  
First up tonight are Swedish metal band Scar Symmetry. They’re the heaviest band on the bill and have two male vocalists – one doing clean vocals and one doing growls. They put in a great energetic performance and really do a great job of getting the crowd warmed up. A good start to the night.
Photos of Scar Symmetry's set: http://www.festivalphoto.net/pictures&concertID=33901
Scar Symmetry setlist:
The Iconoclast
The Anomaly
Chaosweaver
Mind Machine
Morphogenesis
Neuromancers
The Illusionist
Next up are Swiss folk-metal band Eluveitie. They’re clearly a popular choice to support Epica judging by the number of fans here wearing their T-shirts. They need the large stage here – with 8 members they do need more space than the average band. Considering they use instruments including flute, violin, and a hurdy gurdy, you might expect they to be more folk than metal, but in practice they’re probably more metal than folk and there is plenty of headbanging and windmilling – both on stage and in the crowd during the set. It’s a great set, and the band decide to perform one of the songs (The call of the mountains) in Swiss-German to add something different to the set.
Photos of Elveitie's set: http://www.festivalphoto.net/pictures&concertID=33900
Eluveitie setlist:
King
The Day of Strife
Luxtos
De Ruef vo de Bärge / The Call of the Mountains
Omnos (Metal Version)
Nil
Neverland
Tegernakô
Havoc
Inis Mona
After the second song, “The essence of silence” the band asked the fans to observe a moment of silence in memory of those who were killed a couple of nights earlier in Paris, including many at the Bataclan – a venue that Epica have played before. The place was transformed from a noisy metal gig to total silence for a minute or so till the band thanked people and continued with the show.
Epica are a band that have worked hard to build up their fanbase in the UK, and although tonight’s gig isn’t sold out (they sold it out a year ago when it was their only UK date), there are a lot of fans here tonight, and this is a venue twice the size of the one they played just 5 years ago.
Epica always put on a great show – musically they are superb and they all put in a great performance and clearly enjoy playing on stage. They’ve also bought their full light show that they use in Europe now they’re playing big enough venues and that means we get great visuals to enhance the experience still further.
Simone Simons has a beautiful voice, and while she may look like a delicate porcelain doll at times, she knows how to rock and is often seen windmilling with her long hair flying everywhere. The band regularly joke with each other and have fun while they play.
Nightwish and Within Temptation, the giants of the symphonic metal genre have recently grown to the stage where they’re filling Wembley arena, and although Epica have a less commercial sound, judging by how they are growing and how good they are both on recordings and live, it’s not going to be too many years before they too are playing bigger venues.
Photos of Epica's set: http://www.festivalphoto.net/pictures&concertID=33898
Epica setlist:
The Second Stone
The Essence of Silence
The Fifth Guardian (Interlude)
Chemical Insomnia
Sensorium
Unleashed
Martyr of the Free Word
Cry for the Moon
The Obsessive Devotion
Victims of Contingency
The Phantom Agony
Encore:
Sancta Terra
Unchain Utopia
Consign to Oblivion
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