KINGDOM OF SORROW - ＂Lead Into Demise＂

What this video is

Released in early 2008 to support Kingdom of Sorrow's Relapse Records debut, "Lead Into Demise" arrived at a transitional moment when the metalcore and sludge metal scenes were converging around a shared aesthetic of stripped-back, punishing heaviness. The band was itself a supergroup collision between two distinct heavy subcultures — Jamey Jasta's New England hardcore/metalcore world (Hatebreed) and Kirk…

Why it matters

As the debut video from a sludge-metalcore supergroup on Relapse Records, "Lead Into Demise" is a codified example of late-2000s extreme metal video aesthetics: rapid montage editing, oppressive low-key lighting, and the deliberate rejection of pop-video production gloss. It documents how…

The director

Kevin James Custer is a music video, documentary, and commercial director operating under his production company Toaster In The Tub, which he founded in 2001. He has directed and edited projects for clients including MTV, BET, FUSE, Sony, DefJam, and the…