Apocalyptica have never been strangers to heavy orchestral drama, but their latest work takes them directly into the world of Remedy Entertainment. The Finnish symphonic metal trio have joined forces with Norwegian alternative folk group Kalandra on Upperhand, a track written specifically for the upcoming sci-fi action title Control: Resonant.
What started out as an instrumental motif eventually grew into something much wider in scope. Cellist and composer Eicca Toppinen began piecing the music together while working on the opening sequence of the game. Originally, the instrumental was intended to capture the disoriented, uneasy mindset of a protagonist stepping into unfamiliar territory. As the composition gathered momentum, Toppinen recognized an opportunity to turn the piece into a full vocal track, reaching out to Katrine from Kalandra to shape vocal lines that could anchor those turbulent emotions.
Bringing Apocalyptica's usual approach into the setting required a delicate balancing act. Toppinen described the writing process as both demanding and rewarding, aiming to unite the trio's expansive cello arrangements with the specific atmosphere required by the game. The final arrangement combines sweeping strings with folk vocal elements, reflecting the friction of a story driven by paranatural phenomena. Instead of letting heavy orchestration completely dominate, the song uses Katrine's vocals to bring a necessary feeling of human vulnerability against the surrounding weight.
Control: Resonant is scheduled to launch across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. The story picks up seven years after the events of the 2019 original, shifting focus from previous lead Jesse Faden to her older brother, Dylan. Players will guide Dylan across a twisted Manhattan teetering on the edge of destruction, using supernatural powers against a looming cosmic threat while fighting to hold onto his humanity.
Remedy issued Upperhand alongside a preview selection of six distinct pieces from the game, giving listeners an early sample prior to a broader soundtrack announcement. Creative director Mikael Kasurinen noted that the overall audio philosophy was built to actively guide emotional tension, steering away from music that merely functions as background noise. According to Kasurinen, the score is intended to add real dramatic weight when situations shift suddenly, whether by driving the pace during overwhelming combat or establishing the right mood during tragic scenes. In his view, a well placed piece of music can often carry more narrative weight than standard dialogue.
By framing Upperhand around the initial psychological steps of Dylan Faden's journey, Apocalyptica and Kalandra have produced a piece linked directly to the storyline. It demonstrates how specialized heavy and alternative musicians can shape work tailored to interactive projects, creating songs that stand firmly on their own while staying rooted in the fiction that provoked them.
