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Apocalyptica share epic metal ‘Control: Resonant’ anthem ‘Upperhand’
Music News•September 24, 2026 at 3:00 PMNational

Apocalyptica share epic metal ‘Control: Resonant’ anthem ‘Upperhand’

By Ali Shutler•NME Music News

“It reflects the uneasy emotions of the main character in transition to the unknown” The post Apocalyptica share epic metal ‘Control: Resonant’ anthem ‘Upperhand’ appeared first on NME.

Apocalyptica have shared their cinematic metal anthem ‘Upperhand’, written for action-adventure sci-fi game Control: Resonant.

‘Upperhand’ was composed by the Finnish symphonic metal trio and features Norwegian alternative folk band Kalandra. 

The epic track is an expansion of the instrumental main theme Apocalytica wrote for Control: Resonant. “The first version of Upperhand was written as intro music for the game’s opening sequence,” Apocalyptica’s Eicca Toppinen said in a statement. “It reflects the uneasy emotions of the main character in transition to the unknown. I wanted to expand it into a full song with lyrics, and we were so lucky to get Katrine from Kalandra with her unique voice to carry this where it was supposed to go.”

“This song combines multiple special qualities of Apocalyptica and getting those qualities to serve the world of Control was a challenging but exciting and rewarding journey,” he added. “I truly hope Control and Apocalyptica fans will find this as special as we do.”

Control: Resonant is out today (September 25) for the Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC. Set seven years after the events of 2019’s Control, players will take control of Dylan Faden, the older brother of original protagonist Jesse. “Explore a warped Manhattan on the brink of paranatural annihilation in this thrilling action-adventure RPG. Unleash the extraordinary powers of Dylan Faden as he fights for his humanity and our survival against a reality-bending cosmic threat,” reads an official description of the game. 

News on the release of the game’s full soundtrack will be shared soon but yesterday (September 24), Remedy Entertainment shared six eclectic tracks from Control: Resonant.

“My goal is to have music elevate key moments beyond what you’d expect from the drama. It can add surprising complexity to events where things aren’t what you expect,” the game’s creative director Mikael Kasurinen told Forbes. “It can be the fuel you need when you must beat impossible odds, or it can set up the right tone when you face a tragedy. But music can also tell stories: Sometimes you don’t need to say anything. All you need is the right song.”

In other news, the beloved Final Fantasy 15 soundtrack is finally getting a vinyl release – though a number of songs are missing.

The post Apocalyptica share epic metal ‘Control: Resonant’ anthem ‘Upperhand’ appeared first on NME.

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