Hello, we're here with Mark from the symphonic metal band Epica. How are you?

I'm fine, thank you. Just last Sunday, a van hit me in the back. So I'm suffering a little bit from this injury. But besides that, I'm doing well.

Is it going to be okay tonight and to go back on stage ?

Yes, as we don't play a show. Our next show is like, in a month. So I hope so.

I hope you get better soon !

I hope so, but I will see a doctor after this weekend.

You haven't seen a doctor yet ??

No, I have no time.

Yes, but this is your health. This is important.

Yeah, but you can only be at one place at the same time.

I understand and I wish you to get better soon !

So we're here to talk about your album that was released yesterday. First of all, the album is inspired by a sculpture of Stanislaw Zukalski, which is a symbol of renewal and inspiration. How do you feel it fits this album?

Rob got to know about the art of Zukalski, and then he was also in touch with the people who are in charge of all the sculptures and the legacy in Los Angeles. And he wrote a soundtrack for one of the sculptures called Aspiral. And then he introduced that soundtrack to us, and he said that if we can use it for Epica, we can use it. If we thought it would not be a good fit, we could use it for something else. But we all said it was a great song. And eventually it turned out to be the album title ! We noticed when we were writing lyrics that actually the title Aspiral was having, like, a big reference to all the lyrics. So that's how it fits well with the lyrics, but also with the renewal process that we were doing as musicians. We don't want to repeat ourselves. We want to always try some new ingredients in our music. So about inspiration, renewal, it also reflects on the process of how we wrote this album. We don't want to become so predictable that people say “Okay, Epica is always doing the same thing”. So that's always a risk, of course, because some people might not like when you change too much. We always tried to find the right balance between keeping the old style alive but implementing some new ingredients.

That's great. And was there a central message or feeling you wanted to convey through this album?

Yeah, we're currently living in challenging times. Everybody knows it's turmoil, a lot of turmoil in the world. And sometimes the lyrics are pretty heavy and dark, but there's always this hope, the light at the end of the tunnel. And that's very important for us because whatever is happening, hope is the last thing to die. And we can always manage to turn it around. I noticed some people are pretty pessimistic about everything going on, but we always want to keep the hope alive.

It's beautiful. You always have a positive message in your songs.

It seems to be an album that takes us anew, especially back to your roots and your debuts. But how do you feel about your evolution when playing with your original sound?

We have kept the balance between the roots but also evolved into our current sound. And when we place these newer sounds between the older ones, it still fits. So it sounds like Epica. But we will never be able to make an album like The Phantom Agony. Because, yeah, we did what we could back in the days and we were really proud of that album. But if you tried to write 25 years later an album like that, it's simply not possible. But I think a song like Metanoia comes pretty close. Because I’ve already seen the reaction of some die hard fans who really like that song because it gives them the old vibe, the old feeling.

That's good. And how do you feel about this album?

I'm really proud of it. We always work very hard. We don't give up until the songs are really like what we want them to be. So it's always a lot of intensity and a lot of selections and also some painful selections. Some songs don't make it. Some songs that some people really like, they simply don't make it. And then eventually we have the album that we want. But it's always a long, intense process.

Yes, a lot of artists say it's great, but also really nerve-wracking to be in the studio for a long time.

Yeah, it is. Because I'm not, to be honest, a studio guy. I'm an outside guy. So whenever I can, I go outside. I'm not born to be in buildings but sometimes you have to be.

You collaborated once again with Joost van den Broeck, how did his role evolve through the albums and the creation process?

Basically, his role stayed pretty much the same because he's the kind of guy who keeps the overview, who has a good input and also a very good sense of what's missing or what can be added. And he has had that role since we started working with him, and that role stayed the same. Of course, he underwent an evolution himself, as producer. I think he became better and better, but his role in the process is pretty much the same as it used to be.

And each song has a different theme, but they all seem to fit together. What do you feel makes them collide?

Of course, there are these three A New Age Dawns songs. That's the obvious connection. But not the only one. Simone was writing lyrics and so was I. And we were sometimes sitting together working on each other's lyrics. And then we found that there was a lot of overlap. And that is because we are both pretty spiritual people. We always want to look further beyond the veil, searching for more than the eye can see. We always try to explore what else is there. One of the themes that we talked about on the album is the ego of the human mind, personal ego and collective as humanity. And we have the feeling that the ego became pretty big, that the ego is in control of humanity and also on a personal level. And if we somehow manage to turn that around, I think that will be the key to make the big step forward again and get rid of all the negativity that's going on in the world today. Let's hope it will be possible. Imean, it is possible, but let's hope it will happen, actually.

And do you think music can change the world?

Oh, I'm sure ! I'm not thinking that music does change everything, but it's already changed a lot for people. They write us messages saying that it has changed their lives, sometimes when going through deep depressions and that the music helped them keep going. So, if it has such an impact on people, if it has already had an impact on one person like that, then it's already worth it. And the more people find strength in music, the better.

And do you have one message of a fan who told you you helped them with your music that especially touched you?

Oh, every message that I get is written from the heart and they thank us for the music. It always touches me.

Can you walk us through the writing and recording process that you went through for this album?

Yeah, we collected songs of each and everyone of us. Then we did writing sessions where we were sitting together in a farm in the middle of nowhere and working on each other's tracks. And we did that three times. Five days each. So a total of 15 days sitting there in different periods of time. Every time we had time to reflect, relax a bit, go back home, and then come back together again. In the studio, we also worked in a different way : we recorded one guitar, one bass, one drum together and then built the rest on top. We were playing together in the studio instead of everybody separately recording their parts. That way you can create a really good live vibe. It catches the soul more. And that's important because the techniques nowadays are so good in the studios that you can do whatever you want. But you can still record the essence and get that vibe, that's essential.

Yes, of course. Is there a song that you feel emotionally connected to?

Yeah, of course. I feel, in a way, very connected to each one of them, but to Darkness Dies in Light even more. I started the lyrics at the birth of my daughter, which is now one and a half years ago. She's still very small.

Congratulations !

Thank you. And the birth inspired me to write the lyrics. So that song, of course, has an even more special feeling.

And were there any songs that came out unexpectedly or changed drastically through the process?

Yeah, the song T.I.M.E. changed very much because it was initially a very different song with a very different vibe, and Isaac worked a lot on it, and then it has had a total transformation. So that song changed really almost completely.

That's actually the magic of the studio.

And creating and working together. Sometimes you have some ideas and then somebody else takes it and makes something different out of it, and that's how you make something better together.

And that's great because it seems you have a really good cohesion with your bandmates, which should make the studio sessions even more magical.

Yeah, that's very important because you have to be totally honest to each other and everything. If that's not good enough, you have to be able to say that without stepping on somebody's toes or even worse, on somebody’s heart. But that's the only way to make things better. So we know that we have to be very honest to each other to make the album as good as possible. And everybody can handle that. That's amazing.

How do you typically collaborate as a band when making an album? You said that ideas came from everybody and then you put it all together.

Ideas for lyrics came from Simone and me. We always did the lyrical department. But everybody drops their ideas for music and works together. And when we are in these writing sessions, Simone also sits a lot with Joost, the producer, working on vocal lines. And then the person who wrote the basis of the song sits with them to see what they like, what they don't like. And there we found our perfect way of working.

And what do you most look forward to when performing songs from this album live?

I look forward to playing them live as they were played basically live in the studio, we know that they are all live songs and will be working well on stage. So I hopefully look forward to hearing that people are going to like this album so much that we can really play a lot of songs from it live. Because we also like to change the set list every now and then, to keep it fresh for everybody. And I think many of these songs work really well live. So hopefully people will want to hear them because if they say they don't want to hear them, we’ll have to play other songs.

And your shows are known to be beautiful and not just a concert, but a show in itself. Have you already started to work on stage elements?

Yeah, we discussed it quite a bit. But as there were so many things going on with the album itself, we have to dive deeper into it now that the album is released. Because there's so much going on that sometimes you have to wait for more urgent things to be finished to take care of some topics. That's now in the process. We’re working on it for the European tour, especially because for that tour, we can bring a lot of stage props with us. And then when we do fly to Mexico for a show, we cannot bring much with us. That's disadvantageous. But when we play Europe, we can bring all the big ideas out.

The album came out yesterday. How do you feel about the release yet, about your fans listening to it, liking it?

Yeah, I noticed that when I was reading and got even more messages than on my birthday. So it was really one after the other. I couldn't read them all. So I tried to share some stories on Instagram, but it was so overwhelming that I had already shared 50 stories, I think. But then you get the pain in your arm from scrolling. Couldn't read them all. But from what I was reading people were very excited. Because when you release some songs before an album release, it's always part of the puzzle that people don't get the overview yet. So it's always a little bit of a pity as well to already have something. Because this album, you have to listen from the beginning to the end, preferably. And when you take pieces out and release them separately… I mean, that's not how we envisioned it. But now, people can finally hear the whole thing. And now some people understand what the role of each specific song is in the album, it finally makes sense.

I think what's awesome is you have a really beautiful connection with your fans. When you're talking about them, it seems you always take care of them, even when you're writing or creating.

Yeah, we always have them in mind, of course. And for sure, you cannot make everybody happy. That's the thing. For sure. So whatever you do, there will always be people who love it. And some people will say “oh, but I would have preferred you making an album like this album” and they come up with an old name. So you cannot make everybody happy. But when most people are happy and they say it's a great album, you know you succeeded.

And you're celebrating the release tonight with a special event in Paris. Why Paris? Why here?

Because Paris is, I think, the city where we have the most fans, at least in Europe. And because when we do shows in Europe, the Paris show is usually the biggest one. Sometimes with Amsterdam, but most part of the time it’s Paris.

And I'm sure we're all excited to hear some new songs live in the next month. You're also playing the Hellfest in June. How do you feel about it? Are you excited? And how do you prepare for such a show?

It turned out to become really one of the biggest festivals ever. So it became huge. It's a big honor every time to play there. And there are so many people at that festival. I remember the last time we played there, there were so many people. The show was recorded and I was walking into a metal pole and they were playing that video on the big screen. I'm still not sure if they knew I was coming, and that they put it there. For me it was just a coincidence. Sometimes coincidences like this happen. For example, yesterday I went to get something to eat, a quick wrap, and they had a paper laying there and I was just reading the paper and suddenly there was a big article about us in the newspaper. And I didn't know. So yeah, these funny coincidences, they happen. The newspapers usually don't pay much attention to us or metal in general. On such a day, they often make an exception.

And is there a song you're particularly excited to play live?

Yes, The Grand Saga Of Existence. I think that one is gonna work pretty well live. Because I saw the reactions of people. They were already asking us to play this one live. And I also think it has a good vibe, a nice feeling and could be a good ending song because right now we always play Consign To Oblivion because it was the best option we had. But we can try this one and see which one people like more.

And talking about your fans, some are already waiting outside for tonight. Do you have a message for them?

Yeah. We are extremely thankful that the fans have been following and supporting us all these years since the beginning. And of course we saw the fan base growing over the years, but there's some people that were already there 23 years ago and that are still there. So I thank all the fans, but especially those who were there since the beginning and still supporting us. We love you.

Well, thank you for giving us some time today !

Thank you so much.