Epica is a symphonic metal band from The Netherlands, founded in 2003 by guitarist and vocalist
Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from
After Forever (25). The band currently consists of
Simone Simons (vocals),
Mark Jansen (guitars, vocals),
Isaac Delahaye (guitar),
Yves Huts (bass),
Coen Janssen (keyboards, synthesizer), and
Ariën van Weesenbeek (drums).
In early 2002,
Mark Jansen left
After Forever (25) due to creative differences and began looking for musicians to integrate a new musical project, initially named audioscrobbler.com/music/Sahara+Dust" class="bbcode_artist">Sahara Dust. In late 2002, the band courted
Helena Iren Michaelsen (former vocalist of
Trail of Tears (1) and current vocalist of
Imperia) as its frontwoman, but shortly after she was replaced by the then unknown mezzo-soprano singer
Simone Simons, Jansen's girlfriend at the time. The band's line-up was completed by guitarist
Ad Sluijter, drummer
Jeroen Simons, bassist
Yves Huts and keyboard player
Coen Janssen. Their name was changed to Epica, inspired by
Kamelot (19)'s album, "
Epica".
Epica then assembled a choir (made up of two men and six women) and a string orchestra (three violins, two violas, two cellos, and a double bass) to play along with them. Their debut album,
The Phantom Agony, was produced by Sascha Paeth (known for having previously produced albums for bands such as
Angra,
Rhapsody of Fire, and
Kamelot (19)) and was released in late 2003.
Their second release, entitled
Consign to Oblivion, was influenced by the culture of the Maya civilization, a fact which can be noticed, for example, on songs which integrate the "A New Age Dawns" arch. "A New Age Dawns" refers to the time system of the Mayan people, which extends up to the year of 2012, and makes no reference of what may happen past said year.
Consign to Oblivion was composed with film scores as a basis, with Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman being cited as major inspirations. The album features guest singing by Roy Khan (from
Kamelot (19)) on the song "
Trois Vierges". Epica also joined
Kamelot (19) as a support band on parts of their tour for promotion of the
The Black Halo album, to which Simone had contributed her vocals.
Epica's
The Score: An Epic Journey was released in September 2005 and is the soundtrack for a Dutch movie called "Joyride", though it can also be seen as their third album.
Mark Jansen stated that the album is "Typically 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 (19). After the tour, their drummer,
Jeroen Simons, left the band, due to his wish to pursue his other musical interests. In December
Ariën van Weesenbeek was announced at the official website of the band to be the drummer for their new album.
Their latest album
The Divine Conspiracy has been released at the end of August 2007 in the United States in time for their second tour through North America. The new album was released early September in Europe and is the first Epica album released by Nuclear Blast.
Epica performs a blend of gothic metal and symphonic metal. Another component of Epica's style is power metal with their guitarist
Ad Sluijter describing the band as "a bridge between power metal and gothic metal.". Vocalist
Simone Simons has expressed a preference for the group to be described as symphonic metal though the founder of the group
Mark Jansen notes that they do not mind being called gothic metal.
On December 16, 2008,
Ad Sluijter left the band. He left a message on his MySpace page with his reasoning for leaving the band, which included frustration over being unable to enjoy composing music because of deadlines. In January Epica announced on their official website that guitarist
Isaac Delahaye would join the band as a fulltime member.
Official site: www.epica.nl
