Live Review: Epica / Amaranthe - Beacon, Bristol
20th January 2026
Support: Charlotte Wessels
Words: Chris Taylor
Photos: Rich Price
On a rainy and miserable Tuesday night in Bristol, there is nothing like larger than life symphonic metal to lift anyone’s spirits. The Beacon saw three legendary acts bring their own unique blends of epic music.
With the co-headliners taking up two thirds of the evening it is left to Charlotte Wessels, formally of Delain, and her band to warm up Bristol for the night.
Charlotte Wessels’ epic symphonic music is much more in the vein of Epica rather than Amaranthe, Delain fans will be right at home with her music, nevertheless the tone for the evening is well and truly set. Wessels’ vocals fill the Beacon across a range of emotions, with her operatic chops in the forefront as well as sombre and soft passages that bring the intimacy particularly to those at the front where she gets down low to their level. The intimacy is further felt with Wessels’ crowd work with particular note being when she calls out a shirt worn by someone in the front row referencing their song ‘the crying room’ before launching into said song. It’s an impressively fluid and seamless set which is more than could be more than said for one of the headliners for the evening.
It's overall an assured performance and tightly played by all on stage. They may be the undercard tonight, but should Charlotte Wessels be given the chance to headline in her own right, with a production to go along with it, one can only imagine how epic this project can become.
Amaranthe are all about being bombastic, cheesy and let’s be real, utterly absurd. Blending many genres that on the surface should not go together at all and finding a way to make it thoroughly entertaining to listen to on record. Live however, is how this band should truly be experienced. From the start of the set to the end Amaranthe’s show is a treat both audibly and visually. Setlist wise much of their 2020 album Manifest is featured, far more than their latest outing The Catalyst. While it is potentially an odd choice to give the spotlight to two albums prior it is hard to deny the opening ‘one-two punch’ of Fearless and Viral.
Before long the band’s catchy hooks and bouncy rhythms have most of the audience off their feet and the band are there along with them particularly during the techno breaks of Re-Vision or the anthemic Nexus. When you have three vocalists fronting the band simultaneously the risk is that the singers could give off some sense of a power struggle between them and, while Nils Molin handles most of the crowd work, all three vocalists get equal time to steal the show. Be it Elize’s more delicate vocals on Amaranthine and Mikael taking lead vocal duties for the brilliantly cheesy Boom!
The temptation is to judge which vocalist came out on top, but when the three of them are front of stage together giving it everything they have they look like a perfect unit. Musically Amaranthe likely falls in the realm of ‘love it or hate it’, but on stage it is a joyous spectacle. A striking live show and bombastic energy that culminates in a metal show that is simply an undeniably fun time.
When Epica’s set begins it is a spectacle of a different kind. Instead of fist pumping adrenaline they go for gravitas. After lengthy darkness, Simone appears silhouetted by a harsh backlight as the band launch into Apparition. By the end of the first song Epica have the audience in the palms of their hands with the repeated line of ‘dive into the unknown!’ being belted out by the audience and Simone’s captivating stage presence even when shrouded in darkness it’s one of the strongest beginnings to a set seen in some time.
From then on it’s one iconic moment after another. Any one of Epica’s songs to any other band would be considered their ‘epic’, for Epica therefore it is one jaw dropping scene after another. Latest album Aspiral gets much of the attention with sing-a-long anthem Cross the Divide soaring and the magnificent final part of Epica’s magnum opus A New Age Dawns is awe-inspiring to witness but tracks from across their career are represented including an enchanting performance of Sirens-Of Blood and Water aptly joined by Wessels as on the album.
Yet even the most experienced of bands are not immune from the odd technical crisis. A ten minute pause, due to the fire alarm being triggered by the band’s haze, regrettably disrupted the otherwise perfectly paced set. Ironically this did lend tremendous weight to Tides of Time when proceedings resumed, almost as if it were the second act of a musical. However audience interactions between songs in the second half were understandably rushed making those sections feel somewhat slapdash. That however isn’t to take away how strong the second half of the set is. The aforementioned Tides of time demonstrates Simone’s unmatched vocal ability and regal stage presence and Cry for the Moon (which keyboardist Coen introduces as their biggest hit) and the closing song Beyond the Matrix bringing the whole room to its feet.
Technical issues aside this is as close to a flawless show as one could ask for. Despite every song being at a similar level intensity wise, Epica manages to make every second more impressive than the last. If there was ever a band that needs to be headlining UK arenas to give them the scope that their music and passion deserve it is absolutely Epica.
Photo Credits: Rich Price Photography
