Summary

A huge part of anime has always been the music, with fans getting almost as excited about the opening and ending songs as they are for the actual content of the show. Historically, anime have featured almost exclusively Japanese bands. However, with the rise of anime’s popularity internationally, and more musicians sharing that they are fans of certain shows themselves, someinternational artists have started to performas well. The latest one to add to the list is female-led rock band Evanescence, who will be performing a song forNetflix’s anime adaptation ofDevil May Cry.

The news dropped via the Instagram account netflixgeeked, who posted about the upcoming song release earlier this week. The song, titled “Afterlife,” is set to drop this Friday. Additionally, a special lyric video with exclusive clips from the new series is set to release on Thursday, the day before the full song is released. This is ahead of theDevil May Cryanime’s premiere, which is scheduled for April 3rd, 2025.

Evanescence xDevil May Cry

Serving 2000s Nostalgia

While it may seem unexpected, Evanescence performing a song forDevil May Cryactually makes a lot of sense.Devil May Cryis based on the hugely popular video game series, which was first released in 2001. Evanescence, meanwhile, came onto the scene in 2003. They were bothpopular throughout the 2000s, and likely shared many fans. Both the band and the franchise share dark themes and Gothic vibes. So really, they are a match made in heaven - or maybe we should say, made in Hell.

Very little extra information is available about this new song at the moment. The only news that has been released this week is that the new song by Evanescence will be called “Afterlife.” At least for now, it will not have a regular music video, but will instead be released in full, with a lyrics video. In lieu of the usual music video featuring the band, this lyric video will have scenes from the unreleasedDevil May Cryanime. These scenes are reported to be exclusive, so fans can look forward to seeing clips that haven’t yetbeen shown in trailers.

The UpcomingDevil May CryAnime

The Adaptation Many Have Been Waiting For

SinceCastlevaniawas first successfully adapted into an anime by Netflix back in 2017, it was only a matter of time beforeDevil May Cryreceived the same treatment. The games share a similar atmosphere, and a similar fan base. Considering the streaming service was able to do justice to theCastlevaniaadaptation, many fans have had high hopes forDevil May Cryas well.Devil May Cryis being produced by self-proclaimed fan Adi Shankar (along with Lee Seung-wook and Hideaki Itsuno), who also worked on the production team ofCastlevania.

Netflix describesDevil May Crysimply as,

When a mysterious villain threatens to open the gates of Hell, a devilishly handsome demon hunter could be the world’s best hope for salvation.

The series will premier next month on April 3rd, 2025.

Evanescence willnot be the only 2000s bandto be featured, either. The opening of the anime was already released, and it is performed by Limp Bizkit, who was also active throughout the 2000s. Limp Bizkit’s song for the anime is called “Rollin.” Additionally, the latest trailer forDevil May Cryfeatured “Last Resort” by the rock band Papa Roach. While not a new song, the song remains popular - and was released in, you guessed it, 2000. It may or may not feature in the actual anime.

WhileDevil May Crywill likely attract plenty of new fans to the franchise via the upcoming anime, it is also going to be a walk through memory lane for anyone who was alive in the 2000s. With plenty of 2000s throwbacks, it should be a nostalgic trip for fans. However, songs like “Afterlife” are new, andDevil May Cryiscertainly a modern anime, so it will also be breathing life into things that are now more than 20 years old. That has the power to keep both old and new fans happy.