Simone Simons ‘s “Vermilion“: A bright red, purplish color produced from a mineral called cinnabar containing mercury sulfide. The ancient Latin word “vermicŭlus” was the diminutive of vermis, or verme, because it was similar to the color extracted from the homopterous insect called Kermes Vermilio.
Vermillion as red
“Vermillion” or ‘vermilion,’ is the title chosen for the debut album by Simone Simons, iconic singer of the orange band symphonic metal Epica. The reference to the singer’s red hair is immediate, and the album cover is also red, as are the first vinyl pressings. On the front cover, Simone is depicted as the Medusa of mythology, with snakes instead of hair.
Simons Simons depicts Athena
The goddess Athena, fearing that Medusa‘s beauty was greater than hers, turned her into a monster that petrified anyone who looked at her. Through the centuries, Medusa has represented intellectual perversion, the other side of beauty that fascinates, repels, seduces, and kills.
With such an iconic and textual framework, Simone sets off on her solo adventure with an exceptional partner: Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the mastermind of Dutch prog Ayreon. All of the songs on “Vermillion” bear his signature in the writing of the instrumental parts. At the same time, the lyrics are entrusted to Simone and Lori Linstruth, Lucassen‘s historical partner and collaborator.
Simone Simons first single “Aeterna”
The album opens with “Aeterna” and is truly a statement of intent, the fusion of Ayreon‘s sounds and Epica‘s lyrical and baroque world. An oriental scale backed by choruses gives way to Simons‘ voice that narrates in the first person the fate of the star Aeterna that is about to become a supernova, the death leads to a new level of existence while revealing the profound interconnection with all the elements of the universe.
The second single “In Love We Rust”
If the chosen sounds and narrative warn us that this work might prove too challenging, it is up to the following tracks to change the tone a bit. Already, the following “In Love We Rust” has a more singable melodic line, although the description of a love that ends always has a bitter background. In this song as in the rest of the album, there is always a share of electronics in the arrangements. Some passages of the song also do not lack the presence of a Floydian-style guitar that gives a touch of old-fashioned elegance.
Simone Simons & Alissa White-Gluz
The most exquisite Ayreon sounds are revealed in “Cradle to the Grave” with its prog metal procession and melodic evolutions typical of the band’s sound. The track features melodic death metal star Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy who duets with Simone mixing Growl and clean singing, in a juxtaposition of tones that makes this track fascinating and catchy at the same time.
The weight of the world
With “Fight or Flight” we have a definite change of register. An ethereal voice over a gothic-flavored instrumental base introduces a delicate and mysterious ballad, definitely one of the most on-fire songs on “Vermillion.” “The Weight of My World” opens a section of three songs with a harder sound that alternates with tracks with more sedate rhythms. “The Weight of My World” features an industrial element and some Rammstein-esque solutions are added to the sonic cocktail, without ever losing sight of the melodic line of the song. It opens with Simone‘s filtered vocals singing a few stanzas in Dutch before switching to singing in English in the engaging refrain sustained by the driving rhythm.
Simone Simons featuring Mark Jansen
The alternation with the softer songs begins with the delicate “Vermillion Dreams,” among the most beautiful of the lot, with exciting singing and interesting rhythmic changes. The song closes with a very Ayreon-style sound solution. “The Core” features the growl of Mark Jansen, colleague and founder of Epica. The song is very haunting in its almost industrial, prog-metal procession. We are in a very distant territory from the sonic universe to which Simone has accustomed us, a territory of sonic contaminations that enriches the path of the artists involved.
A brief electronic carpet introduces “Dystopia,” a slow-paced track with long guitar notes. Simone also engages in the choruses that accompany her lead vocals. The passages that call to mind certain sonic nuances of Pink Floyd and fellow The Gathering are very evocative. But it is with the penultimate track that the bombshell erupts.
R.E.D. – Rise, Evolve, Dominate
“R.E.D.” describes the dangers of AI that could, in the not-too-distant future, overthrow human dominance and take over by decimating and enslaving humans: “The servants will become the masters.” The music is as far from Epica‘s sonic universe as it gets, mechanical, and futuristic, where electronics almost seem to replace human activity: “We are a new revolution, a true evolution, we will dominate.” Mark Jansen‘s growl returns and the chorus is joined by Epica‘s full house reciting: “R.E.D. Rise, Evolve, Dominate.”
The calm after the storm
So, after such a devastating track, how to close such a varied and complex work in an exemplary manner? I think Simone played her last card well by reconnecting with her longtime fans. And so here is “Dark Night of the Soul,” a splendid semi-acoustic ballad with piano and strings. The memory runs to Epica‘s early albums, where elegant ballads with a gothic flavor appeared that left their mark. Needless to say, even this time one cannot remain indifferent and the song tugs at our heartstrings.
Last words on Simone Simons solo debut
In conclusion, how to evaluate this first solo work by Simone Simons? The quality of the music written by Arjen Lucassen remains high, and Simone‘s voice is also increasingly mature and confident in its changes of tone and register.
But what is interesting about this project is the successful attempt to move away from their respective comfort zones and delve into new sounds, mixing prog metal and electronics.
All this gives a different meaning to the work, which does not become a pure exercise in style but a sonic adventure that requires more careful and in-depth listening. “Vermillion” opens new perspectives for Simone Simons‘ career, which we hope in the future will give us other equally exciting and innovative works.
Line Up
- Simone Simons – Vocals
- Arjen Lucassen – Synth & guitars
- Rob van der Loo – Bass
- Koen Herfst – Drums
Tracklist
- Aeterna
- In Love We Rust
- Cradle to the Grave
- Fight or Flight
- Weight of My World
- Vermillion Dreams
- The Core
- Dystopia
- R.E.D.
- Dark Night of the Soul