Holland's
EPICA (formerly
SAHARA DUST), the new group formed by ex-
AFTER FOREVER guitarist
Mark Jansen, ex-
CASSIOPEIA guitarist
Ad Sluijter and keyboardist
Coen Janssen, have won the Dutch
"Essent Award".
"This award is meant to give young promising bands some extra support in developing their talent," reads a post on the band's web site. "This means
EPICA will be playing on the
Noorderslag festival in January and will also be appearing on the
'2 Meter Sessies' program by
Jan Douwe Kroeske (not to mention the 5000 accompanied with all of this!). Of course we are very glad with this honor (this being our first award)and we want to thank all our fans for their support!!!"
EPICA's debut album,
"The Phantom Agony", was recorded at
Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the expert guidance of the renowned producer and technician
Sascha Paeth (
RHAPSODY,
KAMELOT,
ANGRA) and was released in June through
Transmission Records.
The group, which is completed by vocalist
Simone Simons, ex-
CASSIOPEIA drummer
Jeroen Simons, and ex-
AXAMENTA bassist
Yves Huts,
worked with Norwegian singer
Helena Michaelsen (ex-
TRAIL OF TEARS) during its embryonic stage before settling on
Simons, a classically trained opera singer whose style is said to perfectly complement the complex, progressive nature of the band's material.