Epica biography
Epica is a Dutch gothic metal band with elements of epic film scores and choral arrangements, formed in 2003 by Mark Jansen after he left his former band, After Forever, due to creative differences. He got in contact with Ad Sluijter, who he had worked with on some projects in the past, and they formed a new band called Sahara Dust, with Helena Michaelson of Trail of Tears as its frontwoman.
She was soon replaced, however, by Jansen's girlfriend, Simone Simons, just 18 years old at the time. The band then held auditions for the remaining members, with bassist Yves Huts, drummer Jeroen Simons, and keyboard player Coen Janssen joining them. Sahara Dust soon became Epica, named after the Kamelot album of the same name, of which the band are big fans of.
Their first album, 'The Phantom Agony', was released later that year, featuring a choir and strings orchestra. It was a surprisingly accomplished album, considering the band had been together for only a few months.
The next year saw Epica release its first DVD, titled 'We Will Take You With Us', featuring their performance on Dutch live music TV show, 2 Meter Sessies, as well as backstage footage, music videos, and the standard music DVD fare.
2005 saw the release of two Epica albums. First, 'Consign to Oblivion' and then later that year, 'The Score: An Epic Journey'. The former being the follow-up to The Phantom Agony, the latter being the score to Dutch movie Joyride.
'Consign to Oblivion' was based on the history of the Maya civilisation, and this is most evident in the group of songs subtitled "A New Age Dawns." The album featured a guest vocalist on the song "Trois Vierges" in the form of Roy Khan of Kamelot. This album — even more so than 'The Phantom Agony' — was heavily influenced by big, epic film scores.
'The Score: An Epic Journey' was released in September of the same year, and was mostly comprised of instrumental orchestral arrangements. The only songs to feature vocals and elements of metal were tracks taken from Epica's previous album, 'Consign to Oblivion'.