Vancouver’s Thirteen Goats recently released their debut album Servants Of The Outer Dark, which they describe as a love letter to old-school Florida death metal, classic ‘80s thrash, and a spattering of other genres. Now, the band has unleashed a new music video for the title track, bringing their creative songwriting and entertaining lyrics to life with visuals that recall hit arthouse horror films from recent years. 

Lead vocalist/guitarist Graham K. Miles explains the single:

“‘Servant Of The Outer Dark’ chronicles the exploits of a certain dark sorcerer in his quest to return our universe to its natural state: complete and utter chaos. Mike came up with the foundation for this, and Rob contributed some really nasty guitar work that helped take it to the next level. I handled the vocal arrangement and the lyrics. They’re an homage to my favourite Stephen King villain, who was also a source of inspiration for our mascot and the broader concept behind the band.”

The video, directed by Nessa Aref & Alysson Hall, features Miles as a gun-toting adventurer who pursues a mysterious man in black (played by guitarist/vocalist Rob Fitz-Gerald) through a series of alternate realities where space and time keep shifting. Along the way, he receives a cryptic tarot card reading and encounters supernatural entities that either help or hinder his progress. The song itself opens with a thunderclap and a bell ringing while an acoustic guitar plays softly—until it is interrupted by the main riff and pounding toms. It’s full-tilt from that point forward as the chase gets underway.

Although they’re not directly adapting any existing works, the band and their creative team hope to clearly and respectfully tip their horns to the material that inspired them. There are plenty of Easter eggs for horror aficionados here—in addition to Stephen King, the filmmakers count Akira Kurosawa, and Ari Aster among their influences.

"Servant Of The Outer Dark" is also an introduction to the types of stories the band is interested in exploring. According to Thirteen Goats, the common theme running through their music is the transformative power of darkness—whether they’re writing about unsettling events in our world or in worlds beyond. It’s all summed up by their interdimensional, goat-skull-wearing demon mascot, Shepherd, and by the big catchy vocal hook in the single’s chorus: “Come fire, ice, and blackness, this universe must die; there’s such delicious madness waiting on the other side”.

“We hope this song inspires each listener to find and embrace the sinister magician within themselves,” says Miles, “because even though that person might be dangerous, that’s not always a bad thing—they can also be very empowering and a lot of fun."

Servants Of The Outer Dark was released on July 1, 2022. Order on Bandcamp.

Tracklisting:

“Servant Of The Outer Dark”
“Challenge The Executioner”
“Return To Ruin”
“Prisoner’s Anthem”
“Sub-Being”
“Unholy Mass”
“Constant Torment”
“Vacuum-Induced Head Explosion”
“Through The Meat Grinder…The Recipe”

"Servant Of The Outer Dark" video:

"Unholy Mass" lyric video:

“Return To Ruin” lyric video:

(Photo – Caitlin Delaplace)