Live report AMARANTHE, EPICA & CHARLOTTE WESSELS, Inselpark Arena, Hamburg – March 6th, 2026

The Hamburg rock and metal community has nothing but choices tonight. A lot is happening on this Friday evening. The Norwegian rock force Gluecifer is in town, as is Keith Caputo. Die Happy is performing, and Hell Over Hammaburg, a two-day indoor festival, is taking place. As if that were not enough to choose from, three bands are playing at the Inselpark Arena in Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg.

Amaranthe, Epica, and Charlotte Wessels’s The Obsession will kick off the second leg of the “Arcane Dimensions Tour 2026” in Hamburg’s southeast. Despite all the aforementioned shows, a significant crowd of symphonic metal fans found their way to the venue.

The starting time is early today, with Charlotte Wessels and her band going on stage at 5:50 p.m. Wessels is known for her time with Delain and started a solo project in 2021 after parting ways with the Dutch melodic metallers. Her latest album, “The Obsession,” was released in 2024 and will serve as the backbone for tonight’s set.

“Chasing Sunsets” is the opener tonight, and although some fans are enjoying the warm March evening, the Charlotte Wessels fanbase fills the hall. It’s clear that the Dutch singer has devoted fans, as there’s a positive energy right away.
The microphone stand covered with flowers fits the colorful music, which has rough edges, too. Wessels’ music finds the sweet spot between infectious melodies and harsh guitar riffs, provided by Timo Sommers (ex-Delain).
“Dopamine” continues the colorful journey through melodic rock/metal with a modern feel.

Drummer Joey Marin de Boer is impressive tonight. Despite struggling with foot issues, he doesn’t give in and provides the heartbeat of this set with bassist Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije. One of the heaviest songs in this evening’s set is “The Exorcism,” in which Wessels comes close to growling at the end of this blistering tune. Fans appreciate the variety of songs, including the calmer, more atmospheric “After Us, the Flood.”

Charlotte Wessels and her band, The Obsession, delivered a stunning show, providing a great start to an evening full of modern symphonic metal.

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Epica is co-headlining this tour with Amaranthe, and the Dutch symphonic metal icons are up next. After a short introduction emphasizing the importance of the moment rather than the recording of the show on mobiles phones, the band starts with “Apparition,” a dramatic beginning. Simone Simons appears in a black dress, looking like the Black Widow, while powerful riffs fill the room. This is an intense start to an 80-minute set focusing on the “Aspiral” album, while also giving enough space to some of the classics.

After such a theatrical start, the set continues with “Cross the Divide.” The upbeat song spreads a positive vibe at the Inselpark Arena, and Simons, wearing a red dress and sunglasses, accentuates the colorful spirit.

With “Martyr of the Free Word,” the band takes us back to 2009, and the middle section of the show offers two special moments. First, there is the heartwarming version of “Sirens — Of Blood and Water,” performed by Simons and Wessels. This is followed by the peaceful “Tides of Time.” The latter is another soulful moment featuring keyboardist Coen Janssen on piano. His emotional piano playing and Simons’s vocals are touching and show Epica’s versatility.

However, the band is also known for blistering guitar power from Mark Jansen and Isaac Delahaye, which serves as the base for songs like “The Grand Saga of Existence,” also featuring growling parts from Jansen. An Epica show is more than just great music, though. Visual projections, impressive stage scenery, and passionate musicians complete an Epica show – also tonight.

Epica showed why they belong among the greats of symphonic metal, and fans very much appreciated the 80-minute set that captured all eras. Fans got what they were looking for, and time flew by. This show will resonate for quite a while, even though there is still one band to come.

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The changeover is taking longer than usual, possibly because this is the first show of the second leg of the tour. It takes more than 40 minutes to prepare the stage for Amaranthe before “Fearless” from the “Manifest” album kicks off the set, which includes “Damnation Flame,” only one song from the most recent album, “The Catalyst.”

With their pop-infused melodies and harsh metal outbursts, Amaranthe adds another musical dimension to tonight’s lineup, and “Fearless” is a fitting start.

With three singers and a lot of action on stage, Amaranthe is firing on all cylinders. The euphoria of the fans shows that the combination of bands works well. Folks came to the Inselpark Arena tonight to see all three bands, including Amaranthe, who added to an entertaining evening. Amaranthe’s music is defined by drama, guitar power, harsh vocals, and sugar-sweet melodies combined with a snappy beat, and tonight’s performance delivers.

“Call Out My Name” closes the regular set, and the band returns for an encore with a few extra songs, starting with the anthemic “Archangel.” Next is a rather long speech, including a “which city’s fans scream the loudest” challenge. Both are unnecessary, as time is limited, and an extra song would have been a better use of time. Amaranthe rushes through a 14-song setlist, which is significantly shorter than the one from the first leg of the tour. This might be due to the longer changeover time and after 70 minutes, the last notes of “Drop Dead Cynical” fade away in the hall.

However, fans got their money’s worth. Epica, in particular, and Charlotte Wessels, in general, impressed tonight. It was an entertaining evening of symphonic rock and metal with a modern edge that fully met expectations.