Mark Jansen (born 15 December 1978) is a Dutch guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. A prominent figure in the symphonic metal subgenre, he is known for his work with the bands After Forever (1995–2002), Epica (2002–present), and MaYaN (2010–present). In both After Forever and Epica, he has performed growled vocals, complementing the vocals of, respectively, Floor Jansen (no relation) and Simone Simons. Career After Forever (1995–2002) As guitarist, Jansen founded After Forever with Sander Gommans, and was one of the main songwriters for the band's first two albums, Prison of Desire and Decipher. During his time with After Forever, the band's music had been strongly influenced by Jansen's love for movie soundtracks and classical music, with the albums' lyrics showcasing Jansen's interest for religious and moral themes, as demonstrated through The Embrace That Smothers and My Pledge of Allegiance. Jansen left After Forever in 2002 as a result of creative differences with the rest of the band. Prior to his departure, he had intended to further explore complex interactions between classical instruments, choruses in Latin and death metal elements in the band's next album, while Gommans and the others preferred a more direct and aggressive approach to music, retaining some elements that made the sound of the band recognizable, but expanding it in new and different directions. These musical differences led to Mark Jansen leaving the band, in what he felt as an actual dismissal. After his departure, the band took a new musical direction. In a 2007 interview, Jansen described his departure from After Forever as coming as a shock to him at the time, with the news of his dismissal being delivered to him by fellow band members shortly before a band rehearsal. At the time of his dismissal, the band were preparing to participate in a series of major tours and concerts such as Pinkpop. Epica (2002–present) After his departure from After Forever, began looking for musicians who would work towards a more classical/symphonic type of music project; this was initially named Sahara Dust. In late 2002, the band courted Helena Iren Michaelsen (from Trail of Tears) as its frontwoman, but shortly after, she was replaced by the then unknown Simone Simons in 2003, who was Jansen's girlfriend at the time. The band's line-up was completed by guitarist Ad Sluijter, drummer Jeroen Simons, bassist Yves Huts, and keyboard player Coen Janssen. The name was later changed to Epica,