EPICA - The Complete Package
Written by: Rashid AlKamraikhi | Monday 7th April 2025
With their 9th album’s imminent release, we got to chat with EPICA’s lead vocalist, Simone Simons, about the themes explored, and the journey they took while creating their latest opus, Aspiral.
Simone explained that the title of the album, Aspiral, means renewal and growth, and that these are the central themes explored within the album. The name is also an homage to the Polish sculptor, Stanisław Szukalski, and one of his pieces that bears the same name.
Simone was first introduced to the artist’s work by her bandmate, Mark Jansen, who recommended that she watch the Leonardo DiCaprio (they were family friends?!?) produced documentary, Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski while travelling between shows on tour.
This led to a fascination with the artist, who, aside from his work, had also developed his own theory of human evolution called Zermatism, which revolved around an eternal struggle between the human race and the Yetinsyny, a hybrid race of Yetis and Humans. Wild stuff, but I, like EPICA, love a good cryptid.
Speaking of crytids, in the lead-up to the release of ‘Aspiral’, the band have put out three music clips, ‘Arcana’, 'Cross The Divide’, and ‘T.I.M.E.’. While all three clips feature nefarious masked, trenchcoat-clad characters known as ‘Kevins’ (a name given to them by Simone and her son Vincent, due to their resemblance to the minions from Despicable Me.) only 'Cross The Divide’ and ‘Arcana’ are narratively linked.’
‘Arcana’ shows the Kevins searching for a cryptid creature, played by Simone. They are foiled by an ‘anti-Kevin’ played by Mark, allowing the creature to be released into the world. 'Cross The Divide’ has the creature growing in power, and resisting the Kevins that pursue it.
Simone informed me that another clip completing the narrative will be out soon, and that it is their proudest film clip work to date. Based on the love and effort they have put into producing the clips so far, I’m sure it will be a spectacle.
Another visual element to ‘Aspiral’ is it’s amazing cover art, created by artist and sculptor Hedi Xandt known for his work with bands such as Rammstein, Ghost, and Parkway Drive.
While the band let Hedi in on the album’s central themes, they also allowed him the freedom to assign his own meaning to the work. The artist took this inspiration to create, in his own words, “A celestial, yet organic artefact – pulling the eye inward, evoking the relentless momentum of discovery, the perpetual unfolding of mystery.”. “Just as EPICA’s music builds worlds within worlds, this artwork is not merely a cover, but a portal—a whisper from the vast unknown, calling us forward.“.
The striking image and thought behind it perfectly encapsulates both EPICA and Aspiral as a whole into literally, the complete package.
Aspiral cover art by Hedi Xandt
Aspiral will be out on April 11th, via Nuclear Blast Records.
