Epica Just Hit Over 1 Billion Streams — Symphonic Metal Has Gone Mainstream

Symphonic Surge: Epica Breaks Streaming Records with Unprecedented Global Numbers

AMSTERDAM — June 2025

In a move that has stunned even longtime industry observers, Dutch symphonic metal band Epica has officially shattered their all-time streaming records across major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music — pulling in over 1.3 billion cumulative streams worldwide in just the first five months of 2025.

The unexpected surge is largely credited to the viral success of their reimagined orchestral-metal single “Kingdom of Heaven (Ascension Edit),” which debuted in March to celebrate the band’s upcoming 25th anniversary. The track went viral on TikTok and Instagram Reels, with thousands of users remixing or syncing dramatic moments, fight scenes, and cosplay videos to its thunderous opening and soaring chorus.

The success pushed the band’s monthly Spotify listeners past 8 million, a staggering number for a symphonic metal act that has largely thrived outside mainstream U.S. radio. Epica now ranks among the top five most-streamed metal bands in Europe — a feat no other Dutch metal band has achieved before.

Frontwoman Simone Simons, who recently released a solo EP while still fronting Epica, addressed the milestone in a heartfelt post to fans:

“Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine something like this happening 20 years after our debut album. Symphonic metal has always had a fiercely loyal base — but to see it reaching so many new ears? It’s surreal. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Simons, along with founding member Mark Jansen, have remained the creative nucleus of Epica since their 2003 debut The Phantom Agony. The band’s lush blend of operatic vocals, growls, orchestras, and heavy guitar work has defined the European symphonic metal scene and influenced countless acts — but their popularity remained niche for years.

That all changed when Netflix featured Epica’s music in the fantasy series Children of the Veil, a breakout European hit that aired earlier this year. The show’s epic battle scenes were set to tracks like Cry for the Moon and Beyond the Matrix, exposing the band to millions of fantasy and metal fans globally.

Netflix is reportedly in talks to feature the band again in upcoming seasons and may even produce a concert special after the success of its Metallica and Taylor Swift live content. According to sources close to the streaming giant, Epica’s current tour “The Alchemy Paradox” may be filmed during its Latin American leg this fall.

Their label, Nuclear Blast Records, issued a statement celebrating the milestone:

“Epica’s achievements this year are not just a win for the band — they’re a win for symphonic metal as a genre. This proves that metal and beauty can live side by side and still go viral in 2025.”

With rumors of another full-length album in the works and international demand growing at a fever pitch, Epica may be entering a second — and even more legendary — phase of their career.