons of Seasons.
One of her many guest appearances with Florida power metal band Kamelot is this ironic ballad; the irony being that it's called Incubus (part 1 of the epic song Poetry for the Poisoned) which, if I had to guess the song was not only written for her to sing but that she was a bit of the inspiration behind it for she is a beauty that mostly men (and some women) would gladly trade their lives for if only for a moment in her arms.
Here are some more favourites for you from Simone with Epica and more:
Here's "Cry For The Moon" from their CD/DVD We Will Take You With Us
My fav Epica song; Chasing the Dragon from their release, The Divine Conspiracy.
Here's one with Aryeon, Web of Lies, from his album 01011001.
One of her many, and more recent Kamelot guest vocals, Simone joins the Florida boys for two parts in this four part masterpiece Poetry for the Poisoned parts 1-4.
Last but not least, the Renaissance-ish looking video Solitary Ground.
Want to know more about Simone, here's Epica's Official Site!
Here's Simone's personal site, though it doesn't look like it's been updates in a while.
So there you have it, my first Showcase. Simone has always been a woman of beauty and grace, talent and humility, sex appeal and sweetness. If you take anything from this post, take the music: though she's undoubtedly beautiful, it's her voice that drew me to her in the first place. Check out Epica and the many guest appearances and enjoy all that her amazing voice has to offer.
Keep your eyes open for our next edition, somewhere in February.
Until then - Enjoy!
Please visit and spread the word about these Links:
So as far as shows go, this one was pretty epic. Even the dreary torrential rains and the cold San Francisco weather couldn't keep the atmosphere down around the DNA Lounge where an almost repeat lineup from an earlier in the year show was to take place. Tonight on the bill is Epica, Scar Symmetry, The Agonist and Canadian favorites, Blackguard. The night started off kinda dodgy; to be honest I almost turned around when I hit a quarter of the way to San Francisco; the rain was coming down in buckets and I was afraid my truck would end up hydroplaning into a wall or something, but thanks to some previous communication with Blackguard's front-man Paul Ablaze and my setting up an interview for That Devil Music, I couldn't pass this opportunity up. I also had a meet and greet experience with Epica, and you just don't pass that up either.
I got there early, made my initial contact with Blackguard's bass player Étienne Mailloux who kindly passed on my arrival to Paul. While waiting, DNA staff placed a sign on the walls reporting that tonight's show will be recorded and streamed live on their website. I called Rob Liz, informed him of said awesomeness and later learned that he streamed it on That Devil Music. Looks like we'll be doing that more as time goes on.
After getting searched, through the doors and out of the rain, we were lined up to get our autographed poster (and my other items) and were able to chat the few minutes at the table. The line then circled around again and we then waited to get our pic taken with the whole band (something I have yet to accomplish in the previous meetings with them - until tonight). On a quick note, though I have two or three Epica shirts, I had decided to wear my Blackguard (to show my support) and Mark had joked to me as I walked up for my picture that I was wearing the wrong shirt. I know he was just messing around, but as far as I'm concerned, I was in exactly what I needed to be in..
So, being true to his word Paul came and grabbed me and we went up to the VIP area for our interview. He was truly thankful to have us do the interview and little did I know he was very talkative (which was unexpected and awesome). I guess I expected a metal musician to be of fewer words but I was pleasantly wrong. We talked about the beginnings of Blackguard, the comings and goings of band members (including the recent departure of keyboardist Jonathan Lefrancois-Leduc, old labels and their new partnership with Victory Records and a little bit of this an that. You can see part one and part two here:
Part one:
Part two:
For part two, I had to cut it short. There was a "DJ" there, and although he played some great music, I wish he wouldn't have started until I had a chance to finish my interview. You can still hear our conversation well enough though. Oh, and by the way: Eff you, Rob Metal.
All in all it was a great experience. Even though they tour non stop they still feel that they might not be as well known as they would like to be, hopefully with the new label behind them and a new Album (entitled "Firefight" due out in March 2011) on the way that will change. They all certainly have the drive and the passion to climb up the ranks of metal's finest.
After the interview (again, thanks Paul!) I headed over to the Merch tables which was packed with some great stuff (if only I could have registered there for Christmas gifts). I chatted with Terry Roadcase (off camera) and made a couple purchases. They are all dedicated all all know their roles. I always see Terry at the table, chatting with fans and selling their goods. They are all passionate about getting their names and music out there, as well they should.
After getting my spot at the right side of the front of the stage (which apparently was the spot to be because everyone who was watching the show online could see me clear as day (though I'm not so sure that's a good thing). And I waited patiently for Blackguard.
They never seem to disappoint. This is the third or fourth time seeing them and they always a packed with energy and give the crowd back the energy they're being given, which was a lot. They treated us to the greats from Profugus Mortis, This Rounds On Me, Allegiance, The Sword and also we were given a sneak peek to the upcoming release. It sounded amazing and I can't wait to get my greedy paws on it. As a treat during one of their numbers a smoking hot blue-haired pixie came out on stage and sang along, well more like screamed along. I wouldn't know her identity until the next band's performance.
Next up is Montreal's The Agonist. I can honestly say I know nothing of them though as their set went on I had realized too little too late that their lead vocalist and the blue haired angel who popped in on Blackguard's set was familiar to me. I actually read an about Alissa White-Gluz in the pages of Revolver Magazine in their "Hottest Women in Hard Rock" pictorial. Yeah, great choice Revolver.
So from my perspective, standing that close to the stage with ear protection, I really enjoyed their set. In talking to people who watched the show online they weren't too impressed with her performance but I also heard that there were issues in the streaming of it. I'll have to check out their music in the privacy of my own iPod to make a final decision on them. What I could tell from the show is that Alyssa is freakin' gorgeous but appears to be kinda over dealing with fans, dunno why, just an impression I got watching her body language and demeanor while she worked their merch table. I kept trying to get a good shot of her on my camera but she never really moved around the stage like Paul or even Simone or the guys from Scar Symmetry and her guitarist kept cock-blocking my camera (most pics attempted of her ended up with knees and crotch - not at all what I had hoped for).
Still I was entertained by their set which was just a touch longer than Blackguards. The band, for the most part seemed to love being on stage and playing music and it showed in their set.
Next up was Scar Symmetry who I've seen before with Epica in February at a venue down the street. That time I was only there to see Epica and Blackguard and couldn't care less about Bands I've never heard before. This time however, I made it a point to really pay attention to their performance. I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed the two vocalists and how they both seemed to blend really well together. Again, not really knowing much about them it seemed that they had a clean vocalist and a growly vocalist though at times I'm pretty sure I saw them both do clean vocals and some great harmonizing. I think I need to give their studio stuff more scrutiny because I think they put on a really good show, even missing a guitarist who was there but apparently broke his arm at a previous venue. They mentioned something about karate kicks and failed landings. After getting a good look look at the guy (who looked a LOT like Kerry King), I could see why the karate kicks wouldn't be a good idea.
Last but certainly not least was Epica. What can I say, they're amazing; though now I realize as I think about last night that this is truly the first time I've seen them live. My first time to see them, Simone Simmons was ill and they had Amanda Sommerville cover her spot. She really did an amazing job and I'm very thankful for her being there so they could keep the date. The second time I saw them, earlier this year in fact, Coen (their keyboardist) was getting married and so they had asked Kamelot's pianist Oliver Palotai to cover for him. He, of course, did a fantastic job and it was amazing to meet him and see him work his magic live. This time, however, it was the full Epica experience.
They were amazing. It was everything I had hoped for. Simone sounded great, the band was awesome (though it appeared that they had a couple technical difficulties here and there). All in all, they lived up to their standards and gave us all the Epica package we all spent our money to get. You put on an Epica live CD, that's what you get: Perfection.
Here's a pic with me and Epica
Here's a pic with me and Alyssa from The Agonist
Please visit and spread the word about these Links:
Draeden is at this show. You can see him in one of the camera angles right by the stage. Here is the live feed as the show is due to start at 7:30 I believe.Look for a concert review and a Blackguard interview soon.
Here is my first attempt at blogging. I'm sure, down the road, as I get more and more involved with this blog-site, the posting's will look better and better. I wish I could say the same thing about the content, but that's something I can't promise..
Heavy Metal is one of the most amazing and creative genres of music out there, and I'm honoured that Mr. Liz has asked me to share my thoughts about it and the people and bands that make that music. I've been a fan of TDM (That Devil Music) for a long time, and it's going to sound kinda cheesy, but I really do get a lot of great info from here, so it's great to have the ability to share with you all anything that happens to come to my ears.
Just to give you guys an idea of what I'm into, even though I'm a fan of SO many bands and musicians, I've decided to post a couple of my fav's for you.
So I must have pissed off the metal gods somehow this year because I can't seem to make a concert yet. Febuarary 17th was no exception as I had tickets for the show but thanks to the flu bug I couldn't make it. Well luckily for all of you my friend Draeden did make it and was kind enough to do a review on the show. With pictorial evidence of course.Enjoy.
On February 17th I attended the Epica concert with Blackguard and Threat Signal as openers at Slim’s in San Francisco.
Through the course of the evening I got to partake in a lot of random events. Members of Epica came to and from the bus to the doors and stopped and signed and took pictures. The first was new guitarist Isaac Delahaye, then Arien Van Weesenbeck, Mark Janson, Yves Huts and finally Simone Simmons. Oliver Palotai, covering for Coen (who they had said was taking time to get married) also made the rounds. They were all really humble and thankful that so many people were hanging out front for HOURS before the show. They talked it up, thanked everyone, told us about the bus crash and it sounded like Simone even spent time in a Canadian jail, though I can’t be sure of what that was about, and I didn’t ask.
I’ve been here at Slims before, I’ve seen quite a few shows here (Epica being one of them) but nothing is like being one of the first people in and making it to the front of the stage. Normally, people get squished together as people try to force their way to the front, but this crowd was really respectful of each other’s space, and no one was pushing too hard (for the majority of the show).
First up was Blackguard, and I’ve been listening to their cd, Profugus Mortis, quite a bit for the month before the show actually arrived and I’ve been loving the Celtic sounds and beer guzzling romps pounding against my eardrums.. Their set was great, but WAY too short. I could see from the setlist taped to one of the speakers there would only be five songs, NOT long enough. Here they are:
1. The Sword 2. Scarlet to Snow 3. Farewell 4. Allegiance 5. This Round
All I can say is that they’ve found a new fan. Their cd, which I’ve been cranking often lately is amazing, their show was full of energy and they definitely know how to rock and entertain the crowd. I can’t wait to see them when they come back in September in support of Kamelot.
Threat Signal was up next. I’ve never heard of them and I didn’t know anything about them. They took the stage, riding the wave of Blackguard’s energy, but they soon lost it. From what I could see, the lead singer didn’t have anywhere near the crowd-commanding chops that Paul Ablaze has. They performed a couple more songs than the opening act and did a decent job of trying to entertain the crowd, but I didn’t get as musically aroused as I did before. Here’s their set list:
1. Afterlife 2. Through My Eyes 3. A New Beginning 4. Beginning of the End 5. Counterbalance 6. Severed 7. Rational Eyes
Finally, Epica is back in the Bay. I’ve seen them before with Amanda Sommerville performing lead vocals due to Simone being ill, and was anxious to see Epica with Simone more than anything. Coen Janssen was not there, covered by Kamelot’s Oliver Palotai, due to his planning his upcoming wedding. I was also anxious to see new guitarist Isaac Delahaye, who replaced Ad Sluijter.
The stage was full of their power, and nothing looked like it was missing or out of place. They sounded amazing. The show was incredible and there were so many aspects of a great show involved. Lots of chatting with the crowd, throwing of picks, sweat raining all over the front of the stage.
The Set List was a mixture of songs from the Divine Conspiracy, sprinkled with a couple oldies and, of course, the new one; Design Your Universe. I think my favorite performance of the evening was Tides of Time; an incredibly beautiful song highlighting Oliver’s amazing ability to play ANYTHING along with his beautiful consort, Simone. It was a sweet moment between them on stage that we were all lucky enough to watch.
Here’s the setlist:
1. Samadhi 2. Resign to Surrender 3. Sensorium 4. Unleashed 5. Martyr 6. Fools of Damnation 7. Sancta Terra 8. Imperial March 9. Piano Solo 10. Tides of Time 11. Seif al Din 12. The Obsessive Devotion 13. Design Your Universe 14. Cry For the Moon (encore) 15. *** (encore) 16. Consign to Oblivion (encore)
Some interesting notes on their set list. My favorite, as I mentioned, was Tides of Time but by a close second was Star Wars’ “Imperial March”. That was so fucking bad-ass, words cannot describe how hyped up the crowd got when they heard that, because, for lack of a better term, Star Wars is universal. I really loved hearing Cry for the Moon too... There’s nothing like hearing Simone singing that song. I, unfortunately, can’t remember the second song from the encore, but I’ll look around for it.
Well, that’s it. It was one of my favourite shows with the only real downside being the addition of Threat Signal to the bill, and that Rob couldn’t make it as well. He would have enjoyed it.
So there you have it. A firsthand account of Epica's appearance in San Francisco. Some notables on this is that Threat Signal was not the originally intended band to be second bill. They were added last minute for the tour as Daath had to pull out. I'm not sure if Draeden would have enjoyed them anymore then Threat Signal but there you go. Thanks to Draeden for being my man on the street and providing this for us.
I'd been meaning to do a real time review for awhile on this album but lacked the motivation. *Brootal Advisory* If symphonic metal is too pansy ass for you, this article can be skipped. You've been warned. And now onto the review. Let it be noted that I have listened to this album before so it's not going to be like previous entries where I came in blind. However due to various distractions while listening I'm pretty sure I've missed alot so I can still be in for some surprises, both good or bad.Here we go.
1. Samadhi(Prelude): As with most albums of this genre there has to be the opening "number" if you will. Alot of bombast. Mark Jansen wants to be a composer and wants you to hear he's qualified. Not too original but I always dig these type of openings. 7 of 10.
2. Resign to Surrender(A New Age Dawns): Fast double bass intro with choir in the background. Song goes balls out with a cool heavy riff and Mark Jansen starts up with grunts. But unlike previous releases his grunts are actually melodic and fit the rhythm very well. Simone Simons comes in with her almost operatic vocals.Nice trade off between the two.Segue way to the choir again. Alot of tempo changes and song keeps you interested. Voice over midway through with heavy organ music. Solo and back to the main riff. Now to piano with Simone's vocals.I love all of the changes how they flow into each other. Closes out with voice over again leading to a notion that this is a concept album of sorts. 9 of 10.
3. Unleashed:Choral opening. Fast heavy intro with strings. Simone says "Back in the day". Hmmm....trying to have some street cred there Simone? I kid.This song is pretty standard Epica fair here with Simone as primary vocalist. I don't think Mark makes an appearance here. Simone at the end ramps her vocals up to the next level and pretty much gets full opera. It's a nice song. 7 of 10.
4. Martyr of the Free World:Another fast heavy intro without the fast double bass for once. Oh wait, never mind, there it goes. Segue way with some cool sitar effects. Simone singing and this song so far is middle eastern style and catchy. There's Mark. Grunting along with blazing fast rhythms. I'm still waiting in dread for when he switches to his black vocals. Some Gregorian style chanting in the back.
Very cool. Pretty heavy ass music to go with the strings. Solo time. Back to catchy Simone phrasing. Uh oh Marks starting to black metal croak but it's not as bad as previous albums. Song is pretty kick ass. 9 of 10.
5.Our Destiny: Slower tempo intro with keyboards. Drums on this album are thunderous as hell. Soft passage with Simone singing. Bass kicks in. Mark is sprinkling in his grunts a bit. So far this song is the closest to a ballad they've come to but then the double bass kicks you in the head to wake you up. Ah hell there's the black metal screeching from Mark. I'll get more into why I don't like that aspect of his vocals after the albums done. Choir is kicking in here with heavy mid tempo rhythms.Overall I'm liking this song. 8 of 10.
6.Kingdom of Heaven(A New Age Dawns Part V)At over 13 minutes the longest song on here. I'm not going to cover every aspect of this tune but I will say that by far this is my favorite track. It might even be my favorite song by Epica period. With five passages it's progressive, epic, heavy as hell, mixes in symphonic with middle eastern influences, and provides an ass kicking wrapped up in one song. Even Mark's vocals don't piss me off. 10 of 10.
7.The Price of Freedom(Interlude)Short instrumental. Voice overs, repetitive piano and symphony.
8.Burn to a Cinder:Mid tempo song heavy on the double bass. Simone on vocals. Another track reminiscent of previous albums. Not to amazing or different from other songs in this genre. 7 of 10.
9.Tides of Time:Slowest song on here. Simone singing over soft passages primarily with piano and some strings. About 3 minutes it starts to build up. Pretty song if unremarkable. 7 of 10.
10.Deconstruct:Back to ass kicking. Mark finally makes an appearance again trading off grunts with Simone's vocals but it's not to often. I'd love to hear her sing a song in a lower register. For once. Maybe she can't. 7 of 10.
11. Semblance of Liberty:Pounding rhythm as an intro.Mark's grunts welcome us into this song. Finally since Kingdom we're treated to some heavy as shit music. Welcome change after the last three songs. Now Simone cuts in for a brief bit but this is more of a Mark Jansen on vocals song.Some evil voice overs.I love the drum mix on this album. It's pretty punishing the way metal drums should be. You listening Lars?Oh for crying out loud, George H Bush voice overs with the "Read my lips". I thought that sound byte was done years ago.Otherwise a pretty kickass song.8 of 10.
12.White Waters(feat.Tony Kakko): Shaping up to be a ballad. Long soft acoustic intro.Sonata Arctica's Tony Kakko begins and trades off with Simone. Tony's vocals are pretty good in this song. I still need to fulfill my promise and listen to some SA.Pretty nice song with no over embellishment. 7 of 10.
13.Design your Universe: The title track obviously. Starts very slow with Acoustic guitars. Slow heavy string buildup. I'm thinking this song is going to blow up soon. And here we go. Cool riff kicks in.And then promptly slows down again. Oh one of those I see. Mark Jansen cuts in with grunts.This song clocks in at under 10 minutes so I should probably just listen to it and give my impressions after.Plus my fingers are cramping. I'm old, shut up. The song is a nice close out in that's its epic with tempo changes but in a calmer way then Kingdom was. Kind of like doing aerobics after an hour and then playing something to wind down and decompress. 7 of 10.
So there you have it, the latest Epica Album 'Design Your Universe'. Without a doubt my favorite album by them. It seemed with every album Mark Jansen was trying to find a balance for all of the music influences and just didn't quite get there but I think he's come pretty close here. Where in the past his death/black metal vocals were a distraction and at times unnecessary, here they blend nicely in places and he didn't go over the top with the black metal style which is horrible by the way. Simone Simons is a great vocalist for what she does but like I mentioned earlier it would be nice to see if she can display a range in the lower registers. After awhile I find I sort of tune her out because there is a pitch to her vocals that bugs me after too long.
I really wish this genre would have a bigger audience in the States but I guess we're not that refined yet. So if symphonies, hot red heads with operatic vocals, and death metal grunts are your bag, check these folks out.You can check out more of their music here. I'll leave you now with the video for the song Unleashed. Enjoy.
