GUNSHIP REVEAL NEW CUTTING EDGE SHORT FILM ‘Blood For The Blood God’ Feat. HEALTH DIRECTED BY SETH ICKERMAN & FT. DOUG BRADLEY TAKEN FROM THEIR ALBUM UNICORN |
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[Tuesday 20th August] Today, GUNSHIP team up with revered French directing duo Seth Ickerman to once again push the boundaries of the music video format for their new short film ‘Blood For The Blood God’, featuring the band HEALTH and actor Doug Bradley, famous for portraying Pinhead in the Hellraiser movies. The band’s latest short-film is a thought-provoking horror space epic – a meditation on death, rebirth and exploitation. This galactic thrill ride exists as a never ending loop, with the video’s structure reinforcing contemplation on the infinite cycle of life. Resistance and rebellion in the face of greed are key themes, but ultimately the video invites the audience to reach their own conclusions on its deeper meaning. The video was meticulously conceived and executed through a combination of painstaking human artistry and the latest in VFX technology. Seth Ickerman hand-modelled and animated the entire video, before working with Trimaran VFX to transform their animations through generative technology bent to the will of the human creatives and manifested as a contagion within the film. A behind the scenes look at the making of the video can be found here: https://youtu.be/ebYXWPUdjhg Speaking on the video release, Seth Ickerman says: “We talk in this film about excessive exploitation, symbolised by the greedy entity that devours the riches of a planet and inevitably leads to its own ruin. This insatiable quest for possession ignores the dire consequences of its actions. However, a spiritual dimension is revealed, where life, endowed with its own consciousness, awakens and stands against oppression. The planet, rediscovering its soul, embodies resistance and rebellion against the invader. Ultimately, the triumphant resilience of life proves that, despite oppression, it finds its way, demonstrating that any attempt at domination is doomed to fail in the face of the unyielding force of existence.” |
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GUNSHIP worked with Doug Bradley to conceive and produce the narration of a god-like entity within the film. Doug, famous for portraying the notorious lead-cenobite Pinhead in the Hellraiser films, is a renowned actor and voice actor and has leant his unique vocal talents to numerous songs and games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic. Doug Bradley adds: “The style of the song intrigued me because a lot of it felt to me like good old 80s synth pop, but it is also quite dark and heavy. I’m not good at musical labels, but I believe industrial is the term! I loved the mix of the styles in the song, that intrigued me and the way that matched up with the theme of the video which is pretty cosmic, pretty dark, pretty violent and yet manages to somehow be a love story. All these elements came together for me.” ‘Blood for the Blood God’ is the second of four new videos that the synthwave pioneers GUNSHIP are sharing this year, following the release of their latest album Unicorn. ‘DooM Dance’, their first video release, is Gunship’s own homage to the golden era of anime, released on VHS tapes complete with 90s anime-styled packaging and featuring live action footage of Gavin Rossdale (Bush), and Carpenter Brut. Gunship have made a name for themselves by linking their music and video releases with popular culture. Whether that be film, like the Blade Runner x The Terminator dystopia in ‘Monster In Paradise’ (feat. Milkie Way, Dave Lombardo, Tim Cappello, Tyler Bates) which has just been shared as the new soundtrack for the latest CALL OF DUTY video game trailer – or the gaming world, as with ‘DooM Dance’ and previous album single ‘Taste Like Venom’, which paid homage to SEGA’s classic arcade game Outrun. |
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With their latest album Unicorn, Gunship invite their listeners to celebrate the power of imagination. Named after the international icon of fantasy and imagination, it’s emblazoned with the tagline “Imagination Is A Weapon”. The trio’s trademark, synth-laden atmosphere and transportative soundscapes have continued to evolve to include more rock, industrial, and EDM influences, allowing the listener to revel in an alternative reality across its electric tracklist. Unicorn also boasts a diverse array of special guests, who each bring something different to the project. Collaborators include: John Carpenter, Gavin Rossdale (Bush), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Carpenter Brut, Timmy Cappello (Lost Boys, Tina Turner, Ringo Starr), Health, Tyler Bates (John Wick, Guardians of the Galaxy etc), Lights, Power Glove, Charlie Simpson, Britta Philips (Jem), and Milkie Way (Wargasm). |
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Photo Credit: Olli Appleyard ABOUT GUNSHIP GUNSHIP are Dan Haigh, Alex Westaway, and Alex Gingell. The band’s sound is created with vintage analogue synthesizers and other retro electronic gear from the 1980s. Driven and inspired by nostalgia for a bygone era, Gunship harness this retro approach to birth something fresh and new. Their sound is sonically diverse — blending sweeping fluorescent synth lines with fever pitched and adrenalizing electric bass arpeggios. Dan Haigh from Gunship describes their sound as “a neon-soaked, late night, sonic getaway drive, dripping with luscious analogue synthesizers, cinematic vocals and cyberpunk values, exploding from the front cover of a dusty plastic VHS case which has lain forgotten since 1984”. Gunship was formed in 2014 as a new musical venture for Westaway and Haigh, also members of post-hardcore band Fightstar with Charlie Simpson (Busted) and Omar Abidi, going on hiatus in 2010. Unicorn follows their critically acclaimed self-titled debut (Gunship, 2015), and 2018 follow-up Dark All Day. Connect with Gunship |