Epica

Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band from Limburg. It was formed in 2002 by Mark Jansen, a former member of After Forever. Its original singer, Helena Michaelsen (ex-Trail of Tears), was replaced by Simone Simons in 2003.

The band's first album, entitled The Phantom Agony, was released in June 2003. In 2005, Epica composed the soundtrack for the Dutch film Joyride, which was released on CD as The Score - An Epic Journey. For their second album, Consign to Oblivion, the band drew inspiration from Mayan culture. In early 2007, Epica signed a contract with the Nuclear Blast label before releasing their third album, The Divine Conspiracy. Guitarist Ad Sluijter left the band on December 16, 2008, and Isaac Delahaye replaced him in January 2009. Epica recorded their first live album, entitled The Classical Conspiracy, in May 2009. Their fourth studio album, Design Your Universe, was released in Europe on October 16, 2009. Its successor, Requiem for the Indifferent, was released in 2012. On March 23, 2013, Epica celebrated its tenth anniversary at the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven by organising the Retrospect concert, which was broadcast live online and released on CD and DVD. The band played for over three hours with an orchestra and special guests. In May 2014, the band released the album The Quantum Enigma, which became their biggest international success. On June 3, 2015, Epica announced the creation of their festival, the Epic Metal Fest, which was held for the first time on November 22, 2015, at the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven. In the same month, Epica won an award at the Music Export Awards, presented to the most famous Dutch metal band of the year. Their seventh album, entitled The Holographic Principle, was released in September 2016 and equalled the success of its predecessor. The band released their eighth album Omega in February 2021 before releasing The Alchemy Project in November 2022. The ninth album Aspiral will be released in April 2025.

The band began its career with symphonic metal influenced by gothic and classical music. Subsequently, it incorporated elements from progressive metal, death metal, power metal, folk metal, Arabic, and Chinese music. The duet between Simone Simons (operatic vocals) and Mark Jansen (growled vocals) is also the band's trademark. Epica is also known for its use of massive orchestrations and choirs. Epica's lyrics often deal with philosophical, psychological, spiritual, moral, scientific, environmental, socio-political, current, and personal themes.