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For how much I rag on big metal labels, they do offer one thing: money for bands to make videos. Granted, it gets recouped against royalties, but at least it yields something potentially cool. I grew up on music videos and still love checking out metal ones. For better or for worse, modern culture is a visual one, and videos often fixate musicians in people’s minds more strongly than their music.
Song selection for videos has always amused me. Labels inevitably pick the softest, most commercial song from an album, i.e., one that doesn’t represent it at all. Hence the video for Belphegor’s “Der Geistertreiber,” from Walpurgis Rites – Hexenwahn, which comes out today. The album is strong black/death metal, except, of course, for this song, which sounds like a Rammstein B-side.
Its video is a hoot. This is Belphegor’s first professionally shot video, but one wouldn’t know it. Vocalist/guitarist Helmuth says, “The song is about the celebration on the 30th of April, better known as the Walpurgis Nacht, the occult celebrations on the broken mountain.” As far as I can tell, the song is about people riding flying goats. Evidently, Belphegor’s only instrument is the bass. After watching this video many times, I still have no idea what’s going on. But I do know that Helmuth’s gimp mask is good for a laugh or two.
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I hardly ever bother to watch metal videos, and frankly, your description did not entice me to fire up this one
Interesting that you think modern culture is visual. Metal culture must, contrariwise, be a non-visual culture; otherwise, bands would have great visual ideas to promote their music rather than the endless parade of silly cliches that we actually get to see.
There's always humour value, I guess. But I don't think much of it is intentional.
Saw these guys open for Amon Amarth and it was one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. For the last song, Helmuth screamed "Are yous readys for the blasts beats??" and donned what I think is that very gimp mask. I hope these guys go far.
hahah yeah i was just going to say that! I saw them play with Kreator/Exodus/Warbringer and they were so silly. He goes at one point with a super German accent "arr yoo reddy for de blastbeat fuckers?!?!?"
their drummer played poorly too, it was a head shaking sight to behold. I'd save your heard earned money re: this band.
hey, matt: fake metal is really into the viz. especially anything "vectorish" that can be created on adobe illustrator.
The other end of the spectrum is the psych vomit that is Mastodong/Baroness "art."
This video begs for a beavis and butthead "review"…