When a veteran solo artist releases solo material for the first time, the results can be interesting.  Is this music that they’ve been dwelling on for a long time?  Who knows?  Simone Simons released her debut solo album on August 23^rd through Nuclear Blast Records.  It’s called Vermillion and it paints for me a picture of a brand new, successful solo career.

Simone is the vocalist for the legendary progressive symphonic metal band Epica.  She’s basically symphonic metal royalty and an undeniable influence on many female metal vocalists.  With her, she brings a plethora of genre-defining artists.  This album was basically written and performed hand-in-hand with Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon, and it was even recorded at his home studio.  He plays an array of instruments here.  The lineup also includes Rob van der Loo (Epica) on bass and Koen Herfst (Vandenberg) on drums, along with guests Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Perttu Kivilaakso (Apocalytica), and Mark Jensen (Epica).

The most urgent question is whether or not this is basically just an Epica record.  That’ s what I was wondering anyways.  The answer is a firm “no”.  Does it sound something like Epica, though?  Absolutely it does.  This is a progressive metal record with plenty of symphonic elements, such as the orchestrations, choirs, and operatic vocal portions.  However, it also has hefty elements from pop, industrial, electronic, and alternative sources.  The record label itself suggests there are Pink Floyd elements here, though I don’t hear it that much. 

Vermillion is far more diverse than I expected, while also sounding like a unified record.  There are some epic and darkly cinematic tracks, some spunky tracks with tongue-in-cheek edge, and more emotional fare.  It’s a good mix, and everyone, of course, performs extremely well.  Simone’s classically trained voice is always a highlight, and she hits some staggering notes on a few tracks.  I’ll also say that this is a particularly “sing-able” album.  After a few listens, you will be singing along, and then you’ll be singing it to yourself throughout the day, too.

I think I’ll divide this album up for discussion according to the type of song.  First, I want to talk about the edgier songs.  Those would be “The Weight of My World”, “The Core”, and “R.E.D.”.  Okay, the thing about these songs is that they sound very 90’s to me; and, forgive me Daniel Gildenlöw, I think Simone injects plenty of that half-rap, half-whispering 90s stuff that I honestly love.  I probably love it because of Daniel’s work, now that I think about it.  And these songs all have a rip-roaring pace and some pretty avant-garde elements.  “The Weight of My World” is heavy and satisfying and has some haunting choir vocals that are quite eccentric.  “The Core” gets even weirder with its rapid-fire choir vocals contrasted against Simone’s gentle delivery.  And “R.E.D.”, holy cow, this song is like poster child 90s; the cool girl, unconventional, stylish chorus really threw me at first, but now I find myself singing it, so take that as you will.

Then you have the darker, visionary songs, like “Aeterna”, “In Love We Rust”, and “Dystopia”.  These songs have a shadowy, cinematic, and even progressive flavor that I absolutely love.  “Aeterna” is the opener and has electronic character, Epica opera, and some pretty Faust-y sounds.  Now, “In Love We Rust”, one of my favorites, could easily be included with the next group, but the more I listen, the more I hear the slow-burning ambience and theatrical disposition, not to mention the chorus is deeply addictive.  I can’t get enough of it.  “Dystopia” might be my favorite, though; this piece contrasts low-key, sauntering style with waves of riffs, and the second half is mostly an ambient rock, electronica-laced segment with a huge guitar solo.  It is so good!

Finally, we have the human, emotional songs.  These ones include “Cradle to the Grave”, “Fight or Flight”, “Vermillion Dreams”, and “Dark Night of the Soul”.  These songs lean more towards the ballad style, or feel more straightforward.  “Crade to the Grave” with Alyssa guesting sounds rather like crunchy, alternative fare, and I rather like it.  “Fight or Flight” sounds like an Epica ballad, though it has plenty of guitars; I think it’s the way Simone leans towards her opera sound.  “Vermillion Dreams” is mostly a hovering, ambient piece that focuses on Simone’s vocals until near the end, and I find it soothing.  The closer “Dark Night of the Soul” is a true ballad with piano and cello, and while it is dark in tone, I’ll admit that I don’t love the chorus, as it sounds ever so slightly “cringe”.  Just doesn’t stick with me, though the song as a whole is beautiful.

Simone Simons has gone solo and managed not to release a carbon copy of her main band’s music.  This is a big accomplishment, I think, and the sheer style on display here is commendable.  I didn’t know how to feel about the album at first; it’s clearly “out there” in various respects, but the more I hear it, the more I adore the oddity and edginess.  This is a fun album, no doubt about it.

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