Thanks for bringing Epica back, Nikki! This is a very special band. Deep lyrics, great song writing and composition, top notch musicianship, and stunningly beautiful vocals by Simone.
Amazing band that somehow don’t seem to get the same plaudits as Nightwish but are every bit as good. No one can help making comparisons but listen to ‘ Once upon a Nightmare’ and ‘Kingdom of heaven part 3’ from Omega Alive and ‘Rivers’ ft Apocalyptica from the same AFAS show and the strength of Simone as a vocalist comes to the fore. The reason you may have not recognised Coen was that 10 years ago he had a lot of hair…..😂
I saw them yesterday live @ M‘Era Luna Festival and they were phenomenal as always. And Simone’s voice clear and straight. For me she’s the best female singer in the metal scene.
She is categorically so yes, but so many don’t pay enough attention to her because they become besotted with Floor for some reason I can’t understand because Simone is just as dynamic on stage if not more fun and dynamic than Floor
Thanks Nikki. 🤘🤘 Figured you'd get a kick out of Coen's portable keyboard. lol. It is the first time you have seen it. He's even taken it crowd surfing. It's a REVO-1 Curveboard made by Nu-Motion in Montreal. Song is from the 2021 Omega album. Glad you liked it so much. ☺ Kind of a middle eastern/Egyptian feel to it. They are working on the next album, thinking they might have a song from that ready in time for the 4 planned concerts this fall with full orchestra and choir. Another song from this 2023 show, the ballad "Rivers' feat. Apocalyptica. And to see more of that keyboard, "Kingdom Of Heaven part 3" at the Omega Alive virtual show.
@@frank1963 Hi Frank. Yeah , you should check them out, think you'll like them.😁😂. You might even want to go to their concerts.🤘🤘 Must have been awesome to be at this show. Have a great rest of your weekend.
@@nikkireviews Hi Nikki, Kingdom of Heaven part three as well as part one are major productions and are all over the place and at times quite heavy so don’t know if you’re ready for that or not with them but they are songs as one classical composer channel which I can reference for you, stated they are so good they should be studied in music theory schools when this genre of music is covered. Simone is my favorite metal vocalist by far and I’ve been in this scene for many years at 64 years old I’m a vocal snob and she hits all the registers with such vocal purity, control, perfect pitch like Tommy Karevick of Kamelot and more. Your knowledge of this band will increase if you go forward and not sleeping on Epica any longer. I enjoy many good symphonic metal bands like visions of Atlantis, Therion, Xandria, within temptation, Nightwish and others that were all my gateway up to the greatness of Epica.
@@frank1963 Epica and Fleshgod Apocalypse are the greatest of power and beauty symphonic metal bands. They will perform live with orchestra is a choirs which only adds to the magnificence. I would like an Nightwish to cinematic music.
@Nikki: you r right 🙂 don't compare them. 4 me NW & Epica are the best. I love them both and I can assure you both bands are a unforgettable experience live! The diversity of Epica is huge. Maybe you should check out a ballad next. Epica feat.Apocalyptica "Rivers" AFAS live. Simone was born for ballads 🙂. But to explain some differences. Nw is all abput cresting harmonies for example Floor & Marko or Tarja & Marko. Epica is the beauty and the beast principle. Simone ./. Mark's growls - creating harmonies. Mark Jansen was also the founder of After Forever, Floor's first band as a singer. There - Floor is doing the contrast with him. She is also going operatic like Tarja. You can see why she became the perfect match for NW. So I would recommend a DOUBLE reaction, because BOTH Floor and Simone did the same songs!!! But don't compare. Please react to After Forever "Follow in the Cry" live 2004 and Epica (as Sahara Dust) "Follow in the Cry" live 2022. It is so fantastic. Floor with 23 *lol*
Try Once Upon a Nightmare from Omega Alive. Simone at her best. Epica’s lyrics are always meaningful. Band leader Mark Jansen (the growler!) has a degree in psychology. He writes about half the lyrics, whilst Simone writes around 30 percent, including Code of Life.
Hey Nikki. As I've wrote to you earlier, Epica is in my top 3 bands with Nightwish and The Warning. You're right, there are many cross over fans for the 3 bands. I am going to their concert in september at the AFAS Live hall where they'll play with a full orchester and choir. Maybe, you could start reacting to their Omega Alive concert from 2021 - done during the pandemic. I koved Nightwish virtual concert, but Epica Omega Alive is IMHO even better.
I want to suggest you 2 songs by Epica: -The obsessive devotion -kingdom of heaven pt 3 (Both from Omega live) I think that you will love these songs, And many other songs, Greets!!
AFAS is an abbreviation that stands for: Applications For Administrative Solutions. It is a Dutch software company founded in 1996. AFAS Software now has more than 600 employees. The company sponsors music festivals and that is why this location bears their name. Floor and Simone are lifelong friends, so it's not surprising that the fans of these ladies' sound are pretty much the same. I also want to recommend “Rivers” by Epica ft. Acopaliptica Life at AFAS Live. ruclips.net/video/7imPLmvLyQA/видео.htmlsi=FZa_nORkTipXqeD2
I also did the same thing 20 years ago, I compared songs of the same genre, and back then I liked "Whiting Temptation" more, that doesn't mean that I didn't like some Epica or Nightwish songs, in fact Simon's first songs made me I liked them, but I listened to Sharon more, the same thing happened to me with Tarja, more than 7 years ago I started listening to other bands more and I stopped pigeonholing them and comparing them and believe me I started to enjoy the songs more, obviously one of my favorite vocalists will be "floor", but now I appreciate the songs of the other bands much more, in fact my favorite album by "nightiwsh" was released by "anette ozlon", which I think many were too hard on her, having one of the best-selling albums from the band. It should be noted that in quarantine Simon did some EXTRAORDINARY concerts!
Floor's voice has a bigger range. However, Epica as a band has a bigger range in music. A similar song to Code of Life might be Beyond the Matrix, which also has an AFAS live version ruclips.net/video/tA3P5vXDVaU/видео.html
Negative Simone has a higher soprano range however she does not do harsh vocals like Floor can do but Nightwish holds her back from doing that I liked Floor better in after forever, where are Mark Hanson‘s compositions really let her go freer and heavier
@@jonathanratliff4780 Negative. Simone range is D3-B(flat)6, 2.9 Octaves. Floor range is C3-F6, 3.5 Octaves. More range, both lower and higher. She hits F6 in Romanticide , live Ilosaarirock 2013. I get it if you like simone better, but stop spreading misinformation. Floor has objectively bigger range. Also , it's Mark Jansen , not Hanson
@@nikosv95 Auto correct on his last name spelling. I will do a bit more research but when I hear Simone singing some notes hit during their Tillberg 20th anniversary show… well I going to do some due diligence
Hi Nikki, here is another song from the same show, it's one of my favorite EPICA songs, and a stunning performance 🙃 EPICA - Unleashed (Live At The AFAS Live)
Nightwish Has changed over the years and is now more cinematic music. Epica has stayed true to their roots and they are definitely symphonic metal and bring it heavier with a harsh vocals as well. Epica and Fleshgod Apocalypse are the summit of true symphonic METAL. I suggest Nikki doing some reactions to Epica with orchestra and choir’s which for some reason Nightwish is never done
Epica is like Pink Floyd. You gotta sit down, turn outside off and just listen. And still miss a bunch. And that's without the lyrics. Binge listening is a waste. This is TRUE symphonic metal. They have few songs that would probably catch your attention if played on the radio while you were riding a bus, Sancta Terra possibly most popish but then again Beethoven wrote Für Elise so ...
Thanks for bringing Epica back, Nikki! This is a very special band. Deep lyrics, great song writing and composition, top notch musicianship, and stunningly beautiful vocals by Simone.
Amazing band that somehow don’t seem to get the same plaudits as Nightwish but are every bit as good. No one can help making comparisons but listen to ‘ Once upon a Nightmare’ and ‘Kingdom of heaven part 3’ from Omega Alive and ‘Rivers’ ft Apocalyptica from the same AFAS show and the strength of Simone as a vocalist comes to the fore. The reason you may have not recognised Coen was that 10 years ago he had a lot of hair…..😂
Next Epica song - Kingdom of heaven part 1 & part 3 (Omega Alive show) 🔥
I don’t know if she’s ready for these two they’re majorly epic and HEAVY!! 🤘🏻
I saw them yesterday live @ M‘Era Luna Festival and they were phenomenal as always. And Simone’s voice clear and straight. For me she’s the best female singer in the metal scene.
She is categorically so yes, but so many don’t pay enough attention to her because they become besotted with Floor for some reason I can’t understand because Simone is just as dynamic on stage if not more fun and dynamic than Floor
Thanks Nikki. 🤘🤘 Figured you'd get a kick out of Coen's portable keyboard. lol. It is the first time you have seen it. He's even taken it crowd surfing. It's a REVO-1 Curveboard made by Nu-Motion in Montreal.
Song is from the 2021 Omega album. Glad you liked it so much. ☺ Kind of a middle eastern/Egyptian feel to it. They are working on the next album, thinking they might have a song from that ready in time for the 4 planned concerts this fall with full orchestra and choir.
Another song from this 2023 show, the ballad "Rivers' feat. Apocalyptica. And to see more of that keyboard, "Kingdom Of Heaven part 3" at the Omega Alive virtual show.
Hey Chris , good suggestion.
Pretty good band, I have to give them a listen sometime. 😉
@@frank1963 Hi Frank. Yeah , you should check them out, think you'll like them.😁😂. You might even want to go to their concerts.🤘🤘
Must have been awesome to be at this show. Have a great rest of your weekend.
Hmm maybe I will put Kingdom of Heaven Part 3 in the poll this week. I gotta see more of the keyboard. 😂
@@nikkireviews Hi Nikki, Kingdom of Heaven part three as well as part one are major productions and are all over the place and at times quite heavy so don’t know if you’re ready for that or not with them but they are songs as one classical composer channel which I can reference for you, stated they are so good they should be studied in music theory schools when this genre of music is covered. Simone is my favorite metal vocalist by far and I’ve been in this scene for many years at 64 years old I’m a vocal snob and she hits all the registers with such vocal purity, control, perfect pitch like Tommy Karevick of Kamelot and more. Your knowledge of this band will increase if you go forward and not sleeping on Epica any longer. I enjoy many good symphonic metal bands like visions of Atlantis, Therion, Xandria, within temptation, Nightwish and others that were all my gateway up to the greatness of Epica.
@@frank1963 Epica and Fleshgod Apocalypse are the greatest of power and beauty symphonic metal bands. They will perform live with orchestra is a choirs which only adds to the magnificence. I would like an Nightwish to cinematic music.
@Nikki: you r right 🙂 don't compare them. 4 me NW & Epica are the best. I love them both and I can assure you both bands are a unforgettable experience live! The diversity of Epica is huge. Maybe you should check out a ballad next. Epica feat.Apocalyptica "Rivers" AFAS live. Simone was born for ballads 🙂. But to explain some differences. Nw is all abput cresting harmonies for example Floor & Marko or Tarja & Marko. Epica is the beauty and the beast principle. Simone ./. Mark's growls - creating harmonies. Mark Jansen was also the founder of After Forever, Floor's first band as a singer. There - Floor is doing the contrast with him. She is also going operatic like Tarja. You can see why she became the perfect match for NW. So I would recommend a DOUBLE reaction, because BOTH Floor and Simone did the same songs!!! But don't compare. Please react to After Forever "Follow in the Cry" live 2004 and Epica (as Sahara Dust) "Follow in the Cry" live 2022. It is so fantastic. Floor with 23 *lol*
Try Once Upon a Nightmare from Omega Alive. Simone at her best. Epica’s lyrics are always meaningful.
Band leader Mark Jansen (the growler!) has a degree in psychology. He writes about half the lyrics, whilst Simone writes around 30 percent, including Code of Life.
Coen is a brilliant keyboardist/ pianist
Queen of Symphonic Metal
Hey Nikki. As I've wrote to you earlier, Epica is in my top 3 bands with Nightwish and The Warning. You're right, there are many cross over fans for the 3 bands. I am going to their concert in september at the AFAS Live hall where they'll play with a full orchester and choir. Maybe, you could start reacting to their Omega Alive concert from 2021 - done during the pandemic. I koved Nightwish virtual concert, but Epica Omega Alive is IMHO even better.
I want to suggest you 2 songs by Epica:
-The obsessive devotion
-kingdom of heaven pt 3
(Both from Omega live)
I think that you will love these songs,
And many other songs,
Greets!!
Only 7 weeks till their concert with full orchestra and choir
Oh really? That's awesome!
@@nikkireviews Yes they don't do the ones with a full orchestra too often. It's going to be worth the flight from Cincinnati for sure
Code of life as a mystical Middle Eastern vibe sound
Yes, middle eastern! That's it.
Hi Nikki, the keyboard is called the Revo1 Curveboard, it's made in Canada by NuMotion
@@watchtheskies Nice!
Also, for stage energy, Beyond the Matrix either live at Zenith or the AFAS live version.
Great Simone Simons
FYI Afas is a software company. AFAS stands for Applications For Administrative Solutions.
Ooh okay, thanks for explaining. 👌🏼
@@nikkireviews 🤘😎
Code of life is awesome love their album. All their songs are bangers. Skeleton key is also amazing.
AFAS is an abbreviation that stands for: Applications For Administrative Solutions. It is a Dutch software company founded in 1996. AFAS Software now has more than 600 employees. The company sponsors music festivals and that is why this location bears their name.
Floor and Simone are lifelong friends, so it's not surprising that the fans of these ladies' sound are pretty much the same.
I also want to recommend “Rivers” by Epica ft. Acopaliptica Life at AFAS Live. ruclips.net/video/7imPLmvLyQA/видео.htmlsi=FZa_nORkTipXqeD2
🤘🤘
I think the omega live . Very intresting .omega the last in Alfa beta
Mark jansen the guitar player was in After Forever with Floor😊
Actually she was in the band with him as he was the founder of after forever
I also did the same thing 20 years ago, I compared songs of the same genre, and back then I liked "Whiting Temptation" more, that doesn't mean that I didn't like some Epica or Nightwish songs, in fact Simon's first songs made me I liked them, but I listened to Sharon more, the same thing happened to me with Tarja, more than 7 years ago I started listening to other bands more and I stopped pigeonholing them and comparing them and believe me I started to enjoy the songs more, obviously one of my favorite vocalists will be "floor", but now I appreciate the songs of the other bands much more, in fact my favorite album by "nightiwsh" was released by "anette ozlon", which I think many were too hard on her, having one of the best-selling albums from the band.
It should be noted that in quarantine Simon did some EXTRAORDINARY concerts!
Nikki when EPICA is on stage the keybourd is always on a rails the keyboard player always runs around whit this bourd in kan go in the crowd
I was thinking the same thing Nikki,😂, giving me NIGHTWISH vibes right at the start.Right, that keyboard was bizarre.
Nightwish is on my mind a lot, what can I say. 😂 And yeah, I wanna see more of that keyboard! 🎹
🤘
Floor's voice has a bigger range. However, Epica as a band has a bigger range in music. A similar song to Code of Life might be Beyond the Matrix, which also has an AFAS live version ruclips.net/video/tA3P5vXDVaU/видео.html
Negative Simone has a higher soprano range however she does not do harsh vocals like Floor can do but Nightwish holds her back from doing that I liked Floor better in after forever, where are Mark Hanson‘s compositions really let her go freer and heavier
@@jonathanratliff4780 Negative. Simone range is D3-B(flat)6, 2.9 Octaves. Floor range is C3-F6, 3.5 Octaves. More range, both lower and higher. She hits F6 in Romanticide , live Ilosaarirock 2013. I get it if you like simone better, but stop spreading misinformation. Floor has objectively bigger range. Also , it's Mark Jansen , not Hanson
@@nikosv95 Auto correct on his last name spelling. I will do a bit more research but when I hear Simone singing some notes hit during their Tillberg 20th anniversary show… well I going to do some due diligence
@@nikosv95
ruclips.net/video/ZA4jhD42hEI/видео.htmlsi=6Zb7ech0l1Lb96cB
Hi Nikki, here is another song from the same show, it's one of my favorite EPICA songs, and a stunning performance 🙃
EPICA - Unleashed (Live At The AFAS Live)
Nightwish Has changed over the years and is now more cinematic music. Epica has stayed true to their roots and they are definitely symphonic metal and bring it heavier with a harsh vocals as well. Epica and Fleshgod Apocalypse are the summit of true symphonic METAL. I suggest Nikki doing some reactions to Epica with orchestra and choir’s which for some reason Nightwish is never done
Epica is like Pink Floyd. You gotta sit down, turn outside off and just listen. And still miss a bunch. And that's without the lyrics. Binge listening is a waste. This is TRUE symphonic metal.
They have few songs that would probably catch your attention if played on the radio while you were riding a bus, Sancta Terra possibly most popish but then again Beethoven wrote Für Elise so ...
Esta mejor el de la grabación de taillin se ve más increíble
Floorwish? 😂