Epica vocalist Simone Simons is featured in a new interview conducted by professional opera singer and vocal coach Elizabeth Zharoff, who also hosts a YouTube channel, The Charismatic Voice.

Elizabeth: "Simone Simons may look like a supermodel – she has the blog, photographs, and beauty partnerships to back it up – but she is much more than just the face of the Dutch metal band, Epica. Simone has a voice and a lifestyle to be reckoned with.  

Simone’s vocals are widely recognized for both their beauty and power. As the frontwoman of a symphonic metal band with death metal tendencies, Simone brings versatility in singing styles, combining both classical and contemporary technique.   

In this episode, we discuss how she got into singing in the first place, how she blended classical and contemporary techniques, and how she kept her infant son quiet while recording. I also wanted to discuss something I have recently experienced as well – how pregnancy and being a mother actually affected the voice. And so, this is also a bonding conversation between two new moms!"

Celebrate 20 years of Epica with reissues of the first three albums (including unreleased bonus tracks), plus Live At Paradiso and We Will Take You With Us. Head to epicamerch.com to pre-order The Phantom Agony, Consign To Oblivion, The Score and the unreleased/rare live albums on a variety of (limited!) formats. It's all out September 2 via Nuclear Blast.

The band have released the video below, stating: "The performance was Epica's first-ever major TV appearance and hasn't been available physically since 2007. It will be available as a part of We Still Take You With Us, which bundles it together with their legendary (and never released) live performance, Live At Paradiso, as well as their first three albums: The Phantom Agony, Consign To Oblivion and The Score."

Live At Paradiso is the 2006 Amsterdam show that is mythical among Epicans, as it's never been officially released. Now, the holy grail is available as a part of We Still Take You With Us, which bundles it together with their (long sold-out) first major TV performance/DVD release, We Will Take You With Us, as well as their first three albums: The Phantom Agony, Consign To Oblivion and The Score.

Pre-order it on an 11-disc vinyl box set, Earbook with 36-pages and 8 discs or 8-CD box clamshell. Live At Paradiso and We Will Take You With Us will also be available to download or stream, while Live At Paradiso will be released on 2-CD+Blu-ray, too.

"Sensorium" (Live At Paradiso) video:

"Solitary Ground" HD remastered video:

Epica recently announced their 20th anniversary livestream event, scheduled for September 3. Watch a video trailer below, and tickets and limited edition merchandise here.

Says the band: "While we’d love to see all your faces in the crowd on our 20th-anniversary show on September 3rd, we are aware that not every one of you is able to attend the SOLD-OUT party live in Tilburg. Therefore, we’re happy to offer you the chance to be part of the celebrations and join us right from your living room through an exclusive pro-shot live stream of the entire show that will contain plenty of surprises, several guests and spectacular stage effects!

"In addition, you will also get to witness the return of a band that has disappeared from the face of the earth for 20 years and will finally be back for a one-off live performance as opening act on this special night: Sahara Dust. Don’t miss their show, because although you might have never heard of them, their history is heavily interwoven with Epica’s inception, and you will surely be able to sing along to a few of their songs…

"Starting live at 19:30 CEST, the shows will remain online for 72 hours to re-watch in your account at any time within that period.