Dutch metallers Within Temptation have released a provocative and gory video for their song "Ritual," just in time for Halloween. The clip is a brutal and comedic take on the behavior of male sexual predators, and it imagines what would happen if a woman behaved as aggressively as the men who seek to take advantage of them.
The video, which features AI-generated imagery, is inspired by the work of legendary animator Ralph Bakshi and the Rotoscope school of animation. It is full of blood, violence, fangs, and humor.
Singer Sharon den Adel explains: "'Ritual' is a sexual song, about seduction and a woman taking power in a male-dominated world. It was inspired by watching Tarantino's movie From Dusk Til Dawn and is a light-hearted moment in our album, which focuses mainly on the political and repressive issues in the world. We have always wanted to do a horror-style video for Halloween, and this song gave us the perfect chance to do that, using AI-technology to create something truly awe-inspiring. But it also addresses some of the recent news-stories of men behaving badly and imagines what would happen if a bad-ass woman fought back in the most terrible way. So get ready for blood, violence, fangs, and humor. Happy Halloween to you all!"
Within Temptation's new album Bleed Out showcases the band at the forefront of contemporary metal, unafraid to take a social and political stand on many of the issues in the world today.
