EPICA - Cry For The Moon (The Phantom Agony 2003) | FIRST LISTEN | Reaction

[@MarcelCox1]

Just a side note: the 2 female background siungers that are standing separate from the choir are Linda van Summeren (the dark haired) and Amanda Somerville (the blonde). Linda is now Coen Janssens (the keyboard player) wife and she is up to today a recoring background singer on Epica albums. Amanda Somerville was Simone's vocal coach and has been also been background singer on many Epica albums. Also, on an Northe America tour in 2008, when Simone couldn't participate for health reasons, Amanda sotdd in for her. Amanda has also participated in many other bands and projects. Noteworthy is the band "Exite Eden" where 4 female vocalists do metalised covers of famous pop songs. Definitely worthwhile a look.

[@PHDarren]

Amanda Somerville backing for Avantasia as one of them.

[@giovannisarmiento7306]

This is Epica's most famous song. Many of us knew them through it. Excited to continue this journey with you.

[@chriso6719]

One of my favorite of the older EPICA songs. If you notice the song is subtitled The Embrace that Smothers Part IV. Also on this album are parts V an VI. The first 3 parts are on an After Forever album, Mark Jansen's former band. In the lyrics you read, the part that talked about releasing the song 20 years ago and it being their Alpha, was Simone's mid song monologue when they played it at the Omega Alive virtual show. Yes, it has to do with religion, more specifically, a critique of the way the Catholic Church handled priests who molested children.

[@o_krush67]

Was gonna say the way the lyrics go the Catholic church issue specifically the Boston Globe broke the US church's abuses in 2002.

[@rnowak85]

Great reaction! One of my favorite early Epica songs. One of the interesting things for me is the difference in her vocal timbre between now and then. Early in her career her vocal coaches convinced her that she was a mezzo- soprano and you hear that lower timbre in her voice here. Later she decided she was in fact a soprano and thus he beautiful etheral voice that she uses now. I saw a comment once that Simone thinks her voice sounds weird when she listens to these early recordings.

[@cancelled_user]

Hi Pandora. One of my most favourite songs too. Well... A few dozens of Epica songs are my most favourite, lol. Simone's voice here is absolutely mesmerizing. She doesn't sing this song this way anymore. I miss it a bit. Next song will be their ballad Feint. Please, can you react to both versions in one reaction? The standard album version (music video) and then the acoustic version performed in this live TV studio session. The music video contains parts of an old movie (from 1921) but Epica at the time couldn't afford rights to use that movie, so they re-created those scenes themselves. If you wish, you can watch a video titled Epica - Making of Feint

[@dac2007]

That middle part of the lyrics you read is actually Simone speech in the Omega Alive stream, she used that section to talk to the fans. Not actually part of the song lol But yeah, this song is one their legendary hymns, still play it live nowadays. That recording you watched is one of their earliest presentations where they played the entire first album in the studio and filmed it for a DVD. Simone is so incredibly young there.

[@MegaDog555]

so cool live when crowd sings back too

[@rolsen1304]

The channel Daria Vocalist is also starting a Simone Simons week today for people that want to see her check out a broad view of Simones career!

[@alexandersteinmetz6857]

The vulnerable Touch of the whole female Vocal Part gets me all the Time, Simone and ofc the Band, as the BK Ladies, its an timeless Joy, to hear that Piece of Music Performance. Rest you already nailed in your Recap, Lady:) Stay Healthy! NWArmy Bavaria North

[@sonofthesea3298]

It should be illegal to look as stunning as Simone does in this performance! Ehem,just sayin` 😍😁7:30 Oh Mark Jansen,always so dramatic 😏

[@Paul_C]

The first three albums can be bought again. In a box set on their website.

[@theglanconer6463]

Great reaction and what a brilliant song (and how young they were :)

[@markhoward2811]

My brother gave me this album as a birthday present and I've been a fan ever since. As someone already mentioned, the blond singer, Amanda Sommerville, has been involved a lot with Epica. Both her and Simone have also sung vocals with the USA prog metal band Kamelot as well. The band took the name 'Epica' from the title of Kamelot's sixth album.

[@PandoraPlaysMusic]

WOW! I had no idea!! I'll have to give them a listen!! Thank you:)

[@hansolo2121]

We really don't have to guess about the specific meaning of this song. Epica has been perfectly clear on that. This song is about the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic church by priests etc. and about how the Catholic church tried to cover it up and denied it for years and years. Keeping it 'behind closed doors' . Right about the time they wrote this song and lyrics lots of these sexual abuse scandals that happened in the Catholic church were being uncovered by the media and victims sho had been silent for years. Once you know what this song is about the lyrics make perfect sense (stolen virginity, forgiveness is not for sale, you can not hide behind your fairy tale forever, reveal the thruth, eternal silence screams out for justice, etc.).

[@luBazan1206]

This is Epica's best-known song and with this I discovered them, it was love at first listen! The next song is the ballad Feint, the version of the album is that of the music video and that of the DVD is its acoustic version. Music video 4k: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqa2pmqXnp17ncU

[@PandoraPlaysMusic]

Thanks for the link!

[@cancelled_user]

@@PandoraPlaysMusic The acoustic version in HQ is uploaded on the same channel. They allegedly use artificial intelligence to significantly improve quality of old videos. Even Epica collaborate with them now, so they can re-release their old songs in high quality. Feel free to subscribe to that channel to support them. 🙂

[@luBazan1206]

@@PandoraPlaysMusic Epica just officially shared "We Will Take you With Us" on their channel 😉

[@randalljones4370]

oh my. Simone was only 17 or 18 when that was taped. Such an incredible maturity (to me) for a voice for that age. I cannot imagine the feeling of working with a chamber orchestra and a choir (who are obviously getting into the content! ). We are lucky her head didn't explode with self-importance... she seems like such an amiable, down-to-earth person. I think stopped my Epice Archeology at about 2006, for no specific reason. I'm glad you brought this one out for the rest of us. I real-life stuff : I spent 6 hours in 39C sun at a granddaughter's outdoor birthday water-party. I feel like I need to check for melanoma lesions.... it was one of those overcast days when you swear you aren't getting sun, but you come away burnt to a crisp anyway. But the kids had fun, and that's the important part. Excessive hugs to you and yours.

[@cancelled_user]

This is from 2004, so Simone was 19 here 🙂

[@christophschmedes5975]

Simone start her singing by Epica with 17years now she is 39years and one of the best sopranos in Metall i here Epica for 20years from 2003 to 2024

[@edwasintx]

Damn, girl, that was a ride. Sure it wasn’t written this decade? 🔥🔥🔥🔥🤘

[@cancelled_user]

Written in 2002, here performed in 2004. Incredible music and a stunning singer :)

[@Paul_C]

You know we are primates, now there is just one family of primates that are well on their way to maybe replace us as dominant species. Not the chimps, not gorillas. In Africa there is one group that may have licked the problem of rivalry. Look up bonobo, I'll copy the first line of the Wikipedia page. Unsurprisingly the closest of the Bonobo are the chimps... The bonobo is an endangered great ape. It is one of the two species making up the genus Pan, the other being the common chimpanzee.

[@BryonAutry]

First Epica song I ever heard back in the day, great song! Trivia: the blonde backup singer in this video is Amanda Sommerville, she was actually Simone's vocal coach and co-wrote alot of songs with Epica and many other bands. She is also a regular collaborator and live singer for Avantasia. She also stood in as lead singer for Epica on a 2008 tour when Simone was too sick to tour. If you are interested I highly recommend a live performance by Avantasia of the song "Farewell" live at Wacken in 2011 where Amanda Sommerville does co-lead vocals. It's a great song! kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKi4gYBsarmhgdk&ab_channel=FernandoEdruhpower

[@fritsyt2090]

Epica forever and ever 🖤

[@MegaDog555]

happy Sunday i love them and you

[@PandoraPlaysMusic]

❤

[@moimeme8827]

love this version in studio. from the same shooting, try "phantom agony" ;).

[@cancelled_user]

She's going to do their whole discography song by song, so the next one should be Feint :)

[@kingsupernova3632]

Reaction to my Walden

[@aranerem5569]

Hi there

[@PandoraPlaysMusic]

Hi Aran:)

[@narinthebeardedalien2994]

*instalike*

[@jamiestout142]

Pretty sure this is about this is about the abuse in the catholic church and how they preach about sins that they themselves commit. Calling religion hypocritical pretty much.

[@denisrodriguez6386]

Habla de la pedrastia cometida a niños por sacerdotes

[@johnnyfallen87]

This song is masterpiece.... Can someone tell me which Caucasian race is better in music.. English Irish Scots French Dutch Danes Swedes Norse Finn German Estonian Italian Spanish Portuguese Hungarian Slovakian Swiss, Austrian and Belgium are like Germans,french £ italian Estonian Latvian Lithuanian Russians and the slavic nations like Polish,Czech, slovene,Serb,Croatian, Bosnian,Montenegro, bulgarian..etc Romanian...