Many different styles fall under the umbrella of metal music. There is hard-hitting death metal, classic metal rock and
many others. The Dutch band Epica falls into the subgenre of symphonic metal, which is perhaps one of the most interesting
subgenres of the bunch. Their music has an interesting balance of heavy instrumentation and symphonic elements, which has
drawn fans to Epica tour dates.
The start of the band Epica came when Mark Jansen decided to start a band of his own. Mark Jansen was previously with the
band After Forever, but he eventually wanted more creative control. The creation of Epica let him go in a much more classical
direction with his metal music, and he soon enlisted other like-minded musicians to be a part of his pet project.
The band released their first demo, Cry For the Moon, in 2002. They followed with their debut studio album, The Phantom
Agony, in 2003. Their music started catching on with fans in their home country, and then it started expanding beyond to other
countries. Before long, fans were coming from far and wide to check out one of the Epica concert
dates.