Epica cover a 19th-century symphony on new single The Ghost In Me, and it’s the most gloriously bombastic thing you’ll hear today
· louderBy Matt Mills
( Metal Hammer )
published 24 October 2024
A symphonic metal band adapting a classical piece to promote the opening of a rollercoaster? Why not!
If you had “symphonic metal band covers a 19th-century classical piece to promote a rollercoaster” on your 2024 bingo card, time to check yourself out of that asylum! Epica have released The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre) in collaboration with Dutch theme park de Efteling.
The new single adapts the 1874 movement Danse Macabre by French musician/composer Camille Saint-Saëns, bringing its string motifs into the 21st century by pairing them with blasts of metal.
The Ghost In Me was debuted live at Epica’s Symphonic Synergy concerts in Amsterdam last month, and is now getting its official release. It’s come out as a tie-in with de Efteling’s gothic new ride, Danse Macabre, which suitably opens on October 31.
Epica keyboardist Coen Janssen comments: “Every kid in the Netherlands knows how magical de Efteling is, and working this closely with the most beautiful theme park in the world surely is a dream come true!
He continues, discussing the impact of the original music: “As a young boy, I immediately got captivated by the Danse Macabre by Saint-Saëns as a soundtrack for [fellow de Efteling ride] Spookslot. So, when de Efteling announced their new plans for the ghostly attraction Danse Macabre, all pieces of the puzzle fell into place immediately: why not combine our symphonic side with the ’scary’ side of metal and do our version of this epic classical piece?”
Janssen finishes: “We are so happy that de Efteling trusted our vision and gave their full support, providing us with the new ride’s storyline, so we could write lyrics fitting the fantastic narrative and even adding a new chapter!”
Epica released their latest album, The Alchemy Project, in 2022 and are currently working on a followup. Singer Simone Simons told Mariskal Rock in August (via Blabbermouth): “The album should be released [in] 2025. I just wrote with Mark [Jansen, guitars] and Rob [Van Der Loo, bass] yesterday that I’m so happy with the songs, I’m so proud how everything turned out, and it’s gonna be another amazing Epica album.”
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De Efteling – in Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands – claims to be the second-most popular theme park in Europe and draws more than five million visitors annually. It’s the largest theme park in the Netherlands and, having opened in 1952, one of the oldest active theme parks in the world.
EPICA - The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre) Official Music Video for Danse Macabre at @efteling - YouTube
Matt Mills
Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer
Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.
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