Testament Shares New Animated Video For “High Noon”

Thrash metal icons Testament today celebrated the release of their fourteenth studio album, Para Bellum. With the release came a video for the album’s fifth track, “High Noon.” This animated video can be found on the band’s YouTube.

As the track’s title would suggest, the song is all about the wild west, its video starring a stereotypical gun-slinging drifter that’s a staple of the genre. The lyrics tell his story as he’s challenged to duel after duel, leaving each with nothing but another notch on his gun and one less bullet. Eventually, we see his time finally come, finding himself taken out by a female bystander after he sought respite in a saloon. His killer then makes off with his gear, claiming some lives herself before she meets the same fate outside a similar saloon, the repetitive lyrics highlighting the cyclical nature of  these sorts of outlaws.

The animation features a somewhat strong style, yet also sometimes slightly awkward and stiff animations – sometimes closer to moving pictures than proper animation. Like with the previous single “Shadow People,” this animation is credited to a “Freakshot Film Making Machine” and features many hallmarks keen-eyed audiences will often recognize as being telltale signs of AI image generators. Once again, it’s hard to say with any definitive certainty if it is the product of such software or just takes on a style that – intentionally or not – resembles it, but man’s connection to technology is a key theme of Para Bellum, so it’s not an unreasonable guess that if it is made by AI (or is supposed to look the part) that it’s an intentional decision by the band rather than a product of “laziness” or a lack of research (and if that justifies it’s use is another topic altogether).

Regardless of the way in which the video to “High Noon” was made, it’s another intense single off the now-released Para Bellum that is sure to have fans banging their heads along. “We are so fired up about the release of Para Bellum,” said lead singer Chuck Billy, “there were a lot of hours spent putting this together. These new songs put me out of my comfort zone as a vocalist but the final result I am very proud of what I accomplished. See you in the pit.” The ten track album is available today.