Back in Tokyo: Epica on Metal and Titans

Back in September 2025, Japanese fans of symphonic metal were left dejected after Epica — one of the genre’s standard-bearers — postponed its concerts in the country due to vocalist Simone Simons’ health issues.

One year later, the excitement in the air was palpable inside Ebisu’s live music venue Liquidroom as the crowd awaited the Dutch band’s return to Japan for the first time in eight years. As soon as the members walked on stage and Simons’ operatic voice filled the room, all worries were put to rest. Epica was back.

Ahead of the band’s September show in Tokyo, Metropolis sat down with founder Mark Jansen. With Epica’s 25th anniversary coming up in 2027, he talked about the long-overdue return to Japan, the band’s future plans and its connection to a certain modern anime classic.

A Small but Passionate Fan Base

While heavy metal is a niche genre in Japan — and its symphonic subgenre even more so — Jansen still finds good reason to bring the band over.

“It’s a smaller group of people in this genre, but it’s a group of fanatic people. Those who actually like this music really love it. That’s why we keep coming back,” he says, adding that he loves the smaller venues. “I like to be close to the crowd. You get more interaction.”

The community might be small now, but Jansen notices that Japanese metal fans are becoming more passionate. “Many years ago, they enjoyed the music in silence, but nowadays they go all out.”

The audience at the Tokyo show was engaged throughout — bouncing, head-banging and screaming — as fiercely as any European crowd. As the concert came to a close with the 10-minute “Consign to Oblivion,” Japanese fans followed global tradition and joined a wild “wall of death” rush to end on a high note.

Closing the “A New Age Dawns” Saga

The show in Tokyo and another the following day in Osaka were part of the tour to promote 2025’s Aspiral — the band’s latest album — which Jansen says was their attempt at doing something refreshing without losing their roots.

While the 15-song set list included a selection of hits from across the group’s discography, one song from Aspiral was particularly special: “The Grand Saga of Existence (A New Age Dawns, Part IX).”

In 2005, Epica began a conceptual series of songs spanning multiple albums known as “A New Age Dawns” that addresses profound themes — from the dangers of dogma to consciousness and quantum physics, among others.

Two decades later, Jansen says that while it felt amazing to finally bring the epic saga to a close in Aspiral, there’s still something in the back of his mind.

“Even the band doesn’t know it yet, but I want to make ‘The Grand Saga of Existence’ into a really epic song. The name suggests a long piece, so I want to rewrite it and make a 13- or 14-minute song out of it, for a future live show.”

Could that be a show where fans finally get to experience the whole saga live, back to back? Jansen says the idea has been brought up, but there’s one question remaining.

“Do we have to play all the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ parts?” he wonders, acknowledging the ongoing debate in the fan base due to parts two and three of the trilogy not including the “A New Age Dawns” subtitle. “The first one is literally ‘A New Age Dawns,’ but the other two are connected to ‘Kingdom of Heaven,’ so in a way they’re also part of it.”

Such a concert would probably look like “The Symphonic Synergy,” the 2024 grandiose show that saw the band perform with an orchestra and choir in Amsterdam and Mexico City — and that will go on a European tour in 2027, including an already sold-out performance at London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall.

An Unlikely Link to Attack on Titan

One particular song performed at “The Symphonic Synergy” sounded familiar to fans of Attack on Titan. “Crimson Bow and Arrow” is instantly recognizable as a cover version of Guren no Yumiya, the first opening theme of the popular anime series.

The track is part of Epica vs Attack on Titan Songs, a 2017 EP containing four covers — and their instrumental versions — of songs composed by symphonic rock ensemble Sound Horizon (under the name Linked Horizon) for the anime.

How did this unlikely collaboration happen? It all began when Sound Horizon’s creator Revo approached Epica after attending their April 2017 concert in Tokyo.

“He offered the idea and we liked it, so we accepted the challenge,” Jansen says. “We wanted to keep the essence of the songs but also add the Epica touch — to the lyrics as well. He gave us the topics of the songs and what they were about, and then we got the freedom to make it our own. It was really cool to do that.”

The result is something that stays true not just to the originals but also to the band’s sound.

“It’s like Epica on steroids,” he says. “We have some fast songs in our repertoire, but these songs are even faster.”

The band played the covers live for the first time in 2018 at a special concert in Tokyo, but Jansen reveals that event could have been much bigger.

“The initial idea was to record the EP and then play one show in Japan with a whole orchestra, but that somehow didn’t happen, which was a pity.”

What’s Next for Epica

We can only hope a special edition of “The Symphonic Synergy” finds its way to Tokyo in the future so Japanese fans can experience these songs live in all their glory, perhaps with Sound Horizon as a guest? After all, the band enjoys teaming up with other artists, Jansen says.

“Every now and then we try to do something new and work with different people. It pulls you out of your comfort zone and makes you do something completely different you wouldn’t have done if you’d made a regular album.”

A dream project of his draws from this philosophy.

“I always say we should do ‘The Big Four’ but with our genre,” he says, highlighting the famous tour that brought together the “big four” thrash metal bands — Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Of all the potential participants he names for the hypothetical symphonic metal version, two bands that are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year stand out. “I have a lot of respect for Within Temptation and Nightwish. They’ve been there since the beginning.”

It makes perfect sense, then, that Epica’s next record is a collaborative endeavor.

“We don’t know anything about the next album yet, but we’re working on a new cooperative project again,” he says, pointing to 2022’s The Alchemy Project, an EP of seven tracks co-written and performed with guest artists. “Something in that direction.”

Will any of these shows make it to Japan? We’ll have to wait and see, but if the reception Japanese fans gave Epica this year is anything to go by, things are looking up.