The Arcane Dimensions Tour 2026 stops at Hamburg’s Inselpark Arena on March 6th, bringing a triple bill that covers the full spectrum of symphonic and melodic metal. Epica and Amaranthe share the co-headliner slots on a rotating basis, with Charlotte Wessels and her solo project The Obsession joining as special guest. The Hamburg date was originally scheduled for January 9th but was postponed to kick off the second leg of the tour.

The Inselpark Arena is not sold out tonight. The upper tiers remain closed off, the lower ones extended. An estimated 2,000 to 2,500 fans have made their way to Wilhelmsburg. A respectable turnout for a Friday evening, but the venue could have held significantly more.

Charlotte Wessels’ The Obsession

Charlotte Wessels opens the evening, and anyone dismissing the former Delain vocalist as mere support is missing out. She brings seven songs to the table, and you could easily have taken twice as many. The material draws primarily from her 2024 Napalm Records release “The Obsession”, her third solo effort following the two “Tales from Six Feet Under” albums, and it shows an artist who has clearly found her footing in her new creative home.

Visually, Wessels sets her own tone. The microphone stand is adorned with a lush flower arrangement, a signature touch that is mirrored on the bass drum, which reads “Charlotte Wessels / The Obsession”. The stage lighting shifts between warm gold and orange hues and cooler blues, giving the set a visual dynamic you wouldn’t necessarily expect from an opening act.

“Chasing Sunsets” kicks things off, and Wessels wins the room over quickly. Her voice carries effortlessly through the arena, moving between tender moments and powerful outbursts. “Dopamine” and “The Crying Room” follow, and by the time “Soft Revolution” arrives, it’s clear: this is not a warm-up act, this is a show in its own right.

The band behind Wessels is razor-sharp tonight, and that deserves special recognition. Between songs, Wessels announces that her drummer injured his foot beforehand, which immediately earns him a big round of applause from the audience. Deservedly so: there’s no sign of the injury during the performance, as he powers through his set without any visible limitations.

The bassist puts in full commitment to make sure nothing about this feels like an opening slot, while the keyboardist at her Arturia and Yamaha setup provides the atmospheric depth that Wessels’ songs demand. “The Exorcism” brings the darker tones and closes the live portion of the set. As a coda, “Breath” plays from tape, a quiet exit that gives the set a deliberate final note.

Personal verdict: Charlotte Wessels came close to being the highlight of the entire evening. The voice, the performance, the attention to detail in the stage setup. If you haven’t heard “The Obsession” yet, you should change that.

Setlist Charlotte Wessels: Chasing Sunsets / Dopamine / The Crying Room / Soft Revolution / Tempest / After Us, The Flood / The Exorcism / Breath (from tape)

Epica

The Dutch symphonic metal icons take the stage next. Epica are touring behind their 2025 album “Aspiral” (Nuclear Blast), their ninth studio effort, using the tour to showcase the material in a live setting.

The jump in production value is immediately apparent. LED walls displaying abstract visual content form the backdrop, a raised platform gives frontwoman Simone Simons an additional performance area, and the lighting design leans into rich blue-red contrasts that visually underpin the symphonic bombast.

“Apparition” opens the set, and Simone Simons’ entrance is a statement in itself. Draped head to toe in a black gown, she evokes the titular figure from the horror film “The Woman in the Yard”: veiled, mysterious, unapproachable. It’s a theatrical opening that perfectly matches the dramatic first song. We photographers aren’t allowed into the pit until the second song, meaning this moment belongs to the fans in the venue alone.

By the time “Cross the Divide” starts, Simons has changed into a black leather dress paired with striking sunglasses, a look that defines the rest of the set, balancing dark elegance with confident stage presence. She moves between positions on stage, using the platform for the grand gestures and standing right at the edge for the more intimate moments.

The set draws a wide arc through Epica’s catalogue. Alongside plenty of “Aspiral” material, fans get the classics that belong in every Epica setlist with “Martyr of the Free Word” and “Cry for the Moon”. “Never Enough” and “Unleashed” keep the energy level high, while “Tides of Time” provides one of the quieter moments.

Keyboardist Coen Janssen steals the show at least once with his keytar solo. Legs spread wide, mouth open, bathed entirely in blue light, he delivers one of those moments that make you grateful to be standing in the photo pit. At the other end of the visual spectrum: the bassist, letting his long hair fly in red backlight while losing himself in his instrument.

The two guitarists operate as a well-oiled duo. One of them wears an “EPICA” wristband and plays a Gibson Les Paul with a gorgeous sunburst finish. A particularly memorable moment comes when both guitarists play side by side, grinning at each other, the energy between them almost tangible. The second guitarist plays an Ibanez and also handles backing vocals at a separate mic stand.

The undisputed highlight of the Epica set, however, is “Sirens – Of Blood and Water”. Charlotte Wessels, who features as guest vocalist on the studio track from the 2022 EP “The Alchemy Project”, returns to the stage. The guest appearance wasn’t officially announced, but with both acts touring together and the song in the setlist, it was the obvious move. The two voices complement each other live just as well as on the recording, and the moment carries a special quality that goes beyond mere showmanship.

“Beyond the Matrix” closes the set after 13 songs, leaving a venue that is ready for the final act of the evening.

Setlist Epica: Apparition / Cross the Divide / Martyr of the Free Word / Eye of the Storm / Unleashed / Never Enough / Sirens – Of Blood and Water (with Charlotte Wessels) / Tides of Time / The Grand Saga of Existence / Cry for the Moon / Fight to Survive / The Last Crusade / Beyond the Matrix

Amaranthe

If you want to top Epica’s symphonic force, the best approach is a complete change of style. That’s exactly what Amaranthe deliver. The Swedish melodic metal machine, whose seventh studio album “The Catalyst” (Nuclear Blast) dropped in 2024, bring a set that lives somewhere between power metal, arena rock and electronic elements.

The lighting design alone signals the shift: where Epica relied on dark blue-red drama, Amaranthe run a much more colourful palette. Green, turquoise, violet and magenta alternate, matching the energy of a band that never stands still.

Amaranthe’s trademark is their three-vocalist lineup, and it becomes immediately clear why this works live. Singer Elize Ryd, wearing a striking long leather trench coat with long gloves, delivers the catchy melodies and adds visual flair with her dance-like stage moves. Clean vocalist Nils Molin with his flowing mane of hair brings the rock attitude, alternately conducting the audience with an outstretched arm and throwing his hair into the colourful light beams. And growl vocalist Mikael Sehlin, equally long-haired, provides the necessary heavier counterpoints, with a close-up portrait in violet light revealing that he carries intense stage presence even in the quieter moments.

“Fearless” opens the set, and the venue starts moving immediately. “Viral” and “Digital World” keep up the pressure before “Damnation Flame” showcases the orchestral ambitions of “The Catalyst” album. Amaranthe integrated stronger symphonic elements into this record for the first time, and live it works as a bridge between their own sound and that of the co-headliners.

The guitarist with the platinum blonde hair and white guitar delivers one of the most atmospheric moments of the set: enveloped in rising fog and lit by blue light, the image looks almost like a painting. The bassist alternates between focused playing in a low stance and energetic bursts at the edge of the stage, tattoos on his forearms flashing in the shifting stage light.

The setlist strikes a smart balance between newer and proven material. “Crystalline” and “The Catalyst” represent the current album, “Amaranthine” provides the emotional breather, and “The Nexus” is part of every Amaranthe fan’s essential vocabulary anyway. “Call Out My Name” closes the regular set before the band returns for a three-song encore. “Archangel” builds momentum, “That Song” raises it further, and “Drop Dead Cynical” as the closer makes sure nobody stands still.

Setlist Amaranthe: Fearless / Viral / Digital World / Damnation Flame / Maximize / Strong / Crystalline / The Catalyst / Chaos Theory / Amaranthine / The Nexus / Call Out My Name

Encore: Archangel / That Song / Drop Dead Cynical

Conclusion

Three acts, three temperaments, one evening that works. The Arcane Dimensions Tour is not a package where three interchangeable bands entertain the same crowd. Different artistic visions meet here, complementing rather than repeating each other.

Charlotte Wessels opens with an intensity and songwriting quality that goes far beyond what you’d expect from a support slot. Epica bring the production values and theatrical grandeur, crowned by the guest appearance on “Sirens”. Amaranthe close the deal with a show built on pure energy and accessibility.

If there’s one slight disappointment, it’s the venue sizing: the Inselpark Arena felt a touch too large for this evening. With 2,000 to 2,500 attendees and closed upper tiers, some of the density that a packed club would have generated was missing. But that’s a critique of the venue choice, not of the bands.

The Arcane Dimensions Tour continues to Leipzig, Berlin and on through Scandinavia. If you get the chance, take it.