{"id":69195,"date":"2021-01-30T12:36:58","date_gmt":"2021-01-30T17:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=69195"},"modified":"2022-02-20T10:45:07","modified_gmt":"2022-02-20T15:45:07","slug":"interview-with-mark-jansen-of-epica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2021\/interview-with-mark-jansen-of-epica\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Jansen of Epica"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Alexandra Mrozowska
\u2014 Senior Columnist \u2014<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So much music is being recorded through long-distance collaborations these days that it\u2019s no longer necessary for all parties involved to gather in one place. And it\u2019s no wonder most musicians and producers are more than willing to embrace this method. Apart from it being hailed as cost-effective and practical, especially in the current uncertain times, it\u2019s also described to be a less stressful experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, there are some advantages to the traditional way of working on music too. There\u2019s nothing that solidifies bonds within the band than going through each step of creative process together, and it\u2019s something Mark Jansen \u2013 a founder of Epica \u2013 readily confirms. \u201cI have a feeling that because of this we grew even tighter together as a band,\u201d says Mark, and that\u2019s exactly why the Dutch group\u2019s newest effort Omega <\/em>was created largely in the traditional way. Checking in with Hardrock Haven prior to its release, Mark told us a lot about the album itself, too \u2013 as well as other issues, including his longtime collaboration with the producer Joost van der Broek. He also revealed how a degree in psychology helps him in being a band leader and how he envisions live gigs in the future…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hardrock Haven: It\u2019s been five years since the previous full-length Epica album saw the light of day. Why did it take you so long to deliver a follow-up to 2016\u2019s The Holographic Principle<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: It took a little bit longer than usual and I think there\u2019s several reasons for that. One of these reasons is that we released two EPs in the meantime and we worked on a book [The Essence Of Epica<\/em>, published in 2019]. And also we had a little break, like a sabbatical, so all this together made a gap bigger. But the other reason is that we don\u2019t want to release an album just to release an album. We only want to release one when we feel like we have a great material and are ready to release it. So I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if, from now on, we always take a little bit more time for each new album because we have a big back catalog and we don\u2019t feel the rush to make new albums too fast. Like I said, we\u2019ll only make a new one when we feel we have something to add to our back catalog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: You\u2019ve mentioned the EPs having been released and one of them was The Solace System<\/em>, which included tracks from the recording sessions for the previous album The Holographic Principle<\/em>. Do you have any additional material from the recording of the upcoming album Omega<\/em> that you also plan to release further on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: Unfortunately not. We had just the album tracks and we focused on them. Well, there\u2019s actually one track we recorded that is not on the album, so we have one bonus track. But that\u2019s it, because we focused fully on the album tracks and made them as good as we could. Therefore, we have no bonus material this time. But that being said, there\u2019s still some other stuff that we have, waiting to be recorded and then released. So it can happen that we\u2019ll make some other project soon. It\u2019s not really a typical Epica album and there\u2019s not much I can say about it yet, but it\u2019s something interesting with some extra material that we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: We definitely look forward to it. And back to Omega, <\/em>what kind of impact did the ongoing pandemic have on the process of making the new album?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: Fortunately, we were in the studio before the pandemic hit and then, when at the certain point the pandemic became more present, we were almost done with recordings. Just Simone [Simons]\u2019s vocals and mine still had to be recorded. So everything went smoothly until the last vocal recordings, then I recorded my vocals at home \u2013 in my home studio \u2013 and Simone recorded her vocals in the studio close to where she lives in Stuttgart, Germany. And working like this, we could finish the recordings without problems. But it was basically a matter of finding the right microphone for her to record as she was recording in a different studio where she\u2019s never recorded before. So it was a little bit of going back and forth with our producer to find the right sound, but once they found it, things went pretty smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: What was the songwriting process for Omega<\/em> like and was it any different than before?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: Yeah, that was also a bit different. Usually we work like this \u2013 everybody writes their own songs as we have five songwriters in the band. For the new album, we started like this as well, but the difference was that at the earliest stage we came together and were working on each other\u2019s tracks. So we went to that place in the Netherlands where we sat together and worked from the morning \u2018till the evening and we were literally working on each other\u2019s songs in little groups, with a different home studio set-up. These five days made a huge difference. We\u2019ve never done that like this before, but it really lifted the songs up to a higher level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: And what kind of influence did this method of working have on the relations and dynamics within the band?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: I have a feeling that because of this we grew even tighter together as a band. You never know how these things develop when you\u2019re working with each other so closely and sitting with each other from the morning \u2018till the evening. But surprisingly, it was a very refreshing experience which brought us even tighter. We\u2019re definitely gonna do it again like this in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: While recording Omega<\/em>, you\u2019ve given your fans insight into what was going on in the studio via studio vlogs. Did you enjoy the experience of making these vlogs and providing these studio updates directly to your audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: Yeah. I think basically it\u2019s especially nice for the fans to see what\u2019s going on and for ourselves, like in ten or twenty years, it will be nice as well to watch them again and get all these memories of this time back. So it works both ways \u2013 it\u2019s a nice document for the fans, but also for ourselves. I\u2019m happy that we recorded everything to have these memories preserved in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: If you could have witnessed the process behind making one album from the history of music, which would it be and why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: Oh, that\u2019s a good question! Let\u2019s see… I would like to see the recording of The Final Experiment <\/em>by Ayreon \u2013 there\u2019s many singers involved and that was the first album that Ayreon recorded and released [in 1995], so I think it would be a very interesting thing to watch… to be there as a spectator from the beginning \u2018till the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: That would definitely be something. For Omega<\/em>, you renewed your longtime collaboration with a producer Joost van den Broek. What does he add to Epica that you continue to collaborate with him one album after another?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: First of all, Joost is a very nice guy. He\u2019s a very friendly guy, but also very scheduled, so when you do make a schedule with him you can always be sure that as a band you\u2019re gonna make it \u2013 he\u2019s very strict about that. He\u2019s also passionate, so he really tries to get the best out of the band. Basically, I have only good things to say about him. He has everything what a producer needs to have in one person. He\u2019s a very good musician as well, so he\u2019s got very good ideas… He\u2019s also a personal friend of mine and I was also at his wedding. I can\u2019t even imagine trying to find another guy like him or working with another producer anymore as I really love working with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: In the past, Joost played in the band After Forever you\u2019ve also played in, although, I believe, not at the same time. Do you think it has some influence on the chemistry between him, you and the rest of the band?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: I think so, because when he joined After Forever, he brought the melody back into the band. \u2018Cause when Jack Driessen, the band\u2019s former keyboard player, left, there was another keyboard player in between who wasn\u2019t composing too much, and then when Joost joined After Forever, he lifted it to the next level. And I always kept that in mind that he kind of saved After Forever. So whenever I have the chance to start working with him, I talk to the other guys in Epica and they always agree we should work with Joost [again]. But I think indeed that we get to share this history of being in After Forever and this is what created this first bond between us. I\u2019ve always had a lot of respect for him and he also respects everyone in Epica, so there\u2019s a mutual respect and a very pleasant base of working together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: So with Joost\u2019s musical background in mind, but also in general, how much difference does it make when a producer is also a musician themselves?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: I\u2019ve only worked with producers who are also musicians, so I\u2019ve never had the experience of working with a producer who wasn\u2019t a musician themselves. So I can\u2019t really judge what kind of experience is this. But I think when a producer is a musician, they really understand what a musician goes through in the recording process, so I think every producer who\u2019s also a musician benefits from that experience and brings that to the table. I guess it\u2019s an extra handy element. Just like not every coach in a football\/soccer team has to necessarily have an experience of playing at a high level themselves, but most of them have done that anyway. So that\u2019s an extra element that usually is very beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Absolutely. Lyrics have always been a very important part of all Epica albums. What\u2019s inspired Omega<\/em> in terms of lyrics?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: The title comes from the Omega Point theory by a French priest [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, 1881\u20131955] who stated that the whole universe, mankind included, is fated to spiral towards one point of unification. I thought it was a beautiful concept and when I stumbled upon it, I decided to read more about it and write lyrics in this direction. All the lyrics are based on the old wisdom teachings, so not only this concept but also other concepts, coming from The Emerald Tablets<\/em> for example, or Gnostic teachings, or other old wisdom teachings like the Seal of Solomon. That\u2019s where most of the tracks find their base in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Do you find it easy or challenging to come up with an album title or theme as something that should in a way tie all songs together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: It\u2019s always a challenge, but it\u2019s always a very nice challenge that is the same as writing a song which comes together at a certain point. A title comes together at a certain point as well \u2013 we discuss it as a band and at a certain point all of us have a good feeling about this title, and then we go for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Do you think the fact of your having a master\u2019s degree in Psychology has any influence over your musical career, songwriting in particular?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: First of all, I think that it has a good influence on the band itself. As a psychologist, I know what it takes to keep a band together. Also my experience from the past, of course, helps with that. But I think as a psychologist I bring that extra knowledge to the table \u2013 of how to make everybody happy and feel important and valuable in the band. I think that\u2019s crucial. Also, sometimes some psychological topics make it to the lyrics, but music-wise, I think it\u2019s merely my history of what I was listening to as a kid that brought me to the music that I make, not necessarily my degree in Psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: So focusing on the music, do you think each Epica album is a continuation of the previous one, or rather than that, an evolution?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: Both \u2013 it shows an evolution, but every album definitely is based also on the previous one, so every time we think in terms of what we like about this album, but also what we try to change with the next album. So every album indeed is a follow-up to the previous one, but also a kind of evolution, and I think that Omega <\/em>is a perfect balance of everything we\u2019ve done in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Although Epica is frequently classified as Symphonic Metal, your music has always incorporated a lot of different influences. Is it because of what each member brings to the table musically, or for some other reasons?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: Yeah, it\u2019s started as a personal fascination since my After Forever days. I always liked the idea of combining many styles and [After Forever\u2019s lead guitarist until 2009] Sander Gommans, my bandmate there, had the same feeling that it would be really cool to combine different styles. And as soon as I\u2019ve started with Epica, that philosophy of combining many styles stayed. So, I searched for musicians who were sharing that passion of trying to combine different influences with me. The musicians that are in Epica today have very different backgrounds indeed. Like we have Ari\u00ebn van Weesenbeek [drums] with a very much of a Death Metal background. Isaac Delahaye [lead guitar] has also played in a Death Metal band, but also is a very broad-minded musician with many different influences. Rob van der Loo [bass guitar], on the other hand, listens to a lot of bands from the \u201870s and Doom Metal, Simone has a very wide taste too, and Coen [Janssen, keyboards] has a lot of Classical influences… So indeed all these things together make Epica [what it is] and everybody\u2019s influences bring a lot to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: And what\u2019s the status of your other projects, namely MaYaN and United Metal Minds?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: At this point, MaYaN is a bit silent \u2013 there\u2019s nothing going on \u2013 because we live very far from each other and we can\u2019t travel at the moment. So if it takes too long, maybe we\u2019ll start writing new music via the Internet as the second best solution, \u2018cause usually we like to jam and sit together in one room, creating and playing new music. [As for] United Metal Minds, at this point we\u2019re still working on new music. It\u2019s a very slow process and at a certain point we\u2019d have to start recording. But with the pandemic it\u2019s not really sure when it\u2019s actually possible for everybody to travel to the studio. We want to be sure first that things are back to how it was before \u2013 at least a little. We can\u2019t book a studio until it happens, \u2018cause otherwise rules may change fast and then everybody has to cancel the flights and lose a lot of money. So, we need to be sure that we book the studio only when everybody is able to reach the studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Definitely. You\u2019ve described how Omega <\/em>was created by all band members gathered in one place and also, you say the same goes for MaYaN. Yet, these days it\u2019s very popular to collaborate on music remotely. Why do you think it doesn\u2019t work in terms of your bands and projects?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: I think it\u2019s a matter of a human touch. Of course you can take advantage of the long-distance [recording] and the Internet is also a great tool for Epica, MaYaN and United Metal Minds, but the human touch is something that I would miss. Being together and creating music is something so magical that you can\u2019t do it just using the Internet. So I see it as the best of both worlds \u2013 we make use of the Internet like every other band does and I must say I love it, but we also try to keep the old way of bringing everybody together and doing it together. It also creates a kind of feeling that you\u2019re doing it together and a special bond which you can hear in the music as well. It\u2019s literally the best of both worlds \u2013 not just one or the other. We use both these tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: This sense of togetherness is also a part of live concerts, so with that in mind, what do you think of livestream concerts that had to be utilized throughout 2020 and will be probably utilized this year as well?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: Usually I\u2019m not a big fan of livestreams, but it\u2019s the second best thing and as long as we cannot play real shows, sooner or later we\u2019ll also have to start working on a livestream concert. There\u2019s a simple reason for that \u2013 better that than nothing. That being said, with technology developing so fast, I think in the future we\u2019ll have this kind of virtual reality tools that if you use them, you\u2019ll feel like you were at a live show which feels as real as actually being at an old-fashioned live show. Maybe that\u2019s gonna be the future of live shows anyway, because \u2013 like I said \u2013 the technology is developing so fast that at a certain point you won\u2019t be able to distinguish between the live show and the virtual reality live show. Then it wouldn\u2019t be necessary anymore to travel long distances in order to attend a live show, because it would simply feel the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: That\u2019s very probable indeed… And as we speak about the future, what does it hold in store for Epica after Omega <\/em>sees the light of day?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: We try not to make too many plans yet, because the situation is changing every day. So we\u2019ll take it day by day and as soon as things finally start looking brighter, we\u2019ll start making more precise plans. At this point, if you make too many plans, I think the situation is going to change anyway and you won\u2019t realize your plans the way you had them in your mind. But a livestream we\u2019ve mentioned is something we\u2019ll plan sooner or later, as soon as we\u2019re able to travel to a safe location to record it, of course. But that\u2019s obviously a tricky thing too, because we live in different countries in Europe and it\u2019s not sure if in the near future we\u2019re able to travel for that [purpose]. Now there\u2019s a lot of different mutations [of the coronavirus] showing up, so it\u2019s really a tricky thing to make too many plans. But we focus on the positive things and we focus on the things we can control. With all the other things, we have to sit and wait until it\u2019s going to start to get better again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardrock Haven: Absolutely, fingers crossed for that! Any last words?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Jansen: To everybody, I\u2019d like to say \u201cStay healthy!\u201d, \u2018cause health is the most important thing in life… health, family and friends. Hopefully everybody gets through this in a good way. And I\u2019d like to thank everybody for their patience. Sooner or later, we will be back!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo credits: Tim Tronckoe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit Epica online<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska\u2014 Senior Columnist \u2014 So much music is being recorded through long-distance collaborations these days that it\u2019s no longer necessary for all parties involved to gather in one place. And it\u2019s no wonder […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":69197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[15296,13769,339,15297],"class_list":{"0":"post-69195","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-interviews-recent","8":"tag-mark-jansen","9":"tag-mayan","10":"tag-nuclear-blast","11":"tag-united-metal-minds"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}