Pearl / Deep Ocean. Catalog Number: 4065629733186 Color: Blue Format: LP UPC: 4065629733186 The journey of growth follows a spiral, continuously widening and deepening with every cycle. By sticking to this spiritual principle, symphonic metal innovators Epica have reinvented themselves on their ninth effort Aspiral, releasing a studio album that shows a band brimming with a newfound joy in their own skin - standing united as a team, where every band member brought inspiration, ideas and years of songwriting experience to the table. Aspiral bears testimony to this unity, but the band's steep ascent within the past years was far from coincidental and required lots of hard work and combination of things happening after the release of their latest album Omega in the midst of a raging pandemic. After walking several steps off their usual path with their EP "The Alchemy Project" which saw them collaborating with artists such as Myrkur, Fleshgod Apocalypse or Uriah Heep, the band played a massive world tour and got invited by a certain band called Metallica for several dates, and played 4 sold out "Symphonic Synergy" shows with a massive orchestra and choir. After diving deep into hypothetical theories, metaphysical mysticism and themes that were touching the fabric of our existence in the infinity of the universe, Epica's 9th studio effort Aspiral centers on the work of sculptor Stanislaw Szukalski. During the first Covid lockdown, bassist Rob van der Loo saw the documentary 'Struggle - The Life And Lost Art Of Stanislav Szukalski' and felt so inspired by his work that he wanted to write soundtracks for some of his sculptures, simply because each and every detail in his works are artworks on their own and their stories go very deep." And this is where the path started. Aspiral was born as an instrumental soundtrack to this world, an initially separate project that over time metamorphosed into the new Epica record. The title comes from a bronze statue Szukalski did in 1965. If you take a close look, you can see snails rebuilding elements out of the mud in cycles and this eventually leads to civilization and a woman reaching out to the sun. It stands for renewal and inspiration - keywords that define Epica in 2025. For more than 20 years now, Epica have been standing tall. And while already their last efforts clearly showcased their commitment to the game, it is Aspiral that truly distils the very heart of their trademark sound.