 Welcome to the Metal Voice, today on the show for the first time, Simon Simmons from the epic band, Epica. How are you doing today? I'm doing great. How are you? Thanks for having me. Yeah, yeah. It's a pleasure. You know, the first time on the show, we've been meaning to have Epica on, and you know, here we go. Eleven years later, boom, you're on. Yeah, lucky number eleven, I guess. All right, the good news. September the second Epica will be re-releasing their first three albums, The Phantom Magnete, Consign to Oblivion, and The Score. They will have a 20th anniversary live stream to celebrate, and the big news is there's the live album, Live at Paradiso, which will also be released September the second, but I think the live stream is on September the third, but you are there, yes, you're there. So first things first, this album was actually recorded, you know, in, I guess in Holland, right? Back in, what, 2006. Tell us why you're releasing this now, versus why you didn't release it then. Because it was buried very, very deep in a lot of paperwork, and we had to figure all of that out. Yeah, so after digging our way through the paperwork and legal stuff, we got our hands on this recording. And back in the day, when we recorded the DVD, we also had the book, which is called Paradiso. Oh, I should have mentioned that. And DVD Blu-ray, yes. Sorry. Yeah, that was released, but the show was never released, and of course time went by. We had a switch of record companies, and we've been just so super, super busy that we kind of, you know, lost track, and weren't in the mood to dig through all the paperwork that was necessary in order to retrieve it. And also the footage itself was never finalized. So it was basically lying in the box, somewhere in the attic, waiting to be used. So we actually did have to process the whole footage that we had in order to make it, you know, watchable. So you're somewhere in the attic, and hey guys, look what I found. Something like that. I mean, we have our 20-year anniversary now. So there's a lot of things that, you know, forgotten treasures. And we have fans that have been with us since almost the beginning. So we knew this is going to be something special. If we're going to re-release our earlier work, we have to find a way to get this little pearl on there as well, and we did. And I'm glad for it, because it's vintage epica, you know. It's a little treasure. I was going to say, it sounds like it's Christmas for epica fans, because you have the live release, you have the re-releases of the three early records with a lot of extras from what I understand, and then the stream the day after. So I guess Christmas is coming early for epica fans. Yeah, we always do our very best to wrap the presents extra nicely. Also with the artwork and everything, we try to recreate the cover of We Will Take You With Us. You know, where I'm like trying to draw the people into the epica universe, so to speak. And I worked with my friend Stefan Heileman. We tried our best to recreate it like almost 20 years later. And in the background, you see the artwork of all the other albums integrated into the background to make it a nice little epic package. I was going to say it sounds like a very artistic package beyond the music. That's terrific, especially for collectors and the sort. And then how about the live stream? So what is the live stream going to entail? So if we participate in that, what will the public witness? The whole live show, I mean, we are planning a special set list with some surprises. So it's definitely worth getting a ticket and tuning in. You know, we sold this show, the show was sold out so fast that we always streamed our 10 year anniversary. So we thought, let's do it again with this album or this album, this anniversary 10 years later. I can remember our 10 year anniversary like it was yesterday. I was like in the early stages of my pregnancy. My son is almost nine years old now. And here we are 20 years of epica. And it goes fast. It goes fast. Yeah, a friend of mine once told me many years ago, the older you get, the faster time will fly. And he was right. That's why my mother tells me all the time. Yeah, it's it's it's quick. So we got to enjoy every day. My motto is carpeting. OK, so what will be in this live stream set list? Is it going to be a throwback to the first two albums? Or is it going to be like what you're doing right now on to work? It's a little bit of a mixture. Yeah, definitely. We have, of course, the latest album, Omega, which we never gotten a real chance to promote due to the pandemic. But of course, we are going to go through all the years. All the albums will pass on that on that evening. So definitely some some rare tracks and some visually pleasing guest appearances, I guess. Yeah, it's going it's going to be an epic show. And yeah, tomorrow I leave from a holiday. And after I come back, I have to start rehearsing that set list because it's it's an interesting one. Is there a live crowd or is it just cameras? It's a live crowd. Yeah, it's an actual show in the 13th. That's where the first Africa album to first Africa show took place in 2002 or 2003. I think I lost track. But in 3000 around 3000 people will be there. So it's it's sold out and then available for streaming. And then I guess speaking of rehearsing, not too long after that, we get to see you on these shores in North America. So I'll tell you, there's a lot of buzz here about this tour that you're doing of Sabaton being based in Montreal. I can tell you Montreal is very excited for this show. I think it's the biggest venue on the tour. So many tickets have been sold. They've just actually opened another block of the building. So tell us about this tour of Sabaton. Have you had a relationship with them before? What are a lot of people are saying? Why is Epica opening for another band? They could be headlining some different venues. Sabaton should be opening for you. Yeah, I've actually seen that being said. So the hardcore Epica fans are saying, why isn't this co-headline? But just what's the thought process behind touring of Sabaton in North America? Well, we know Sabaton since a long time. We actually were once invited to play at their festival. And we've toured America a couple of times. Last time, if I'm not mistaken, in 2017, was that the last one with Lacuna Coyle? There might have been another one after Lacuna Coyle. You've been to Montreal quite a bit. So Lacuna Coyle with Alyssa and the Aghanist, I think, or I don't know if she was in the band then. But I think you've done a few different shows. Yeah, we've had, like right before the pandemic, we had the 70,000 tons of metal crews. And then we did some handful of shows as well, but not a complete tour. But yeah, man, we've been touring so much. And the pandemic brainwashed me a little bit. Well, Sabaton definitely is a large band, popular band. They have an amazing stage production. They're very successful in Europe. And in America, I think, we've done headline tours before, but we wanted to grow. And I guess having a good package with another successful band is very, very important nowadays in order to also attract an audience that is not just your own fan base, you know, to kind of, I think Epic and Sabaton are different enough in order for both bands to profit from a tour like this, a package like this. So, yeah. There are some similarities, but there are some differences. They're both Epic, right? Yeah, definitely. Let me ask you this, did you fall up there, Perid? No, I was just going to say, there's a lot of anticipation. You know, Montreal has loved both bands for a long time and it's quite a large venue. I think it's the second last of the tour. So there's a lot of anticipation. So I do really think this is going to be a great tour for you guys. And that's the only Canadian show, I think, on the total tour. It's a big show, by the way. It's a big arena. Yeah, it's an arena show. Like Sabaton, I remember Sabaton opening for Accept in a small club here and now they've just, shh, and adding it to the mix. Again, I think it's the only arena tour on the tour. So, you know, Canada, and maybe we're hanging getting people to travel from other parts of Canada as well because I believe you're right. I think it is the only Canadian show. Yeah. Let me ask you this. Yeah, sorry, I'm sorry. No worries now. I just want to ask you, you know, Omega, it's like 2021 now, right? And we're almost going into 2023. Have you started thinking, OK, let's get some new music down or jam it out? Or are the ideas flowing for the next album? Have you put anything down yet? We have new music. Can you tell? It's like it's almost weekend, tomorrow I leave for the holiday. So my brain is already kind of mentally at the holiday. But we have new music that will be released later this year. So and it's not an Apica album. It's not your typical Apica epicness. So you're saying stripped down? Are you saying it's a stripped down album without the orchestra's? No, it's something we've never done before. So definitely also worth the anticipation, but it will be released later, I think early winter or something like that. Let's say early winter, if it comes earlier, then it's always good. Better winter 2022 or winter 2023? 2022 this year. So yet so yet. So wow, so we have a scoop there, Jimmy. So that's yet more new product from Apica. So we're not only are we getting live at Puridiso, finally officially issued, and not only are we getting the reissues of the first three records. It sounds like not too long after the tour, just in time for Christmas. I was kidding before, but now I guess I'm not. We will have some new Apica material. So it's down, it's down, like it's all recorded. It's recorded, it's already, you're packaging it now, right? It's just the final stages. Is that what you're saying? We're working on the artwork at the moment. We have singles ready. I already shot a video for one of the songs, so yeah. It's real, some new music. Okay, I didn't know, so it's new to us, that's all. Yeah, we just thought you were guys were so busy because we know also after Sabaton, I think you're doing some South American dates and there's some Europe with Apicaliptica, I believe. So we were just wondering, wow, we might not see new music for a while. So I guess you were all very busy during the shutdown period. Yeah, I mean, we had a couple of things on our list that we wanted to try, that also kind of came to fruition during the pandemic. Yeah, it's a busy year for Apica. I mean, we've been busy during the pandemic with non-touring things, but now we've had so many festivals and working behind the scenes on this. We like to call it Secret Project. We have an online fan community which is called Apica Universe, and there we have been already spoiling a little bit of what Secret Project is about. So if people are curious, they're welcome to join the Apica Universe. I guess me and Perrin haven't been part of this universe so we don't know what's going on. We need to unlock. Yes, everybody, go figure it out. Go unlock it and see what's happening in the spoilers. Do you still get, like every time I look up a review on Apica, there's always that comparison between Nightwish and Apica, Nightwish and Apica. Is that still happening or has the band broken off into their own now? I think, well, I don't, I mean, for people that are not familiar with metal music, it's often compared to each other and there are definitely some similarities, but I think Apica is just like, I would say Epic Metal or I would call it Cinematic Metal or Cinematal. I would like to describe it, but yeah, it's very different to Nightwish because Nightwish also changed a little bit their style, blessed to albums and Apica has also been working since day one on our own unique style and with each new band member that came a new songwriter also contributed to the sound of Apica. So we have basically five songwriters within the band that creates Apica. Yeah. And then, I mean, you mentioned before the passage of time and it is incredible how fast time goes. I mean, you've been doing this for 20 years now. So I find it's such an amazing time right now for women in metal, right? You have Arch Enemy just put out a new terrific album, Female Fronted Band, on the rockier side, we have Plush here in North America who are doing some great things, Halestorm and Lizzie Hale for the longest time. So just what are your thoughts of this time period right now for women in metal and do you see yourself as some kind of a pioneer or an influence for some of what's happening in different genres of metal right now? Or do you want to be seen that way? I never really think too long about the fact that, you know, I mean, now we are always saying 20 years of Apica, 20 years of Apica. And it still sometimes hasn't sunk in that we are working on this band been around for 20 years because we've been so busy. I mean, we barely have time to sit down, think about time passing by. But every time we have, for example, meet and greets or we have signing sessions, people come up to us and we get a lot of messages on the internet, but it always has a bigger impact when a real person comes to you and tells them that your music has impacted their lives in a positive way. And I think that's the fact that I love to make art and it comes from the heart and it's sincere and it's something I want to be happy about. But if other people, if it reaches people's hearts and minds and accompanies them in life as well, it's one of the biggest compliments and that always makes me emotional. I'm always very grateful and it's wonderful that the power that music has connecting people and it's a wonderful tool. And I'm happy that I still get to do this. But yeah, I'm always so busy. I don't think about it too much, but those are always like little wake up moments when a person comes to you and says, your music changed my life, your music helped me. And I have bands and music or particular CDs that also did that for me. So that's the greatest compliment. I guess on the last question is, and as we'll wrap this up, tell us a little bit about some movies you've seen. Your favorite movie, the last favorite movie you had and the last favorite mini series perhaps you've seen. Do you have a minute? Yeah, I think, what's influencing you right now? Well, my husband and I, we have, we watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO. And it's hard to say because I'm a big horror science fiction fan. So I'm always laying alien, the whole alien saga over and over until my husband makes fun of me because it's my cozy movie. I like it. He likes to watch Star Wars, Star Trek. And I recently watched Beetlejuice again. I'm a huge Tim Burton fan. And a series that we are watching now, which is kind of a cool theme is called Russian Doll. And I watched the first season for the second time now. Now we're starting the second season. And yeah, I mean, we're lucky that now we have access to so many amazing movies and series. Breaking Bad is brilliant, Penny Dreadful, Batman. He's my favorite superhero. Oh, okay. You have his favorite superhero too. My son who says Spider-Man. Okay. Yeah, I love Batman. He's cool. So you're more, are you more of a Star Trek or a Star Wars fan? None. What? Yeah, I know I'm gonna be punished for saying this, but I am not into that kind of science fiction. If I were to say science fiction, I mean more like Event Horizon. Yeah, and The Alien saga, that for me is science fiction slash horror. I really love the movie Inception. That was good. What's the movie with Sandra Bullock? And... Speed. George Clooney, no, George Clooney, et cetera. They're also stuck in space. It's also a beautiful movie. So you basically like the science fiction with space related, like human, a human sort of aspect to it, right? Not with... With aliens, yeah, with extraterrestrial lives. I watched E.T. for the first time earlier this summer. I've never watched it because, and I was crying like a baby all the way through because it involves this young boy, which is the same age as my son. So I was, I can't take that stuff anymore. Since I'm a mother, I'm a wussie. And you know what? And that boy is probably your age right now. So I think it's very big. Well, if you get to Florida at Universal Studios in Florida, they have the E.T. ride, where you can ride the bike on the stars. So I don't remember if the North American tour is taking you to Florida, but if you get a day off, you go to Universal and you can do the E.T. ride, and it brought my wife to tears. So it'll probably bring you to tears as well. You know, I've been to the Universal Studios many, many years ago, and we were there in August, and I was dying because of the humidity. It was, I was like just sweating buckets. And my husband- Florida in August is not necessarily the easiest thing for everyone to manage. We went before the tour starts, and I can't handle humidity or heat in any way, and my husband then went alone into the Harry Potter land. There's a Harry Potter land there. And I was just sitting somewhere in a shade trying to stay alive. I just couldn't anymore. But yeah, I love the Universal Studios. Yeah, and when we are on tour, we always like to visit museum. And I've also been to Atlanta, the center of puppetry arts, where at that time there was the whole wardrobe and puppets from the movie Labyrinth were displayed. And we were granted access after the museum shut down. Myself and two of my bandmates, we're all like big movie fans, and we were like kids in a candy store. Without any other visitors, we were allowed to walk around there. That's right. No, I took a photo with Agra also from the Dark Crystal, which is one of my favorite movies. I remember the Dark Crystal. That was a Muppet. That was a Jim Henson. Yeah, Jim Henson. Yes, I love Jim Henson. It's beautiful, actually. For me, it's always been the Muppet show. It's always been the Muppet show. It's quite incredible, actually. So here people think rock and roll is like sex, drugs and rock and roll on tour, but it sounds like on tour with Epica is maybe some family prime. Netflix, Amazon, and yeah. A lot of Netflix. So shattering the illusion of the rock and roll lifestyle, but it's a different rock and roll lifestyle now. So that sounds terrific. Yeah, we like to go to nice restaurants. We go to the cinema. I'm looking forward to see how it's focused too because that will be in cinemas at the end of September. And we will be touring around pre-Halloween time. So lots of cool Halloween stuff in store so I can bring it home with me for my kid because... True. You're in Montreal a week before Halloween and then New York right after that and then home, I guess. All right. On that note, live at the Paradiso, right? September the second, that's when it'll be released. The re-releases of first three albums will be also released. I think they come in a box set as well. September the third, the live stream, the Epica live stream in front of 3,000 people. So that's gonna be a big show covering the career spanning set list, I guess. And then the Sabaton tour, right? Sabaton tour is starting in September, right? Ripping through all the way to what? December, I guess, or November? Yeah, no, end of October, end of October. And then it sounds like... The Epica universe is at the Epica universe for news on this new record. Yeah, Secret Album 2023, that is something you've never done before. So I'm guessing it's a flash. 2022. 2022, sorry. This year, so, yeah, it's a lot of teams. So it's gonna be like a, it's gonna be a more harder edge, I think, this new album, right? No, not even that. It's really totally different. It's probably something... It's like different how? I can't tell, it's different. I know you're trying, you're trying really hard, but I won't spill anything. You see what I did? You see what I did? It's more harder edge, and I was hoping you'd finish the set list. Well, we are truly excited. You can tell if anything, we're eager. Yeah, I am too. I am too. I can't wait for that music to be released because we've been teasing everybody on the Epica universe for forever with about this secret project. And yeah, it's taken up a lot of our time. Why is it a secret project? Why is it called, just tell me that. Why is it a secret project? Because we can't say what it is yet. That's why. We have to give it a name, like we're working on new music. Yeah, let's just call it the secret project, something out of the ordinary. Yeah, yeah. Sounds like a James Bond kind of thing. I could just see Simone's office and the band members' offices with like brown envelopes of question marks on them, and so it's like very... Yeah, yeah, there's not a lot of details about it yet, but on the Epica universe, the fan club, we've been posing a little bit behind the scenes things, and you can hear like choir bits and pieces and orchestration already. Okay. So, yeah. So there will be orchestration and there will be choirs. Thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it. Thank you for being on the show. Yep. We'll see you on the tour vacation. Thanks Simone. Thanks for having me. Take care. Bye bye.