There are multiple artists using this name.
1. - Epica is a symphonic m… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists using this name.
1. - Epica is a symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen, subsequent to his departure from After Forever. Formed as a symphonic metal band with gothic tendencies, later Epica have incorporated into their sound strong death metal influences. Starting from the third album, even progressive metal attitudes have become evident. In addition, the band often uses thrash metal and groove metal riffs, black metal passages (mostly in the drum technique), power metal moments and references to Arabic music. Some songs also have electronic shades, djent transitions and folk metal melodies derived from middle eastern, Chinese and Celtic traditions. Epica is also known for the attention to the vocal lines that, in contrast to the heavy context, weave very catchy, easy to hold, sophisticated and emotional melodies. The use of mezzo-soprano vocals and growled vocals, performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen respectively, is fundamental to the band's sound. They primarily write their own lyrics, which often deal with philosophical, psychological, spiritual, moral, scientific, environmental, socio-political, global and topical and personal themes. Epica is also known for their wide use of orchestra and opera choirs.

In 2003, Epica's debut album The Phantom Agony was released through Transmission Records. Consign to Oblivion followed in 2005, and debuted at No. 12 in the Dutch charts. They moved labels to Nuclear Blast following Transmission's bankruptcy, and in 2007, released their third studio album The Divine Conspiracy, which charted at No. 9 in the Netherlands. 2009's Design Your Universe was met with yet greater success, debuting at No. 8 in the Dutch Albums Chart, and charting across Europe, also garnering much critical acclaim. Epica's fifth studio album Requiem for the Indifferent was released in 2012. Well received by critics, it achieved international success, entering the US's Billboard 200 at No. 104, and Japan's Oricon Albums Chart at No. 172.

At the beginning of May 2014 the band released their sixth album, The Quantum Enigma, which was a huge international success, debuting on No. 110 on US Billboard 200 and peaking at No. 4 in Epica's homeland Netherlands. In June 2015 Epica was awarded the Music Export Awards, which is given to the Dutch act with the most international success in the past year. Their seventh album, The Holographic Principle, was released in September 2016 to continued international success, equaling the peak chart position set by its predecessor in the Netherlands. The band released their eighth album, Omega, in February 2021. On 16 September 2022, the band announced their third EP, The Alchemy Project. It was released on 11 November 2022 via Atomic Fire.

Discography
The Phantom Agony (2003)
Consign to Oblivion (2005)
The Divine Conspiracy (2007)
Design Your Universe (2009)
Requiem for the Indifferent (2012)
The Quantum Enigma (2014)
The Holographic Principle (2016)
Omega (2021)
The Alchemy Project - EP (2022)

Current members:
Mark Jansen – rhythm guitar, unclean vocals
Coen Janssen – keyboards, synthesizer, piano
Simone Simons – lead vocals
Ariën van Weesenbeek – drums, spoken words
Isaac Delahaye – lead guitar, backing vocals
Rob van der Loo – bass

2. - Epica[ is an Italian prog rock band active in the 1990s who released the album Confini in 1995.
- Alessandro Secchi / vocals
- Alessandro Mantelli / keyboards, programming
- Alessandro Crovato / guitars
- Flavio Miotto / bass, guitars
- Gianni Ghezzo / drums

3. - Epica is a three person progressive/trance group from Russia.

Dance of Fate
Epica Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When Darkness will reign and blind us all
Allegiance will blind us if we do not fall

We cannot tell when morning comes
Is there a choice to live another day?
It's hard to find a new direction in your fragile life

The precious time of your existence is now to come

Don't throw your life away by cheating time
Sugared Placebos only fool your mind

Now I want the water to wash away all my sins
The wind to blow away my thoughts without meaning
The fire to burn away my thickened skin

Novas portas pandimus
What is the space, the type of dance?
I cannot tell which steps I have to take
I'd like to leave, just run away
My feet are tangled up

So hard to face the pace of the clock
What do you think; will it ever stop?
So, will I fall and not get up?
I take it all in stride

Everything has a reason for its happening
Can't you tell it's your own spell and
Everyone has to dance his dance like anyone
Can't break free of destiny

We should open new doors
And close the ones that we've left behind

Novas portas pandimus, et post nos occludimus
Novas portas pandimus et post nos occludimus

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Epica's "Dance of Fate" deal with the struggles of life in the face of uncertainty about the future. The song begins with a bleak and foreboding sentiment: "When Darkness will reign and blind us all, Allegiance will blind us if we do not fall." The darkness represents uncertainty and a future that is unknown, and the reference to allegiances suggests the danger of blindly following others instead of forging one's own path. The fear is that when we are blind, we will stumble and fall.

As the song continues, the singer reflects on the fragility of life and the difficulty of finding direction. There is a sense of urgency, of a fleeting existence that is not to be wasted. The lyrics warning against wasting time with "sugared placebos" or false pleasures that ultimately do not satisfy. The solution, the singer suggests, is to let go of the past ("Novas portas pandimus") and embrace new opportunities. However, even with this optimism, there is still the fear of stumbling and faltering. The closing line, "et post nos occludimus," which means "and after us, we close the doors," is a haunting reminder that our choices lead to consequences and closed doors.

Line by Line Meaning

When Darkness will reign and blind us all
If we are caught in allegiance, then the darkness will control us

Allegiance will blind us if we do not fall
Unless we surrender, we will be blinded by loyalty

We cannot tell when morning comes
It is uncertain when the new day will arrive

Is there a choice to live another day?
Do we have any say in whether we continue living?

It's hard to find a new direction in your fragile life
It's difficult to discover a new path in life when you feel vulnerable

The precious time of your existence is now to come
The best part of your life is yet to happen

Don't throw your life away by cheating time
Avoid wasting your life by attempting to manipulate time

Sugared Placebos only fool your mind
False or temporary satisfaction can deceive you

Now I want the water to wash away all my sins
I hope to absolve my wrongdoing by purification through water

The wind to blow away my thoughts without meaning
May the wind carry away my irrelevant thoughts

The fire to burn away my thickened skin
May the flames cleanse my calloused exterior

Novas portas pandimus
We open new doors

What is the space, the type of dance?
What is our purpose or destiny, and how do we fulfill it?

I cannot tell which steps I have to take
I am uncertain which actions will lead me to my destiny

I'd like to leave, just run away
I desire to escape from my current predicament

My feet are tangled up
I feel trapped and confused

So hard to face the pace of the clock
It's difficult to keep up with the speed of time

What do you think; will it ever stop?
Is time infinite, or do we have a finite amount of it?

So, will I fall and not get up?
Will I succumb to obstacles and not recover?

I take it all in stride
I accept everything that happens to me and move forward

Everything has a reason for its happening
All occurrences have a purpose

Can't you tell it's your own spell and
Don't you realize that you are the one orchestrating your life?

Everyone has to dance his dance like anyone
Everyone has their own unique path to follow

Can't break free of destiny
We cannot escape our predetermined fate

We should open new doors
We should explore new opportunities

And close the ones that we've left behind
We should leave past events and choices behind and move forward

Novas portas pandimus, et post nos occludimus
We open new doors and then close them behind us

Novas portas pandimus et post nos occludimus
We open new doors and then close them behind us

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, CTM Publishing, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: COEN JANSSEN, MARKUS JANSEN, SIMONE J M SIMONS, YVES HUTS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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