Aspiral

Aspiral is Epica's ninth album, further widening the band's world with solemn orchestration and weighty riffs. It concludes the suite "A New Age Dawns" — begun on 2005's Consign to Oblivion and continued on Design Your Universe — across parts seven through nine here. Released in April 2025 through Nuclear Blast, it is a record that concentrates their essence even after a career of over 20 years. The album title derives from a sculpture called Aspiral by the Polish artist Stanisław Szukalski. From the lead singles — the upbeat "Cross the Divide" and "Arcana" — to "T.I.M.E.," standing for "Transformation, Integration, Metamorphosis and Evolution," varied songs line up. Longer suite pieces, including the nearly eight-minute "Darkness Dies in Light," add progressive depth. Under Joost van den Broek's production, Simone Simons's singing colors the whole record. A powerful album carving the band's present. The artwork was created by Hedi Xandt, and it was recorded at Sandlane Studios.