Epica announce new album Aspiral, drop single “Cross the Divide”

Epica have introduced their ninth studio album, Aspiral, arriving April eleventh by way of Nuclear Blast Data. The video for the brand new single and LP opener “Cross the Divide” may be streamed now.

The upbeat observe is a wonderful train in symphonic prog metallic, combining catchy riffs with bouncy keys and an air of classical decadence. Singer Simone Simons — a grasp of this model — performs each frontwoman and narrator, as if in an opera.

It’s the second single from Aspiral, with the band’s 2024 observe “Arcana” additionally included on the tracklist. The 11-song album was recorded at Sandlane Studios with producer/mixing engineer Joost van den Broek and options placing art work by Hedi Xandt (Rammstein, Ghost).

Concerning the album title, Epica took the title from a piece by Polish sculptor and painter Stanisław Szukalski: a 1965 bronze sculpture entitled Aspiral, which stands for renewal and inspiration.

“In Szukalski’s work, each element is a chunk of artwork by itself and there’s all the time extra to the story than you initially suppose,” acknowledged Epica’s press launch. “The band noticed this as the right analogy for the creation of this ninth album: Every music stands by itself with a particular vibe and which means, whereas collectively they implement one another right into a monumental effort.”

Aspiral is being launched in quite a lot of vinyl and CD configurations, together with a particular version that includes a Blu-ray of the band’s full “Symphonic Synergy” efficiency (with an orchestra and choir) that came about in Amsterdam in final 12 months. Pre-orders can be found by way of Nuclear Blast.

Stream the clip for “Cross the Divide” and see the album artwork and tracklist under.

Aspiral Art work:
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