The Holy Connection An Alternative Exploration of Existence
Every once in a while you come across a music video that blows your belief system into so many fragments that you need quite a while to recover from its impact. The intensity of the message in these videos will leave you high and dry, needing at least a week to rewire your brain. I apologize for getting too wordy, so let’s just get right to it. Get ready for some crazy visual reconditioning right here;
I am Colossus: Meshuggah
Tech death giants (or whatever genre you manage to “cage” them inside) are as technical and intensely precise in their videos as they are in their music. This can be seen quite beautifully in the video of their song “I Am Colossus”, where they combine what seems like a Tim Burton film gone metal! The basic gist of video is the immense colossus that we have created within ourselves out of all the fear and imagined dangers that we have been forced to drink down through the cup of society and culture. There are numerous references to the triangle as well in the video, but I’ll just leave it to you to make up your own meanings through the video.
Right in Two: Tool
No list of “weird music videos” or “twisted music videos” or even “music videos” would be complete without it having a Tool song. These guys manage to convey so much through their videos that more than often one finds it difficult to grasp the entire concept in one (even three sometimes) viewing. Compared to their other videos, like those of “Schism” and “Parabola”, the video of their song “Right in Two” is much more direct in terms of visual meaning as such. The video as well as the lyrics of the song look into the concept of free will, asking the quintessential question of whether we can answer the simple “What the hell do we want?” paradox. Watch on, slave:
Drag Ropes: Storm Corrosion
What happens when you combine the creative prowess of two bands which have some of the most intricate and beautifully woven pieces of music and story-telling; you get Storm Corrosion, forged from the fires and the shards of Opeth and Porcupine Tree. This love child of Mikael Akerfeldt and Stevn Wilson is a lesser known result of their more popular projects. Their song “Drag Ropes”, with its haunting melodies and eerie symphonies, creates an atmosphere of pure intense storytelling at its best. Who would have thought that a 10-min puppet show could convey such a strong message such as one that has not be achieved by 3 hour long movies.
Hunger of the Pine: Alt-J
Well, my inclusion of Alt-J in this list could have incited reactions such as “What, no Fitzpleasure”, or “Where’s Breezeblock’s” and so on. The band has created some of the most raw and primal music videos that strike you so hard with their inherent feel and story-telling, leaving you feeling like you were just hit by a freight train of pure awesomeness. The reason I included their song “Hunger of the Pine” is because it is one of those hidden gems among their videos, adopting a more direct take on the aspect of conveyance of the inherent message. The music and the visuals of the song dance together in a chaotic harmony of brilliance. Watch:
Overlord: Lamb Of God
If you think about it, there is a thin line between “you” and the world around you. This is where things like “Karma” and “Fate” come from. Let me make one thing clear, I am not talking about some gospel band who preaches things like this (for those who have not heard of Lamb of God of course, haha). This 5 headed groove metal juggernaut shows you why you should let go of self-centered obsession that is running rampant in society today. Guys, just look around once and you will see that “what goes around, comes around!”. So much for “Metal is only noise and mindless shouting.” I haven’t heard Britney Spears and Justin Bieber talking about stuff like this the last time I checked. Have fun peeps:
