Couture symphonic metal band ANA have released a new music video for “Following the Wind,” arriving while the band tours the United States with Danzig, Twin Temple and Burning Witches.
Directed by Aaron Mak and filmed during their recent Japan tour, the video steps away from the band’s highly stylized studio shoots for something more raw. Vocalist Anna Khristenko has said the band always wanted to shoot a live video to capture the energy between performers and crowd, bringing their live show to fans who have not seen it firsthand.
Mak spent prolonged, intimate stretches with the band on tour, shooting from the perspective of an audience member night after night while also capturing the private victories offstage.
“Having worked with ANA on their feature documentary, Watch Me As I Rise, this music video feels like a bridging point between that film and the next instalment,” says Mak. “The mindset of wanting this project to be more than just a music video persisted, which explains the intercutting of emotionally charged moments and milestones. The ANA we saw struggling with overcoming obstacles in Watch Me As I Rise has flourished into this latest iteration, more confident, but still hungry as ever. It’s a prologue to the next chapter of this band’s evolution.”
The documentary Watch Me As I Rise is currently streaming exclusively on Thunderflix.
Motivated By Death
“Following the Wind” is the fourth video from Motivated By Death, released May 29, 2026 via Eclipse Records.
While plenty of symphonic metal acts lean on fantasy tropes, ANA go a different route. The members perform as masked super-humans, a visual identity captured on the album cover by Australian photographer Peter Coulson, bridging high fashion and the intensity of symphonic metal.
Despite the title, the record does not dwell on morbidity. Its heart is “Shadow of Life,” which treats death as a vital shadow that gives life its shape, a reminder to embrace impermanence as a catalyst for creativity. Other standouts include “Hate Me” and “Papa.”
The album was produced by Anna Khristenko and Josh Mak, engineered and mixed by Chris Themelco at Monolith Studios, and mastered by Thomas “Plec” Johansson, known for work with Soilwork and Mayhem, at The Panicroom Studio.
Get Motivated By Death: https://ffm.to/anamtv
Available on CD Digipak via Eclipse Records and on all digital platforms.
ANA On Tour
With Danzig, Twin Temple and Burning Witches
- 09/18 Nashville, TN @ Pinnacle
- 09/20 Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre
- 09/26 Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
Tickets: Bandsintown
ANA
- Anna Khristenko – vocals
- Josh Mak – guitar
- Cody Lamb – bass
- Andres Felipe Martinez Osorio – drums
- Mark Shi – keys
The Australian outfit draws comparisons to Nightwish, Within Temptation and Evanescence while keeping an edge of their own, making the case that “couture metal” is about the substance of the art, not just the appearance of luxury.
Follow ANA
Eclipse Records | Facebook | Instagram | X | TikTok
