Evanescence have shared a brand-new single called ‘Afterlife’ – you can listen to it below.
The song is due to feature in the upcoming animated series Devil May Cry, which will arrive on Netflix next Thursday (April 3).
In the atmospheric first verse, frontwoman Amy Lee sings: “Hide before the floodgates open / Can we just lie here until it’s all over? / I hear the violence coming / Turn and run inside / You build your walls, but can’t forget the hate / You hide…”
The track then erupts into a huge, dramatic chorus as Lee declares: “Damned to finally meet you in the afterlife.” She then pleads: “Save me from this pain and fill the hole inside / You wonder why I’m all out of tears to cry / Today I’m not afraid to die.”
Co-written by Lee and Alex Seaver of Mako, and co-produced by Seaver and Nick Raskulinecz, ‘Afterlife’ is accompanied by an official Devil May Cry-themed lyric video. Watch here:
The forthcoming Netflix series, created by Adi Shankar, is an adaptation of the popular Capcom video game franchise of the same name.
A description reads: “Sinister forces are at play to open the portal between the human and demon realms. In the middle of it all is Dante, an orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire, unaware that the fate of both worlds hangs around his neck.”
According to a press release, an “alternate version” of Evanescence’s ‘Afterlife’ “will appear multiple times” in the new TV show. It also noted that the band were “primarily focused on creating new music this year”.
Their fifth and most recent studio album, ‘The Bitter Truth’, was released in 2021.
During a new interview with Loudwire, Lee revealed that Evanescence were “happily, deeply in the creative process on the new album and a couple of other side things like [‘Afterlife’]”.
She said that the standalone Devil May Cry song marked the group’s “first time to get back in the studio recording since ‘The Bitter Truth’”. Lee added: “Super fun, super grateful for the opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Evanescence are set to open for My Chemical Romance, Metallica and Halsey later this year. They’ll also make an appearance at Louder Than Life Festival 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky this September.
Speaking to NME in late 2022, Lee explained that making ‘The Bitter Truth’ had been “very cathartic” for the band. “It was so good for our souls,” she said. “We had so much to say and talk about.”
Looking ahead to what was coming next, Lee told NME: “I try not to make too many concrete plans – it just happens. When you sit at the piano and just let it happen. But yeah, I want to make new music with this cool new energy we have with the band.”
You can revisit the full video interview for NME‘s In Conversation series above.
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