The song that started it all, Cry For The Moon! EPICA Double Feature Reaction.

What a great experience to see the beginning and also the how far they've come in 20 years. Epica really is something special!
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Original Video: • EPICA - Cry for the Mo...
Original Video: • EPICA - Omega Alive (O...
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#reaction #epica #epicareaction #omega #alive #live #music

[@rnowak85]

Enjoyed the reaction! Simone has said she doesn't like listening to their earlier stuff because her voice sounds weird to her. Early on her vocal coaches evaluated her voice as being a Mezzo Soprano and guided her into singing in that style. She later decided that she was a straight up soprano and developed her voice into the crystal clear instrument it is today.

[@mikedown3219]

A bit about the backing singers. The blond is Amanda Sommerville who was Simone’s vocal coach back then, not on the classical side, more helping her develop her pop/rock voice. The lady next to her with the black hair is Linda Van Summeren, a Dutch lady and now wife of Coen, the keyboard player. She still does backing vocals for the band now and was the middle of the three backing singers in the recent Arcana and Ghost in Me live videos.

[@kaNjiXIII]

Yes, I heard that the wife of coen is also in the backing vocals in Symphonic Synergy, I love that. :) Also haveing the vocal coach with you was surely pretty nice for a young Simone. :)

[@trokoshea1]

Amanda even replaced Simone during an Epica tour in North America as she had a health problem. I attended the show of this tour in Montréal.

[@jaapblaauw3735]

After the release of their debut album The Phantom Agony, Dutch radio and tv presenterJan Douwe Kroeske became so enthousiastic about this band that he invited them to his tv show at the time called in dutch ' Twee meter sessies', named to the height of Jan Douwe who is about two meters tall. It was a singer/songwriter kind of show where artists performed a few songs in a small intimate setting without audience, sometimes acoustic. But he wanted Epica to play the whole album plus a few bonus songs like ' memory' from musical cats, one of Simone's favourites back then were performed. An ensemble and choir was also added to it. Eventually it was released as a dvd in 2004 with the Title We Will Take You With Us! All the Epica songs are floating around on youtube from this dvd, you should check it out. There is even a 20 min video Making of' we will take you with us' on YT.

[@kaNjiXIII]

What the hell, with every comment I learn so much more about this, it's crazy. Now I get the Cats reference from the other comment haha, thank you. Now all makes sense. And I love that the guy was so hyped about them, that invited them right away and with a metal band..., that's super cool from him.

[@jaapblaauw3735]

@kaNjiXIII Yeah, Jan Douwe Kroeske his tv show was all about more alternative music, not the mainstream radio bands. It was broadcasted between 1987 and 2012 on dutch tv.

[@nebulajumper6216]

Love it that you did a back to back. You can also notice that not only her voice evolved during all these years, but the complexity of the song did as well.

[@thensho]

the embrace that smothers is a series of songs that mark started in After Forever (his band before, along with floor jansen) and finished with epica. they are all about the dangers and problems of organized religion. Cry for the moon is about the child abuse within churches. mark's text at the start translates to this; "this song is about abuses behind closed church doors". these are all the parts; After Forever - Mea Culpa (Prologe) After Forever - Leaden Legacy (part 1) After Forever - Follow in the Cry (part 2) After Forever - Yield to Temptation (part 3) Epica - Adyta (interlude) Epica - Cry for the moon (part 4) Epica - Façade of Reality (part 5) Epica - Seif al Din (part 6) Epica - La'petach Chatat Rovetz, The Last Embrace Epica - Death of a Dream (part 7) Epica - Living a Lie (part 8) Epica - Fools of Damnation (part 9) at the paradiso show in 2006 they performed part 6 and part 5 in one go which waas amazing!!! please try to watch these 2 in one go as well kzbin.info/www/bejne/aojLonhtobWrpNE

[@eduardogutierrez8598]

In the bass was Ives Huts, the guy before Rob (Rob was in Delain in that time) until 2012. I saw Epica in 2010 with Ives in that time. The funny about is that Ives left Epica to concentrate in his "familiar business" as he call it... Katoen Natie (not that a small bussiness, as you can see)

[@kaNjiXIII]

What happend? what is "Katoen Natie"? xD

[@eduardogutierrez8598]

@@kaNjiXIII His father is the owner, is a very big logistic company (one of the biggest in the word). They move containers, to make it simple. He leave the music and went to the board of directors there

[@wildhoney126]

these two versions are a good demonstration of the band's growth and how Simone has changed vocally. Great reaction, thanks 🔥

[@kaNjiXIII]

Thank you, really loved doing this, and to do more of these with the acoustic versions. :D

[@mikedown3219]

The first video was with their original lineup. Only Mark Jansen, Coen Janssen and Simone are still there. The drummer changed in 2007, the lead guitarist changed in 2009 and the bass player in 2012. The lineup has remained the same since.

[@kaNjiXIII]

50% OG members is not such a bad cut. :) And I'm very happy about their new lead guitar. :)

[@dAmion2306]

Epica announced today the dates for their upcoming ‘Arcane Dimensions’ tour with Amaranthe and Charlotte Wessels' The Obsession. (Damn, that's one hell of an awesome line up). Unfornatually they won't show up in Austria, but Munich or Zürich.

[@kaNjiXIII]

Pretty rude of them not to go to Austria... :(

[@user-Rockmagix]

Absolutely stunning. Today they announced a concert in cologne in Jan26 and this time I will finally be in the first line to buy me a ticket this friday - it is part one of my restlife bucket list. Greetings from Germany

[@Percy92]

This is one of their most played songs live and I still love it when the crowd sings "forever and ever" loudly with the band!

[@kaNjiXIII]

An absolute great line to sing along. :)

[@KaisaValkama]

Hi kaNji ! At the start of the video I heard Dutch dialect...😂Thank you for this dive to their history. Simone used to move so softly to her higher register back then. Now her voice technic is chanced quite a lot. Choir was perfect. It's intertesting to see your next choice from them....Kaisa ❤

[@kaNjiXIII]

Not just dialect. :) It was super interesting, glad you liked it as well, I'm not sure as to where to go next, but I'm pretty sure it will be an amazing song. :D Absolutely right, she changed quite a lot, as to be expected in 20 years.

[@KaisaValkama]

@@kaNjiXIII I agree with You. I didn't also expect that growling in the middle-part, and actually it was a surprise that the production was so big ( all the strings + professional choir)right at their first song together. Quite ambitious. Gute nacht jetzt....Kaisa

[@aegars]

maybe soemeone remembers if, at the time, it was popular worldwide? I only remember that at the time there was Nightwish playing on radio and TV, Within Temptation with Ice Queen was big. As for Epica, "Never enaugh" is more fitting for that time.

[@wildhoney126]

I would like to say separately about Mark Jansen (guitarist, harsh vocalist, creator of the band). In 1995 he and another guitarist Sander Gommans created the band After Forever, soon the well-known Floor Jansen joined them, but a few years later Floor and Sander threw Mark out of the band and he created Epica. His new band quickly overtook After Forever and became more successful, and After Forever finally broke up in 2009. Despite the former disagreements, despite the fact that After Forever broke up, in 2024 it was Mark Jansen who decided to unite After Forever again and play a big anniversary concert in 2025. This man is not only a very talented musician who brought Epica to great fame in their genre, I would even say the maximum fame they could achieve (only Nightwish and Within Temptation are more popular than them, but they have simpler and lighter music, so they are more popular), but Mark is also a very comfortable, non-controversial, very generous person. And the fact that he decided to reunite After Forever, a band that once treated him not very well, is an amazing move.

[@kaNjiXIII]

I just read that today, because I read into their wikipedia page. How small the world is, it's crazy, that Mark was part of After Forever, were Floor was singing. I also read that Simone decided to learn classical singing, after she got a Nightwish CD, if that's true as well, I mean, what are the odds that all of this is connected? haha They played an anniversary concert this year already? :O When? Where? After 25 years no one is the same person anymore, so I guess they made up a while ago, but really glad to hear that. I think what disqualifies them for the mainstream is the use of growls, but I don't know. :) Mark is probably pretty happy about where he is right now. :) and thank you for all the info on him.

[@wildhoney126]

@ After Forever concert will take place on October 4, 2025 in Tilburg. All members of the band have joined except Floor Jansen, unfortunately there will be another vocalist instead. I don't want to judge Floor, I hope she had her reasons..

[@Columbasta]

​@@kaNjiXIII Let's fill that timeline a bit with a lovely video from 2007, "After Forever & Epica - Beyond Me (Gothic X-mass Fest 2007)". Notice Floor & Simone after the song when they're ready to take the bow. Floor clearly gesturing twd Mark to join in. It even gets better because in 2004 already, Epica opened for... After Forever in Tivoli, Utrecht. From the review "After Forever zet Tivoli in vuur en vlam": 'Eenmaal binnen kon een uitverkocht Tivoli al snel helemaal uit zijn dak gaan. Een prachtige package-deal werd geserveerd: het prille Epica en het gearriveerde After Forever deelden vanavond het podium.' --> N.b.: notice "gearriveerde" to describe After Forever. Yup, they were bigger & more professional than Epica in 2004.

[@rnowak85]

@@wildhoney126 I think her 7 year tumultuous relationship with Sander Gommans that ended badly is a pretty good reason. On Sing Meinen Song (German version of Beste Zangers) when discussing her Northward song While Love Died she mentioned she had a boyfriend for a long time, seven years and when the relationship ended there was nothing left, there was nothing at all, no love, only hate and very black, and very much in pain. She said she hid that pain and darkness in the lyrics of While Love Died. She doesn't specify who the boyfriend was but it was clear from the details that it was Sander. I also think she was pretty mad about Sander re-releasing some of the After Forever albums without her consent or involvement. All pretty good reasons to not want to be around him.

[@rnowak85]

@@kaNjiXIII Simone was taking pop vocal lessons as a teenager when she heard Tarja sing on Nightwish's Oceanborn album. She immediately switched to classical vocal lessons after hearing her.

[@eduardogutierrez8598]

The first clip is form 2004 (Simone was 19 there) taken from a DVD called "we will take you with us" (yes please, lol). Besides Bass, guitar (Isaac) and drums (Arien) wasnt there. If you like ballads you should "Memories" from the musical Cats from there

[@kaNjiXIII]

Oh, that's what the DVD was called, thank you. :) You mean from the Musical? :O

[@eduardogutierrez8598]

@@kaNjiXIII Yes, the DVD has 2 parts: one heavy and one with the ballads (in was included in that part)

[@LouisannaBall]

YAYYYY!!!! timeless song

[@MrSh0110]

More Epica!! The back-to-back concept is great. Here are some more suggestions - Epica - The Phantom Agony (title track of the first album) - We Will Take You With Us version vs. Retrospect version Epica - Run for a Fall - We Will Take You With Us version vs. The Way to Paradiso version

[@kaNjiXIII]

Like I said, not my idea. All thanks to lovely commenters. :) Thanks for the suggestions, I want to do more like this, also with the OG and acoustic versions, since I heard they are so different :)

[@irenehabes-quene2839]

Now let nobody ever again say that the Dutch dont have any outstanding music accomplishments. That’s a remark that I came across with from an American vlogger about my country. We have extraordinary musicians, in techno ( where we are no 1 worldwide, classic, pop and symphonic ( metal). You just need to know where to look.

[@Columbasta]

But then again, who cares abt what American vloggers have to say about any country? Culturally isolated doesn't begin to describe their sometimes otherworldly outlook re: the rest of the world. Grutties uut Flevoland!

[@Patryn71]

@@Columbasta It's almost as ignorant as most people are about the US in general. The amount of pure BS I see written about things in the US by people from other countries is mind boggling. It's like people don't really know about countries they've never lived in. Go figure.

[@noneofyerbeeswax8194]

Some anti-USAian sentiments here, eh? Y’all need to get liberated.😂

[@Rancid-Jane]

The song definitely improved with age.

[@mikedown3219]

Cry for the Moon was the first song they wrote. The song is actually about child abuse in the Catholic church. The first video was for Dutch TV in 2004 so Simone was 19. The one who has changed the most is Coen, the keyboard player, not just his hair but he looks kind of thin and nerdy in that first video, much stockier now.

[@AM501]

simone mark and coen were epica from the start,then arian, rob and isac joined

[@kaNjiXIII]

Wow, that's super dark, didn't get that impression from the song. :O Yea, I think so too, but I recognised him right away, guy has some character in his face. :)

[@DerHerr-ni2wr]

🤘🤘

[@Columbasta]

Haha nice 1:55 "Holländisches..", which is my native (official) language may sound a bit like "Platt" to regular German ears? My actual native and true mother tongue is Nedersaksisch tho, which is an official language that we share with our Saxon brothers across the border(s). For me as a Dutch speaker it is not at all weird btw, to hear someone speak German, but I can't speak for all of course.

[@kaNjiXIII]

I forgot the english word xD, would be "dutch", right? I would say still different, my girlfriend speaks a bit "platt" since she's from Bremen. :) Oh, that's super interesting, in german it would be "Niedersächsisch", but I didn't know you had that as well. I think the reason why it's weird is, as you said it sounds a bit like "platt", so a dialect, but you actually understand nothing, but you have the feeling you should understand something. Hope that makes sense, haha. Do you understand Deutsch then?

[@Columbasta]

​@@kaNjiXIII Nice! Bremen is practically Dutch ;) Like most Dutch speakers (who get German taught at school), I can understand High German (the southern dialect) perfectly fine. I even speak it. In today's world however, where English is the "lingua franca", my fluency in German needs a bit of a push. Like when I visited my brother in Freising for instance, when he studied at the TU München (Weihenstephan) to join the elite company of Braumeister. After a few days, I was conversational in.. Bayerisch. Still say "ein bissel" instead of "bisschen" 😂

[@noneofyerbeeswax8194]

@@Columbasta Bremen is rightful Nederlandse clay! German is a beautiful language though.😊 (The actual German language: "Digga, amk. Dilara, gib mal Shisha und komm in AMG, yallah, ich schwöre mach mal schnell, sonst geb ich dir Nackenschelle hahahahshassah, du kleine Kahba. Tfu.")

[@mikedown3219]

If you do Beyond the Matrix, do the live at the Zenith or AFAS live versions, not the Omega Alive version. The key component of that song is the audience interaction so it lacks something in the Omega Alive version as a result.

[@Percy92]

I agree!

[@kaNjiXIII]

Uh, thanks a lot, that's actually good to know, I'll probably do the AFAS version then, since I really liked the production on Rivers. :)

[@eduardogutierrez8598]

The BTM from The symphonic Synergy is extremely great, the best Ive seen

[@Dann66123]

Next Epica song - The Obsessive devotion (Omega alive) 🙂🔥

[@wildhoney126]

@@Dann66123 «the obsessive devotion” live Polandrock 2023 🔥🔥🔥

[@andreaswennberg9542]

Amazing start from this band in my opinion. Sometimes i miss Simones younger voice, tho might be nostalgia from my part. Mark (growler) have really improved. The band started off really good and only grown since then 😁.

[@kaNjiXIII]

Yes, I also think it is a good song to showcase where they wanted to go with the band and as far as I know, it landed them the record deal. :) So they did everything right and boy did they grow.

[@LeperMessiah2]

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