"I shifted from Garbage, Radiohead and Silverchair to black metal." The classic 90s album that changed the life of the singer who'd go on to front one of her country's biggest bands

Simone Simons in a red dress draped across a chair

(Image credit: Press)

Simone Simons is an icon of symphonic metal as frontwoman of Dutch heavyweights Epica, but once upon a time she was just a regular kid embarking on her own journey into discovering music - and it was another heavyweight of symphonic metal that helped her on her way.

In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Simone reveals that one of her favourite records ever is Oceanborn, the classic second studio album by Finnish legends Nightwish, and that the band's then-singer, Tarja Turunen, had a profound influence on her decision to become a singer herself.

"That was my favourite album but not the first one that I heard from Nightwish," Simone explains. "When I got into metal music, I kind of shifted from Garbage, Radiohead, Silverchair to black metal, because my first boyfriend was a metalhead.

"He was walking in Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir t-shirts in the high school yard, and I thought, 'Hmm, guy with long hair, looks cute.' And I went from rock music to black metal. One of his friends thought, 'Maybe your girlfriend would like this album?' and he [lent] me Angels Fall First, which was the first album from Nightwish."

The album, released in 1997, immediately struck a chord with Simone, particular via Tarja's unique and unmistakable operatic vocals.

"I thought, 'This is really nice, a female voice!'" she tells us. "Of course, with Cradle Of Filth, you already had, back in the day, Sarah Jezebel Deva, who did some female vocals, but this was the first time I heard a heavy, female, classical voice. Also, I loved the symphonic side of Nightwish."

Simone Simons picks Epica's five best songs | Metal Hammer - YouTube

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"And then of course came Oceanborn [in 1998], and there happens to be a song on there which is a cover of Walking In The Air, from the animated movie The Snowman. I knew that from my childhood, so that really drew me in even more."

While Simone had already begin experimenting with her own voice, it was hearing Tarja that pushed her into embracing a more classical side of singing. It was a move that'd see her end up fronting one of the biggest metal bands to ever emerge from the Netherlands.

"Back in the day I had vocal lessons, just normal singing lessons - jazz, pop - but it didn't fit me so well," she explains. "Then I thought, 'Maybe I'm gonna try the classical singing,' so that gave me the push, and then I ventured out to other bands with female singers like Lacuna Coil and Tristania."

While she became a big fan of those artists too, it was Oceanborn that kept a special place in her heart - and has done until this very day.

"That album, I even had it on cassette - I still have it! My mother went through boxes in the attic and she found some cassettes where I made my own mixtape, and Walking In The Air from Nightwish was on there. I listened to it in my little bedroom dreaming that maybe I could be a singer as well."

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Merlin was promoted to Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has written for Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.

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