Honourable Mention 6: Set the World on Fire—Symphony X, Score = 9 points;
Score justification: 8 for the song + ½ for production values + ½ for story = 9;
The band playing in a Hellish landscape—against a lacerated sky, as Slayer would have it. A green-screen video, where the band is recorded with a green screen in the background while that background is filled in later through virtual landscapes and special effects. While Kamelot’s “March of Mephisto” was two years ahead of them[1], it was with a cityscape (while “The Great Pandemonium” features a Hieronymus Bosch/H.R. Giger background). Plenty of ‘Lord of the Rings’-inspired green-screen metal videos followed: Xandria’s “The Wonders Still Awaiting”, Inner Axis’s “Steelbladed Avenger”, Imperial Age’s “The Legacy of Atlantis”, and there are probably many more. The (relatively) cheap way of shooting an epic video.
A shame they couldn’t shoot a more realistic video. Well, not everybody has Metallica’s budget.
Only 8 points for the song? It’s got metal, power, virtuosity, and attitude. Unfortunately, it’s not the best song on the album (that honour goes to “The Walls of Babylon”), and almost all songs after it are better.
Then why not list “A Serpent’s Kiss”? Slightly better song, admittedly, but the video is not quite as epic, not even close (although bonus point for shouting “left to slither” at a live snake).
Only 0.5 points for story? It’s epic! The album’s concept is an adaptation of John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost” (1667)[2]. Only full points I you make up your own concept story[3].
So no cheesiness in this video? Apart from the weird ‘Eye of Sauron’ contraption? And don’t mention the fight scenes…😉
Don’t say: Death to all virtual enemies! I will slay you with my sword laser pointer!
Do say: Buy all their albums ten times so next time they can hire James Cameron[4] Peter Jackson.
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
[1] As a metal band using a green screen video;
[2] And they’ve gone even deeper in history;
[3] See: Genesis, Pink Floyd, Rush, Queensryche, Savatage, Pain of Salvation, and Threshold;
[4] No, not even all the bands in the world combined can afford James Cameron (and that’s before he goes wildly over budget);