Mortification
Grind Planets (Video)
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
This custom video, which has been picked up by Nuclear Blast Records in Germany, may also soon be distributed in the States by Frontline. These three Aussies grind out some pretty cool conceptual videos. The tape starts with a hilarious intro, and has a title "page" for every video, along with a quote of "wisdom" (like the "King's X Chronicles"). "Terminate Damnation" starts things with tons of cool footage: stage diving audiences, the band performing live, the band outdoors and inside an ornate marble fountain inlay (like the inside of a silo); and editing to keep things fast, in color, black & white, reversed (like a photo negative) and under stroboscopic action. This could air on late-night MTV Headbanger's Ball (I've seen worse on there). The spaces in between songs are spiced up with personal appearances. Steve Rowe gives the viewer a "tour" of the Mortification "tour bus" (a van) as he spoofs Robert Sweet's I-Roc Z (Camero) scene on the "In the Beginning" video. Almost every "Grind Planets On Tour" segment spoofs at least one of the Stryper character profiles. "Turn" appears second with tons of stroboscopic action and reverse imaging. It lasts all of 15 seconds or so. "Until the End" is next with lots of footage in a small studio, where they're often superimposed over one another, spliced with footage on a burned out hill with wicked storm clouds overhead. Steve handles a Boa Constrictor in this one. Ooh! "The Destroyer Beholds," along with many of the other songs from the debut album, were previously featured on the last video package from these guys--"Metal Missionaries"--yet this one is in stereo and improved. "Raise the Chalice" has something never before done in Christian video (save for the "Do Something Now" vid): the band taking communion. Very cool. "Satan's Doom" features some very wild effects similar to the first Mortification album cover (the banned one), where the guys' heads are all warped and screaming. The last video clip, "The Majestic Infiltration of Order," has some hilarious animated lips and eyes drawn on stills of Steve Rowe as he sings. It's a scream! To sum it all up: This ain't no cheesy homemade video. It's high-quality stuff that fits the death metal genre very well. Mortification fans will absolutely love it! The only part that gets cheesy is the tour of the hotel they stayed at in Brisbane. Besides this, the only other big criticism is that filming so many conceptual videos (8), you tend to run out of special effects and ideas, so you'll see similarities pop up now and again. It may take awhile for this to become available in the States. Ordering directly from the band may get it to you quicker. Write: PO Box 339, Mantone, Victoria, 3194 Australia.