(written by Islander)
The German symphonic black metal band Daidalos was founded in 2020 by Tobias Püschner, originally as a one-man project. For the band’s debut album, The Expedition (2022), Daidalos drew inspiration from a truly harrowing tale from history, the Arctic journey led by the British explorer Sir John Franklin in 1845, an expedition that ended in disaster as Franklin’s two ships (Erebus and Terror) became trapped in the ice, suffering for more than a year; both Franklin and the entire crew perished.
Daidalus now has a second album coming our way in February 2026. For this one the band took its inspiration not from history but from the realm of imagination, and specifically from one one of the greatest works of global literature, Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.
But rather than simply retelling the epic through music, Püschner has crafted the new album (titled Dante) as a “reinterpretation” of the descent into Hell, one that “explores doubt, despair, and the hidden truths between faith and fear – a symphonic black metal audio drama, melancholic rather than evil.”
As he has stated, “Each track represents a fragment of this descent: from the intro in the forest, through the gates of hell, to the final escape – from storm to silence, from fire to frost.” As part of the journey of Dante and Virgil through the circles of Hell, they came upon the City of Dis, a terrible descending fortress moated by the river Styx. “Dis” is the name of the song from the new Daidalos album that we’re presenting today through a lyric video.
We’ll share a few comments offered on behalf of Daidalos’ label about this specific song, which follows the album’s first single “Inferno” and represents a conceptual turning point in the record, and then we’ll share some thoughts of our own:
Where “Inferno” introduced the descent with a sense of momentum and discovery, “Dis” captures the moment where wonder transforms into dread. Fast, dark and ritualistic, the new single reflects Dante’s entry into the infernal City of Dis, an oppressive realm where fear becomes a deliberate tool of domination. In the track’s refrain, the faceless voice calling “Enter my fear” embodies the kind of power that preys on the frightened not to protect but to control.
Musically, “Dis” immediately paints a dire and daunting portrait of its hellish namesake. The orchestration renders an atmosphere of dark immensity, while rapidly darting and vibrantly searing guitars and other instrumentation create sensations of perilous frenzy. The drums thunder and rattle, and the music vibrantly darts, swirls, and blazes, while the words pour out in scalding snarls and screams.
Those vicious vocals are replaced by grim, chant-like words backed by rapidly dancing notes, a brief digression before the music hammers and spins like tornados of flame. Strangled growls and booming beats lead into soaring choral voices, ugly growls, and rabid screams. The music itself dramatically soars and brilliantly shines but also feverishly convulses in a breathtaking finale.
The entire song is breathtaking — intricate, elaborate, sometimes elegant, sometimes titanically monstrous or hellishly vicious, often steeped in dark moods of despair and pain, and relentlessly dramatic, an ambitious but successful interpretation of one of the most nightmarish and daunting places one can imagine.
On Dante all music, instruments, orchestrations, and lyrics were written and produced by Tobias Püschner. He collaborated with Nahuel Lozano (Mental Cruelty), who recorded guitars and bass and did mixing and mastering. The album’s visual concept was realized through original abstract oil painting/dotworks by French artist Bérénice Tulliez/Noirs Dessins.
Dante will be released on February 20th, 2026, by Rockshots Records/Extreme Metal Music, and they recommend it for fans of: Dimmu Borgir, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Septicflesh.
Find pre-order opportunities and more info via the links below, and also lend your ears to that first single off the album, “Inferno“.
PRE ORDER:
CD – https://rockshots.eu/products/daidalos-inferno-cd
LP – https://rockshots.eu/products/daidalos-inferno-lp
DIGITAL – http://lnk.to/E9IymE
PRE-SAVE:
https://lnk.to/Zdalvd
FOLLOW:
https://www.instagram.com/daidalosmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/daidalosband/