MusicSenses

With the world ever so changing in music and in technology, the Dutch symphonic metal band comes back after a hiatus with a new self-reinvention and artistic direction as shown in their new sci-fi inspired music video.

As we wait for their new album Resist to be released on December 14, 2018, the band’s style drastically changed since their seventh studio album, Hydra, back in 2014. Now they are aiming towards a cutting-edge style where the video’s dramatic concept of a futuristic and post-apocalyptic world. The music video follows the band going on an unknown mission in the fictional universe.

After a hiatus since the release of Hydra, Within Temptation steps out again to sharpen their creativity by blending heavy rock, pop, and a bit of a dubstep and electronica to their sound. Although the symphonic sound is lacking in the new track, the band still prevails in maintaining their heavy rock style and catchy melodies.

With the presence of Shaddix’s tenor voice in the song, it balances out lead singer Sharon Den Adel’s light and soprano vocal. Although this collaboration is perfect, what’s even better is seeing the vision of the band’s dramatic sci-fi concept in action as the music video utilize CGI effects and film/editing techniques to bring the futuristic world to life with drama and edge. And the final result is compelling and interesting to see.

Let’s take a look!

The Good 

The use of wide shots exaggerates the depth of the location. These techniques give viewers a sense of what kind of world the band is living in this fictional narrative as the focus is not just the band but the surrounding of the location. This only shows that music videos serve a deeper purpose and it can be the one telling a story too besides the song itself.

 Here is a bird-eye view. Pretty neat! 

CGI comes into play to show what else exists besides the band as they walk through a dusty, deserted, and lifeless landscape. And what do you know? The band comes across these android - like sentries, who towers over them. These robotic pillars rest in deep sleep but awaken only to caged those who try to cross its path with red laser beams, preventing further access to the other side. Dramatic and fascinating. At this point of the video, the sci-fi theme is clear.

Side note: Can we take a moment to appreciate Sharon Den Adel’s outfit and style? The long red draped cardigan, the tied back high ponytail, the bangs, the mismatched earrings, and the black arm warmers. 

And going back to MORE CGI, a humongous starship hovers before Den Adel as she sheds a tear upon seeing it.  And what do you know? There goes a wide shot angle again! Anyways, the animation makes a huge difference.

Its red beams of light nearly engulf and attempts to capture the fearless Den Adel. Because the video lacks colorful visual as the setting takes place in a gloomy universe, automatically the red beam is striking. 

In the bridge of the song, if you listen carefully, you can hear a bit of dubstep. And in the video, the effect of the laser beaming to the starship and the dubstep are in sync with one another which is a nice arrangement per se.  

Soon enough the ominous object is soon destroyed by Den Adel’s fellow mates. Again, the use of wide angle shows a larger depth of field where the whole demolition of the starship can be seen crushing to the ground from defeat. It is oddly visually beautiful to see.

The Bad

The only disappointment in this music video was the absence of Jacoby Shaddix. He sang in the song and should have been in the video for he would have fit perfectly in the music video.

The New Era

The futuristic concept, the electronica and dubstep element adds a whole new realm for Within Temptation. This is a glimpse of the band’s artistic direction and what their upcoming album RESIST entails. The band has been active for years and that hiatus did not hurt them in any way. It is safe to say that they are not going nowhere yet not anytime soon because this era marks a whole new beginning for Within Temptation.

Their new album RESIST is out December 14, 2018! Don’t forget! Preorder it if you want! 

The band will be on the road for their European Tour starting in October. Please check their official website for dates and tickets.

Check out the music video for “The Reckoning (ft. Jacoby Shaddix)” down below!

Curious to see the magic that went on behind the scenes? Well, here ya’ go! 

Once they dropped their first single “The Wounded World” from their upcoming album The Great Depression, we saw and heard a darker different side of As It Is. They are continuing to explore serious topics through this dark, but meaningful journey by confronting toxic masculinity in their newest music video for their second single “The Stigma (Boys Don’t Cry).”

For those who are not familiar with the term toxic masculinity, the definition is dramatized in the video where the boys are coerced to learn outdated ideas and stereotypes of who men should be. 

For example, in the video, the boys have to:

1.  “Man up” a gender-specific term that has a masculinity ideology behind it. This term is used to influence someone to be brave and courageous when a challenge arises. The term is fitting to address in the video as it is about gender expectations. To think about this deeply, if the world only used gender-neutral terms, how would today’s society be different? And can you think about how this gender-specific has an impact on society? 

2.  Skip the makeup because make-up on a boy is shameful, almost frowned upon even though we know in reality makeup is accessible to anybody and could be worn expressively. The symbolism of boys not being allowed to wear makeup is that they are being taught to suppress their emotions just like saying boys don’t cry.

3. Be physically fit or look a certain way to showcase the ideal masculinity body. See the images of the bodybuilders? This part can be about the idea of body-shaming for boys or forcing the idea of what a man looks like.  

The narrative in the music video gives us something to think about perhaps start a conversation about our own individuality and of course, the gender stereotypes in our society and how much impact it has on our mental health and lifestyle.

Traits that are repressed upon boys can be detrimental to society for it can lead to narcissism, violence, and sexual aggression among many things.

It is important for As It Is and anyone to address such a topic because as stated on an article by The Ascent, a 2017 analysis about the mental health-related outcomes derived from conforming to masculinity standards found that “men who follow the traditional norms associated with masculinity are more likely to experience depression, stress, and body-image problems” aside from many issues. The article also addressed that men rarely seek help when it comes to medical assistance and even mental health because they do not want to be portrayed as weak.

The video even dramatized the outcome of forcing someone to conform to society’s gender expectations. Isolation, loneliness, depression, and many things.

Seems like As It Is is on a roll here as they are tackling this topic. The more there are topics about this kind of topic, the more people will start to see and open or hopefully further a discussion about it.

Sometimes the topic of toxic masculinity does not always make it to the table, but now it is out in the open more than ever when Hollywood actor and former NFL Athlete Terry Crews known best for his role in the sitcom comedy show “Everybody Hates Chris” openly talked about how toxic masculinity had negatively impacted his life on the Today Show with Megyn Kelly back in May. In addition, he recently shared a compelling testimony at Capitol Hill to push the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, a legislation to protect sexual-assault victims’ rights, by sharing his own personal experience with sexual assault.

Here’s a question for you: How often do you see and hear men speak about their own experiences?

Here’s another one: How many men would speak about their own experiences?

Don’t freak out! This is only something to think about.

This will not be the only time the band will cover serious issues as The Great Depression will be released on August 10 this year where the album explores serious topics such as mental health, life, and death among many things. The best part is that the band is doing more than just writing songs about them, they are taking action with organizations.

The band has worked with charities such as BulliesOut and will continue to give back in this new era as lead singer Patty Walters stated in a Facebook post, “More so than ever before, we’ll be working alongside incredible non-profits, donating proceeds to worthy causes, and using our music in hopes of creating a positive change.”

A new generation is always rising and for those who are struggling will need someone (like this band) in their time of struggle to let them know that they can take control of their own individuality and reshape it however they want to.  

As the band is trying to make a positive change, they ignite a conversation first with their music. Well, the conversation has started.

Now it is your turn.

If you are interested, watch the music video down below! 

Earlier this month, rock band Evanescence released a music video for their second single “Hi-Lo” from their orchestral and electronic album Synthesis.

Evanescence always had an imaginative and dramatic visual to their music videos. You know, the falling off the building, submerging under water, jumping off the Brooklyn bridge, and chillin’ with wolves type thing. It was always dark and intense. However, they are heading down a different path visually as a new era unravels.

The usual dramatic concept is still there, but this time the new video is swapped with live concert footage instead to capture the heart of their Synthesis tour. Don’t worry. It is not that there is a lack of creativity for a music video that is powered by such a powerful and sentimental song, but the whole concept of capturing a moment to remember.

To be sure, artists have stepped away from the traditional music video and use concert footage for their music videos. For instance, Good Charlotte used concert footage for their single “Actual Pain”, Breaking Benjamin used some for “Failure” and even Of Mice & Men used it for their video “Instincts.”

I find the video artsy, personal, and one of a kind out of all the Evanescence music videos. Here’s why.

1. The video is artistically driven per the editing recreating the scenery and dimensions with the blur, the distortion, the contrasting colors, the transparency between scenes, and the juxtaposition. I find it experimental and synthetic.

2.  “Hi-lo” was an old song made in 2010 but remained unreleased until now. Lead singer Amy Lee said, “It's just a song that never fit anywhere that I've been holding on to and waiting to find its right home for 10 years,’ according to a 2011 video interview with 105.7 The Point. So, the live tour footage and the song complement each other in a sense where the song now lives in the Synthesis era. It all makes sense!

3. I love the footage of the street city life. The footage shares similarities to those free stock footages. Just sayin’! I think the footage was inserted into the music video for the ambiance.  

4.  The footage of the live performances captures the intimate and beautiful setting of the whole Synthesis tour and the people that made the tour possible; the orchestra, the instruments, the musicians involved, the conductor, and the band members,.etc.

5.  Last but never least. Lindsey Stirling was featured in the song and it was so obvious that she had to be in the music video AND her performance was phenomenal! Her graceful ghost-like figure is chilling and beautiful, and I think it adds drama and mystique to the video.  

All in all, the music video proves that not all videos need a whole production to create a dramatic narrative. I see this video as an appreciation of the beauty and art of their Synthesis tour. And the most important thing about making a music video with live footage is capturing a real authentic moment to remember, and Evanescence did just that. Watch the music video for yourself!