From looking at Metallica’s “ManUNkind” on the outside, it would seem to be all the fun and games as I stated earlier, hearing James’ voice coming from the a non-Hetfield vocalist with corpse paint. The reality is, Metallica has been endlessly surprising everyone and the “ManUNkind” is no different. The video was directed by former Bathory drummer Jonas Åkerlund, who’s also worked with Metallica on videos including “Turn the Page.” As many are solely focused on what the album sounds like, we managed to overlook the fact that “ManUNkind” was a glimpse into Åkerlund’s upcoming film dramatization of Lords of Chaos. Based on the book Lords of Chaos, the true story behind the Norwegian black metal scene and church burnings of the 1998s, the “band” playing is actually the one that will be Mayhem in the film. Actors including Rory Culkin, Jack Kilmer, and Sky Ferreira have managed to make appearances in this video.
As the video progresses, the black metal rituals get a bit more sinister. We watch the audience headbang, and crowd surf whie the band performs, then a knife appears as the singer gashes his arms, making blood gush out to the crowd. Fans embrace this moment, and a few manage to catch a pig head thrown out in the crowd and end up licking, biting and devouring it. Some black metal purists are already crying foul about the video, which means they’re probably going to HATE the film. Then again, if black metal purists don’t have something to hate, they’ll cease to exist.
