Simone Simons - because not every metal vocalist can masterfully balance music with being an actual L'oreal model.

Can we please have Epic(a) tuesday from now on?😁

Can I just say that Chase's profound love for music in general and his appreciation for the effort going into producing songs/albums in varying genres is extremely validating, especially for us who love music regardless of the genre gatekeeping? Seeing his excitement over different songs from different artists is such a pleasant thing to witness.

Design Your Universe is exactly what you want to hear (live at Retrospect, like Unleashed) EDIT: it has gear and production, double reaction with Tank?

Epica - Kingdom of Heaven It's an incredible song 🤘

Suggestions Chasing the dragon Design your universe Kingdom of heaven Fools on damnation / the divine conspiracy. Or some of the old ones like cry for the moon.

You made my week happier now! I have a feeling we are going to see a lot of EPICA around here! Amazing band! I saw they live 3 times e I can say they are amazing people and musicians. Thank you for this!

Epica is the best symphonic metal band today. They are still a heavy metal band but supported by a powerful orchestra. Lately they've been including death, Black and progressive metal elements.

Great reaction man, Epica is easily one of the best and most consistent bands in the industry today, can't wait to hear the whole album. Really recommend the song Design your Universe (live from the retrospect tour) it's epic af and has a killer chorus

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

I wasn't completely sold at the very first listen, however I see the tightness of the composition (time signature/key changes and the transitions/bridges) and the band after heavy rotations. I am now genuinely in love with the song. For the next reaction may I suggest an off-the-beaten-path choice of Universal Death Squad (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO) from their last album THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE (2016), featuring the studio performances from each member of the band, which I think is quite reaction/analysis-worthy. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for this one, Chase. Some beautiful melodies here - what a voice Simone has! Gorgeous! How about "Design your Universe" Live at Retrospect next?

Dude! I totally agree that pre-chorus is absolutely amazing, and Simone changes up the vibrato a bit every time. Chills. Also, Epica uses live orchestra on their albums along with a bit of synth, like Nightwish and a few other bands. Majority of the sound in this video is from the orchestra.

As far as i know, Coen's keyboard allows him to carry it around, and as you saw from Consigt to Oblivion, he likes to move around with his instrument!

Yes, Abyss of Time! First time I listened to the song, I got Consign to Oblivion vibes with a fresh twist!

Simone's voice is like finest crystal. Hearing you mention being chilly during the production of video reminds me that you should check out Vintersea sometime. They are a pretty cool band from the American Northwest, also with stunning female vocalist (and an actual ginger drummer!), and a couple of the gorgeous videos they've shot were apparently quite difficult because of the weather. Cold rivers and even one in the snow. So, you know, if you ever find the time, lol.

This song is amazing, one of Epica's best since Design Your Universe, and it's not like their last 3 albums were weak, can't wait for Omega to come out and give us a good start to '21.

I've been waiting for this! I'm so proud of my fellow dutchies they're one of the few who always stayed in my playlist ever since my first listen in the time of the phantom agony

I have always loved Epica, but with this track I kinda fell in love again with them. Your happy face while listening to some notes portrayed the reaction of us fans so well!

I didn't even watch the video and I already pressed the like button . I always LOVE your reaction/analysis. Please, more EPICA! Design Your Universe live Retrospect next. EDIT: The video is about a man who follows the representation of nature in the forest. When he sees her in the eye, he experiences catharsis, realises he's one with nature and cries. ( the end- ) The whole album will deal with duality, that's the meaning of the dancers and Mark's and Simone's opposite outfits.

I really recommend The Holographic Principle. It’s a Symphonic metal masterpiece. Oh and of course Kingdom of Heaven (their Magnus Opus - so far...)

Epica is the result when a group of genius musicians, composers and singers decide to get together...

I have played this so many times already, I cannot wait for their new album, it's gonna be epic. I don't have a single song I don't like, but one of my favorites is Design Your Universe, live from the Retrospect dvd, like many others already said.

With the song "The Holographic Principle" you have all the essence of what Epica is. Absolute perfection, a masterpiece, nothing is left over, nothing is missing.

Thanks! it was awesome

Love the visible joy you have while listening to the music, keep up the good work ❤️

Thanks for this reaction ! You have to do a one on the "sassy Simone" from Ayreon's Transitus new album : This Human Equation : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/orGnlKV70rm5oKc.html or kzfaq.info/get/bejne/peCdh7uZl6mmh6s.html , cheesy as hell, but so good, too :) (with Simone Simons, Tommy Karevik, Marcela Bovio and Caroline Westendorp and a lot of work on the music video ) And if you never reacted to an Ayreon stuff (each album is an opera rock concept with different singers) , "The Day That The World Breaks Down" is an absolute must, with 11 singers (from Dream Theater to Blind Guardian and other good surprises): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/paylgK6V1-C0oYk.html

For next Epica I recommend Chasing The Dragon LIVE Retrospect 2013. It is impressive both musically and visually.

oh fuck that contrast from his growls and her angelic clean beautiful voice... damn.. her first line made my eyes tear up.. this is such a beautiful piece of musical heaven..

You need Design Your Universe (live) in your life ❤️🙌

They released an official video to the acoustic version of this song. It's great. Check it out.

First of all - awesome channel, with different, unique approach to reacting and invaluable insight. Your videos make great job at opening the ears for things that people usually overlook. I would not bother writing such a long comment like this on other channels, but this seems the right place to do it :) In one of the videos You were asking about Epica live performances. I saw Epica live 3 times and because I play couple of instruments myself (guitar, bass, hurdy-gurdy) and also (like You) pay a lot of attention to nuances I have some detailed (possibly interesting) informations to share. Epica has many unique qualities, but in this post I would like to highlight someone who is overlooked by vast majority, and that someone is Epica's FOH (front of house) engineer, who mixes the audio for the audience. The guy is an absolute genius! It is really difficult to sound amazing all the time considering that different venues have different acoustics, air conditions and so on, especially when there are a lot of intricacies in the music and adjustments (equipment, volume and tone of particular instruments in particular parts etc.). Epica's band members and their sound engineers managed over the years to craft mesmerizing live sound, and their FOH engineer created a perfect template that he is able to adjust to every conditions that occur to them during the tour. I saw hundreds of bands live and there are only few that are on the same level of live sound quality as Epica. Everything sounds crystal clean and crisp, so You can pick out every single sound that each of the instruments produces, and at the same time it forms a cohesive unit. It feels like the air has higher density and You can almost touch the music. Every strum, every little cymbal is accented and highlighted when it has to, so the punchy parts feel really punchy and the emotional parts sound otherworldy beautiful. So when every member of the band performs at the highest level their concert is one of the best live band experience that one can have. But there is a downside to this, so lets talk about Epica's singers. Historically Epica's live performances were inconsistent because Mark is an inconsistent growler and Simone's vocal chords are very sensitive to air conditions (temperature, air humidity) and tour fatigue, plus she had an MRSA infection that impacted her health for quite some time. I saw Mark 4 times - 3 times with Epica, 1 with Mayan, and he was great 2 times (both Epica) and horrible the other 2 times. He can produce growl of the same quality as he does in the studio version, but it seems that on random days he just can't do it. When it happens there is lack of depth and power in it, and his real "clean" scream is on the front instead of the growl, which sounds terrible (IMO). I saw Simone 3 times, and she was mesmerizing 2 times and medicore on the other time - it was late in the tour and she really struggled. Over the years they become more consistent, especially Simone whose voice changed and she worked a lot to have full control over it. 2013-2014 was the breaking point for her when she figured out how to sustain power in her voice throughout the tour and how to adjust to changing conditions. Still, they are way better in the closed venues when the conditions are more constant than in the open air. I obviously highly recommend going to the concert especially in a closed venue. I also recommend reacting to Epica - Cry for the moon (from "We will take you with us" DVD), because You'll be able to see the band performing alongside the cellos, violins and choirs and hear Simone's early voice and Mark's questionable growling :). The only problem here is that the official Epica channel has this video in 240p quality, but there are other videos (like the one with 40 million views) that have better quality.

About angelic, Simone plays an angel in the new Ayreon project. This human equation You'll like and then do the day that the world breaks down. First time I backed up to see your reaction on the double pre chorus again, brilliant!

When you watch Epica stuff, make sure you say "orchestra" instead of "synth" ;) At least in the 3 latest albums. Btw, I had the exact same reaction than you at 12:15

If you liked this one, I'd say give The Holographic Principle a listen, that track is amazing!

Will always be here for your Epica reactions and I love your pauses.

Great reaction, educational, and the invitation for the haters to pack their staff and shut the front door absolutely on point. Cheers mate!

I've been an Epica fan for many years now. I was lucky enough to start listening to them when their first album was released. I had a friend in the Netherlands that introduced me to Nightwish, and then to Epica. I personally prefer Epica over Nightwish because I like the generally heavier style, especially with the vocals offsetting each other so well. Also, being able to see how much Simone has improved and grown over the years with the band is a delight to see & hear.

I'd recommend these songs: "Universal Death Squad" "Edge of the Blade" "Beyond the Matrix" "In All Conscience"

Def one of my favorite of your reactions. That was super fun.

Can’t wait for the new album to drop ... If this single is any indication of how the album will be .... it’s gonna be great. You should do what you did with Nightwish , when they release the new album.

Thats so cute when you say that you love music. It's really clear in your facial expression and thats why I'm lovin' watching your reactions videos of my all time favorite band. I'm a fan since 2010 and all that details in their sound with the fundamentals elements - grows, soprano voice, chorus and the heavy metal - makes me chill and love more and more this fuckin band. I absolutely would enjoy if you did more reactions videos from Epica. I'd suggest: Design Your Universe (could be from studio or live in Retrospect). That masterpiece shows why they're the best syphonic metal band

Hi Chase, I just wanted to say: thank you. As a Dutchie who's been following bands like Epica and Nightwish from their beginnings, I am learning so much from you. You're pointing out so many interesting things, techniques and sounds that I've either take for granted, didn't hear or simply wasn't aware of. I can't tell you how many times I've gone back to the albums and re-listened everything, just to pick up on the things you point out. I just LOVE music, just like you. But this makes me appreciate the craft and arts of these people even more. Thank you! Honestly.

I know people are making a lot of suggestions, and pretty much all of them are incredibly great. But I BEG you to do some of the "Epica - We will take you with us" stuff. Studio recordings of their very first album. The videos are of high quality (considering they are from 2003-04), and you can see the band at their begginings. They were amazing out of the gate, and some of the songs there are classics to this day, they play a bunch of those on most concerts. Simone was like 17 on those recordings, which is insane. And he had a much more "operatic" style back then, which is a nice contrast to the newer stufff. Just my two cents.

Freaking masterpiece. PLEASE more Epica!!

GET IN! 🤘🏻

Close the door on the way out 🤣🤣🤣🤣Brilliant👍🏻

I love how you smile while trying to catch every detail :D And how you get speechless at some point xD And your shirt btw. I should probably just say I love you. And Epica. You reacting to Epica is perfection.

EPICA - KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

So proud of our Dutch vocalists :) Sometimes this tiny country forgets we have lots of talent here. If only metal was mainstream here too...

this reaction vid makes me so happy. chase, your excitement is contagious and very fun to experience. plus its an absolute banger of a song, that helps too

Great reaction! Really excited for their new album. People always praise Simone (and rightfully so) but Mark's growls have gotten so good over the years.

I was listening Epica for years, but this song just came and took my personal first place. Entire album is just killing it.

Epica is true to the "Beauty and the Beast" vocals like Theatre of Tragedy and Tristania were back when.... and Simone's costumes! 👨‍🦰 + 👩‍🦰 = 🔥 Just as well Julia and you didn't collab on this one! Too much ginger! LOL! Is that even possible? I want Coen's curved keyboard! So many times your face was "kid at Christmas"! Great reaction!

Yep, I agree. Going on my playlist right now. Heard this one for the first time too. Already knew Epica of course.

So, if one finds a vehicle that can't haul wood abandoned on a logging road 500 meters before it needed to stop and an axe and saw dropped further up the trail, we know that Epica happened. That's a relief. I would have gone straight to thinking alien abduction, personally. So, thank you, Epica, for the clarifying video! ••• Seriously, loved the music. Thanks for the musical breakdown -- informative and enjoyable as always. (-:

I can't quite get into Epica for some reason yet I absolutely love this song. Chase seems like the kind of guy I can have a conversation with and help me diagnose with that is the case with me.

His keyboard is amazing. On stage he's one of my favourites. He normally has that one, or the one that looks like it's on a Segway😅

Great reaction to a great band ^_-

The stimming I see you do, you actual intensive describing and experiencing details in music, the way you get lit up when you note something is tapping your soul in a positive way, the way I see you intensely smile when you feel the rush of real art coming in and living it and at the same time trying to share all of these feelings with other people, because you are so passionate about it....yup I understand you and that is why I subscribed to your channel and need to binge watch your videos. The spectrum has no lost individuals...only pure idiots...LOL Thank you for your amazing videos!

Amazing band, fantastic live and can’t wait for their new album “Omega”.

So excited to see you react on that. I'll have my cup of tea ready :D

That "without your fears for a thousand years" part immediately reminded me of a particular song by the band Arven.

That white outfit at the start looks like it could be a katarzyna konieczka design. Really cool. Edit: and it is, she did all the costumes for the video XD

Love the video :) been really looking forward to this one

Epica never disappoint me

If you're looking for more Epica, I STRONGLY recommend Design Your Universe from the Retrospect concert. It's beyond awesome.

Thanks for doing this song!! such a powerful and moving voice that woman has!

Check out the acoustic version of this song. It was released a few days ago

Where to go next - I insist with a song from their first album: "Cry for the Moon" kzfaq.info/get/bejne/et-jZMKF2rvReWg.html (This video includes orchestra and choir hahaha) Abut this reaction, this song has proved to me how subjective music is. Some people have had reservations with this song, I on the contrary, reacted the same as Chase the first time I heard it xD. I really love this song! For me is one of their best, it seems to me that it combines very well everything that one could love about Epica.

If you know that Attack on Titan is, you HAVE TO listen to their mini album : Epica vs Attack on Titan Songs!!!! PLEASE JUST DO IT (even if you don't know Attack on Titan is)

For more, and little different, from some of these guys: MaYaN - Saints don't Die 5 different vocal styles !!

Thanks, as always a pleassure

Just a suggestion from my end: Fools of Damnation ... keep up the awesome show by the way. I recently discovered your reaction vids and liking them 101% :D

I loved that song from first listening too. I´m glad you enjoyed it too!!!

Absolutely adore both this song and the way you do reactions, I either learn something new or you confirm my theories, keep on rocking!

good breakdown chase enjoyed that. liked.

Best reaction so far

I love your face when you learn you were right about the repeating of the pre chorus 😊 Again, wonderful song, great reaction and keep hitting that pause button to educate us 😜

I loved your reaction. Everything about this song is amazing. So happy you reacted to this

If you want to hear more of Simone, but in a different style, I ´d suggest Ayreon - Daniel’s Descent into Transitus Medley or This Human Equation. Both great songs that feature her.

Great reaction dude

Epic Epica reaction Chase

Where to go next with Epica? Chase-ing the Dragon of course! :-D

When they are standing back to back at the beginning, I can't help but think of Frosted Miniwheats. You have Mark Jansen's rough and textured vocals on one side and Simone Simon's sweetness on the other. Or maybe I'm just hungry.

Best symphonic metal band ever

Man your reactions are killing it every time! I really enjoy your content. Keep on going :)

Hey Chase, thank you so much for dropping this reaction incidentally on my birthday! Couldn't have asked for a better song!

Just wanted to add - your analysis are helpful. Thanks! I loved it when you worked with the lovely vocal coach from down under... ;) We all know who I am talking about... the other redhead... (Julia Nilon)

Chase, your ability to analyze music never ceases to impress. It would be so fun to hang out with you and listen to music....... Oh wait, I guess we do lol. I have only heard one other Epica song, includes a guest appearance of Floor Jansen. This one was good. Cheers bro!

Best reaction to this great song and video

Wonderful reaction ! It's amazing to see your delight and connect with it ! If you'd like, they released a video of the drum playthrough of that song, and other than Ariën being the impressive beast that he is, it really shows all the details they put in thoses parts and there are lots of them !

I love this new song and I can't wait for the new album! Thanks for another insightful reaction where I can learn more about the music I love :-) Suggestions: Chasing the Dragon Reverence (Living in the Heart) Design Your Universe Tides of Time (lyric video) Canvas of Life Have a damn good day yourself!!!

Pretty certain the girl was meant to be some "spirit of the forest", gave the old man a bit of an insight into his tree felling ways.

I hereby throw down a Gauntlet for you and Tank: Who will be the first to discover the very verstitile band Avatar? Chase or the Tank? ;)

I loved your reaction and analysis of the music. I also love that pre-chorus, it has a beautiful melody. This song is everything, just that ❤️😂 Please react to Chasing the Dragon from Retrospect. It's a really beautiful and complete song

Sancta Terra next! Live feat. Floor Jansen!

I know so many people are all about Tuomas, but I honestly like Mark's composing more. Nightwish is fantastic, and really can hit you in the feels, but all of Mark's bands between After Forever, Epica, and Mayan really do it for me, when I'm wanting to just headbang. Not many symphonic metal bands hit in that way for me.

Epica is such an incredible band. Hear this amazing piece of art, and realize they have dozens of pieces in this level. More Epica!!

Please react to the big Epica songs Kingdom of Heaven, Design Your Universe, and Holographic Principle. Design Your Universe has an official live version with orchestra and choir.