Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat

Thrash metal band Testament have released a new track, “Shadow People,” and along with it they shared an accompanying animated music video. The new release marks the second single released for Para Bellum, the band’s upcoming fourteenth studio album. The music video for “Shadow People” can be found on the band’s YouTube channel.

The video, credited to a “Freakshot Film Making Machine,” features many mostly still shots covered in drab and dark colors, showcasing – as the title suggests – shadow people as they appear in dire and sometimes intense scenes, or manifesting themselves in front of ordinary people. The style is striking, yet also features many telltale signs that might lead one to believe it is the work of A.I. image generators. Signs, such as inconsistent details, a certain strange and uneasy flow to movements, and the general use of art styles very commonly produced by these generators, all might set off alarms for those who have a keen eye for these sorts of things.

It’s hard to find a definitive statement either way, especially given that most information on Freakshot appears to be in German or translated somewhat roughly from said language. Given, however, that Testament has stated Para Bellum speaks on “humanity’s uneasy alliance with its own creations,” and on the acceleration of technology – with a specific mention of AI imagery in description of the album’s hand-drawn cover and mention of A.I. in the previous single’s title – the band is very likely aware of the controversy and debate around these sorts of technologies. If the video is in fact partially or fully machine-generated, or simply uses a style similar to or intentionally mimicking the sort of output from these machines, it’s not unlikely a decision from the band themselves to further these themes of man and technology.

“Shadow People” is the second single released off Para Bellum, which is set for a release on October 10th.