Andy Mihov creates a near-future dystopian melodrama, with echoes of classic mythology and gothic horror, for the London-based Japanese metal outfit Esprit D'Air.

The story revolves around Athena, the creation of AI genius Theodora, who is kept from the outside world and desires the freedom to be an individual in her own right. Mihov creates an absorbing twist upon a classic narrative, intercut with the Esprit D'Air frontman Kai's passionate performance of the bombastic Leviathan.  

ANDY MIHOV:

Mythology has always been a big inspiration for my work, and Japanese pop culture a big part of my childhood.

"As lockdown hit, a lot of friends and loved ones went through tough personal tragedies. A lot of work opportunities also fell through. Everyone was feeling pretty low. Myself included. The artist had written the song in response to the situation in the world. I liked the theme of 'hope in spite of overwhelming odds' and I immediately imagined a world where things were far worse than they are now.

"It's all about a near future devastated by pandemics, economic collapse and social injustices. Humanity lives in isolated pockets. Theodora Zeus, programmer and gifted AI architect creates a synthetic intelligence that embodies the traits of human wisdom and courage. She names her Athena, after the Greek patron goddess of heroes. Athena longs to connect to the remnants of humanity but Theodora keeps her locked up, forbidding her from venturing into the outside world.

"Mythology has always been a big inspiration for my work and Japanese art, literature and pop culture were a big formative part of my childhood. I knew I wanted to bring those things together. In creating the music video, I took a lot of inspiration from the work of Hideaki Anno and Masamune Shirow. We wanted to pay homage to those works and we knew the time and budget we had wouldn't stretch to achieve a fully narrative piece. That's why chose to express our story through dance which can convey strong concepts and emotions very quickly.

"It was a phenomenally positive but also challenging experience making the music video. I owe it all to the crazily dedicated and talented people who collaborated with me on it."