Epica vocalist Simone Simons has joined forces with legendary Arjen Lucassen to collaborate on her debut solo album. Vermillion, is set to arrive on August 23 via Nuclear Blast Records. To give a taste for what’s to come, Simons has unveiled a video for her first single, “Aeterna.”
Simone and Arjen comment:
“Aeterna is the big, epic opener of the album and it comes with this amazing video too, directed by Patric Ullaeus. It definitely sounds the closest to Epica and Ayreon, blending powerful Latin lyrics with a touch of an oriental feel. We’ve tried to strike a balance between the mighty, bombastic sounds and the more atmospheric parts. Since it’s the first track people will hear from this album, it’s super important to us and we’re really excited for people to hear it! Aeterna takes the point of view of a star about to go supernova to explore how everything in the universe is interconnected, like a cosmic web made from stardust. It deals with our deep emotions, consciousness, and other mysteries of life that science still can’t fully explain. Essentially it’s a reflection on our place in the vast universe and the connections that bind us together, as we’re all, to quote Carl Sagan, “made of starstuff.”
Watch the clip below and pre-order the album here:
