Rising Yorkshire, U.K., hardcore combo Ephemera are kicking into 2025 with a new EP and a major-league co-sign. Specifically, the quartet’s “Heaven” features a guest spot from none other than Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach.
While the band’s For Those Afraid to Die EP arrives in full on February 12th, they’ve unveiled the single ahead of time, along with a surrealistic music video directed by Arcade Digital.
The song features lean, atmospheric pull-off riffs and steady-slammed beats, while vocalist Mason — with the Leach assist — howls heavy of his fears, poisoned thoughts and his hopes for a personal awakening (“Show me what tomorrow brings”). The song, it’s explained by the group, arose as the band were going through personal issues and likewise “dealing with suicide and mental health.”
Shot at an old and rather run-down Parish house, the clip finds Mason exploring various run-down rooms that reflect the themes of being “trapped in a sort of purgatory.” Accordingly, there’s layers of religious imagery literally mounted on the walls and on the band’s amplifiers throughout the vid, while other scenes reflect bad memories of past arguments and an ink-throwing finale.
While the song apparently came out of tough circumstances, Ephemera were stoked to bring Leach into the mix to boost their message.
“Jesse Leach is a continued influence to this band, and it has been such an incredible opportunity to get one of our musical influences to send home our message,” the group tells Revolver in a joint statement. “We really hope people like the song, as it’s a different direction musically for us… ‘Heaven’ is a piece to a bigger puzzle, and all the songs [on the new EP] relate.”
Prior to “Heaven,” Ephemera issued the singles “Gatekeeper” and “Ghosted” in 2024.
As for Killswitch Engage, the band’s new album, This Consequence, is due out February 21st via Metal Blade. You can read more about the making of that album in one of the cover stories of Revolver’s Winter Issue, which is available now in our shop.