A night at the symphonic metal assault Epica / Fleshgod Apocalypse Live at The Regent Los Angeles, CA |

I never really was into symphonic metal bands although there was only one exception, Therion. Looking back I missed out on a lot of good music for being biased. If it wasn’t going at a hundred miles an hour and keeping a good catchy melody I would disregard it. Now that I’m all grown up, I’ve learned to keep an open mind therefore embracing the broad spectrum of metal music that much more. Enter symphonic metal band Epica, who are kinda like Therion, and TechDeath masters Fleshgod Apocalypse. When they announced their tour together I was only interested in the latter. I had seen Fleshgod at the Whiskey earlier on this year and they put on a fantastic show. Needless to say I was eager to catch them live again. Their on stage theatrics and live piano player, Francesco Ferrini, truly compliments the ominously melodic metal madness, especially in a live setting. Although the genre is somewhat new to me there are a number of bands in the same genre that are able to execute this particular style well and in their own unique way.

Simone Simmons of Epica brings a crushingly gentle element with her angelic voice leaving a lingering feeling of harmony and resolve that is matched by no other. Her swinging red hair, as she head bangs, brings a kind of magic that’s undisputed and gives all the more power to Epica’s metal aura. Watching these two bands back to back truly gave me a fulfilling sense of just how alive the metal scene is in a world of lazy pop and “edm” music. Sure musicians are hard workers all around but not many can put on a show or truly give an audience a performance worth watching. Epica and Fleshgod Apocalypse established a dominant presence and their respective openers Arkona and The Agonist most absolutely set up the show like a motherfucker (meaning they did an immaculate metjob) The trek for this tour continues so if you are anywhere near the upcoming venues check them out. Until then….. See you in the mosh!!!