Synthwave pioneers GUNSHIP, have teamed up with revered French directing duo Seth Ickerman to once again push the boundaries of the music video format with their new short film “Blood For The Blood God,” featuring Los Angeles industrial rock band HEALTH and English actor Doug Bradley, famous for portraying Pinhead in the Hellraiser movies.
The band’s latest short film is a thought-provoking horror space epic that delves into themes of death, rebirth, and exploitation. This galactic thrill ride exists as a never-ending loop, with the video’s structure reinforcing contemplation on the infinite cycle of life. Resistance and rebellion in the face of greed are key themes, yet the video ultimately invites the audience to draw their own conclusions about its deeper meaning.
The video was meticulously conceived and executed through a combination of painstaking human artistry and the latest in VFX technology. Seth Ickerman hand-modelled and animated the entire video, before working with Trimaran VFX to transform their animations through generative technology bent to the will of the human creatives and manifested as a contagion within the film.
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video can be found below.
Speaking on the video, Seth Ickerman says: “We talk in this film about excessive exploitation, symbolised by the greedy entity that devours the riches of a planet and inevitably leads to its own ruin. This insatiable quest for possession ignores the dire consequences of its actions. However, a spiritual dimension is revealed, where life, endowed with its own consciousness, awakens and stands against oppression. The planet, rediscovering its soul, embodies resistance and rebellion against the invader. Ultimately, the triumphant resilience of life proves that, despite oppression, it finds its way, demonstrating that any attempt at domination is doomed to fail in the face of the unyielding force of existence.”
GUNSHIP worked with Doug Bradley to conceive and produce the narration of a god-like entity within the film. Doug, famous for portraying the notorious lead-cenobite Pinhead in the Hellraiser films, is a renowned actor and voice actor and has lent his unique vocal talents to numerous songs and games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Doug Bradley adds: “The Style of the song intrigued me because a lot of it felt to me like good old 80s synth-pop but it is also quite dark and heavy. I’m not good at musical labels, but I believe Industrial is the term! I loved the mix of the styles in the song, that intrigued me, and the way that matched up with the theme of the video which is pretty cosmic, pretty dark, pretty violent, and yet manages to somehow be a love story. All these elements came together for me plus it’s basically got a very good tune.”
“Blood for the Blood God” is the second of four new videos that the synthwave pioneers GUNSHIP are sharing this year, following the release of their latest album Unicorn. “DooM Dance,” their first video release, is Gunship’s homage to the golden era of anime, released on VHS tapes complete with 90s anime-styled packaging and featuring live-action footage of Gavin Rossdale (Bush), and Carpenter Brut.
Gunship have built a reputation for seamlessly merging their music and video releases with popular culture. Whether that be film, like the Blade Runner x The Terminator dystopia in their previous release, “Monster In Paradise” (feat. Milkie Way, Dave Lombardo, Tim Cappello, Tyler Bates), which has just been shared as the new soundtrack for the latest CALL OF DUTY video game trailer – or the gaming world, as with “DooM Dance” and the previously released single “Taste Like Venom,” which paid homage to SEGA’s classic arcade game Outrun.
With their latest album Unicorn, Gunship invites listeners to celebrate the power of imagination. Named after the international icon of fantasy and imagination, the album carries the tagline “Imagination Is A Weapon.” The trio’s signature synth-laden atmospheric and transportative soundscapes have continued to evolve to incorporate rock, industrial, and EDM influences, creating an alternative reality on a 14-track electric thrill ride.
Unicorn also boasts a diverse array of special guests, each contributing uniquely to the project. Collaborators include Gavin Rossdale (Bush), and Carpenter Brut, in addition to John Carpenter, Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Timmy Cappello (Lost Boys, Tina Turner, Ringo Starr), Health, Tyler Bates (John Wick, Guardians of the Galaxy etc), Lights, Power Glove, Charlie Simpson, Britta Philips (Jem), and Milkie Way (Wargasm).
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