Epica

Pays: Hollande
Style : Gothique Symphonique Metal
Label :Transmission Records
Site officiel : www.epica.nl


Composition:

*Chants : Simone Simons
*Chants, guitare : Mark Jansen
*Guitare : Ad Sluijter
*Basse : Yves Huts
*Batterie : Jeroen Simons
*Clavier : Coen Janssen

Date of birth:
January 17th 1985

Instrument(s):
Vocals

Education:
Epica is my occupation for the moment.

Musical background:
I have been musically active since I was 10. I played the flute for one year, after that I had jazz/pop singing lessons for one year. At the age of 15 someone gave me a cd of Nightwish. I liked it so much that I wanted to take classical singing lessons. I have sung in a choir for a couple of months (2002) and then there was and is Epica.

Favourite bands:
SLacuna Coil, Muse, REM, Nightwish, Kamelot, Moonspell, Rammstein, Within Temptation, Mozart, Lacrimosa, Leaves' Eyes, System of a Down, Dargaard, Anastacia, Apocalytica, Moby, Björk, Tiamat, Dimmu Borgir, Faith no More, Samael.

Favourite musicians:
Tori Amos
Roy Khan
Andrea Boccelli
Lisa Gerrard
Ofra Haza
Michael Stipe
Anastacia
Björk

Favourite albums:
Muse "Absolution"
Kamelot "The Black Halo"
Moonspell "Irreligious"
System of a Down "Toxicity"
Björk "Homogenic"
Anathema "Judgement"
Nightwish "Oceanborn"
Moby "Play"
Rammstein "Reise Reise"
Leaves' Eyes "Lovelorn"
All the Lacuna Coil albums

Date of birth:
15-12-1978

Instrument(s):
Guitars, grunts & screams

Education:
I study Psychology at the University of Maastricht.

Musical background:
I started playing the guitar at the age of 15, soon after that me and Sander (guitarplayer After Forever) formed the band After Forever. In 2002 I did a side project with Ad and not much time later this new band had been formed. I've recently been asked to compose a score for a Dutch movie, which I'm working on right now.

Favourite bands:
Nightwish
Ayreon
Iced Earth
Kamelot

Favourite musicians:
Rachmaninov
Hans Zimmer
Carl Orff
Ennio Morricone

Favourite albums:
The Gathering: Mandylion
Nightwish: Oceanborn
Death: Symobolic
Gorefest: Erase
Machine Head: Burn my eyes
Ayreon: The final Experiment
Gladiator Soundtrack
Dream Theater: Images and words
Kamelot: The Fourth Legacy
King Arthur soundtrack

Date of birth:
29-11-1981



Instrument(s):
Guitars



Education:
I'm a teacher in mathematics



Musical background:
I started playing the guitar when I was 12. At the age of 16 I started playing in my first band called Tremor (later Cassiopeia). I played on their demo Eye Of Time and did a mini tour with them. One and a half year later I decided to leave them because they were heading for a new musical direction I did not feel comfortable with. Not long after that I came in touch with Mark. I played as a guest musician with After Forever at the Eurorock festival in 2000 in Belgium, which was great of course. After that Mark and I decided to write some music together as a side project for After Forever. Since we were both very fond of film music the music we wrote could best be described as just that. After his departure from After Forever he asked me to be part of his new band band so here I am;-)



Favourite bands:
Depeche Mode
Paradise Lost
Carcass
Clannad
Meshuggah



Favourite musicians:
Martin Gore
Dave Gahan
Hans Zimmer
Bill Steer
Michael and Christopher Amott
Thomas Haake
Richart Christy
Jason Becker
John Petrucci


Favourite albums:
Gladiator soundtrack
The Last Of The Mohicans soundtrack
Crimson Tide soundtrack
Carcass Heartwork & Necrotisism, Descanting The Insalobrious
Paradise Lost Host & Symobol Of Life
Clannad Lore
All the Depeche Mode albums

Date of birth:
21-5-1979

Instrument(s):
Bass guitar

Education:
Master degree Commercial sciences (cum laude)
SAE Audio Engineer

Musical background:
I have played the bass guitar since 1996, the piano since 1989 and the guitar since 1995. In 1997 I joined Axamenta (Belgian Fantasy Metal) in which I was active as guitar ~ and keyboard player. During my time in the band we released a MCD "Nox Draconis Argenti" and a full album "Codex Barathri" (on LSP records). I owe much of my band-, studio- and stage experience to this band. Because all of my time went to Epica I had to leave Axamenta in mid-2003. I also played the keyboards in Gurthang (Black Metal) for a while. Once in a while I compose soundtrack-like keyboard songs. In may 2002 I became the bass player Epica.

Favourite bands:
Covenant
Arcturus
MAchine Head
Mortifer
Dagorlad
Orphanage
Sirrah
Dimmu Borgir
Amorphis

Favourite musicians:
Hellhammer
Sverd
Mike Patton
Danny Elfman
Nicholas Barker

Favourite albums:
Covenant “Nexus Polaris”
In Flames "Soundtrack to your Escape"
Amorphis “Elegy”
Faith no more “Angel Dust”
Bal Sagoth “Starfire Burning”
Dimmu Borgir “Puritanical euphoric misantropia”
Arcturus “The sham mirrors”
Megadeth “Countdown to Extinction”
Orphanage “By time alone”
Dimmu Borgir "Death Cult Armageddon"
Danny Elfman "Soundtrack of Batman"