Los Angeles deathrock night stalkers Deth Crux have unleashed the haunting video for the album opener “Phantom Blood”, a song culled from the band’s tenebrous and tumultuous debut LP Mutant Flesh.
With “Phantom Blood” Deth Crux invoke the crooning guitar swept glory of UK Gothic Rock heroes such as Bauhaus and Fields of the Nephilim tempered by the unique darkness of their California Deathrock that was born in their hometown of Los Angeles.
On the expertly shot, and cinematic themes displayed in the video for “Phantom Blood”, the band explains:
“The video for ‘Phantom Blood’ is a sketch of the empty streets and shadowed corners of the city which the song takes its setting. The first few lines in ‘Phantom Blood’ were the inspiration for the visuals. “Voices from the shadow are calling you They’re calling you Drawing you closer to Oblivion Compelled by my misery. “ The compulsion to seek out the night and to experience the elation and destruction that it can offer was at the heart of the song and the video. While the video and song both rely on mystical and fantasy elements to illustrate these ideas the truth is that the reality of these urges are often far more horrifying. ‘Phantom Blood’ was one of the first songs that was written for the Mutant Flesh album. Being one of the first it went through several changes and was played regularly before it was recorded. Because of its tone and the time we spent with it, it became the first song on the record as well as the first video we completed for the album. We go willingly into oblivion.”
Watch the video for “Phantom Blood” below:
Mutant Flesh was Recorded and mixed by famed sound designer Sanford Parker (Leviathan, Wovenhand, Nachtmystium, Voivod etc.) in 2017 at Big Band Sound in Los Angeles, “Mutant Flesh” features contributions also by saxophone legend Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Corrections House).
The album was initially released via Sentient Ruin label, and has since sold out but the band are placing the remainder of their records and merch on the Deth Crux Bandcamp page.