Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever.
Symphonic metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music which combines the heavy drums and guitars of metal with different elements of orchestral classical music, such as symphonic instruments, choirs and sometimes a full orchestra. Keyboards reminiscent of power metal are also sometimes featured.
Ariën van Weesenbeek is a Dutch drummer who plays for the symphonic metal band Epica and the symphonic death metal band MaYaN, both created and led by guitarist Mark Jansen.
Simone Johanna Maria Simons is a Dutch singer-songwriter. She is best known for being the lead singer of Dutch symphonic metal band Epica, where she joined at the age of seventeen, releasing seven studio albums and touring the world. In her singing career, she has also collaborated with bands such as Kamelot, Leaves' Eyes, Primal Fear, Ayreon, and Angra.
The Phantom Agony is the first full-length studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. It was released in 2003 by the Dutch label Transmission Records. It is the first album recorded by guitarist Mark Jansen after his departure from the band After Forever. On this album, Mark Jansen continues with the collection of songs that make up "The Embrace That Smothers". The first three parts can be found on Prison of Desire (2000), After Forever's debut album, and the following three parts can be found on The Divine Conspiracy (2007), Epica's third album. These songs deal with the dangers of organized religion.
Oliver Palotai is a classically trained German musician of Hungarian ancestry, husband of Simone Simons from Epica, best known as a member of the power metal band Kamelot and of Doro Pesch's touring band.
Epica or EPICA may refer to:
The Road to Paradiso is a book about the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica which was accompanied by a compilation album of the same name. It was released on 4 May 2006, on the same night they performed at the venue Paradiso in Amsterdam. The title The Road to Paradiso was given to the project because the book contained the story of how Epica developed from their beginning days in 2002, until what they had become in 2006. The album also includes demo versions of three of their previous released songs, effectively giving insight into how their songs developed. The album includes four previously unreleased tracks: "The Fallacy", "Linger", "Crystal Mountain" and "Purushayita".
The Divine Conspiracy is the third full-length studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica as well as their first concept album. It was released on 7 September 2007 through Nuclear Blast in Europe. The concept that guides the songs is that God created many different religions for humanity to figure out and overcome them so as to discover that, in nature and essence, they were all in fact the same one. Aside from the concept of such a conspiracy, The Divine Conspiracy finalizes The Embrace That Smothers, which began in After Forever's Prison of Desire and continued in Epica's The Phantom Agony. In short, The Embrace That Smothers is a collection of 10 songs, which talks about the dangers of organized religion.
The Classical Conspiracy is the second live album released by the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. The recorded live show took part in Miskolc, Hungary on 14 June 2008 in the framework of the Miskolc Opera Festival, where the Swedish symphonic metal band Therion had done a similar show a year before. Epica performed on stage with a 40-piece orchestra and a 30-piece choir, entirely composed of Hungarian musicians conducted by Zsolt Regos. The expanded ensemble played classical music, excerpts from operas and movie soundtracks, as well as Epica's songs. The album was released on 8 May 2009 through Nuclear Blast Records.
Design Your Universe is the fourth full-length studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica, released on 16 October 2009. It was the first album to feature officially new band members Isaac Delahaye on guitar and Ariën van Weesenbeek on drums.
Requiem for the Indifferent is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. It was released on April 2012. It was the final album to feature original member Yves Huts on bass guitar.
The discography of Epica, a Dutch symphonic metal band, consists of seven studio albums, two live albums, two extended plays, one soundtrack, and fourteen singles.
The Quantum Enigma is the sixth studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. It was released by Nuclear Blast on 2 May (Europe), 5 May (UK) and 13 May (USA) 2014. It is their first studio album with new bassist Rob van der Loo, who replaced Yves Huts in 2012.
The Holographic Principle is the seventh studio album by the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica, released on 30 September 2016. The album was produced by Joost van den Broek and mixed by Jacob Hansen. The release date along with the album's title and cover was revealed on Epica's website on 3 June 2016, the tracklisting was revealed on 17 June 2016.
Chronicles is an album by American group Audiomachine, released on 23 March 2012. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard Top Classical Albums chart.
Tree of Life is an album by American group Audiomachine, released on 16 July 2013. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Classical Albums chart.
Phenomena is an album by American group Audiomachine, released on 6 May 2014. The album peaked at #2 on the American Top Classical Albums chart and #47 on Heatseekers Albums chart.
Magnus is an album by American group Audiomachine, released on 23 June 2015. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Classical Albums chart.
