Toronto’s doom and prog-laden band Blood Ceremony already take great inspiration from the 70’s – even their band name comes from a 1972 Spanish horror film. For the video of their latest single, they and video director Mark Cira decided to go one step further, and capture the look and aesthetic of the 70’s by using only video equipment from that era to bring the band’s darkly psychedelic rock song “Powers of Darkness” to life.
Shot on a clean sound stage, the video begins as a grooving performance piece, with the band members styled to match the throwback era. Pink and purple lighting shades create a warmly off-kilter atmosphere, as a dancer moves in and out of single spotlighted stage, while singer Alia O’Brien chants “Powers of darkness rise”. Skulls and tarot calls play well against the song’s gothic vibes, while Cira jubilantly breaks out a series of dazzling practical camera effects; after-images, pan/zooms, kaleidoscope filters, water filters, and other tripped-out looks I don’t even know the names of.
Watching the video, one feels like you’re being transported back in time to an era of dark velvet lounges, European b-movies and phantasmagoric delights. Watch the video above, and stream Blood Ceremony‘s latest album here.
