Today, Decibel is pleased to present the new music video from Italian death metal warriors Crawling Chaos. The song, “The Prince Is Here” is from the band’s latest album, XLIX.
Here is what Andrea, the band’s guitarist, had to say about the video and it’s core concept:
“It is a sort of flashback telling about how the prince, the faceless protagonist of the whole concept, has reached the apex of his power. Embittered and frustrated by the reality he was living in, the prince gained access to forbidden knowledge after finding a fictional lost edition of Machiavelli’s masterpiece. The cursed tome, recovered among the ruins of the ancient Irem — the City of a Thousand Pillars — enabled him to effectively embody the skills and qualities of the ultimate ruler. But this is just the beginning of the story – that of an epic ascent followed by a painful, desolating fall.
The video clip is an allegory recalling the passage of the protagonist through the main phases of the tale upon which the concept is based. The blind goddess is fortune, who determines the fate of the unaware prince extracting the seven tarots corresponding to the seven songs of the album. “The Prince Is Here,” in particular, is tied to the hermit card, which symbolizes the process of gaining wisdom or “what is known.” The “Black Prince” epitomizes the fulfilled, nearly omnipotent aspect of the protagonist, while the “White Prince” represents its opposite — a broken, desperate man who’s finally aware of being just a worthless piece on a cosmic chessboard.”
Any band who can take the conceptual framework of The Prince and apply it to metal is a winner to me. Anyone looking to maintain a sober and clear-headed outlook on political events should read the book. Likewise, anyone who likes technical death metal but still wants memorable hooks should listen to Crawling Chaos. For the band’s next album, let’s see if they can tackle the Decameron or the Divine Comedy, imagine the possibilities!
