Recorded at Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany in March 2009. Design Your Universe is the fourth studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica, released on 16 October 2009. It was the first album to feature officially new band members Isaac Delahaye on guitar and Ariën van Weesenbeek on drums.

Line-up: />Ariën van Weesenbeek - drums & additional vocals (grunts, voices, spoken words)
Simone Simons - mezzo-soprano vocals Mark Jansen - guitars, grunts & screams
Isaac Delahaye - guitars
Coen Janssen - synthesizers and piano
Yves Huts - bass guitar
Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica) - guest vocals on White Steel

Technical Credits:

Simone Simons – lead vocals, photography
Mark Jansen – rhythm guitar, grunts, screams, orchestral arrangements, mixing
Isaac Delahaye – lead guitar, engineering
Yves Huts – bass guitar, engineering, orchestral arrangements on "Deconstruct"
Coen Janssen – synthesizer, piano, orchestral, choir arrangements, choir vocals
Ariën van Weesenbeek – drums, grunts, spoken word

Tony Kakko – clean male vocals on "White Waters"
Amanda Somerville – soprano vocals on "Unleashed (Duet Version)", backing vocals, vocals production, engineering, vocal coaching, lyrical editing, choir vocals
Brian Reese – orchestral arrangements (on "Tides of Time")

Gjalt Lucassen – Latin translation
Jaap Toorenaar – Latin translation
Sascha Paeth – producer, engineering, mixing, backing vocals
Simon Oberender – engineering, editing, choir vocals
Olaf Reitmeier – engineering, editing, choir vocals
Joost van den Broek – engineering
Miro Rodenberg – mastering, orchestral arrangements
Mickey Hart - Producer
Sascha Paeth - Lyricist, Producer, Engineer
Joost Van Den Broek - Piano Engineer
Mark Jansen - Lyricist, Orchestration
Olaf Reitmeier - Engineer
Gjalt Lucassen - translation
Miro Rodenberg - Orchestration, Mastering
Yves Huts - Orchestration, Guitar Engineer
Amanda Somerville - Lyricist, Producer, Engineer, Lyric Adaptations, Vocal Coach
Simone Simons - Lyricist

Stefan Heilemann – artwork, cover art, art direction, design, photography

'The Phantom Agony', Epica's debut opus, was released only six years ago. Since then the Dutch symphonic/gothic/female fronted metallers have progressed hugely. They've played hundreds of shows in dozens of countries all over the world, released three highly acclaimed studio albums and survived the loss of both a record company and a drummer in 2006.

Earlier this year Epica released 'The Classical Conspiracy', their first and ambitious live album which also included a 40-piece orchestra and a 30-piece choir. They played at Europe's biggest metal festival, Wacken Open Air, last summer. And now they release their new studio album, 'Design Your Universe', an exiting new chapter in their career.

Thanks to the skills of talented drummer Ariën, Epica has come up with faster and more complex songs, all delivered with confidence and grandeur. What's more, Ariën not only shows his impressive chops, he also delivers some grunts, voices and spoken words. Curious? Don't forget to check out the videos on which he explains some of the drum parts and vocal contributions!

'Design Your Universe' is still packed with classical influences, but also contains new elements. Often more is less, but Epica beg to differ. The album has more variations, more grooves and more contrasts. Plus thanks to new guitarist Isaac Delahaye even the guitar solos sound fresh. Epic definitely underline their masterful craftsmanship with this new album.