Dutch Symphonic Metal outfit Epica are one of the biggest bands in their field. This year they celebrate their 10th anniversary and to commemorate this special occasion, they just released Retrospect (Nuclear Blast), a live recording of their most elaborate show to date. Ghost Cult caught up with keyboardist Coen Janssen to pry open his mind on this special live album, the impact of the band on his life, and Epica’s loyal fanbase.
Can you start by telling us how the whole Retrospect project came to life?
It all started with the notion that we wanted to do something special because of our 10th anniversary as a band. We always celebrated special occasions with Epica, so this was another good excuse to do something special (laughs). The idea was to come up with our most elaborate stage show to date in order to celebrate our 10th anniversary with our fans. We had a lot of things going on, so it took quite some time to actually get the whole Retrospect project off the ground. We finally made it happen in March this year.
From what I’ve heard it was basically Isaac (Delahaye—guitarist) and yourself who did most of the work. Can you elaborate on this?
Well, Epica is a band consisting of six persons who all have their own specific roles to play. With the Retrospect project I kind of took the role as project manager if you will. It may sound a little pretentious, but I coordinated and oversaw the whole process. I acted as the nexus between the band, the technicians, management and everyone else who were involved. Isaac took care of the PR and he did a lot of the design work for the stage props we used during the show. Everyone involved worked incredibly hard to turn Retrospect into a stunning experience for our fans. Putting the setlist together was a true group effort and it came together relatively easy. We were pretty much on the same page as far as the picking the songs we wanted to play went.
The show itself was quite the spectacle. Were you nervous before you entered the stage that evening?
It was the culmination of 18 months of preparations and hard work. It was really hard for me to really appreciate the special ambience and immerse myself in all the excitement, because I’ve been so involved with every aspect of it. It was the first time in ages that I actually got nervous before a show and it took me a couple of songs before I really got in the mood. I was just too focussed on making sure that everything went well that evening. Isaac had the same issues as well (laughs).
Some guests and former band members were part of the show as well. How was it to share the stage with them again?
It was kind of strange. Of course we rehearsed a couple of times beforehand and I really appreciated them being there. In the past we had to contend with line-up changes, but those were always amicable. Every former member we asked said yes and that made it all very special. Our 10th anniversary was the perfect opportunity to share the stage with them again. It felt very natural, but at the same time it was weird. It’s hard for me to explain (laughs).
As a special gesture, fans from all over the planet could listen to the show via an online streaming service. What dimension did this add to an already special evening?
We felt that it was important to share this special evening with our fans from other countries as well.We’re doing very well in our home country, but our biggest fanbase is in Southern America and Southern Europe. Also in North America we’re fairly popular. A lot of our fans don’t have the financial means to come over to Eindhoven (the city where Retrospect was recorded), so our manager came up with the idea to use an online streaming service to allow our fans to be a part of the whole experience without actually being there. People can buy the DVD and witness the event via that medium, but it never really beats the real live experience and actually being there in my opinion (laughs).
You’ve been a member of the band since its inception. What are the things you really witness changing, be it for better or for worse?
The music industry has changed completely and not always for the better. The rising importance of social media is another poignant development. Sometimes I jokingly say that Epica is one of the last Dutch metal bands that can actually pull off a spectacle like Retrospect. It’s sad really. The general appreciation of music as an art form has decreased as well. Because of the internet people can discover new music much faster. That’s a great thing, but it does take a lot of the mysticism away. It seems that people’s attention span has grown shorter and they don’t value new music as much anymore, not as they used to. It’s becoming harder and harder for new bands to reach a certain level so that they can sustain themselves. As a band we’ve been very fortunate in that regard.
Epica have a very loyal fanbase, but some fans really take it to extremes. Are there times when this scares you?
For me not so much. It’s not like people bother me when I don’t want it. When we play shows in South America fans will wait at the local airport and greet us. It’s a part of being in Epica. If you don’t want this, you shouldn’t be in the band. Mark (Jansen—guitars) and Simone (Simons—vocals) are the most popular members, so they automatically attract the most attention from the fans. As for me, I’m pretty happy with how things are going so far (laughs).
Epica are one of the most successful Dutch metal band, especially abroad. What are your thoughts on that?
I see it as a form of recognition for a decade of hard work and dedication. It’s very fulfilling to see a band you’ve built growing. At the same time I realise that we’re a relatively small player, especially compared to some of the major Dutch acts, like Kane, Blof and Marco Borsato. Within Temptation is a big deal in the Netherlands and abroad. But then again, a lot of the bands I just mentioned are only big in the Netherlands and nobody has heard of them once you’re past the Dutch border. Popularity is a very relative and fleeting thing (laughs). I count myself lucky that we can play all over the world. It’s quite surreal when you’re leaving a plane after a long flight and you find yourself in China. It’s those things that make me love my job.
Guitarist Mark Jansen has Mayan as his main project outside the band, but what do you have going on outside Epica?
Well, Mark has simply too many ideas for Epica alone and perhaps he has too much time on his hands as well (laughs). I have a family which takes a lot of my time. I just got back from a tour with Kamelot in the US as stand-in for Olivier Polotai. As you may know he’s the partner of Simone and they’re expecting a child soon. He did the same thing for me when my girlfriend gave birth to my daughter, so it was my time to return the favour (laughs). It was a great experience touring with them, especially considering the fact that I was a huge Kamelot fan back in the day. I’ve got some other projects coming up too, including Karmaflow, which is a rock opera video game. Mark and Simone from Epica contributed bits to it, but also the singer from Dragonforce and Dani Filth (Cradle Of Filth) are a part of it. It’s something truly special and I’m very much looking towards its release.
Raymond Westland