Music Video Analysis

Laid To Rest – Lamb of God

The music video for the song ‘Laid To Rest’ by ‘Lamb of God’ is very fast paced and stereotypically a heavy metal music video. The video features mainly performance shots of the band in a car park and a small narrative of one man chasing another. The two parts come together near the end when the two men run into the car park behind the band.

The lyrics to this song are quite dark and heartless. It is all about crushing your dreams and being better off alone. This is conveyed in the visuals with the man being chased all alone with no-one to help him. Even when he runs past the band near the end none of the band members pay them any attention and don’t try to help in anyway. All they really do is tell him to give up. The location chosen for the performance shots relates to the lyrics as it is a fairly dark multi-story car park, with the occasional flash of lights coming through the windows. The narrative shots seem to take place in very open and quiet, even abandoned areas. This also emphasises the aloneness and isolation suggested by the lyrics.

The visuals and the editing are very fast paced like the music. They make good use of handheld shots, especially during the narrative shots, to keep everything moving and energetic. The video cuts to the beat and emphasise certain parts of the music. For example when the guitarists play a little riff that stands out; we are shown a shot of the guitarists playing it. They also use slow motion shots to highlight the aggressive nature of the bands performance, for example their head banging. Near the beginning there are also quite a few white flashes in between shots. These again keep the visuals fast paced and lively, whilst keeping the audience on the edge of their seats with shock and anticipation. Throughout the whole video there is movement, in the acting, the performing and the camerawork. This means the audience is never bored and the action is continuous right the way through the video. This is very typical of heavy metal music video, very vigorous and dynamic. The visuals also develop with the music. For example nearer the end when there is a section with lots of heavy and fast paced drumming the editing and the camerawork does the same.

There are several close-ups of the various band members when they are playing. These are the star shots that show the audience that it’s ‘Lamb of God’ playing. The band is represented as a classic metal band, with very aggressive and lively music and performance. The video adds to this with the constant movement and fast paced editing.

The video is mainly performance based, as is the case with many metal music videos. The band is playing in a multi-story car park with lots of aggression and liveliness in the way they play. There is a small narrative with two men chasing each other. There is a part near the end where the two come together and the men run past the band in the car park. This is a nice effect and gives the band a real setting rather than just playing in a random location for no apparent reason.

In conclusion, this is a very effective, fast paced, energetic music video. The visuals relate to the music and the lyrics very well. The camerawork and the good use of handheld shots keeps the video moving with the music all the time which keeps the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats.