New Zealand Progressive Death Metal act BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS, have unveiled an official music video for its new single “Hallucinative Terror”, via Knotfest. “Hallucinative Terror” is the second track to be taken from the group’s upcoming fourth album, “Rejecting Obliteration”, due out on May 19th via Prosthetic Records. The song and video, directed by Matt Evlampieff, shines a spotlight on BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS’ native country’s mental health crisis.
Speaking candidly about the track’s importance on “Rejecting Obliteration”, Ben Atkinson (guitar) comments: “Not a year goes by without losing someone we love to suicide. This was evident again throughout the writing, recording, and prep cycles for ‘Rejecting Obliteration’ where collectively as a group we lost more friends and sadly an old band member. The thought that we will never see their faces or hear their voices again still hurts us.”
And he adds: “The video for ‘Hallucinative Terror’ is based at a funeral and shows a person who has passed away by suicide with their family and friends approaching the coffin to share their grief and ask why, pointing out that everything seemed ok.
These scenes are intercut with the person seemingly alive in their coffin. They are screaming and thrashing for help as the coffin fills with water but the funeral guests are blind to this and don’t see this person’s struggles, and calls for help. The person is haunted by an older man invisible to everyone else throughout the video who represents the darker thoughts of hopelessness we can have. The video ends with the person drowning.
The video represents that feeling of drowning in sorrow and hopelessness, that between breaths you are struggling to call out for help, to look for someone who may pull you up and no one truly hears you, or hears what you are going through. ‘Hallucinative Terror’ has taught us that we all need to be better listeners and observers and to proactively reach out.”
Navigating cycles of abuse and trauma, whilst actively reaching for resolution through resilience, BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS‘ aptly titled Rejecting Obliteration is a testament to and declaration of endurance through hardships and loss. Lyrically conceived by Stace Fifield and Stuart Henley-Minchington, Rejecting Obliteration’s ten tracks share a common narrative thread of finding identity and light outside of personal hurt and psychological harm. The pair’s primary focus on inner strength and resilience serves as an unwavering foundation of who the band are in essence.
Whilst despairing in it’s subject matter Rejecting Obliteration refuses to concede to a predestination of further anguish, opting instead to shun all notions of defeat, which in and of itself is vital to BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS’ long fought for and claimed identity.
“Rejecting Obliteration” track listing:
- Monolith
- Methlehem
- Hallucinative Terror
- Rejecting Obliteration
- Wraith
- Cicada
- Funeral Smiles
- The Waves
- Hands of Contrition
- Caustic Burns
You can watch the official music video for “Hallucinative Terror” below:
