Breathe in, breathe out, EPICA is back with a ground-breaking record.
The journey of growth follows a spiral, continuously widening and deepening with every cycle.
By sticking to this fundamental principle, symphonic metal innovators EPICA have again reinvented themselves on their ninth effort “Aspiral”. The new studio album shows a band brimming with a newfound joy. Make way for a masterclass in storytelling, grandeur, and timeless melodies.
The album title is derived from the eponymous bronze sculpture made by Polish sculptor and painter Stanisław Szukalski back in 1965. It stands for renewal and inspiration – keywords that define Epica in 2025. In Szukalski’s work every detail is a piece of art on its own and there’s always more to the story than you initially think.
The band saw this as the perfect analogy for the creation of this album: each song stands on its own with a distinctive vibe and meaning, while together they enforce each other into a monumental effort.
At the same time this symbolizes EPICA’s group dynamic throughout this process: they have encouraged, inspired, and challenged each other repeatedly. Determined to achieve something that is greater than the sum of its parts, they left no stone unturned in their search for perfection. If it’s up to creative people to push boundaries, then this sextet sure did just that.
In addition, the process of both writing and recording the album was completely revised: from multiple secluded writing camps, enabling the band to create “Aspiral” as a team, to live band recording sessions capturing the raw energy of the live gigs in a studio environment. Standing united, every single band member brought inspiration, ideas, and years of song writing experience to the table.
Just like the Szukalski sculpture, the album lyrics create a link between chaos, suffering and the beautiful new things to be born out of it. “Aspiral” describes it all in one simple word.
When the band was preparing to write a new album, they kept this in mind: to create, you must destroy.
As mentioned earlier, this meant destroying the individual ego and create as a unity. You’ll hear that this made the album even more personal and to the point. More alive and adventurous.
But it also made EPICA destroy old underlying patterns to re-invent themselves and to create a bold new era for symphonic metal in general. The band felt the immense urge to focus on what really matters: emotions and melodies. In all capacities.
Although still complex, the new music sounds refreshing, organic and focused. No unnecessary studio tricks, no distracting details. Instead, the band lets the magic of their music breathe with more dynamic flow, more groove, and more space for everyone to shine.
As hard as it is for a band that is all about majestic, complicated arrangements and multi-layering both vocally and instrumentally, they’ve succeeded to channel the pure essence of what they do best by delivering a ferocious beast of an album that showcases every single member at their peak. They’ve truly mastered the art of flawlessly balancing both the ‘symphonic’ and the ‘metal’ aspect of the genre, once and for all propelling them to the top of the metal world.
As the new EPICA album is all about focus, the band wanted contemporary sculptor Hedi Xandt (Rammstein, Ghost, Parkway Drive) to set all this into a stunning visual representation. It’s a bold statement and a homage all in one.
If the number 9 represents divinity, perfection, and spiritual growth, then this album is the modern interpretation of just that. Musically, lyrically, and visually.
Testimony to this wave of fresh blood is a wild rollercoaster ride of an album. From the intense opener “Cross the Divide”, storming out of the gates without warning, to the closing title track, a tear-jerking ballad with a Simone Simons in brilliant form.
This album shows their commitment to the game, distilling the very heart of the trademarks they are known for. Everything about “Aspiral” feels like a reminder that passion is energy.
Breathe in, breathe out, 2025 belongs to EPICA.
