Rock My Monkey recently conducted an interview with guitarist Mark Jansen of Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers EPICA. The chat is now available for streaming using the audio player below.

EPICA's latest album, "Design Your Universe", sold 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 12 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Design Your Universe" was released in Europe on October 16 . The follow-up to 2007's "The Divine Conspiracy" was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany with producer Sascha Paeth.

EPICA will return to North America for a headlining tour in the beginning of 2010, with THREAT SIGNAL and BLACKGUARD as support. EPICA will offer fans a special VIP ticket which will grant them access to the venue an hour before door times, a pre-show meet-and-greet with EPICA and a event poster customized for the city of the show. Fans are urged to purchase these VIP tickets as only 50 are being allotted for each show.

Quality fan-filmed video footage of EPICA's November 3, 2009 performance in Toulouse, France can be viewed below (courtesy of "MetalDenCR").