Epica, Amaranthe and Charlotte Wessels’ The Obsession at Eventim Apollo, London 24/01/2026

There is a little need to introduce Epica or Amaranthe, as both bands have been on the metal scene for more than a decade now. While Epica is blending together traditional metal with opera, very similarly to Nightwish, Amaranthe, on the other hand, is more on the heavy metal side, utilising the power of three vocalists. Since the bands announced their big co-headline Arcane Dimensions Tour, it was obvious the fans are in for an experience that is not going to repeat itself, and that includes Charlotte Wessels’ The Obsession, a support act that fits in with the big names perfectly.

Charlotte Wessels’ The Obsession

As the lights went down, the fans were already in for a surprise, as instead of the usual start to the set, they were met with a speech from Charlotte Wessels herself. As it turned out, their drummer was rushed into the hospital the night before and could not play on the night, but that did not stop the rest of the band from performing for the crowd. Met with a massive applause and understanding, the front-woman left the stage only to appear on it a few minutes later. While the set was short in nature, only offering seven songs in total, it was not short on emotions, excellent riffs and synths and even better vocals, as it seemed like there was no challenge for Wessels. Closing off the quick set with the song ‘The Exorcism‘, everyone who did not know the project or the vocalist prior to the performance was shocked, as she casually whipped up the nastiest harsh vocals, well in verse with the lyrics of the song. Sent off with a massive applause and cheers, the now emotional band invited the injured drummer on the stage, thanking the crowd for their support.

Amaranthe

Next on the bill were the Danish-Swedish heavy-metalers Amaranthe, and even before the lights went down, it was already obvious that their set was set to be a huge one. Promoting their latest album ‘The Catalyst’ not only on the setlist, but on the staging as well, the whole set had a very futuristic feel, well in line with the release. Opening the night with ‘Fearless’, ‘Viral’ and ‘Digital World’, all very energetic songs, the vocalists Elize Ryd, Nils Moulin and Mikael Sehlin took over Eventim Apollo in an instant. Supported on instruments by Olof Mörck (guitars, keyboards, synthesisers), Johan Andreassen (bass), and Morten Løwe Sørensen (drums), the set had everything a heavy metal fan could dream of.

Moving forward to their hits such as ‘Damnation Flame’, ‘Maximize’, ‘Strong’ and ‘PvP’, the emotional ballad ‘Crystalline’, sung between Ryd and Molin was up next and it left the entirety of the venue in awe, not only for its complexity and rawness, but also for the perfection the two voices complemented each other. Met with a massive applause from the crowd, as well as many years, it was only natural the band will pick the pace up again afterwards, but no one expected the song to be ‘BOOM!1’, one of the songs with the most aggressive riffs and vocals, thanks to Sehlin’s growls and rap parts. As the set progressed further with ‘The Catalyst’, ‘Re-Vision’ and ‘Chaos Theory’, suddenly Mörck brought keyboards onto the stage, playing a beautiful intro to ‘Amaranthine’. Joined by Ryd in what felt like a very personal performance, while the only sounds echoing through the venue were the keyboards and Ryd’s voice, the pair created a moment that will stay in the heads of everyone present for a long time.

Joined by the full band for the rest of the song and continuing with ‘The Nexus’ and ‘Call Out My Name’, the band bid farewell to the fans, who kept chanting for them to come back. And back they came, with three more songs – ‘Archangel’, ‘That Song’ and ‘Drop Dead Cynical’, while also bringing their ‘UK Championship of Amaranthe’, a funny little competition of which city is going to cheer the loudest, which the fans took more than seriously when they find out Manchester might be the winner. After two sets of very loud cheers, London was proclaimed the winner. After that, the band thanked the fans once again before making space for their co-headliner.

Epica

The second headliner of the evening, Epica, had a complete change-over of the stage, and it was to no surprise that this took longer than the previous band. Opening their set with ‘Apparition’, the band had not only simpler staging than Amaranthe, but also primarily relied on the projections that accompanied each song. The first song began with the vocalist Simone Simons clothed in a robe, standing right in front of the massive screen, creating a shadow play from her own body. Mark Hansen (harsh vocals, guitars), Isaac Delahaye (guitars), Rob van der Loo (bass), Coen Janssen (keyboards) and Ariën van Weesenbeek (drums) all stood on the lower platforms, making Simons to stand out even more.

After the impressive opening, she left the platform, where she returned few times as the performance progressed, and went on to performing songs older and newer such as ‘Cross the Divide’, ‘Martyr of the Free Word’, ‘Eye of the Storm’, ‘Unleashed’ and ‘Never Enough’, before inviting Charlotte Wessels on the stage to perform the captivating song ‘Sirens – Of Blood and Water’. Hearing Simons’ classically trained soprano combined with Wessels’ gothic style live was an out-of-this-world moment, and their presence on the stage together only confirmed the already known fact. Offering two songs from the latest album ‘The Grand Saga of Existence’ and ‘Fight to Survive’, as well as ‘Tides of Time’, ‘Cry for the Moon’, ‘The Last Crusade’ and one of their most famous songs, ‘Beyond the Matrix’, as the last six songs of the set, Epica created a lineup where everyone found what they liked regardless of when they found the band. With the last bows and thanks, the unforgettable night was suddenly over and it was hard to believe that this night will most likely never come back again.

Both Amaranthe and Epica brought their best on the Arcane Dimensions Tour and showed Eventim Apollo the exact reason why they are two of the most significant band on the scene. Charlotte Wessels’ The Obsession was a fantastic addition to the already stacked evening, as she brought a perfect energy to open the night. Hopefully when we see Epica and Amaranthe back in London, it would be in a similar manner again.