Before Epica’s sold-out show at the Worcester Palladium on January 30, 2010, we had the chance to sit down with band founder and guitarist Mark Jansen to talk about the financial pressures of touring the US, the new album “Design Your Universe,” and what inspires Epica’s music.

• MPJ – You’re in the midst of the “Design Your Universe” tour. How’s it been going so far? Any highlights?
• MARK – So far it’s been one big highlight, I must say! We did the European leg first, then we went to Latin America: Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Venezuela. And now, were are here in the US; it’s our fourth time touring in the US, and for us, more or less, this time it has to start paying off! (laughs) And I’m really hoping to see that it does, because you can’t keep investing money in a market where it never pays off. So now that it’s finally happening, it’s a big relief for me, because I was the one in the band always trying to get the guys over here. I wanted to tour here, but they said “If it’s not going to happen now, for the fourth time, you cannot bring us here [to the US] anymore!” (laughs) So I’m really happy about it!
• MPJ – As far as the new album is concerned, the concept is quantum physics. What brought that about? You don’t really think of that subject when you talk about heavy metal.
• MARK – No, indeed! But I read a lot of books, and the books that I’m reading I write lyrics about. It’s the easiest way! So whatever catches my attention, I write lyrics about it. Sometimes it’s about politics, sometimes it’s about this or that, but this time it was quantum physics. And what I’ve been reading about it is that consciousness is enough to have an influence on the environment. That’s already a fact, but you can guess that everything is possible through consciousness or just a part of it; it’s possible that the whole world exists just through consciousness. That’s a very interesting thing, and it’s all in the lyrics, in a way.
• MPJ – Was there a particular book (or books) that kicked off your interest in quantum physics?
• MARK – I’ve been reading many scientific books, but also many plain books, like “What the Bleep Do We Know?” which is a real eye-opener. For people who aren’t that into the subject yet, it’s a good starting point.
• MPJ – Is Epica’s music a collaborative effort, or is it always down to one or two people to write most of it, then others contribute bits and pieces here and there?
• MARK – It differs from album to album. For example, sometimes its Yves [Huts, bassist] contributing a lot, sometimes it’s Coen [Janssen, keyboardist]; so it’s always a bit different. It also depends on how much time we have during the year when we’re writing the album. It’s mostly me writing the basics of the song, and the others contribute to it, but with this new album, the song “Tides of Time” was written by Coen. He also wrote most of “Burn to a Cinder” and the basic parts of “Unleashed.”
• MPJ – Epica’s songs have a very “multi-layered” feel to them, as if there’s a full orchestra and choir backing you up. Was that a conscious decision from day one, or did it evolve over time?
• MARK – It did evolve a bit. When I was with [my previous band] After Forever, I always enjoyed the concept of combining a choir and classical music with heavy metal. I just continued this with Epica, and it became bigger and bigger! There’s so many possibilities; of course, you should always be careful not to drown in these possibilities! As long as you don’t lose the song, then you’re safe. There’s many possibilities, but we try to use them the right way. Even if you have to leave all of the orchestral elements out, if you end up with a strong song, then it works!
• MPJ – Do you have a favorite classical composer?
• MARK – Yeah, [Sergei] Rachmaninoff! That’s my all-time favorite!
• MPJ – A lot of metal fans seem to like him!
• MARK – He has great melodies, great structures, and he’s done crazy things. But I also like composers that more people know, like Mozart and Chopin. There are many classical pieces that I like; for example, for [the live album] “The Classical Conspiracy” I picked a piece of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons — Summer.” That was always a tune that I liked when I was a kid, and for years, I thought, “How would this sound if someone made it metal?” And it already is kind of metal; it was just missing the drums and the guitars! So when we added that, you got a great metal song.
• MPJ – Aside from classical music or other metal, is there any other music you’ve been listening to lately?
• MARK – Yes, I listen to a lot of film music. I also listen to rock music, like Muse. I’m a big fan of Muse. I always say there’s just two types of music: good music and bad music. You can find good music in any style. As long as people make music with passion and heart, I appreciate it. There’s just too many people who make music just thinking about their wallets, like a lot of the music on the radio. It’s a pity, but that’s the way it is.
• MPJ – Is there any music you’d consider to be your guilty pleasure?
• MARK – Yeah, Muse! That already surprises a lot of people; they say “Oh, that’s gay music!” (laughs) But I love it, so it’s good!
• MPJ – After the “Design Your Universe” tour wraps up, do you have any plans for what comes next?
• MARK – We want to keep on touring. There’s always a point where it feels like there has to be a new album to keep things interesting for people, so we’ve already started writing new music. It takes about two years to finish an album, so we’d better start on time! No need to rush, but we should have a new album out in 2011. We’ve done a new album every two years, and that works well for us. That gives us time enough to work on songs and final details, and we’re fresh again. If you release albums every year, it would become routine, and I wouldn’t like that. It’s very tough working on the album in the last months, as it takes a lot time and energy, and I hardly sleep! I’m only thinking about the album, so I’m not the most easy person to live with during those months. The album has to be perfect.
• MPJ – Do you balance touring and working on new music at the same time? Or do you wait until the tour ends, then really buckle down to finish the album?
• MARK – When touring, I sometimes sit down with my guitar and write some licks. When I come back from the tour, I’m really looking forward to working on the new songs. It works really well, as when I’m at home I can compose songs, and when I’m on tour, I can still write. To be able to compose in short bursts, I can regain some energy, and that helps keep you fresh and write the best melodies.
• MPJ – Any final words for your fans?
• MARK – I’m really happy about this tour, and I’m really thankful that so many fans show up! This makes it possible for us to keep coming back!
• MPJ – Thanks so much for your time, Mark!