New Jersey metalcore crew Toothgrinder recently dropped their sophomore album, Phantom Amour, a record that was influenced by frontman Justin Matthews' fascination with Carl Jung, the famed psychoanalyst who introduced the concept of archetypes, stories and concepts consistent throughout the entirety of human history. That fascination plays out particularly on "The Shadow," which delves into Jung's idea of man's intrinsic duality between good and evil.
"It's based on myself, but also everyone in general," he told Revolver recently of "The Shadow." "You just have to watch out for your shadow. Every time I come home from tour I have a one-week jet-lag period. Like, 'Oh wow. I can't talk like that, my family's around.' You forget: Turn on the other switch."
Toothgrinder's video for "The Shadow," which we're premiering today, offers a visual translation of its titular concept. The clip centers around a man struggling to escape the clutches of the Shadow himself (who appears as a creepy gentleman dressed in black) — with a suitcase chained to his leg, natch.
"What I like most about this video is one can see the Shadow character depicted in such books as The Stand and The Dark Tower series — two favorites of mine," Matthews explains. "I see the Shadow character and immediately get taken back to stories such as [the Bible's] Cain and Abel, Harry Potter, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Lord of the Rings to name a few. This song was a ton of fun to put together, and the video displays that perfectly. I hope everyone can appreciate the concept and learn to tame their own shadow."
Check out Toothgrinder's dramatic "The Shadow" clip below.
