Doornroosje, Nijmegen, The NetherlandsApril 15th 2005
Epica and Nemesea
Walking up to the beautifully painted Doornroosje I saw there was a very long row outside, it seemed this was going to be quite a crowded concert but all in all there was room for everyone. Inside there was an intimate and nice atmosphere, many were meeting friends and familiar faces from former concerts. Temperature was rising quickly. And fans were screaming to hear their favourite bands. Then finally at nine it was time…
Nemesea
Even though many might compare them to the leading gothic metal bands of today they do really have their own sound. With a beautiful and fragile leading lady and five men to stand by her side they have a strong performance and are growing more and more.
Even though many might compare them to the leading gothic metal bands of today they do really have their own sound. With a beautiful and fragile leading lady and five men to stand by her side they have a strong performance and are growing more and more.
Music
Besides their own songs they played two covers this evening. The first was a cover of ‘Strange Machines’ by The Gathering which was impressive, Manda’s voice suits this music perfectly. The second cover was ‘Bless the Child’ from Nightwish, this song didn’t fit Manda’s voice and the drive Nightwish has while playing was missing. Manda announced a song which was about women in the Middle Ages; she has done research on this subject and told us the story of the song. It was a shame though we couldn’t hear the lyrics that well, guess we all just have to read them some time. Not all songs contained vocals, once during the show Manda left the stage and it was time for the men to show what they got, great to see that not only the leading lady gets all the attention. The sound this evening was not that great, sometimes Manda was hardly audible. After a while it was adjusted but it still could have been a lot better.
Besides their own songs they played two covers this evening. The first was a cover of ‘Strange Machines’ by The Gathering which was impressive, Manda’s voice suits this music perfectly. The second cover was ‘Bless the Child’ from Nightwish, this song didn’t fit Manda’s voice and the drive Nightwish has while playing was missing. Manda announced a song which was about women in the Middle Ages; she has done research on this subject and told us the story of the song. It was a shame though we couldn’t hear the lyrics that well, guess we all just have to read them some time. Not all songs contained vocals, once during the show Manda left the stage and it was time for the men to show what they got, great to see that not only the leading lady gets all the attention. The sound this evening was not that great, sometimes Manda was hardly audible. After a while it was adjusted but it still could have been a lot better.
Performance
It seemed as though the band had been looking forward to this performance, they were enthusiastic. Manda seems surer of herself these days. She moves a lot more on stage, according to herself this has to do with the van in front of her, her hair is blown in to her face so she has to move. They should keep the van, it looks great when she moves more. The men on stage were heaving great contact, making faces and having fun. Berto (keyboard) was completely into his music, almost standing in a split sometimes, giving a show of his own. When the men were doing their instrumental piece it was fun to see their faces. They all had a twitching mouth due to their effort they put into playing. The entire audience gave them a huge applause and cheered when they were finished. The lights were fine, all band members were lit and there was front light as well.
It seemed as though the band had been looking forward to this performance, they were enthusiastic. Manda seems surer of herself these days. She moves a lot more on stage, according to herself this has to do with the van in front of her, her hair is blown in to her face so she has to move. They should keep the van, it looks great when she moves more. The men on stage were heaving great contact, making faces and having fun. Berto (keyboard) was completely into his music, almost standing in a split sometimes, giving a show of his own. When the men were doing their instrumental piece it was fun to see their faces. They all had a twitching mouth due to their effort they put into playing. The entire audience gave them a huge applause and cheered when they were finished. The lights were fine, all band members were lit and there was front light as well.
Rating
Music 7
Performance 7
Sound 6
Light 7
Total 7 (6,8)
Music 7
Performance 7
Sound 6
Light 7
Total 7 (6,8)
Epica
With their new album coming out fans are more and more exited to hear new songs. Some even start to sing along, having heard the new songs quite often as some visit many shows in a row. One thing is for sure, nobody would have regretted visiting this concert for it was a feast!
Music
This evening the Epica show started with a special surprise, it was the first time the concert started with the new intro. This intro is written by Yves and many believe it to sound like the intro of Pirates of the Caribbean. Doesn’t matter what it sounds like for it is an impressive intro and after hearing the former intro so many times it is a nice alternation. One of the new songs performed this evening was ‘Solitary Ground’ which is done acoustically. Simone (vocals) made one mistake in the text but she proved to be a real artist by just going on and finished the song wonderfully. The men of Epica were giving their all and they sounded great. It was a pity the sound in the venue was just not up to standard. All the high notes and low notes were audible but in the middle area there was an entire section of sound missing.
This evening the Epica show started with a special surprise, it was the first time the concert started with the new intro. This intro is written by Yves and many believe it to sound like the intro of Pirates of the Caribbean. Doesn’t matter what it sounds like for it is an impressive intro and after hearing the former intro so many times it is a nice alternation. One of the new songs performed this evening was ‘Solitary Ground’ which is done acoustically. Simone (vocals) made one mistake in the text but she proved to be a real artist by just going on and finished the song wonderfully. The men of Epica were giving their all and they sounded great. It was a pity the sound in the venue was just not up to standard. All the high notes and low notes were audible but in the middle area there was an entire section of sound missing.
Performance
As all bands, even Epica has lesser performances, but tonight certainly wasn’t one of them. Sparks were flying of the stage this evening, this is the Epica we all know and come to see. All members of the band were having so much fun it was fantastic to see. At one point Mark (guitar/grunts) was sitting on his knees in front of the keyboards of Coen (keyb.) who was also sitting on his knees while playing and they were both making faces at each other. Most of the time drummers disappear behind their drum sets but this evening even the drummer was to bee seen for Jeroen just stood up while playing. After their show in Oss a fan gave Mark and Simone a pair of sunglasses, his request was to wear them during the show in Nijmegen and then give them back. They obliged for Simone came on stage wearing the sunglasses, she almost head banged them off, then she passed them on to Mark who put it over the hair hanging in front of face, making him look like cousin It (from the Adams family). Then they gave it back to the boy who it belonged to and he was very, very happy with it. During ‘The Phantom Agony’ Simone always whispers “I can’t hear you” and “are you still there”. This evening she adapted these lines to the atmosphere in the venue and instead of whispering she shouted her lines and the entire audience answered by shouting and screaming. They were still definitely here. While playing their final song before the encore Simone told us that, as this used to be the opening song, she had the feeling they were just starting the show. Nobody would have had any problems is if they started all over again!
The lights were great this evening. No dark faces and nobody was left out, all were to be seen. With strobe lights some heavy parts in the music were even intensified. And more intimate lights were used for the quiet parts, like for instance the acoustic ‘Solitary Ground’. They might want to think of bringing along the lady who did the lights this even to more concerts.
As all bands, even Epica has lesser performances, but tonight certainly wasn’t one of them. Sparks were flying of the stage this evening, this is the Epica we all know and come to see. All members of the band were having so much fun it was fantastic to see. At one point Mark (guitar/grunts) was sitting on his knees in front of the keyboards of Coen (keyb.) who was also sitting on his knees while playing and they were both making faces at each other. Most of the time drummers disappear behind their drum sets but this evening even the drummer was to bee seen for Jeroen just stood up while playing. After their show in Oss a fan gave Mark and Simone a pair of sunglasses, his request was to wear them during the show in Nijmegen and then give them back. They obliged for Simone came on stage wearing the sunglasses, she almost head banged them off, then she passed them on to Mark who put it over the hair hanging in front of face, making him look like cousin It (from the Adams family). Then they gave it back to the boy who it belonged to and he was very, very happy with it. During ‘The Phantom Agony’ Simone always whispers “I can’t hear you” and “are you still there”. This evening she adapted these lines to the atmosphere in the venue and instead of whispering she shouted her lines and the entire audience answered by shouting and screaming. They were still definitely here. While playing their final song before the encore Simone told us that, as this used to be the opening song, she had the feeling they were just starting the show. Nobody would have had any problems is if they started all over again!
The lights were great this evening. No dark faces and nobody was left out, all were to be seen. With strobe lights some heavy parts in the music were even intensified. And more intimate lights were used for the quiet parts, like for instance the acoustic ‘Solitary Ground’. They might want to think of bringing along the lady who did the lights this even to more concerts.
Rating
Music 8
Performance 8
Sound 6
Light 8
Total 8 (7,7)
Music 8
Performance 8
Sound 6
Light 8
Total 8 (7,7)
More articles about Epica
Concert Review - Bochum 2005
Concert Review - Zoetermeer 2005
Concert Review - Oss 2005
Concert Review - Zwolle 2005
CD Review - Consign to Oblivion
Special - Epica in Mexico
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