German symphonic deathcore outfit Mental Cruelty are embracing their Viking mythology with the release of an elaborate new music video for “Ride Of The Valkyries.”
The track serves as the grand finale of the band’s upcoming album, ‘Echoes Of A Forlorn Land’, and follows the introductory piece “Dämmerbruch.” The record is scheduled for release on October 23 through Century Media.
Directed by Dariusz Szermanowicz, whose credits include work with Behemoth and Amon Amarth, the “Ride Of The Valkyries” video was created with Polish production company Grupa13. According to the band, it represents their most ambitious visual production to date.
The video takes viewers into a historically accurate Norse village populated by period-focused reenactors, giving the track the feel of a full-scale Viking film.
Vocalist Lukas Nicolai explained the concept behind the song and its accompanying visual:
“‘Ride of the Valkyries’ is the grand finale ahead of the release of our new LP ‘Echoes of a Forlorn Land.’ It closes the album (alongside intro ‘Dämmerbruch’) with heroic atmosphere, bombastic orchestration and uplifting melodies to tell the tale of Norse mythology’s angelic deliverers of the dead.
Symphonic death metal’s epic riffing serves as the perfect soundtrack to fallen warriors’ journey to Valhalla, as well as the battlefield below, where the likes of Children of Bodom, Wintersun and Ensiferum clash with each other and influences like black metal and deathcore.
We matched that with the biggest, most expensive and over-the-top production we’ve ever done, both musically and visually. We teamed up with production company Grupa13 (Behemoth, Amon Amarth) to create our own blockbuster, complete with a captivating intro and epic emotional ending. Throughout are stunning shots centered around a historically-accurate Norse village and re-enactors who focus on the time period to keep it true. This is basically our own little Viking movie!”
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