Descending into abrasive death metal realms, ANNIHILUS MUNDI present the new single offering, “Black Moon”. The track reveals a different side to the project’s predominantly progressive sound and arrives ahead of the upcoming full-length, The Dead Sea Scrolls, scheduled for independent release on November 6, 2026.
“Black Moon” also features guest performances. The track’s chorus features Olive Gallop (ICE GIANT) and is designed to be chanted by a crowd and contains a fun two-step friendly hook, along with a guitar solo recorded by Chris Ramusiewicz (GRAVEBORN).
Composer and lyricist Daniel Saillant explains: “Lyrically, ‘Black Moon’ explores three different stories: one from Evangelion, one from the Bible, and one from Dante’s Inferno. The goal of this song is to explore the religious imagery found throughout Evangelion, which generally has very few themes explicitly related to faith.”
He continues, “The opening verse (as well as the title of the song) is a reference to NERV headquarters. The building is constructed underground in what the characters call a ‘geo-front,’ essentially an enormous geode located underneath Tokyo. In Evangelion lore, the geo-front is referred to as the Black Moon, a cocoon for Lilith, the First Human. She is the second primordial being found on earth. Where Adam is responsible for the creation of the Angels, Lilith is responsible for the creation of humans.
The second verse of Black Moon refers to the biblical Tower of Babel. In context, the inclusion of this story is meant to describe the dilemma of humans trying to uncover and understand the secrets of primordial beings like Adam and Lilith. Gendo, NERV, and SEELE, spend almost all their time building new structures and machines to bring them closer to understanding the nature of the ‘gods’ they’ve uncovered, but are never able to do so.
The third verse refers to the Ninth Circle of Hell from Dante’s Inferno, specifically the story of Count Ugolino. Ugolino conspired with Archbishop Ruggieri to overthrow Ugolino’s nephew. However, once the coup occurred, the Archbishop betrayed Ugolino, imprisoned him in a tower, and sentenced him to death by starvation. Both of these men were condemned to the Antenora region of Ninth Circle of Hell for their treachery against their country. In context of DSS, this refers to the various double crossings and shadowy politics active in the background in Evangelion, particularly relating to Gendo consistently misleading and betraying most other characters in the story in pursuit of his selfish goals.”
The Dead Sea Scrolls explores the personal lived experiences of composer and lyricist Daniel Saillant. In a fusion of genres and artforms, ANNIHILUS MUNDI presents the central concepts through the lens of Hideaki Anno’s notorious 1995 anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion and its subsequent 1997 film The End of Evangelion.
The Dead Sea Scrolls was produced, mixed and mastered, and engineered by Daniel Saillant at Wailing Pines Productions. The album’s artwork was created by Chris at Misanthropic Designs.
About ANNIHILUS MUNDI:
Formed in 2018, ANNIHILUS MUNDI is the creation of Daniel Saillant, blending elements of death metal, shoegaze, and progressive rock. His 2019 debut album Grief and subsequent releases have positioned him as a distinctive voice in the underground metal scene. Inspired by bands such as CYNIC, DEAFHEAVEN, and DREAM THEATER, Saillant continues to push musical boundaries, combining harsh and clean vocals, complex guitar arrangements, and introspective lyrics.
ANNIHILUS MUNDI is:
Daniel Saillant (Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Programming)
Connect with ANNIHILUS MUNDI:
Bandcamp: https://annihilusmundi.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annihilusmundi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annihilusmundi/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@annihilusmundi
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@annihilusmundi
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/annihilusmundi
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1keHp0ZrVPtDqCcGspP3Xa?si=jUB4r9JRSzqTqB tKJ3RfEg
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/annihilus-mundi/1492843855
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@annihilusmundi
Discord: https://discord.gg/PKJDYWPrg9
The Dead Sea Scrolls Track List:
1. Second Impact (Overture)
2. Absolute Terror
3. A Hedgehog’s Dilemma
4. The Dead Sea Scrolls, Mvt. I – “Reminiscence”
5. The Dead Sea Scrolls, Mvt. II – “Incursion”
6. Black Moon
7. King of Thorns
8. Terminal Dogma, Mvt. I – “Do you love me?”
9. Terminal Dogma, Mvt. II – “Take care of yourself.”
10. Terminal Dogma, Mvt. III – “Love is destructive.”
11. Terminal Dogma, Mvt. IV – “I need you.”
12. Silent Planet
13. Human Instrumentality