Now that there is only a bit over a week left until the beloved German progressive metal outfit the Ocean Collective releases Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic, the band has unveiled a stunning music video for the single “Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence.”
Director and “conceptual engineer” for the clip, Craig Murray, somehow uses makeup and hand-molded masks to transform vocalist Loic Rossetti into a lichen-creature, creating molds of the band into a rocky prehistoric landscape and shooting the video meticulously, frame by frame.
The massive scale of the video is appropriately in tune with the band’s reputation for mammoth melodies, taking the patience of post rock and the magnitude of metal to create a wholly unique and incredible aesthetic..
“This is a practical effects film which leans towards multiple single frame captures to creature the sequences,” explained Murray. “Everything is built from scratch. There’s long exposure animation, stop frame, miniatures and cloud tanks. If the thing I’m working with can’t be physically picked up and held in my hand, I struggle to understand how to use it; I prefer this long, messy and exhausting process.”
“Craig has created a unique aesthetic visualization of our music, which is different from anything I’ve ever seen,” added Robin Staps, the mastermind behind the Ocean Collective. “He’s spent 6 sleepless weeks working on this basically non-stop, all by himself. He plastered tons of clay and lichens over Loic’s face and head, and really managed to turn him into an imaginary ‘Cambrian creature’. It’s incredible to see the final result now, and how the whole thing has evolved.”
Check out the video below.
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