EPICA Completes Work On New Album, Announces North American Tour

Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers EPICA entered Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany on March 2 with producer Sascha Paeth to begin recording the follow-up to 2007's "The Divine Conspiracy", tentatively due in September/October via Nuclear Blast Records.

Commented EPICA guitarist Mark Jansen: "It's been a great time at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg recording 'Design Your Universe'. We worked with the same team and we worked for the first time together with our new guitar player Isaac Delahaye [formerly of GOD DETHRONED]. This made a difference and made things very refreshing because we could add some new elements because of him. We have worked harder than ever on the details. We preferred to spend some extra money on great additions which brings our songs to a higher level instead of leaving things like they are. The result is that we worked so hard on this album that we hardly can listen to the album anymore. Now it's time to let it go and release it to humanity. We were already very happy with 'The Divine Conspiracy', but I'm sure this new album tops that one.

He added, "The album title, 'Design Your Universe', deals with new breakthroughs in quantum physics. It proves that we are all connected to each other on subatomic level. Also, it shows that we can create or at least influence matter with our thoughts… a very interesting fact. Because it changes everything for us, our whole worldview collapses once you accept these facts and integrate them in your lives. So this had to become the new album title."

EPICA will return to North America for a headlining tour in the beginning of 2010, with DAATH and BLACKGUARD as support. EPICA will offer fans a special VIP ticket which will grant them access to the venue an hour before door times, a pre-show meet-and-greet with EPICA and a event poster customized for the city of the show. Fans are urged to purchase these VIP tickets as only 50 are being allotted for each show. Tickets go on sale today through EnterTheVault.com exclusively until August 19, at which point they will be made available through all other normal ticketing outlets.

Confirmed tour dates are as follows:

Jan. 26 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA
Jan. 27 - Trocadero Theater - Philadelphia, PA
Jan. 29 - The Blender Theatre at Gramercy - New York, NY
Jan. 30 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA
Jan. 31 - Club Soda - Montreal, Quebec - CANADA
Feb. 01 - MOD Club - Toronto, Ontario - CANADA
Feb. 03 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
Feb. 04 - The Pearl Room - Mokena IL
Feb. 05 - The Rave - Milwaukee, VI
Feb. 06 - Station 4 - St. Paul, MN
Feb. 08 - Royal Albert Arms - Winnipeg, Manitoba - CANADA
Feb. 10 - Starlite Room - Edmonton, Alberta - CANADA
Feb. 11 - Warehouse - Calgary, Alberta - CANADA
Feb. 13 - Sugar Nightclub - Victoria, B.C. - CANADA
Feb. 14 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
Feb. 15 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
Feb. 17 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
Feb. 18 - Key Club - West Hollywood, CA
Feb. 19 - U.B.'s Bar - Mesa, AZ
Feb. 20 - The Rock - Tucson - Tucson, AZ
Feb. 22 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
Feb. 23 - Marquee - Tulsa, OK
Feb. 24 - Scout Bar - Houston, TX
Feb. 25 - Scout Bar - San Antonio, TX
Feb. 27 - Volume 11 - Raleigh, NC
Feb. 28 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA

Fan-filmed video footage of EPICA performing the song "Cry For The Moon" at this year's Gods Of Metal festival on June 27, 2009 in Monza, Italy can be viewed below.

Twenty high-quality photos of the show are available at Musica Metal.

EPICA released a double live CD, titled "The Classical Conspiracy", on May 8 through Nuclear Blast Records. The album was recorded in Miskolc, Hungary, on June 14 2008 during the Miskolc International Opera Festival. The band performed a 45-minute set of metal adaptations of classical songs and movie soundtracks, accompanied by the orchestra and choir as well as symphonic versions of its own songs (including a few orchestral songs from singles and "The Score", which had never been played live before).