As all followers of zombie or plague movies will know, it’s the one fetid monstrosity that gets away who does the most damage. Which is why Suffolk’s The Infernal Sea – a band determined to redefine the term Black Death Metal to reference the postule-forming pandemic that swept across Europe in the 14th century – have chosen this Hallow’s Eve to rid the world of rogue, virus-riddled peasants lest they spread yet more horror upon our unsuspecting villages.
The band have chosen to document their efforts in the form of a mightily engaging video for the track Plague Herald, taken from last February’s debut album The Great Mortality, and one of the first wave of releases from the resurrected cult UK label, Cacophonous Records. Part performance footage shot in appropriately lurid green, part various hooded, masked and historically important, mace-bearing marauders determined to bring justice and excruciating yet purifying pain to a tumour-riddled escapee as he attempts to flee through the forests, it reveals the multifarious black metallers in imperiously mid-paced mode as they detail the ravages that await mankind.
“Behold our visual ritual to Plague Herald,” declares frontman Dean Lettice. “Our aim was to create a music video that captured the essence of our live performance as well as visualise our album concept, The Black Death, on screen. It has always been important that we continue to express our art not only live but also visually.
“We wanted to capture the macabre and sinister undertones of the Black Death and visualise the sadistic nature of mankind during this time of despair. The lyrics focus on the control that the Church had over the people and how they imposed fear that the plague was God’s wrath. One of the plague doctors in the video brandishes a mace in the video for Plague Herald, which is closely linked with the second wave of black metal from the early 1990s.
Only three maces were made, and can be seen in archived photos if you delve into the vaults of black metal history. It is believed that Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir) owned one as well as Varg Vikernes (Burzum). The mace used in the video belonged to Øystein ‘Euronymous’ Aarseth (Mayhem) who gave it to Morgan Håkansson (Marduk) as a gift. The mace was later auctioned off and purchased by a close friend of The Infernal Sea.
“It is insane that we have been given the opportunity to feature this rare artefact in our video, with it being closely linked to bands that influenced The Infernal Sea it is our tribute to Øystein ‘Euronymous’ Aarseth and the second wave of black metal. Now immerse yourself in the horror and hail the darkness!”
Ward off evil by ordering The Great Mortality via the Cacophonous site, Amazon or iTunes
Embrace the horror at The Infernal Sea’s Facebook page here
And gather around for a behind the scenes gallery below!
