Simone Simons - Vermillion (2024)

Finally getting around to unleashing her ‘solo’ music, Simone Simons of Epica fame delivers one of the most bombastic and explosive Symphonic/Progressive Metal releases of 2024. Featuring ten tracks and over forty six minutes of music, this album shows the versatility of Simone’s vocals and creativity. With tracks reminding us from everything between Epic and Ayreon, this release will certainly be a hit with her fans and fans of the genre.

Opening with the mysterious “Aeterna”, we get a very bombastic and engaging first taste into this excellent release. More than just more of the same, the tracks in this release add electronic and progressive elements to clearly delineate that this is Simone’s own project and not just an extension of Epica. Tracks like, our personal favorite, “In Love We Rust”, really showcase her vocals in a different light, with more of an Ayreon-esque edge.

Having Arjen Lucassen in this release, means that there will always be familiar Ayreon-like elements that blend quite well on tracks like “Cradle to the Grave”, which also has Alissa White-Gluz doing guest vocals, and with the proggy-ness of pieces like “The Weight of my World” and “The Core”. Superbly catchy vocal melodies and a hefty dose of distorted guitars are the most common themes in this release, making it quite true to Simone’s roots while allowing for exploration and expansion of her sound.

Overall, “Vermillion” is a superbly lively release filled with excellent music, highly melodic passages, and the hypnotic vocals of Simone Simons. As far as ‘solo’ releases, this one is definitely one of the best to ever come out. Simone nicely explores outside of her traditional wheelhouse, but never takes it too far to sound forced or weird, and we totally love it. If you are a fan of Symphonic Metal with progressive elements, and of bands like Ayreon, Epica, Xandria, etc. you will certainly love this release.

Label: Nuclear Blast

Release: August 23rd, 2024

Genre: Symphonic/Progressive Metal

Country: Netherlands