On the evening of March 28th, 2023, a concert of two important European symphonic metal bands took place at Columbiahalle in Berlin – the Dutch band EPICA and the Finnish APOCALYPTICA. Both bands have joined in a common project: The Epic Apocalypse Tour.
EPICA had an epic stage set, with a huge LED display wall that served as a media background, which was supplemented by a second row of smaller displays in the foreground. The setlist consisted of ten songs, 70 minutes long, which flew by too quickly. However, during this time, the fans went crazy to their favorite tracks as best they could. The band kicked off their performance with “Abyss of Time,” and the fans were completely immersed in the atmosphere. Joy was just written all over the faces of every musician, and how much they liked being on this stage at this very moment was clear.
What’s also spectacular was how easily and almost “by the way” the band brought their quite complex songs live on stage. Lead singer Simone Simons didn’t miss the chance to speak some German with the crowd. With ease and always with a smile on her face, she mastered the scale up and down without even beginning to falter. Contrary to her vocals, the deep grunts of guitarist Mark Jansen, who always shines from the depths of his soul, fit perfectly, especially in pieces like “The Obsessive Devotion.” Keyboarder Coen Janssen danced across the stage with his instrument and posed with a plague mask to “Victims Of Contingency.” This band really enjoyed their music and broke through the audience like a gigantic wave. And, of course, the alpha of their band career, “Cry For The Moon” shouldn’t be missing from any gig… forever and ever.
After a good 70 minutes of epic co-headlining, the stage was made ready for the Finns from APOCALYPTICA. Their current album, “Cell-0” is the band’s first purely instrumental album since 2003. For the current tour, the three had returning singer Franky Perez at the start, alongside their drummer Mikko Sirén. Vocal support this time didn’t just come from Franky Perez on tracks like “I’m Not Jesus” or “I Don’t Care.” For the single, “Rise,” Simone Simons has thrown herself into an enchanting black sequined dress to support the three violoncellos with her beautiful voice – a very magical and harmonious symbiosis. And of course, of course, of course, METALLICA can’t be missing at an APOCALYPTICA concert. To “Nothing Else Matters,” the people of Berlin sang pretty deep and crooked, but with all their hearts.
Epica
Apocalyptica
Photos by Alexandra Aim
