EPICA have checked in with the following update:

"Half of the tickets for our Design Your Universe release party in Paradiso in Amsterdam (October 10th) have been sold already! Be sure to buy your tickets in time online here . Also the tickets for the try out show in Escape in Veenendaal (October 9th) are currently available at the Music Stores."

Epica's 2009 tour schedule is currently as follows:

June

12 - Perron 55 - Venlo, Holland
13 - Waldrock - Bergum, Holland
21 - Hellfest - Clisson, France
26 - Metalway Festival - Zaragoza, Spain
27 - Gods of Metal - Milan, Italy
28 - Graspop - Dessel, Belgium

July

4 - Castle Party - Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
10 - Rock Harz Open Air - Osterode, Germany
11 - Balaton Music Wave - Zánka, Hungary
25 - Benatska Noc Festival - Malá Skála, Czech Republic
31 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany

August

2 - Global East Open Air - Kiev, Ukraine
7 - Vagos Open Air - Aveiro, Portugal
14 - Summer Breeze - Dinkelsbühl, Germany
29 - Geuzenpop - Enschede, Holland

September

13 - Raismes Fest 2009 - Raismes, France

October

2 - Vera - Groningen, Holland
9 - Escape - Veenendaal, Holland
10 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Holland (CD release party)

BW&BK; scribe Carl Begai recently spoke with Epica vocalist Simone Simons about the band's new live album The Classical Conspiracy, featuring their June 2008 one night stand in Miskolc, Hungary with a full orchestra and choir. An excerpt from the story appears below.

"We discussed the set with the organizer," says Simons, "and he asked that we work things out so there weren’t too many grunting vocals because the Epica show was only one part of a classical music festival. People who weren’t familiar with metal would be attending and the fear was they’d be shitting their pants (laughs). We couldn’t do some songs, and others we had to rearrange. We even had one of the tenors from the choir added to 'Consign To Oblivion' in place of Mark’s (Jansen/guitars) vocals, but it didn’t sound that great so we decided to do it ourselves. That’s a song that we had to have in there because we’ve been using it to end our shows for years, and if it wasn’t there I think things would have felt incomplete."
"The funny thing is that there were chairs in the hall so people had to sit down, but the fans only stayed seated for a minute or two. They wanted to take pictures and shoot video, but the classical fans who were unfamiliar with Epica stayed sitting, so I think it was a bit uncomfortable for them. But as far as I know everyone was pleasantly surprised to hear Epica play 100% live."

Go to this location for the complete story.