EPICA are going to visit Athens, Greece for another concert proving the special relation this band has with the Greek metalheads. So, Solid Rock teamed up with beautiful Simone and discussed almost everything about the Dutch band. Enjoy!

Solid Rock: Hello Simone from Solid Rock webzine! First of all I have to ask how is your health? Have you 100% recovered from your health “adventure”?

Simone: Yes, I have recovered fully. Thanks for asking! It's already quite some time ago and I am feeling great these days! I am in great shape.

Solid Rock: You have been confirmed for 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise. Have you ever been in a similar “boat festival”? Do you have any second thoughts about playing live on a boat?

Simone: This will be my first time to experience a 'boat festival'. I am very much looking forward to it, it will be some thing very different to what I am used to, and of course, unique. I hope that I won't get sea sick ;)

Solid Rock: You have announced some North US dates; are there any plans to add more dates?

Simone: If you go to epica.nl, you'll see that a lot of new dates were added. It is indeed a whole new tour! Our US tour in February was so successful, that we wanted to come back to our fans in the US.

Solid Rock: Can you compare the concerts held in Europe and the US? I mean are the fans different?

Simone: We had some shows in the US were we had a big audience and then again some smaller shows. It was very diverse. In Europe, I could say that we toured much more and therefor have more fans. The fans are lovely, all over the world. The American fans are very respectful and calm when you meet them, but during a gig they are rocking hard.

Solid Rock: You have some summer festival dates ahead like the massive 'Sweden Rock' one; so, what are the differences between a festival and a club appearance from your point of you? Do you prefer anyone between the two of them?

Simone: I like both a lot, and don't know which one I'd choose. Both have pre's and contra's and it is nice to have them both in a year. With the festivals you don't have a good soundcheck, only a quick change over and short line check. This can be difficult sometimes. When we play on more mainstream festivals, we often don't know if the people will like our music. When you have a club show, you know that the people come to see you and that you don't have to worry about flying beers on stage ;)

Festivals have a great ambience, the weather is often good, people are in a good mood. You have food, beer and music. I love the smell of festivals, but not of the DIXI toilets… haha

Solid Rock: You have recently shot a video for World Wildlife Fund (WWF); can you give us more details about this? What song did you sing?

Simone: The song is called 'This is the Time', it was written by Isaac and the lyrics by Mark. The song speaks about our relationship with the world and that the time has come to change our attitude towards nature and that we have to show a little more respect to all living creatures and the world in it's whole. It's a lovely acoustic song, very intimate. 

Solid Rock: Coen Janssen had to sit out some North US; so is everything ok now? Has/will he rejoin EPICA on the tour?

Simone: The reason why he had to skip the Northern US tour was that he and his future wife were very busy preparing their wedding. They got married at the end of April and had a lovely ceremony. Sometimes it is hard to combine Epica with your personal life, but we try to make it work. Oliver replaced Coen for that tour and all was well in the end.

Solid Rock: You have recorded a track with KAMELOT; can you give us more details about it?

Simone: Yes, that's true. I've recorded two tracks for Kamelot in the beginning of 2010. I went to Wolfsburg to the Gate studio. One of the tracks is called 'House on a Hill' and the other one is the not revealed title track. I'm always happy to work with Kamelot. I see them  more as a family than colleagues. I've toured with them so often in the past. I love them all.

Solid Rock: You had planned a DVD shooting at Sao Paulo; so, how did it go?

Simone: We are collecting live footage from all over the world. Sao Paulo was one which we had to document. Our Brazilian fans are really great. It was such a huge gig. They are singing the songs so loud, that I sometimes can't hear myself. 

Solid Rock: Expanding the previous question, do you feel anxious when you know that the concert is going to be filmed? I mean does some of the Metal spontaneous attitude get lost due to the filming?

Simone: I try to ignore the camera and have a good time. Like this you get the real live feeling on camera. It is true, that sometimes things go wrong, but that is live music. I do have to admit that before the show, I am a bit anxious but that feeling disappears when I go on stage and start to sing. You anyway focus on the fans and not on the cameras.

Solid Rock: You had some pretty rough time during the Canadian live dates; so, how difficult can it be being on the road? How can you handle the rest of the guys? (joking on this)

Simone: I guess it is sometimes as hard for them to handle me, as a woman, as it is for me, handling them as guys. Some things I will never understand and vice versa :)

During our days in Canada  we had an accident. It was quite scary but in the end no one got hurt. It happened when we were all asleep. After that, it was hard to fall asleep again because you don't feel so safe anymore. If our driver hadn't reacted like he did, it could have ended differently, so kudos to him!

Solid Rock: "Design Your Universe" entered the charts in several countries; do you feel anxious of meeting the high standards that you set with this album? I mean do you feel that you have to compete yourself in every album?

Simone: Yes, every album has to better in some way than the previous one. You have to evolve as a band and as a musician to keep things interesting and to keep the fans entertained. It's also nice to just try different things and experiment a little from time to time. Like this you keep it fresh.

Solid Rock: What was like the recording sessions for “The Classical Conspiracy”? Would you like to do this again for another crowd?

Simone: Oh yes! That was one hell of an experience! To play with a full orchestra and choir is simply amazing. The orchestra and choir play such a big part within our music, and we can't take them all on tour with us due to various reasons. It was a weird but wonderful feeling to have 70 people with us on stage, creating the music together. I'd love to do this show again. 

Solid Rock: Have you ever thought of doing something outside EPICA?

Simone: Of course I did. I like so many different styles of music besides metal. Somewhere in the future I will record a jazz CD, a classical CD and a rock/metal CD. So still so much to do, but I don't want any time pressure and Epica will have my priority of course.

Solid Rock: In a few days EPICA will be playing live in Athens Greece; how do you feel about that? Do you remember anything from your last show in Greece?

Simone: Greece is lovely. I spend a holiday there once, so I have a strong connection to Greece. Our shows were great, the fans are very loyal and sweet. Can't wait to go back to Greece!

Solid Rock: Being on so many countries can you remember all the places you have been? Do you keep a tour diary or something similar?

Simone: My tour diary are the photographs that I take while being on tour. Some times it is nice to go through them and relive those moments and try to remember. But I am afraid that because of the headbanging, I can't remember all the shows anymore shah!

Solid Rock: Well, Simone thank you for taking the time to answer to Solid Rock's questions. We will be at EPICA's concert in Athens to enjoy your beautiful voice and bang our heads against your music! Feel free to add anything you want!

Simone: Efgaristo!

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