It’s been a few weeks since we’ve done a Monday Short–getting a festival lineup together takes a lot out of you, it turns out–but fortunately we’ve come back with a doozy. Robbie Ward’s video for “Annihilation” by Dedsa is a stunner, a one-of-a-kind creation that’s equally suited to a serious watching or the epic backdrop to your Halloween party.

It begins in a relatively pastoral setting, with music in the same mode, but it isn’t long until it becomes clear that something is wrong with its medieval landscapes. What follows is a journey through a Boschian hellscape, an elabourate and imaginative realm full of beautifully horrific creatures and sublime tortures.

The animation builds in complexity with the music, soaring solos pairing with creatures so massive that they become the landscapes. It’s a fusion of dark age nightmare and Heavy Metal fantasy that is nothing short of jaw-dropping.

Annihilation (Official Video)

Illustrated, Animated and Directed by Robbie Ward