See Automb Evoke Second-Wave Black-Metal Savagery in New "Into Nothingness" Video

Black metal has been through many iterations over its various waves and permutations, but Pittsburgh act Automb — singer-bassist Danielle Evans, guitarist Serge Streltsov (ex-Necrophagia) and drummer Scott Fuller (Morbid Angel) — have stripped things back to the basics with their video for "Into Nothingness," a chilly track wrought with themes of isolation and darkness taken from their debut album Esoterica. 

Focusing on a full-band setup in a nighttime woodland scene, the corpsepaint-wearing band shows a grim dedication to the traditional imagery associated with the Scandinavian second wave of black metal. Shot entirely in black and white, the video jumps between this scene and short bits of the three musicians standing around a ritualistic fire. Evans delivers a fierce, fist-clenching performance in cutaway scenes, deadpanning the lyrics into the camera while dramatic lighting bathes the shot in accentuated shadows. 

"Basically the lyrics refer to the Left-Hand Path, or the night side path of paganism," says Evans of the track. "These are part of a spiritual path that discusses the origin of all creation, beyond the cosmic order and even gods themselves. Vast emptiness. The grand darkness that gives birth to light and life. Chaos."

The climax comes when Streltsov climbs onto an enormous fallen tree and stands firm on its branches to perform a squealing guitar solo that modernizes the track with skill and precision lacking in some more traditional purveyors of the genre. The video cuts off quickly as Evans growls the track title once more, and the scene cuts to black. 

Automb's debut Esoterica is out now.