SIMONE SIMONS Talks EPICA's 'Renewal' On New Album 'Aspiral': 'The Band Is Continuing To Rise'

By David E. Gehlke

As NIGHTWISH abstains from touring for the foreseeable future, the door appears to be open for the Netherlands' EPICA to assume the mantle of the biggest symphonic metal act. The band's popularity in Europe and South America certainly suggests something like that is on the horizon, but, as always, the United States remains the final mountain to climb. EPICA has done its share of support runs in the territory and will turn its attention this May to three "showcase" gigs in New York City, Atlanta and Los Angeles before heading to Mexico. The success of these shows and whether the band is willing to subject themselves to the hustle and grind of touring the States will no doubt be a key factor on how much more the U.S. will see of them.

In the near term, EPICA's tenth studio album, "Aspiral", is now out and about. The hour-long LP finds the sextet in full pomp and glory — with some occasional nods to their less bombastic beginnings while continuing the "A New Age Dawns" storyline. "Aspiral" was also an album created in a purely democratic fashion behind a series of "writing camps," which seemed like the right place to start for BLABBERMOUTH.NET with frontwoman Simone Simons.

Blabbermouth: Do you want to share a bit about the "writing camps?" What are they like?

Simone: "We started doing that for 'Omega' [2021]. We live in four different countries, and we tour a lot. For us, it was difficult to get together to write songs in between touring. In the past, we would work in our home studios and send files back and forth. With 'Omega', we wanted to do things differently. We loved the results so much that for 'Aspiral', we held three writing camps. We rented a lovely house in the middle of nowhere, which felt like a cozy holiday home. A lot of chickens came to visit us and pooped in the living room. [Laughs] Maybe they wanted to classify the music as 'shit,' but I don't think so. They were living their best lives. We brought our home studios with us, and our producer, Joost [van den Broek], joined in. We kicked off the camp with a little listening session, reviewing all the demos the guys had worked on and then we made a selection of the songs. After that, everyone got to work, doing what they do best and focusing on the instruments. Coen [Janssen] did the orchestration, keyboards, synths and piano. Ariën [van Weesenbeek] programmed the drums. I worked with Joost and the composer of that particular song on the vocal lines. Isaac [Delahaye] locked himself in his room and played guitar until 1 a.m. [Laughs] I was in bed, listening to his guitar playing. It was a very musical house. The experience was lovely because we didn't have any distractions. We were just chilling together, working, having breakfast in the morning, working throughout the day, then having dinner together and occasionally enjoying a beer and a glass of red wine."

Blabbermouth: Not many bands work like this. It sounds like no one member in EPICA is over the other. Is it a true democracy?

Simone: "We're a democratic band. Everyone has the right to express their opinion and vote. For instance, if something is particularly applicable to me and I were to say 'No,' then that certainly counts, and the band respects that because they understand that the position of the singer carries significant weight. We all love and respect each other, and things go pretty well. We're six completely different individuals, each with our strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has their role within the band. We work hard, and we all share a passion for the music, which is our common goal."

Blabbermouth: This begs the question: Who breaks the tie if no one can agree on a song?

Simone: "It's Joost, our producer. [Laughs] He's included in some of the votes. He's objective and has an overview of everything when it comes to the music."

Blabbermouth: EPICA went pretty far out into the progressive spectrum for the last few albums. Do you feel like you've dialed it back on "Aspiral"?

Simone: "Yeah, with the new album, one of the topics for us was 'renewal.' That's what 'Aspiral' stands for. We can find different things to do with the music, but without losing the EPICA touch and sound — some songs really have the old-school EPICA feeling, but we did use more synths on this album. There are a couple of songs that sound very new and fresh, but we still made it EPICA in a way, with the choir and the orchestra. There's a little bit of the old and the new EPICA on this album."

Blabbermouth: Do these types of arrangements and more synths make it easier for you to find places to sing?

Simone: "It doesn't matter in a way. A short song can still be vocally challenging. It all depends on the vocal line. When we have those really long songs, like a 'Kingdom Of Heaven', then there are a lot of instrumental parts. It's only a challenge for me during the live show to know when I have to get back on stage and know when it's my time to sing because the structure of the song is more complex, but not necessarily the vocal line."

Blabbermouth: The band has been going non-stop since you started in 2003. Does that make the term "renewal" more applicable?

Simone: "It's essentially our passion for music that drives us forward, along with the amazing fanbase we have and the fact that people want to come see us perform live. As long as we have inspiration, energy and motivation, we'll keep going. I don't really dwell on how long we've been on the road unless I check our discography on Spotify and think, 'That's a lot of stuff.' [Laughs] When it comes to the setlist, we need to play for one and a half hours to one hour and forty-five minutes. It becomes trickier with each album to consider the setlist, but other than that, we're still very happy and see that EPICA is continuing to rise. We can't wait to explore more."

Blabbermouth: You've continued the "New Age Dawns" storyline. Where is it going? When will it end?

Simone: "I think Mark [Jansen, guitar/harsh vocals] wrote the lyrics. I believe he intended for these not to be the final parts and that he had parts seven, eight and nine, where he talks about a shift in consciousness. We've reached the end and need to adopt a different mindset to wake up in this chaotic world and recognize that we must motivate each other to help everyone truly make the shift in consciousness. We need to take action. [Laughs] It's so 'me, me, me.' Everyone thinks about themselves, but we're all here together on this planet, and we need to preserve it as much as we can for future generations. That's a bit of the storyline behind it. 'Metanoia' is about spiritual transformation. 'Darkness Dies In Light' is the first one; I have to check the tracklisting to make sure I'm not forgetting anything. [Laughs] It's a personal song for Mark. He became a father. That song is about welcoming a new, powerful soul into the world, and the darkness and the sadness disappear when the child is born. We need to prioritize those connections over the materialistic aspects of life — the connections we share with one another. I believe he was the last in the band to have a child. I definitely noticed he changed a lot. It was really lovely to work with him on the lyrics in the studio. We sat next to each other and talked about it. I always knew he wanted to have a child. It was emotional talking to him about it. Now we could communicate on that level. We're both parents. He now has a different life, in a sense."

Blabbermouth: It's pretty cool to see how your relationship with Mark has evolved over the years.

Simone: "I'm very happy about that. Mark is the one who has known me the longest of the entire EPICA group. We've gone through a lot together with EPICA, as well as in our private lives. We used to date in the early days of EPICA. Even after breaking up, the band remained very solid, and I'm grateful for that."

Blabbermouth: You have three showcase shows coming up in New York City, Atlanta and Los Angeles. How do you view the North American market? Do you see it as untapped potential for the band?

Simone: "We toured there in 2022 with SABATON, but we couldn't return due to many other tours and festivals. We wanted to undertake a longer tour in the U.S., but we only managed to arrange three shows before heading to Mexico. I believe that symphonic metal may gain popularity in the U.S. and that the U.S. is a place where bands need to tour frequently. We didn't have the opportunity to tour there enough to build a growing fanbase. I'm very curious to see how these three shows will turn out. The response was, 'Why only these three shows? Come here. Come there!' We tried to organize a full tour, but logistically, it was too short notice to get everything in place. It was a bit disappointing, but we will make up for it. These are like 'warm-up' shows."

Blabbermouth: To make it in North America, a lot of work is required—especially longer tours. Is EPICA willing to put in that kind of work at this stage in your career?

Simone: "I don't think we will tour as much as we did in the past because four members of EPICA also have kids. Our priorities have shifted a little bit. We need to tour economically and focus on profitable tours, both in terms of time and resources. When you become a parent, your priorities change, and you have to make wiser decisions. You can't tour the world non-stop, living the rock and roll lifestyle. You have to think carefully about when you go where and whether it makes sense. That's always something we discuss at length during our weekly band calls with our management."

Blabbermouth: On the other hand, you do pretty well for yourselves in Europe. Do the venue sizes ever take you aback?

Simone: "I don't think much about it unless it's the last shows, which were 'The Symphonic Synergy' shows with an orchestra. We took it to Mexico and doubled the audience size, and both shows were sold out. We must be doing something right. Additionally, playing with METALLICA [in 2023] resulted in amazing performances. That helped us a lot in thinking bigger and considering how to create a beautiful, visually engaging live show that matches the epic nature of the music."

Blabbermouth: It doesn't get any bigger than METALLICA. What was it like seeing their operation up close and personal?

Simone: "Yeah, that came as a beautiful surprise. We couldn't believe it ourselves that we were asked to support METALLICA for three shows. We only had minutes to decide whether we could do the shows. Luckily, all of us had the time. [Laughs] We played in Paris. We also did Sweden, I think Gothenburg and Germany in Hamburg. Meeting the band themselves — I've listened to METALLICA since I was a teenager. They are metal icons. I never would have dreamed of performing with them. You see, a dream doesn't always stay a dream. It can come true and become a reality. Those are 'pinch me' moments. During the shows, I told myself, 'I'm going to have fun.' I'm going to explore the round stage, which was something new. [Laughs] I liked it; it took me out of my routine. It was more rock and roll. A lot of running."

Blabbermouth: Did you worry about falling off the stage?

Simone: "During the soundcheck, I was running around trying to memorize where the stairs were. Like, 'Is the stage slanted?' I didn't worry about falling offstage. We didn't use the 'human' stage transportation in the center, where I think Rob [Trujillo, bass] would perform for the fans. If I had to do that, maybe I would be a little worried. Plus, I decided not to wear strange shoes. I opted for comfortable shoes, so no falling on stage for me."

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe