EPICA Parts Ways With Bassist, Announces Replacement

Bassist Yves Huts has left Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers EPICA.

Commented the band: "Yves has been with us from the start and has been of great value to the band.

"We want to thank Yves for his contribution to EPICA's success and wish him the very best in his future career, whether musically or in a different way. We will never forget the good times we shared together on the road!

"The silver lining to this cloud is that we can already announce an awesome successor. Fulfilling duties on bass from now on will be none other than Rob van der Loo. You might know Rob from his work with MAYAN or DELAIN. We are sure that Rob will fit perfectly as a musician and as a person, and we are looking forward to share the stage for the first time next week.

Stated Huts: "013 is the venue where we did our first show with EPICA and, almost a decade later, also my last.

"I'm leaving the band because I have another career opportunity that is not combinable with the schedule of a world-touring band. I've tried to live these two different lives simultaneously for as long as I could, but in the end I just had to make a choice, one of the most difficult ones in my life.

"I look back to these 10 years in EPICA satisfied and enriched with life experience. As a founding member, I'm proud of what we've achieved so far and I'm sure the future has a lot more great things in store for the band.

"I would like to thank the band, crew, fans and everybody else involved for the good times and I wish my successor good luck."

Commented Rob van der Loo: "A few days ago I spoke to Yves and he brought back a memory from the time when EPICA was still a support band for one of my former bands. At that time he would never have guessed that almost 10 years later I'd be his successor in EPICA... Well, neither did I... but I'm damn proud of it!

"I've been sharing the stage with the people from EPICA for almost ten years now, and becoming a member of MAYAN last year brought us even closer. So making the decision to join EPICA feels pretty good. Therefore I want to show my gratitude to the bandmembers (including Yves) and the crew for allowing me in the EPICA family!

"See you guys on the road! I won't let you down!"

EPICA's fifth full-length album, "Requiem For The Indifferent", sold 4,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 104 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Design Your Universe", opened with 2,100 units to land at position No. 12 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Requiem For The Indifferent" was released on March 9 in Europe and four days later in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth.

A video for "Storm The Sorrow" was filmed last month and it "will show the band in a way you have never seen before," according to a press release.