German metal legends HELLOWEEN have released the video for “My God-Given Right,” the title track of their forthcoming new album, which is due June 2 via Nuclear Blast. The clip was directed by Oliver Sommer of AVA Studios.
Comments Sommer: “The story tells itself with the first look on the artwork: it seems to be a film still and you only have to press the ‘play’ button. So the female protagonist flees — reminiscences to different (post)apocalyptic films and stories are deliberated — from an army of robotic pumpkin soldiers through an empty world. On the other side, the band performs in frightfully beautiful, rocked out ambience. When the tough girl realizes that she won’t escape, she turns around and kills her chasers with a grenade which looks like the torch from the Statue of Liberty… It is immersed in snow on the cover artwork and in sand in the clip.”
He continues: “Our post-apocalyptic world is a white desert, which exists in reality in Germany. The industrial disaster area, our hero is fleeing in and the band is performing in, is an incredible and giant area of the ex-steelworks (heavy metal!) Maxhütte — both locations are real wastelands!”
According to singer Andi Deris, the band insists on a simple motto: “Back to the roots — but with new songs.” He continues: “More than ever, our fans want to sing and rock out along with us. This simply works best with the use of distinctive choruses and ’80s hooklines.”
Guitarist Michael Weikath clarifies: “It is not our mission to just relive the ’80s at all cost — to our own surprise, the whole dynamic of this working concept took on a life of its own.”
Both Weikath and Deris stress that the album title is self-explanatory. “Surely there’ll be haters again that will presume that we have nothing better to do than to keep recycling the past instead of moving on into the 21st century,” the guitarist says. “But such critics have followed us all along and never impressed us. We’ve always had a liberal attitude towards heavy metal: to do anything we want — and not follow the directions the know-it-alls would have pushed on us. We remained unfazed and acted out our vision of ‘anything goes’ in the songwriting process to ‘My God-Given Right’ because we believe that it is our god-given-right (no pun intended) to do as we please and fulfill our musical vision without any boundaries.”
My God-Given Right track listing:
1. Heroes
2. Battle’s Won
3. My God-Given Right
4. Stay Crazy
5. Lost In America
6. Russian Roulé
7. The Swing Of A Fallen World
8. Like Everybody Else
9. Creatures In Heaven
10. If God Loves Rock ‘N’ Roll
11. Living On The Edge
12. Claws
13. You, Still Of War
The limited digipak (with special 3D cover) and the vinyl version will feature two bonus tracks:
14. I Wish I Were There
15. Wicked Game
The digital version contains three bonus tracks:
14. I Wish I Were There
15. Wicked Game
16. Free World
The limited earbook will feature a bonus CD with four bonus tracks:
1. I Wish I Were There
2. Wicked Game
3. Nightmare
4. More Than A Lifetime