Running through until March 22nd, the ‘Arcane Dimensions’ tour is an uber-strong triple-bill that is already setting a high standard for other tours to follow. The pick of the 20+ dates is the eye-watering date at the cavernous Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on February 7th, where co-headliners Epica will perform their largest headline show on home soil thus far, having already headlined the smaller AFAS Live arena (adjacent to the 17,000 capacity Ziggo Dome). The “Dimensions” aspect of the tour’s title comes courtesy of the other co-headliner, Swedish metallers Amaranthe. The icing on an already mouthwatering cake is the inclusion of special guest Charlotte Wessels, with her killer band The Obsession.

One of the most pleasing aspects of the last few years has been the rise (and continued rise) of Charlotte Wessels as a potent force within the metal world. Always an intoxicating performer to encounter, Wessels has undeniably come into her own since departing from Delain in 2021 and spreading her wings as a solo artist.

2024’s debut solo studio album, ‘The Obsession’, was a triumph. Not entirely surprising, as one of the finest storytellers in metal would hardly turn in anything sub-standard, but the new, more progressive and less symphonic solo artist struck gold when many eyes were no doubt upon her. Having a well-seasoned bunch of incredible musicians alongside her (friends first, bandmates second) helped. Fellow ex-Delainers Joey Marin de Boer (drums), Timo Somers (guitars), and Otto Schimmelpenninck Van Der Oije (bass) have all returned to keep the continuity flowing, with Nina van Beelen (keys/backing vocals) recently joining the band named after the aforementioned solo album.

Timo Somers has blossomed of late, with stellar performances as part of Arjen Lucassen’s Ayreon, and more recently, performing live on Dutch national TV alongside Floor Jansen. And watching him live, it’s obvious that he is loving life post-Delain. Sadly, the UK was robbed of witnessing the hard-hitting Joey Marin de Boer when Adrian Vandenberg was forced to cancel his UK tour, but hopefully, the Dutch maestro will get back over here sometime soon, and Joey will be crushing skulls to some primo Whitesnake.

Anyone who caught Charlotte and The Obsession as special guests of VOLA in late 2024 or at one of the many European festivals where the band performed last summer might be familiar with most of the set. VOLA was a fantastic fit for Wessels, as is this lengthy ‘Arcane Dimensions’ tour. The symphonic connection between Epica and Wessels’ previous band means that the vast majority of the audience are, judging by the roars of approval that greet her entrance, already on her side, but by the time that the 5-piece leave the stage, they have, through great stage presence, stunning playing, and fantastic, well-crafted material, converted anyone unfamiliar with Wessels the solo artist.

With a defiant stance fixed on the present and the future, rather than the past, the 7-song set flies past in the blink of an eye. And with moments such as ‘The Crying Room’ and ‘Soft Revolution’ (the latter being the finest song that Wessels has ever put her name to, and Timo Somers’ live guitar solo is alone worthy of the price of admission), then honestly, there is zero need to go back in time. And with the high quality of both new songs aired tonight, ‘Tempest’ (preceded by a haunting, atmospheric intro), and current single ‘After Us, The Flood’, it’s obvious that ‘The Obsession’ wasn’t a fluke. Ending with another highlight from ‘The Obsession’, the spine-tingling ‘The Exorcism’ (complete with a pesky wardrobe malfunction for the charismatic Wessels), this was a stunning smash-and-grab performance from one of the best vocalists around today – those harsh vocals on ‘The Exorcism’ were pure chef’s kiss.

Final words to the bouncer, who, once the set was over, turned to his colleague next to him and uttered: “What a fucking voice”. There you have it, there’s your next poster: “Charlotte Wessels: what a fucking voice – random Glasgow bouncer.”

With the nature of this tour being alternating closing acts, tonight it’s the turn of Amaranthe to close the show. Which means that Epica are up next. And if you didn’t know that, the familiar sight of Epica keyboardist Coen Janssen’s revolving keyboard stand gives the game away.

It’s a stunning two-tier stage production, with a large screen behind Janssen and drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek on the riser, running the length of the front of the upper tier, and being especially effective. It is, however, incredibly dark. So much so that at times the figures of anyone performing on the riser are reduced to being silhouettes, and even when the band are performing at the front of the stage, they are awash in warm reds and oranges, mixed with heaps of blue. Very dystopian and futuristic, but also very dark.

The darkness does, however, make for a stunning start to the show. Once the clock on the screen finishes its countdown from ten, the stage is plunged into complete darkness, and once the blinding white neon light from the screen flickers to life, the shadowy figure of Epica vocalist Simone Simons on the upper tier is illuminated. Dressed in funeral garb and a black veil, she sways back and forth as the band alongside her, and below her, launch into the pummeling opener ‘The Apparition’. Dubbed “The Widow” by the legions of Epica fans (Epicans), Simons plays the role perfectly, and continues the “darkly enchanting dance with the dead” theme from the recent collaboration with Dutch theme park de Efteling on ‘The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre)’ (sadly missing from the setlist). A crushing intro, it’s the perfect example of the “Beauty & The Beast” vocal styles often attributed to Epica, with Mark Jansen’s harsh growls working well in tandem with the clear, operatic vocals from Simons.

Sticking with the new album ‘Aspiral’, it’s straight into the fist-pumping ‘Cross The Divide’, with Simons released from her purgatory and taking her rightful place front and centre. The veil is gone and replaced by a pair of futuristic shades ala The Terminator. One of the more pacey, thrilling tracks on ‘Aspiral’, it’s great fun to witness in the flesh, and judging by the smiles from all on stage, it’s also great fun to perform. As is ‘Martyr of the Free Word’ which immediately follows on, and puts the immense workload of powerhouse drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek firmly in the spotlight. That guy is putting in a shift.

From the new tracks such as ‘Eye of the Storm’, and the staggering, sprawling ‘The Grand Saga of Existence (A New Age Dawns, Part IX)’ which made its live debut earlier on this tour, to nuggets from the past like ‘Never Enough’ (dusted off on this tour for the first time since 2013), it’s a setlist that impresses at every turn. The emergence of Charlotte Wessels through the rolling mists of dry ice for a spellbinding duet with Simons on ‘Sirens – Of Blood and Water’ is THE moment of the night, though. Originally recorded on ‘The Alchemy Project’ EP as a collaboration between Simons, Wessels, and Danish singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Myrkur, it is something special. Live, with just Simons and Wessels, it transports the audience to a higher plane.

Into the home straight for a full-on 20 minutes or so, that includes the always-incredible ‘Cry for the Moon’, and ends with the knockout one-two of ‘The Last Crusade’, and the bouncing ‘Beyond the Matrix’, and before you know it, the screen is flashing up a huge “THANK YOU” and the band have departed. That Ziggo Dome show in a few weeks is going to be the stuff of legends.

Okay, while not as long a wait to inspire any sort of Old Lady from Titanic GIF’s, it’s still been a bit of a fucking wait for Amaranthe to return to these parts. Almost seven years to the day, in fact. Last time around, it was as special guest of Powerwolf. Tonight they are closing the show, and by Benny Andersson’s beard, the Swedes understood the assignment and delivered in spades.

ABBA with happy hardcore blastbeats and harsh vocals. Amaranthe are an utter riot live. You either get it, or you don’t. But even those in the audience who don’t get it eventually succumb to the hi-energy sounds coming from the six-piece, and the number of crowd surfers is ramped up considerably. Three incredible lead vocalists, all with different styles, make the Amaranthe trademark sound come to life. Elize Ryd has that poppy-meets-soprano range nailed on; Nils Molin (also part of Dynazty) has one of the strongest, most versatile voices in metal today; and Mikael Sehlin has been providing the harsh vocals since GG6 Wilhelmsson stepped down a few years back. What a glorious noise all three make together; that ABBA comparison is not there to be flippant.

Somewhat surprisingly, the most recent studio album, 2024’s ‘The Catalyst’, doesn’t feature that prominently during the 18-song setlist that flashes past. Instead, its predecessor, 2020’s ‘Manifest’, has the lion’s share of the material. It’s ‘Manifest’ that the band turns to, to open the show, with the bounce-along ‘Fearless’ quickly setting the scene for what’s to follow: a night of don’t bore us, get to the chorus metal. All three vocalists play their respective parts, as do the other band members: founding member/guitarist/keys player Olof Mörck, drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen, and bassist Johan Andreassen. Andreassen, in particular, impresses as he doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo that the bass player is supposed to be the quiet, studious one in the band, and is a constant blur as he crosses from side-to-side, cajoling a response from the crowd with his full-on headbanging. You don’t get that with Geddy Lee, do ya?

Setlist-wise, for Amaranthe fans, it’s pretty orgasmic: ‘Viral’, ‘Digital World’, the bruiser that is ‘Damnation Flame’, all excel early on. ‘Boom!1’ is insane, especially since it lands after the gorgeous live version of ‘Crystalline’, which sees Mikael Sehlin putting his feet up as his services are not required on the Broadway musical-like duet between Elize Ryd and Nils Molin, ‘The Catalyst’ is a perfect example of the triumvirate of vocalists working in tandem, although it is Morten Løwe Sørensen who steals the spotlight with his drumming, brand new track ‘Chaos Theory’ is a total banger with a great mix of hardcore EDM and a pulsating feel, all driven by Sørensen.

‘Amaranthine’ slows it down, with a solo Olof Mörck at the keyboards before he is joined by Ryd for one of Amaranthe’s best-loved songs. After the quiet intro, Mörck retreats from his keyboard, straps his guitar back on, and signals for the rest of the band to come back on and join in on a power ballad with harsh vocals. It ends with the trio side by side, taking a theatrical bow to soak up the applause. Blissful. Only one way to follow that, and that’s with the insanity of ‘The Nexus’, a catchy banger of the highest proportions.

Yes, symphonic elements are running through all three performances (mostly with Epica, obviously), but with Charlotte Wessels going down a more progressive route, and the insane good-time factor of Amaranthe sending everyone home with a huge grin from cheek-to-cheek, not only was this an incredible night of music, but one that highlights the variety to be found within the Metal genre.

Catch the ‘Arcane Dimensions’ tour on one of the following dates:

25.01.26 – FR, Paris – Le Zenith
27.01.26 – CH, Zurich – Halle 662
28.01.26 – IT, Milan – Alcatraz
30.01.26 – ES, Barcelona – Razzmatazz 1
31.01.26 – ES, Madrid – Sala La Riviera
01.02.26 – PT, Lisbon – Coliseu dos Recreios
03.02.26 – FR, Toulouse – Bikini Toulouse
04.02.26 – FR, Lyon – Radiant-Bellevue
06.02.26 – DE, Ludwigsburg – MHP Arena
07.02.26 – NL, Amsterdam – Ziggo Dome
06.03.26 – DE, Hamburg – Inselpark Arena
07.03.26 – DE, Leipzig – Haus Auensee
08.03.26 – DE, Berlin – Columbiahalle
10.03.26 – DK, Copenhagen – Poolen
11.03.26 – SE, Stockholm – Fallan
13.03.26 – FI, Oulu – Tapahtumakeskus Tullisali
14.03.26 – FI, Helsinki – Black Box
15.03.26 – EE, Tallinn – Helitehas
22.03.26 – DE, Frankfurt am Main – Jahrhunderthalle