Epica - London Review

Whilst I might not listen to symphonic metal as much as I used to, the genre is nevertheless one which I hold dear - and it was a very important part of my musical development when I started listening to it over 15 years ago. The first few symphonic, and indeed power, metal bands that I got into were some of the first bands that I truly discovered on my own - and I found myself stepping out of the shadow of family and friends to start to create my own music taste. This taste is ever-expanding, and the quest for new music never stops, but over the years I have devoured a lot of symphonic metal. The genre might not be as popular now as it once was, but in many respects the big hitters of the sound have likely never been bigger. Like most genres, there was an initial boom that exploded around a core handful of influential acts - but the cream rose to the top, leaving all of the imitators in the dust. One such act that has definitely risen to the top of the symphonic metal heap is the Netherlands' Epica - who formed in 2002, and released their debut album a year later. I cannot remember exactly when I started to get into the band, but the first album of theirs that I heard was 2007's The Divine Conspiracy - Epica's third album. That album was fairly new when I heard it, and I remember looking forward to 2009's Design Your Universe, which was the first Epica album that I bought on release, so I must have started listening to the band in either 2007 or 2008. Despite the band sounding like nothing I had really heard before, it did not take me too long to really love Epica's work. I was already into bands like Nightwish and Within Temptation when I first heard The Divine Conspiracy, and Epica took the more pop-focused symphonic metal sound that I was familiar with and forced it through progressive and extreme metal filters. They were one of the first bands that I listened to that had genuine death metal elements in their sound - and the complex arrangements spoke to my love of bands like Pink Floyd and Marillion. As such, getting into Epica was very much a watershed moment for me - and they continue to be favourite to this day. Thankfully, they have always found an audience here in the UK - and have been regular visitors over the years. I first saw them live in 2011 and, as of this past Saturday, have now seen them six times. Their shows are always worth the effort, and it was great to head up to London this past weekend to catch the band's much-delayed Ωmega tour - which was postponed a number of times due to the pandemic. A co-headline tour with Finnish cello-wielders Apocalyptica, the UK leg saw the bands playing some pretty big venues. In London, the venue was the Roundhouse in Camden - which I had only visited once before. It was great to return to the uniquely-designed space - and the show was sold out, showing the pull of both Epica and Apocalyptica here in the UK.

Before the main acts took to the stage, though, the growing crowd was treated to a set from the Finnish progressive metal act Wheel. Due to the doors opening at 18:30 and Wheel hitting the stage at 18:50, I ended up missing the first few minutes of the band's set. The queue to get in was huge, snaking all the way down the road back towards Camden proper, and like many venues on the larger side the Roundhouse does not seem to have the capacity to be able to get lots of people through the doors quickly. As such, it was frustrating to have to miss a bit of Wheel's set - but I do not think that I actually missed too much, so I still got to fully experience the Finnish four-piece on stage. Wheel are a band that I have been casually getting into over the past couple of years, and they impressed during their time on stage. Different in sound to either Epica or Apocalyptica, Wheel play a very dry brand of progressive metal that is characterised by mechanical guitar riffs, melancholic vocals, and a cold overall atmosphere. I generally prefer my progressive metal to be more bombastic, but Wheel are one of the few techy, drier bands that I have been able to get into. I thought that the band's music translated well to the live setting, despite a rather muddy sound mix, and the riffing throughout had a rather hypnotic effect. Wheel are not a band to hit the listener over the head with soaring hooks or shredded solos, but instead build their atmospheric songs slowly. James Lascelles (vocals/guitar) is the band's focal point, and his weighty riffs and wistful vocals make Wheel sound the way that they do. He may not be the most powerful singer, but his mournful voice suits the creeping atmosphere of the band - and his often-distant vocals clashed perfectly with the heavy riffing and the occasional off-kilter break from drummer Santeri Saksala. Jussi Turunen (guitar/vocals) often used his guitar to add colour rather than double Lascelles' riffing - which again contributed hugely to Wheel's sound. His effects-heavy leads almost felt more like synths at times, but the odd solo allowed the band to stray into a more traditional prog metal territory - although it was never too long before the coldness returned. Given the bombast of what was to come, though, Wheel did feel a little out of place. The crowd's reaction during their set was somewhat muted but, in truth, Wheel are the sort of band that likely elicit a more low key reaction even from their die-hard fans. That is certainly the vibe that their music conjures up, and there is a place in metal for melancholy as much as there is for bombast - and I enjoyed Wheel's set.

I am not sure if Epica and Apocalyptica have been been alternating who closes each show or not, but in London at least Epica followed Wheel - with Apocalyptica closing the night. This worked out in my favour, and it meant that it was not too long after Wheel's set that the lights went down and Epica took to the stage. Prior to this past weekend I had seen the band live five times, but this was the biggest stage that I had seen them on - and production-wise it was the most impressive, too, with big video screens and a stunning light show enhancing the band's technical music. The set was slightly shorter than it would have been had the band been headlining in their own right, but Epica still had 80 minutes to play with, and filled that time with 12 songs - six of which I had not see the band do on stage before. The band took to the stage during the symphonic intro found on Ωmega, with frontwoman Simone Simons silhouetted against the screen as the rest of the band filed in around her, before launching into the epic Abyss of Time - Countdown to Singularity. The place erupted when the song got underway, and it was clear from the off that the sold out London crowd was going to whip up a strong atmosphere throughout. The muddy sound from Wheel's set was thankfully absent, too, despite Mark Jansen's (vocals/guitar) harsh vocals sometimes being a bit on the quiet side, and Epica sounded big and bombastic as a result. With half the set being personal live debuts, there was a lot to look forward to - but early on the band relied on a few older favourites. The Essence of Silence has become a real setlist staple of late, and the hooky track allowed Simons to soar during the chorus - whilst Jansen barked his way through the verses. The vocal interplay between the two was as good as ever, and the band just oozed charisma from the off. Epica always have fun at their shows, and this was certainly the case again in London. Isaac Delahaye (guitar/vocals) never let a smile leave his face, whilst Coen Janssen (keyboards) often took his wheeled keyboard for a little trip over to the drum kit - and also donned a keytar for a couple of numbers to allow him to join the guitarists down at the front.

Lots of Epica's songs are quite easy to latch onto melodically, but the first really big sing-a-long of the night came with Unchain Utopia. Again, the song has become a bit of a staple of late - and it is not hard to see why with its big chorus. It might not be as progressive or as heavy as some of the band's other songs - but it is a real showcase piece for Simons, as well as demonstrating the band's more traditional symphonic side nicely. The middle portion of the set was the most exciting, though, as this was where most of the newer songs came. The Final Lullaby, from last year's collaborative EP, provided an up-tempo shot of adrenaline - and the song still worked well without its co-writer, Shining's Jørgen Munkeby. Simons handled all of the vocals in Munkeby's absence, whilst Janssen replaced the saxophone solo with a shredded, old-school keyboard solo - something which is otherwise a rarity in Epica's sound. This keyboard solo was a great moment of hard rock excess in the set, before the lengthy Fools of Damnation was wheeled out. I had not seen the band play the older track live before, so I am glad that it was dusted off for the London show. It is one of the band's heaviest older pieces, and it allowed Jansen plenty of time to showcase his harsh vocal talents. The progressive piece was a great band showcase on the whole, though, with plenty of knotty instrumental sections seeing Delahaye and Jansen peeling off riff after riff with ease. Three songs from Ωmega followed, with the more upbeat and hard-driving The Skeleton Key returning to a somewhat more anthemic sound - before the beautiful ballad Rivers was a real showcase for Simons. Much of the song was sung by her backed only by Janssen's piano, with the rest of the band only joining in at the end. It was a great change of pace, and it made the Middle Eastern vibes of the snaking Code of Life only hit harder next as the band powered into the final new cut of the night. By this point, there was sadly not too much time left - but the band kept going, ending things with three well-worn favourites. The ever-present Cry for the Moon was the next big sing-a-long moment, with the chorus vocal melodies and the hooky keyboard lines drawing everyone in - before the groovy and bass-led Beyond the Matrix allowed for a spot of dancing. Rob van der Loo (bass guitar) can often find himself a bit buried in the mix, but he shone during Beyond the Matrix - and the joyous vibes it conjured up allowed a set-closing rendition of Consign to Oblivion feel like a victory lap. The band encouraged a big circle pit to open up during the riffier moments of the track, and the song was the juggernaut that it always is live - and it brought Epica's part of the night to a perfect close. The setlist was:

Alpha - Anteludium

Abyss of Time - Countdown to Singularity

The Essence of Silence

Victims of Contingency

Unchain Utopia

The Final Lullaby

Fools of Damnation (The Embrace That Smothers - Part IX)

The Skeleton Key

Rivers

Code of Life

Cry for the Moon (The Embrace That Smothers - Part IV)

Beyond the Matrix

Consign to Oblivion (A New Age Dawns - Part III)

You may have noticed that this review is titled Epica - London Review and not Apocalyptica/Epica - London Review. This is because I decided to call it a night after Epica's set. I have never been able to get into Apocalyptica - and I generally find their music a bit dull. I had intended to stick around and give them another go, but Epica's set was so good that they would have never been able to live up to it. It would have worked more in Apocalyptica's favour to go on before Epica, but as things stood it meant that I could head out early, get some food, and make my back to Stratford in time to watch Match of the Day - which certainly made for a rather civilised end to the night. Given that I enjoyed both Epica and Wheel's sets, I do not feel that I missed out on too much - and I think that Apocalyptica would have just been a disappointment after Epica's excellent showing. I am already looking forward to Epica's return to the UK, which I am sure will not be too far away - as they have become one of those bands who I will take every opportunity to see due to how much fun their shows are.