Best Videos of 2014, by Rhys Williams
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We all know that metal videos are ridiculous: big ambitions and low budgets often conspire to create visual works that can be either preposterous or lazy. However, in spite of these frequent shortcomings, there are always metal videos released each year that manage to impress me, be it through a tongue-in-cheek sensibility, superior production values or creative execution. The following list contains the videos that fulfilled one or more of these criteria for me in 2014. This list is entirely subjective, so remember that I may not have seen your favorite video and that it’s absence from this list is not a slight on your tastes. Happy viewing!
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Honorable Mentions
20. Goatwhore – Baring Teeth For Revolt
19. Knocked Loose – The Gospel
18. Eyehategod – Medicine Noose
17. Down – We Knew Him Well
16. Pyrrhon – Sleeper Agent
15. Carnifex – Die Without Hope
14. Hark – Scarlet Extremities
13. Ultramantis Black – Biomonster DNA
12. Plebeian Grandstand – Thrvst
11. Electric Wizard – SadioWitch
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10.Epicardiectomy – “Horrendous Festering Transmutations”
Are you familiar with the rapper Riff Raff? He’s not a particularly good rapper, but what sets him apart is his completely gonzo aesthetic. Epicardiectomy are, in a sense, the Riff Raff of death metal, the ne plus ultra of what Sergeant D coined “wigger slam.” They’re not the best out there, but their outlandish style sets them apart. The main action in the video is typical death metal fare — evil surgeons working on unwilling patients blah blah blah, but it’s the band’s performance that’s worth watching. From the drummer’s grills (who still wears grills and isn’t Lil Wayne in 2014?) to his bizarre drumset (no toms, just kick drums, a shit ton of cymbals and a tiny little snare) to the vocalist’s flatbill/ponytail combo and the distinct lack of a bassist, these guys are definitely out to make a lasting impression.
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9. Body Count – “Talk Shit, Get Shot”
This one made me laugh, straight up. The intro is what seals it, with the hating-est hater of them all making snide Twitter quips at the resurrection of Body Count. “#bodyodor! Ice-T? I prefer lemonade! All we listen to on these streets is Drake! Drake! Drake!” His fun quickly ends, however, when Ice-T PUNCHES THROUGH HIS SMARTPHONE TOUCHSCREEN and pulls the hater into Body Count’s world, there showing him the fate of all haters. Spoiler: you talk shit, you get shot. It’s pretty over the top, but the cinematography is excellent, the track is a banger, and, above all, it made me laugh. Never underestimate the power of a serious band that can make you laugh before kicking your ass.
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8. Drowning – “1017”
To date, two-thirds of Drowning’s videos have been of the “hardcore band plays at venue, fucks shit up royally” type. The other one revolved around strippers twerking. Take from that what you will. Regardless, this remains 2014’s best offering of the aforementioned video trope and damn it is a good one. When that one dude heaves a trash can across the pit, you feel like doing it alongside him. Tables go flying, crowds get killed, kicks are spun, the cops are called and a seriously heavy beatdown is laid. It’s not so much a chronicle of the band playing as it is of the crowd reacting, and no video got me moving in my seat more this year. That, and “machete dance, motherfucker!”
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7. Trash Talk – “The Great Escape”
Deranged animation makes for some killer videos. Red Fang’s offering this year was disappointing, to say the least, but Trash Talk’s latest more than makes up for that. The plot is simple: Trash Talk steal a bottle of liquor blessed by Satan and drink it, thereby suffering a litany of hallucinations and mutations. But the animation steals the show here, a trippy, gory, technicolor blast of high-octane madness that looks like someone crossed Superjail, Bob’s Burgers and a Ralph Bakshi flick. Without a doubt, this one was my top pick for animated music video in 2014.
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6. Primordial – “Babel’s Tower”
I found this video beautiful in the same way as Loits’ “Haavad Uulitsul.” It’s not a particularly action-based video, the only action being Nemtheanga and comrades striding through a dark Irish landscape and solemnly digging a grave, but it’s entirely built on atmosphere. Primordial moves slowly through vistas seemingly devoid of color but rich with detail. You can see every leaf rustle in the wind and Nemtheanga’s cloak subtly flutter. Primordial are somber here, but never ridiculous. The slow motion is not gratuitous: rather, it adds solemnity and majesty, putting visual emphasis on the weight of loss, which is the concept at the heart of the video. In this way, “Babel’s Tower” does justice to the inimitable Primordial sound, by turns grave and epic.
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5. Equilibrium – “Wirtshaus Gaudi”
Yeah, so folk metal isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But the song is infectious in the goofiest way possible (polka metal returns!), the video is well shot, and it’s probably the best “this band loves drinking and getting loose” video released in 2014. Clad in lederhosen and swigging from huge steins of lager, Equilibrium booze their way through a Bavarian bar, and we get to come along for the ride. To quote my best friend, “I’d way rather take stickhorses and frauleins over sad hipster light shows.” He wasn’t wrong. Bier macht spass!
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4.Iron Reagan – “Miserable Failure”
Iron Reagan is not to be lumped in with Municipal Waste musically (grind vs. thrash), but their sense of humor is in many ways comparable. “Miserable Failure” in particular builds on the concept pioneered by Waste of the “going around town with our friends” video, when Iron Reagan and their fans march around Richmond, disrupting various events and generally creating mayhem and circle pits wherever they go. In this video, the little touches are what count. The chance meeting with Red Fang in a grocery store where the music simply stops is hilarious (and, as some have pointed out, cleverly shows Red Fang buying the milk which they end up destroying in their “Wires” video). The way in which the band creates an impromptu concert in a downtown square is ingenious, and the way the video ends, which does not occur when the song ends, is brilliant.
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3.Slipknot – “The Devil In I”
Perhaps I will receive some flak for this. Perhaps I don’t give a shit. Slipknot’s latest album is an absolute masterwork, poor album artwork aside, and this video clinches it. It’s got gore and a nightmarish visual sense in spades, but part of what makes “The Devil In I” work is that it doesn’t fall for the usual flourishes of metal videos. Red hooded figures move silently in and out of frame, and shots linger in place of super fast cuts. “The Devil in I” also succeeds in having one of the better concepts of a video in 2014: the gist seems to be the evolution of the band since 2010, witnessing the destruction of the old Slipknot and the rise of the new beast. Bodies are destroyed and the old masks obliterated, giving way to the fourth generation of Slipknot masks and the band’s resurgence after the losses of Grey and Jordison. A nod to the lost but also a show of force, and an expertly crafted piece of video art to boot.
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2. Goemagot – “Bigotry”
On the surface, this is typical death metal fare. Corrupt priest? Check. Sexy metal temptresses? Check. Lotsa blood? Check. What makes this the best video of the year, however, is the simple factor of frontman Cody McConnell’s super-intense facial expressions. That’s it. But just look at the video! McConnell has mastered the art of “the Meshuggah face,” that look at with lower jaw jutted out, teeth bared, and eyes rolled firmly back in head that makes the wearer look like a Neanderthal on a PCP rampage. Or, as my brother put it, “that dude looks like a cross between Michael Shannon and that dude from Starship Troopers who gets his brain sucked out.” Alternated with this is a bug-eyed expression whenever McConnell unleashes his seriously off-kilter high vocals. It’s hilarious but deranged at the same time, tongue-in-cheek without being too silly. And, frankly, I couldn’t stop watching it.
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1.King 810 – “Fat Around The Heart”
King 810 has been subject to a good deal of controversy this year, in particular the questions of 1. whether they are hard (yes[I can attest to this.—Ed.]) and 2. whether they are good (I think so[Good enough.—Ed). What cannot be denied, however, is the rising band’s exceptional eye for style. This was the video of this year that made me gasp. The art direction is outstanding: those dancers in their pseudo-African robes, those distinctive, eerie King bandanas, the weird animal-gas masks. But what really sets it apart is the cinematography. When the camera descends from the sky into the churning mass of King family slowly descending down the staircases, you can’t help but audibly say “wow, that’s amazing.” The time and effort it took to secure the shooting locations and set up each shot is evident, creating a choreography that stands out among other videos produced this year. It’s a mixture of artful finesse and churning brutality. Absolutely beautiful.
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