SIMONE SIMONS

There aren't many prominent musicians that would need much encouragement to make a solo record. SIMONE SIMONS, on the other hand, has been biding her time. After over 20 years and eight increasingly complex and grandiose albums as frontwoman with EPICA, the Dutch icon has little to prove, particularly within the symphonic metal realm. But with a suitable gap in the schedule, and the perfect songwriting partner in the form of Arjen Lucassen (AYREON),  Simons has finally taken the plunge.

Eschewing the pop-orientated route that many of her peers have taken, "Vermillion" exists in a world not entirely dissimilar to the one that EPICA have been exploring for two decades, but beyond occasional bursts of orchestral splendor, these ten songs aim to offer a new perspective on Simons's voice and vision. Drawing from her metal roots, but also from dark pop, soundtrack opulence, thunderous alt-rock, gritty electronica and an assortment of other gently persuasive influences, she has conjured ten immaculate variations on modern melodic metal, with a resolutely dramatic edge.

The first thing that hits is how enjoyable it is to hear Simone Simons's voice take center stage, unencumbered by the near-relentless rush of musical information that typifies the music she makes with EPICA. Neither a concept album nor some intricate, philosophical trial, "Vermillion" is more direct and more emotionally vivid than the Dutch band's bombast generally allows. The result is an album of distinct and self-contained songs, all adorned with Simons's mesmerizing musical personality and fueled by her extraordinary voice.

The opening "Aeterna" is the first of several revelatory moments. Grand, symphonic and decidedly left field, with surging choirs, huge, doomed-out riffs and stuttering electronic coda, it wears its progressive impulses as a badge of honor and provides Simons with one hell of an entrance and a weighty chorus with which to hammer the point home. Immediately highlighting this album's diversity, "In Love We Rust" is a magnificent, slow-burning ballad with an '80s pop heart, soft-focus synths and the gentle shimmer of futuristic ambience. Not for the first or last time, Simons's vocal is utterly gorgeous. In contrast, "Cradle To The Grave" combines big, crunchy metal riffs with waves of cinematic lushness, fidgeting orchestral arrangements and the formidable growls of ARCH ENEMY's Alyssa White Gluz, resulting in a highly evolved, sci-fi glam stomp with hooks lethally sharpened. Next, "Fight Or Flight" arrives neck deep in melancholy, but this time expressed through more traditional, pomp-powered and prog-tinged arrangement, all capped off with a thick layer of electro-gothic theatrics.

No ideas outstay their welcome and little is repeated here. "The Weight Of My World" is one of the sharpest symphonic metal bangers to light up the sky in years; "Vermillion Dreams" is a vocal tour de force, married to a steadily escalating storm of refined ideas; "The Core" is a bouncing bomb raid, with a big rock streak a mile wide and EPICA's Mark Jansen adding timely barks and growls; "Dystopia" sounds like some long, lost musical theatre showstopper, reimagined for the synth-prog generation; while "R.E.D." brings synth-pop serenity together with lurching, alt-metal refrains and a slight hint of scowling morbidity.

Sensibly concluding with a powerhouse piano ballad, "Dark Night Of The Soul", Simons has lifted the veil on her own musical identity and delivered every last soaring melody with all the elegance and class that EPICA fans have become accustomed to. Well worth the wait, then, and an exciting, endlessly vibrant start to a new creative chapter.