Chosen by Monk
My latest choice sees me very much in my own back alley and playing it very close to home (frontman Jones lives only a few hundred yards away from ÜRHQ) as Belfast’s favourite metal madmen/mischief-makers (delete as inappropriate) cajole us into listening to the voices inside their heads as they read us the #LunacyAct in their latest warped visual spectacle:
Speaking about the inspiration behind the video, Jones – a manic movie buff who previously has drawn from the likes of ’28 Days Later’, ‘Demolition Man’ and ‘The Purge’ for the band’s videos – explained it’s vibe:
The visual chaos of this release was heavily inspired by the dark aesthetics of ’12 Monkeys’ and ‘Shutter Island’. Throwing on the white robe was a last-minute directorial call to pay tribute to Bruce Willis and fully embrace the lunatic asylum environment.
The filming of the video, the indoor scenes for which were filmed over a 12 hour shoot in a former bank now converted into a community theatre in Belfast city centre, was an intention session, as the frontman recalls:
Dozens of asylum costumes, and masquerade outfits. High-powered strobe rigs, and relentless energy pushed the entire team to the absolute edge to build this claustrophobic nightmare.
What ended up on screen, took gruelling hours of blood, sweat, and fears. Amazing commitment behind the camera, and in front.
It also presented a number of unique challenges, one of which Jones highlighted:
About two weeks before the shoot, we decided to try an old-school mannequin freeze where everyone on set held completely still while someone walked through the crowd. The cast and crew nailed it in just a few takes, but unfortunately, the full version had to be cut for the final video.
Rhythm guitarist Monty highlighted another challenge:
Keeping that bloody mask on while headbanging on stage, was by far the most challenging part of the shoot. [But] we pushed through the physical chaos and hoped the edit captured all the best, raw moments.
Going on to talk about the song itself, Jones added:
The title of this track isn’t an accident—it links directly back to the visual world we created in our previous ‘The Experiment’ video. The concept was born from deep research into the dark history of human experimentation and the true nature of lunacy, the asylum and The Lunacy Act.
Unlike our usual five-minute tracks, this song is a fast, flat-out, kick you in the face tune that barely gives you room to breathe. It started back in the day with a hardcore vibe, written by our mate Ciaran [McKeever – former guitarist], before evolving over time into the intense sonic chaos it is today.