Released By: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: April 11th, 2025
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Links: https://www.epica.nl/
Line Up:
Simone Simons – Vocals
Mark Jansen – Guitars, Vocals
Isaac Delahaye – Guitars
Rob van der Loo – Bass
Coen Janssen – Keyboards
Ariën van Weesenbeek – Drums, Vocals
Tracklist:
1. Cross the Divide
2. Arcana
3. Darkness Dies in Light – A New Age Dawns Parts VII
4. Obsidian Heart
5. Fight to Survive – The Overview Effect
6. Metanoia – A New Age Dawns Part VIII
7. T.I.M.E.
8. Apparition
9. Eye of the Storm
10. The Grand Saga of Existence – A New Age Dawns Part IX
11. Aspiral
There are many bands I’m always excited to hear new music from, and there are many I consider longtime favorites, but there are only a few I can expect to deliver an absolute top tier experience every time they release new music. One such band is Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. Even among my favorite bands, most of them have at least one or two albums in their discography that fall a bit short, but Epica just never seems to disappoint, always leaving me fully satisfied with each new release, whether it’s a full length album or an EP. Their past few albums in particular have all been fantastic, with The Quantum Enigma being my personal favorite symphonic metal album of all time, while neither The Holographic Principle nor Omega represented much of a drop off in quality. With their upcoming ninth full length release, Aspiral, they’ve once again met my expectations, and even if this is the first time in a while they haven’t fully blown me away, it’s still a fantastic album, as always.
Aspiral is an interesting album, in that when it comes to the actual sound, not much has changed from any of the band’s previous few albums. It’s still the same kind of epic, theatrical symphonic metal fans have come to expect, with all the expected elements, such as a big focus on orchestral elements and choirs, heavy guitar work, intense MDM sections where Mark Jansen delivers his powerful growls, and plenty of catchy, melodic sections where Simone Simons takes over with her always beautiful and fantastic lead vocals. There’s also some speedy power metal sections, and a few more complex and progressive tracks. However, I’d say the approach and structure of the album is a tad different, compared to normal. Unlike any of their past albums, it has a sort of outro track, as opposed to ending with a longer track, and it also doesn’t have an intro, instead immediately throwing fans into the thick of things with an intense opening track. Also, this is the first time in a while there haven’t been any real monster length tracks: Instead, there’s three new parts to the ongoing “A New Age Dawns” saga. The band began this saga back on Consign to Oblivion and continued with Design Your Own Universe. These tracks range from a bit under 7 minutes, to just under 8 minutes, and are by far the most epic, complex tracks on the album, as well as being the most classic Epica sounding tracks here, with each of them throwing in a bit of everything. Many of the other tracks are a bit simpler, catchier and more straight-forward. Some tracks are heavy and intense, while others are a bit lighter and more melodic, though there isn’t anything I’d consider a full on, pure ballad. Some tracks are very guitar driven, while some lean heavily on the orchestral elements and keyboards. Of course, there are some which include just about everything, but most of the shorter tracks have a slightly smaller focus, with some tracks feeling a bit dialed back. Which isn’t to say they aren’t excellent, but there’s definitely a sense that the band wanted to simplify things a bit, and keep some of the tracks a bit simpler and more focused. Which is to say, aside from those three epics, this is probably their least progressive album since Consign to Oblivion.
Performances are obviously fantastic, as always. Guitarist Isaac Delahaye delivers plenty of crunchy riffs, as well as some nice melodic guitar work and some very technical solos on a few tracks, while Coen Janssen‘s keyboards are as atmospheric and flavorful as always, and drummer Arjen van Weesenbeek does a fantastic job, as always. I find Mark Jansen‘s growls have been perhaps reduced a bit compared to some of the band’s other more recent work, mostly relegated to short bursts aside from on the aforementioned longer tracks, where he’s given a bit more room to work with, though he obviously still sounds fantastic, when he does get to showcase his growls. Obviously, though, Simone Simons carries the load on most tracks, and she’s in fine form with her clean vocals being as smooth and powerful as ever, and she also gets to go all out with huge operatic vocals at times, and the result is absolutely stunning. Choir vocals and orchestral elements are also very prominent, as usual, but like on past albums, the band always manages to strike a perfect balance between metal and symphonic elements. Which brings me to the production, and there isn’t much to say about that, as it’s something the band has long since perfected, and this album sounds every bit as amazing as usual.
Opening track and second single “Cross the Divide”, is one of the simpler songs, as while it does have some orchestral elements, they feel a bit reduced compared to normal. Instead, it’s a fun, upbeat and fairly-straight-forward symphonic power metal song, led my melodic guitar work in the intro, before switching into chunkier riffs and light keys during the opening verse, and then the chorus speeds things up and while it’s not as epic as the band can often be, it’s instead very fun, melodic and catchy, making it a very obvious choice for a single. There’s an excellent section towards the end, which starts off slowly, adds in some vocals later on, and then speeds up towards the end, leading into the final run through the chorus. Next is lead single “Arcana”, another very simple track, though it very much falls more on the symphonic and theatrical side of things. It’s a slower paced, very atmospheric track, led by moody keys and fairly dark sounding orchestral elements, as well as some epic choir vocals. There’s bits of heavy guitar work throughout, but the verses are very soft and have fairly minimal instrumental work, mostly led by drums, vocals and orchestral elements. The chorus is very epic, with a huge reliance on choral vocals and huge vocal melodies, while guitars and keys play a secondary role. There is a heavier, more guitar driven section towards the end, where Jansen makes his first vocal appearance on the album, with some pretty awesome growls.
The longest track is “Darkness Dies in Light – A New Age Dawns Part VII”, which clocks in at just under 8 minutes. It starts off with epic marching drums and orchestral elements, before settling into a nice groove, with chunky guitars and moving at a moderate tempo. It has a fairly lengthy buildup, with the opening verse being fairly subdued up until Jansen throws in some growls towards the end, and even the chorus isn’t too intense, mostly relying on symphonic elements and choral vocals. Towards the middle, things get more intense, starting with a brief growled section, and the drums and guitars go fast and furious for an explosive instrumental section, interspersed with an epic vocal section, featuring Simons using her operatic vocals along with some choir vocals. This is then followed by a couple of epic instrumental sections, the first of which has some awesome guitar work, while the other is more keyboard driven, and in between those are some more awesome choir vocals. The last run through the chorus is notably more epic, and one of my favorite moments on the entire album. It’s a very complex and eventful track, with a lot going on, but it’s all pulled off perfectly, and it’s sure to be a favorite for longtime Epica fans.
Next is “Obsidian Heart”, an atmospheric track, which almost feels like a ballad at points, but it’s just heavy enough that I don’t think I would call it one overall. It starts off with some light keys, and the verses and chorus are fairly slow paced and subdued, placing a heavy focus on keys and vocals, with the chorus in particular having some awesome vocal melodies, which do a great job of showcasing Simons. Sadly, there’s also some rather repetitive djent infused guitar work, appearing on and off throughout the track, and I find it a bit distracting. Djent has never been my favorite genre, as I don’t like that kind of dissonant guitar work too much, and it’s used a fair bit just on this track, with the instrumental section towards the end being rather irritating and unpleasant to listen to, something I find surprising considering I usually love Delahaye’s guitar work. Overall, it’s by far my least favorite track the band has done in a very long time, but it’s still worth listening to, especially for the excellent chorus. Things pick up again with “Fight to Survive – The Overview Effect”, a more fun, upbeat track, with a nice mix of fun orchestral elements, chunky guitars, and big vocal melodies. It moves along at a fairly quick pace, with bits of heavy guitar work here and there, and there’s some nice softer, more vocal driven passages throughout, while the chorus is more upbeat and gets fairly intense and epic towards the end. The instrumental section in the middle features some fantastic guitar work, and it leads into a nice piano section, where Simons delivers a beautiful vocal performance, and it’s then followed by a very nice guitar solo. Overall, it’s a fairly simple track, but it’s also a ton of fun.
The second lengthier track is “Metanoia – A New Age Dawns Part VIII”. It has a very quiet opening, with soft background music and some very peaceful chanting vocals, eventually accompanied by some beautiful violin music. Eventually, the choirs fully kick in, and from there the guitar work gets much thrashier, with an explosive fast-paced section, before settling into more of a groovy, mid-paced rhythm for the opening verse. There’s a nice mix of heavy and melodic passages throughout the track, and both vocalists are given plenty of room to shine throughout the verses, while the chorus is lighter and more melodic, with Simons getting to shine, thanks to some beautiful vocal melodies, along with some epic orchestral backing. The guitar solo towards the end is very beautiful, and one of the best on the album, while Jansen gets to steal the show with an explosive, frantic death metal passage right towards the end, accompanied by some intense choir vocals. Overall, it’s another fantastic track, with quite a lot going on. The third single, and shortest track on the album is “T.I.M.E.”, another fairly simple track, with a very theatrical feeling. It opens up with a kid singing, followed by a rather lengthy instrumental opening, but once the opening verse gets going, it features some rather chunky guitar work and intense vocals from Simons, and towards the end there’s some epic blast beats. The chorus is slow paced, and very atmospheric, with some fantastic operatic vocals from both Simons and the choirs. It’s a very simple, fun and catchy track, and another one of those tracks which feels like it was designed to be a single.
One track which I find somewhat deceiving is “Apparition”. What I mean by that is it starts off quite intense and heavy, with a quick growled section, followed by some groovy riffs, but then it settles in for a calm opening verse, mostly focused on drums, orchestral elements and very light lead vocals. The chorus is a bit heavier, but it’s still fairly subdued, and very melodic, with excellent vocal melodies. Aside from the occasional bursts of heaviness and quick harsh vocal sections, it’s more of a light, atmospheric track, with a very strong chorus. The guitar solo is quite heavy and intense, though. One of the speediest, most upbeat tracks on the album is “Eye of the Storm”, which is also my favorite of the non epic length tracks. It opens up with some epic symphonic elements, and speeds up nicely, for a heavy, explosive opening verse with thrashy guitar work, and intense growls, before Simons takes over partway through, leading into a very light, melodic and very upbeat chorus, with some fantastic vocal melodies. The final run is especially epic, with some fantastic vocals, sung at a higher key. The instrumental section has a bit of a technical thrash feel to it, and is quite intense and impressive.
The band made an interesting choice by making the third epic length track “The Grand Saga of Existence – A New Age Dawns Part IX”, the shortest of the three, but I think it works out well, as it’s still an epic, complex track, and it has a very climactic feel. It opens up with some very epic orchestral music, which lasts for around 40 seconds, and then there’s some heavy guitar work, and the track settles into a nice groove, with heavy guitars and epic choirs, before settling down for a very calm, acoustic guitar driven opening verse. This section in particular reminds me of some of the band’s earlier work, and it has a very classic feel to it. Jansen shows up with some epic growls, leading into the chorus, where Simons goes all out with some of the best operatic vocals she’s delivered in quite a while, with the final run in particular really allowing her to show off her absolute gift of a voice. There’s also some epic choir vocals throughout the track, and later on, during the second run through the chorus, the band adds on an extra section, which is stunningly beautiful, and probably my favorite passage on the entire album. This leads into more of a doom metal section, with some epic growls from Jansen, which is then followed up by some explosive guitar work and epic theatrical vocals, and then Jansen takes lead again during a very heavy, groovy section. The track has a lot going on, and as I mentioned earlier, it has a very climactic feel to it, with the last minute in particular being absolute perfection. Closing out the album is the title track, which starts off as a light piano ballad, with some very soft vocals, and then partway through there’s some voiceovers. From that point on, it starts feeling more like an outro, as Simons doesn’t sing any more lyrics until the last 40 seconds or so, and a big chunk of the track just has her doing some soft chanting vocals. It’s a very beautiful outro, but as a standalone track, it would be much less effective. Which is to say, it serves its role nicely, but it isn’t meant to be a standout.
Epica is one of those bands where it feels like no matter what they do, they’ll always leave me fully satisfied, and Aspiral is no exception. At times, it feels a bit simpler and more dialed back compared to some of their past work, with more of a focus on fun, catchy or atmospheric tracks, but there’s still plenty of the epic moments longtime fans would expect from the band, and everyone is in top form, with Simone Simons in particular sounding absolutely stunning, as always. There’s a good amount of variety to the tracks, with some heavier tracks, some lighter, more melodic tracks, and obviously the three lengthier tracks are more complex, as well as being some of the most classic Epica sounding tracks the band has done in quite a while. I wouldn’t say the album blew me away, like many of the band’s past albums, but it’s still excellent as always, and the band shows no signs of losing their distinction as the best in their field.
Ratings: 9/10
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.
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