EPICA : resurrection girl
| 2008 could have been a catastrophic year for
Epica : with Simone being ill, the band used an interim singer for some
shows, doing sometimes concerts with the boys only. But, May brought good news: Simone, in good shape, is
back, and we can see Epica in action everywhere, touring but also for some
special events, like this semi classical show in Miskolc, Hungary, in June, and
the Female Voices Festival in October. Simone also takes part in different projects,
like Equilibrio and the album of Sons of Seasons. That which does not kill you makes
you stronger, and Simone says it loud and clear: she’s back for good.
-First, how
do you feel today, physically speaking, after all those months far from the
band? Simone:
Today I feel good, I am happy that the tour went well and that I am now with my
family in Stuttgart, enjoying the winter days. -In Paris,
(where the show was great, as usual…! ) you weren’t so well too: did you catch a
cold or something? Simone: I
was struggling the whole tour already with bronchitis and at the end of the
tour I was coughing so much that my voice was gone. Luckily I made the shows
and the adrenaline helped me with getting my voice back. It is
always tricky for singers to tour in autumn. The tour busses are a great sass
pool of bacteria’s and when some people have a cold, everybody can get it.
Besides that the air in the bus is always very dry and dusty. Not so good for
the throat J -Did you
illness put your work or your presence within the band in peril? Simone: I
was afraid that my voice would give up but I made it and all the shows went
fine. I was on a diet of throat pastilles and coughing syrup though. We had to
alter some set lists so that my voice would hold for the whole tour. -Tell me
about this festival in June in Miskolc in Hungary with an orchestra: regular
set list, movie themes covers, ‘The Score’ and classical music adapted to
metal… Simone: We
were asked to do this special show during our tour with Sonata Arctica and we
were very interested. All of us love classical music and film music. You can
clearly hear it in our music as well. The band
worked hard on adapting the classical songs and the score songs. Oliver
participated as notator and arranger. We went to
Hungary 5 days in advance to rehearse with the orchestra. On the day of the
show we all had to rehearse at 10.00 in the morning and had the show in the
evening. It was a long process but we had fun. The show was amazing. Epica 100
% live! -Has it
been recorded? Simone:
Yes, we have recorded the audio for a possible live CD. This was a special
event and we had to record it. -Did it
make you wish to record classical music? Simone: I
have had classical singing lessons for many years and would like to work on
some song in the future. The show in Hungary was also an opportunity for me to
sing some classical songs. With Epica it is a mixture of classical and metal
but those two songs were purely classical. -What about
your collaboration with Equilibrio? Simone: We
had 5 live shows in July in Utrecht. Before that there was already a CD. In
January a live DVD will be released and also a cool Xystus live show where I
will participate. This was a
total different project than the others I have worked on in the past. This was
such a big project and I was very happy to be part of it. -You made
recently some pyro shows with the artist Medusa: how was it, and what does it
bring to the band? Simone:
These shows were basically the last shows in Holland before the European tour
started and the recording period of the new album. We wanted to offer something
special to the fans and we love fire J I know Medusa through a friend of mine and we thought that she could
lift the show to another level. -Tell me
about Sons of Seasons, with Oliver, for the album ‘Gods of Vermin’? Simone:
Oliver started Sons of Seasons in beginning of 2007. You can describe their
music as symphonic metal with progressive elements. I told him
from the start that if he wanted to have me singing on the album I would be
happy to do so. I had
already my favourite songs and we tried out some vocals and it sounds great! -You
collaborate regularly with other people on their records: do you have something
on your schedule, as the tour with Epica is finished? Simone:
Besides working on Epica’s new album I am working with Oliver on a Jazz
project. We are going to record a demo soon and will do some small gigs. -Your first
album has been played in his integrality
recently: how was it? Simone: We
have done that before on time in Chile some years ago. It is nice to go back to
the first album since it is very different to the others and has a total
different feeling. -How was
your last South American tour, and then this European tour? Not too much
exhausting? Simone: The
South American tour was a huge success. We had 14 flights in 3 weeks and had 11
shows. It was nice to finally go back to South America after the two
cancellations of the tour. The fans welcomed us with open arms. Another tour
with nice memories. The
European tour went also very well. We had a great support act, Amberian Dawn
from Finland. All shows went well, many people came to see us. The last show
was the best of all and a great ending of the tour. -Do you
work on a new Epica album, or a new Epica Video? Simone: We
are currently working on the new Epica album. We are planning on entering the
studios around January. For now there is no Epica video to be made. E-mail interview from Nov. 28th 2008, by Jean-Paul Coillard. Thanks to Simone, Valérie and Jeroen.
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