Just after the live show of symphonic metallers EPICA in Athens on 26 March 2012, the singer of Athens' Dimlight and Rockoverdose.gr partner, Sanna Salou, was backstage at the Gagarin 205 venue, where she met the Dutch guitarist Mark Jansen, for a short but interesting interview. Read on about what they said...
Rockoverdose.gr: How does it feel for you to play in Greece, in front of your Greek fans?
Mark Jansen: Greek fans are of the wildest of the world! They're known for that, so that's why we also really enjoy always coming to Greece. Another reason is, I have many friends over here.
Rockoverdose.gr: I can see!
Mark: It's always good to be back.
Rockoverdose.gr: Your new album, Requiem for the Indifferent, what was different about it, recording it, and what was the creation process like?
Mark: Recording-wise, we don't change that much, actually. We always record the same way a bit. Same studio, same producer, everyone's the same. What's different is that the album is way more progressive than all the rest.
Rockoverdose.gr: I can see that; the inspiration is different, that's why I'm asking you.
Mark: It is more progressive, and more difficult for people to get into this CD, I also noticed that fans first said, "what is this?" and then after listening over and over again, then they started to love it.
Rockoverdose.gr: That was the next question. How was the reaction of the crowd so far?
Mark: Some people liked it right away, some people had to take some time to digest it, because it's an album that really needs some time.
Rockoverdose.gr: And your new video also is a different approach, artistically.
Mark: Yeah, and that's also it, the album has a slightly different approach, the video, we wanted to try something new. We don't want to repeat things.
Rockoverdose.gr: Cool! What do you do to preserve your physical condition during touring and shows?
Mark: The last two tours, I was running each day between 7 and 12 kilometers each day. I call it double-shifts; first the running…
Rockoverdose.gr: No secrets, like elixirs or something?
Mark: I don't even know what that is. But it's running and keeping in shape when I'm at home, I do a lot of cycling, fitness, swimming, football, I love sports, so it's easy to keep in shape.
Rockoverdose.gr: What's your next plan for Epica, and maybe your personal projects as well?
Mark: First we're going to do a lot of summer festivals with Epica, and then to South America, then to the United States and Canada. Then in December, we'll have a UK tour. With my other band, we will do ProgPower in the United States and Graspop in Belgium. It's one big festival in Europe, and one big festival in the United States, because of Epica, I don't have much time for the other band, so we take things we cannot refuse.
Rockoverdose.gr: Tell something to your Greek fans! Goodbye, or something; we're closing.
Mark: Goodbye or something, we're closing! I will say, I really enjoyed tonight a lot, and I wish every show was like Greek shows. But maybe then we also would be getting bored! I enjoyed it a lot, and hopefully it won't take two more years to come back. Hopefully the crisis won't turn out too bad, because if the money system collapses, then nothing will happen! Not only for Greece, but for the whole world.
Rockoverdose.gr: Thank you so much!
Mark: You're very welcome.
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