As Simone Simons herself says, there is really only one way to experience Epica. And that is with the accompaniment of a symphonic orchestra. Under the title The Symphonic Synergy, the Dutch symphonic metal band delivers perhaps the biggest concert of their career over two consecutive days at AFAS Live, packed with surprises, a visual spectacle, and a singer performing at the peak of her powers.
By Sebastiaan Quekel – Photo’s: Tim Tronckoe
From Argentina to Japan and from Norway to Australia, AFAS Live is filled with fans from all corners of the world on Friday night. A clear reminder of Epica’s international fame, one of the Netherlands’ biggest exports in the world of heavy rock.
Epica pulls out all the stops for their two sold-out shows in Amsterdam. There are flames, confetti, and everything flashes and flickers as fast as the heavy riffs. The stage is impressively set up: a layered ensemble where the strings, trumpeters, and a whole array of vocalists (fifty people in total!) perform at their very best.
From the first note of the opening song Unleashed, Epica drags us into another world, where beautiful images of galaxies, mythical landscapes, and a mysterious speaker on the screen guide us through the evening. With each song, the visuals change—ranging from fiery explosions during Beyond the Matrix (tonight almost jazz-like in its performance) to serene images during the intimate Tides of Time, which Simons calls the best ballad Epica has ever written. At times, it’s hard to take your eyes off the visuals, which, along with the light show and the fiercely playing musicians, transform the venue into an enchanting space.
The evening is full of surprises. Menace of Vanity reappears on the setlist after twelve years, the rarely played Crimson Bow and Arrow makes an appearance, and there’s a mind-blowing medley of Universal Death Squad / The Last Crusade / The Phantom Agony / Design Your Universe. Epica treats Amsterdam and the thousands of fans watching via paid livestream to three new songs, with the dreamy Aspiral making the biggest impression. The moment Simons unleashes her opera-like mezzo-soprano on the crowd, while confetti gently drifts down, causes chills. Another special moment occurs when Charlotte Wessels and Myrkur unexpectedly join the stage. Three top female vocalists in a row deliver a near-flawless performance of Sirens.
And yes, Epica and an orchestra: it remains a golden combination. Every string, horn, and flute is audible. The musicians and the conductor (with a mohawk!) make no mistakes. The three choirs (men, women, and even children) add an extra dimension, especially in the more atmospheric parts of The Skeleton Key (what a chorus!). Nowhere is the fusion of metal and classical music more apparent than in this live performance. Where orchestral sections sometimes fade into the background on albums, they are given full space to shine in AFAS Live.
Perhaps most importantly, even 22 years after their founding, the sheer joy of playing still radiates from Epica on stage. The keyboardist swings his portable keyboard around as if auditioning for the first time, while gesturing and joking to hype up the entire orchestra. Simons, dressed in several stunning glittering outfits, dances and twirls across the stage, often shoving the microphone in front of her bandmates’ faces. “Sing along, guys,” she seems to think, even though it doesn’t sound great.
There’s no time to catch your breath in Amsterdam. Epica races through AFAS at high speed, cramming 18 lengthy compositions into just over two hours. Especially during Design Your Universe and fan-favorite Cry for the Moon, the power of live symphony is fully realized. While the band provides heavy guitars, thundering drums, and pitch-black grunts from growler Mark Jansen, the classical instruments deliver the ultimate Epica feeling. Take Unchain Utopia, by far the best song Epica has written. The dynamic between the bombastic metal and the delicate orchestral parts creates tension and excitement in Amsterdam, blowing the audience away.
When Epica finally plays the last notes of Consign to Oblivion after more than two hours, with fireworks and confetti bursting forth, it’s clear this concert has left a magical impression. This is symphonic metal in its most complete and beautiful form: a fusion of music, visuals, and emotion like no other.
