By Daniel Rutledge
Kiwi rock band Beastwars have released an audacious music video debut featuring animal carcasses, a bonfire and a baby.
The black and white video for ‘Empire’, directed by Hamish Waterhouse, took five months to make and stars Levi ‘nek minnit’ Hawkins along with New Zealand’s only full-time male stripper, simply named Levi.
“‘Empire’ follows the tragic demise of one empire through the rise of another,” says Waterhouse.
“It’s about greed, betrayal, sacrifice, downfall and death.”
Beastwars drummer Nathan Hickey says the ambitious video was difficult to accomplish.
“It was touch-and-go there for a while but we just couldn’t do it half-arsed,” says Hickey.
“We wanted it to not only look good, but to have a payoff for the viewer. When you’ve finished watching it, we want you to not only have enjoyed it as a visual experience but also to have had a visceral response to it.
“We’re really stoked with the final result and feel so lucky to have worked with such a talented young bunch of people on it.”
Beastwars say fans can expect more videos from the group in 2013.
“We’re planning a trilogy of videos to follow up ‘Empire’ with three songs from the next album,” says Hickey.
“They’ll all take place in the same world as the ‘Empire’ video but 1000 years in its future. They’ll all be very trippy videos.”
Hickey says Beastwars finished recording their as yet untitled sophomore album on the weekend and will release it next year.
The self-titled debut album, released in New Zealand in May 2011, is being released in the US in September through Destroy / EMI.
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