Video Review: DEMON BOY Pain by Dave Wolff

DEMON BOY

Pain

From the 2010 full length Dawn Of The Demon

Written by Demon Boy, Steve Noir and Richie Valentine.

Featuring Demon Boy, Psycho Amaris, The Axecutioner, Chris Cyanide and Lightning Lou

Shot On Location at Darkside Haunted House, Wading River, New York, USA

Director of Photography/Camera/Editor: Joe Seconi

2nd Unit Camera: Michael Banks

Produced by Demon Boy

Would it be audacious to say Demon Boy is the James Brown of shock rock? If you’ve even had a conversation with him once you might think it wasn’t that extravagant. As stated in past reviews, DB is working hard to make rock and metal an extravaganza again, with substance to back it up. His shows and video productions remind you how important it is to have both in one package. Considering the current popularity of vampires and zombies in mainstream and independent cinema (and the number of guerilla film, fiction and theater projects), it would seem the time has come for guitar heavy artists who play and sing their own material to re-take the throne. Fewer people want to see the same formulaic pop of the last fifteen years in favor of, as Jack Black phrased it, “bands that rock.” This song was released to the public in 2010; after seven years it’s given a video treatment for fans of the old Romero classics, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Japanese splatter and the movies of Troma Entertainment. The song is an innovational crossover between metal and rap, something like Rob Zombie meets Run DMC with some Ramones. As presented here it somehow sounds heavier than I remember hearing it, especially in the chorus with its pounding double bass and the memorable line “the pain in your brain is the devil in your veins”. The lyrics would suggest an anti-drug song and the Demon himself confirmed this when asked. The use of lighting, shadow, closeup shots and long range background shots are constructed to play like the dreams of a psychotic that culminates with Demon Boy seeming to bleed from his eye sockets. Even for desensitized fans this video shows DB’s potential to add fresh elements to horror. -Dave Wolff