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Epica: Ωmega Alive - Live Stream Review



All photographs by: Tim Tronckoe


This Saturday, Dutch symphonic metal act Epica performed their Ωmega Alive livestream event, to bring a virtual performance in support of their new album, 'Ωmega' to the world. It's been five years since I've had a chance to catch Epica live, and this was a fantastic way to promote their latest album, while world-wide touring is still just about to open up.


This live stream is still available through June 15th at 11:59pm ET, so if you missed out (and you're reading this before then), you still have some time to check it out HERE


While livestream's have become somewhat more common over the course of the last year, they come in a wide variety of formats. Some are raw, unfiltered and completely live, while others have been recorded prior to the streaming event. This one falls into the latter category, and for good reason. Epica took an approach with Ωmega Alive to bring fans a concert experience that they would otherwise be incapable of bringing to a live stage, due to the sheer size of this production.


The point of this review is not to provide a play-by-play or song-by-song review of the event, as there's still a few days for fans to get in on this. Who am I to spoil it? What I aim to do, is emphasize what a fun performance this was. I'll share a little about the set though. It consists of a very well-balanced selection of songs, spanning Epica's entire catalog, while giving their latest album, 'Ωmega,' plenty of focus throughout the performance.


Running roughly 1 hour 45 minutes in length, the 15 song performance had unique elements to every song. The show included probably a dozen or more performers in addition to the band, partaking in acrobatics, dance and fire work, lots of fire!

At the center of it all, vocalist Simone Simons captivates through a screen almost as well as she does in person. It's hard to balance what these streams really do for a fan. On the one hand, it's extremely satisfying to see the band bring their new music to the masses, unquestionably reaching fans in all corners of the world. On the other hand, I want to see an arena-sized version of this performance on tour, right now! So, if the plan was to build massive hype for a new tour, count me in!


Following along in some of the Epica fan groups, this performance has been a massive hit, with a number of people proclaiming how they've re-watched this stream several times already (it's been out for less than a day!). Still, a very small segment of fans felt this was going to be a truly "live" performance. I'd hope upon watching and reflecting on just how big of a production the band put into this event, everyone would realize this was the best possible version of a show we could ask for. I, for one, will definitely be giving this another full viewing before the window closes.


Fortunately, Epica do have a full slate of live dates already announced, beginning this July in Verona, Italy and running through next summer. I'm hoping a North American tour finds its way into that itinerary somewhere between now and then, but we all know that depends on how things continue to improve around the globe in the coming months. In the meantime, I'm thrilled that bands like Epica are able to offer experiences like this!


If you checked out this livestream, let us know what you think and don't forget to check back on the event page for some exclusive shirts and other merchandise made available only for this event HERE


Just in case you haven't seen the trailer for this event yet, check it out below!


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