Dutch symphonic metal titans EPICA have released a brand new single, ‘Arcana’. The track heralds a new chapter in EPICA’s two-decade-long history and marks the band’s first new release since the group’s chart-topping 2021 album Omega and the collaboration EP The Alchemy Project. It offers a glimpse into the band’s future music, coming in 2025. EPICA comments: “‘Arcana’ guides you through the universal stages of spiritual evolution in life. It leads the way to a higher consciousness and spiritual self-awareness. Writing this song was a spontaneous effort, so it came together quickly, which felt so natural that it wrote itself. The music contains classic EPICA elements but has some vibes that might remind you of ’80s alternative rock or modern metal.” [via Blabbermouth]

Birmingham UK based noisemongers Vanitas release ‘Wait And See’, their last single from a very impressive 2024. They pronounced earlier this year that “Vanitas return matured and dangerous, promising to deliver their heaviest release yet”. Said release was their musclebound Chaos Theory EP. Vanitas proclaim that “’Wait And See’ is an epic anthem, exploring the duality of excitement and anxiety of trusting an unknown future, out now.” [via Planet Mosh]

VUKOVI have released a new music video. The new music video, for the track ‘Misty Ecstasy’, is taken from the Scottish alternative band’s upcoming new album, My God Has Got A Gun, which is scheduled to be released in January next year, via SharpTone Records. Speaking about the new song, vocalist Janine Shilstone shares, “the most fun/tongue-in-cheek song we’ve created. We wanted to put out something that could cut through a very dark and uncertain time for this day and age. Sex should be fun and safe without judgement. OUR BODY OUR CHOICE.” [via Distorted Sound]

Poppy’s new album, Negative Spaces, is finally here, and it comes with the post-genre auteur’s most extreme and crushing song yet: ‘the center’s falling out.’ The album’s pre-release singles have showcased the record’s range — from the neon-soaked synth-pop of ‘crystallized’ to the dynamic metalcore of ‘they’re all around us.’ But ‘the center’s falling out’ is a different and more dangerous beast entirely. Raging from start to finish, it puts even Poppy’s Grammy-nominated turn with Knocked Loose, ‘Suffocate,’ to the heaviness test. The song — which was co-written by House of Protection’s Stephen Harrison (formerly of Fever 333 and the Chariot) — arrived accompanied with a sick performance video in which Poppy throws down in Argento-esque red fog while being surreally filmed by herself. [via Revolver]

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