Epica & Apocalyptica at Manchester Academy

By Christina Sylvester.

Manchester Academy was spoiled with an evening of progressive, European Symphonic metal bands — each with a style and identity of their own.

Photo of Epica by Christina Sylvester

Despite being postponed twice by COVID-19, Manchester Academy finally welcomed a night of awe-inspiring virtuoso performances, and in the eyes of the fans, it was evidently worth the wait.

Late doors didn’t harm the reception for Helsinki-based prog-metal band Wheel. Fans reacted very well to James Lascelles’ stoic stance on stage, contrasted with Aki Virta’s stage-hopping energy on bass. The setlist cherry-picked the highlights from their back catalogue before finishing on “Wheel”, from their 2019 debut album “Moving Backwards” — ending the set on a high for what was to come.

Photos of Wheel by Christina Sylvester

Epica’s set was never in doubt if they could follow that opener. Providing a set that was immersive and almost trance-inducing has practically become the norm for them. From their meticulous set-up to the ever-changing visuals for each track, everything was designed to take you on a journey through their vast range of musical talent.

As a first-time witness to the war of talent between Simone Simons’ operatic soprano style with guitarist Mark Janssen's strident vocals — the two were almost at odds as to who added more range and power to the performance. A few moments of comic relief from keyboardist Coen Janssen really made this into a show. Sporting the always bewildering curved keyboard, Janssen spent decent stints strutting about the stage and pulling faces at the crowd, whilst still having the time to join the guitarist mid-stage.

“Rivers” was a key moment in the set. Striking a particularly stark change of pace with a slow ballad. A true melting pot of a track, Simone’s hauntingly beautiful vocals, coupled with Janssens’ keyboard and the crowd’s shining phone torches at the sextet made the room almost feel still.

For die-hard Epica fans, another note-worthy moment was them roaring through one of their eldest songs “Cry for the Moon”. The stage setup was adorned with a blood moon for this track - a symbol of exploration for our darker selves. The crowd sang in unison with Simone for this one, and the room became a serenade in its chorus. It was a reminder of the community Epica has built over the last 20 years.

Photos of Epica by Christina Sylvester

Apocalyptica brought the night to a close. The Finnish band have flirted with many lofty names in the industry so the headliners' slot is again well-earned.

“Rockers with cellos” at times sounds oxymoronic, and yet it worked wonderfully as ever. They kicked off with “Ashes of the Modern World”, finally getting its due on the rest of a UK tour since being released. Their set featured all the hallmarks people would expect, as Metallica covers really brought them to the dance but they space these out nicely with cameos from Franky Perez on “I Don’t Care” & “Shadowmaker”. The show ended as it seems like it always will, and on as high a note as ever with night closing with the Edvard Grieg song “In the Hall of the Mountain King”.

Photos of Apocalyptica by Christina Sylvester

There couldn’t have been a more benefitting variety at this show if we tried. All three bands arrived with distinct styles that still complemented each other, yet demonstrated the versatility of the symphonic metal genre. After such a long wait, it’s a night that many will remember for years to come.