Fresh from their hugely successful European tour, dark electronic group Bestial Mouths have released the first video from their mesmerizing new album on Cleopatra Records, Heartless. Directed and co-conceived by Niko Sonnberger, the video features the title track from the album and stars vocalist Lynette Cerezo in the stark white garb of a mental institution patient as she twists and contorts her body to the intense tribal rhythms of the song. Close-ups of Cerezo's anguished face and editing techniques that include reverse motion and split screen frames, courtesy of editor Diana Lopez, build the subtle emotional turmoil to a chaotic climax. "The video is more of a collaboration between Niko and I," Cerezo explains, "we discussed my vision and feelings about the song and came up with the concept together." The minimalist, bleach-white color scheme and angular cinematography, accomplished by Spencer Rollins, comes inspired by images and accounts of female hysteria, a pseudo-medical disorder that was once a common diagnosis in the 19th century for overly emotion or overtly sexual women, as well as ?u?awski's 1981 cult film Possession. However, the full meaning of the video, Cerezo affirms, "is left to the viewer as the imagery plays on the concept of sanity/insanity and time/reality (reappearing/disappearing)."
Anyone familiar with Bestial Mouths knows that this is a band who takes the visual aspect very seriously. From the provocative album cover art to the sublimely conceived photo-shoots, Cerezo pushes aesthetic boundaries nearly as much as she pushes musical boundaries. About the "Heartless" video, Cerezo adds, "This one was especially challenging in pushing myself to new levels. With the help of choreographer Mecca Vazie Andrews and the dancers, I got to recall my past ballet/dance training in order to channel the emotions that the song conjures up." After viewing the video for "Heartless," no one can doubt Cerezo's savage commitment to her art. The "Heartless" video will make its world premiere on the website for alternative music/fashion/lifestyle magazine Auxiliary on DATE.Videos