Track By Tracks: ANA - Motivated By Death (2026)

1. Hate Me:

This was the first single that introduced the listener to the album. We wanted to go with something that was provocative, not just visually but sonically as well. We wove Eastern scales and melodies through the song, creating a sound that blurs the lines between major and minor and phrases that were unpredictable and without resolution. It’s a song that sparks your curiosity, and the more you pay attention, the more intricacies you notice.

2. Shadow of life:

This is our 2nd single off the album, and sonically it could not be more different. It leans hard into the pop aesthetic, but not the modern pop people are familiar with. We wanted a ’70s pop-inspired sound but with a modern approach. Elements of disco and 90’s techno were thrown in to create the atmosphere we wanted to achieve.

3. You loved me more than I love myself:

The song follows the personal journey of past experiences leading to a point where self-love is absent, and from the ashes a new love rises. The music follows this solemnly and builds with intensity as the story reaches its emotional peak. Each instrument cycles in and out of the spotlight here like an actor in a theatre production. Playing their part, then fading back into the lush tapestry. The guitar solo was a one-take capture of pure emotionality in the moment.

4. Following the wind:

This was a wild one, haha, and it very much captures who we are as a band. It starts out with a more conventional rock/metal riff, which leads into more unpredictable territory. The breakdown took inspiration from musicals, and the subsequent rap section was clearly hip-hop inspired. This is us having fun as a band. After all, music should be played, not worked.

5. Eyes of a child:

This song's riffs were kind of our love letter to early 00’s melodic death metal. Specifically bands like In Flames, Arch Enemy, and Children of Bodom.

Lyrically, it is the only song on the album that delves into the lore of the ANA comic. The story it tells is actually a prequel to the events that transpire in issue #1

6. Sick Love:

This is us wanting to strip everything back and showcase the vocals in a vulnerable way. The piano accompaniment is tasteful and restrained, serving to highlight the heavy emotional weight. Throughout the song, the listener is lulled into a state of familiarity with the soothing melody. Then the bridge enters with just the right amount of chordal dissonance before the epic finale.

7. Papa:

This is the most personal song Anna has ever written. It’s a posthumous letter to her father, who passed away when she was young. The music draws heavily from traditional and Soviet era Russian music to invoke the setting of Anna’s childhood. Heavy orchestration is combined with our most operatic vocals to date to capture Anna’s time studying opera in Stavropol. The result is a heart-wrenching and severe expression of symphonic metal.

8. Aerials:

When covering a song this well-known, we approached it with a lot of respect for the source material by strictly adhering to the structure and melody of the original. We innovated by applying our touch and expanding on the grandiosity of the interpretation.

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