Four years after winning Jack Daniel’s The Chosen One battle of the bands competition and subsequently representing the Philippines in the JD Set Southeast Asian event in Cambodia, Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus is back with a revamped line-up and a brand new single.
The band, formed way back in 2010 now consists of vocalist Bones Frankenstein a.k.a. Mr. Bones, guitarist Alvin Chan, keyboardist Karl Vito Cruz, drummer Jovic de Leon, and backing vocalist and emcee, John Joe Joseph and new members, Karl Kliatchko and bassist Carissa Ramos, the rock band known for death and horror theatrics have also recently launched a new music video for their new song, “Take Me Down.”
The visually arresting video is directed by Pedring Lopez of BlackOps Studios Asia with frequent collaborator and cinematographer Pao Orendain. Lopez and Orendain, who both won awards for their work on the horror action film “Nilalang,” seem to have found the ideal subjects to film in the equally visual-oriented band.
“We see this music video as a game changer. The [horror] aesthetic of the band is unique, and lends itself well to a visual approach that has not been done in a while,” Lopez noted.
As in the band’s previous music videos which include “Haunted Wonderland,” “Go Go Dance,” “Ghost Train,” “Crooked Faces” and most recently, “The Hatter,” “Take Me Down” is characterized by lush, cinematic imagery.
Inspired by the freak shows of the early 20th century, the video tells the story of “La Ballerine” portrayed by real-life ballerina Aryanna Santiago and her descent into madness in a “dark circus” world filled with vampires, clowns, conjoined twins, and other “freaks,” portrayed by a diverse and multinational ensemble cast.
As for the song itself which is from their upcoming album, “The Grand Phantasma,” “Take Me Down” is just as riveting as its compelling video. “The Grand Phantasma” is the band’s follow-up to “The Great Fall Into Madness” (2014) and “Horror Scene” (2010).
Recorded last year at Tower of Doom Studios, “Take Me Down” sports a clear, punchy mix fitting of the Boneyard Circus’ patented theater-meets-heavy-metal sound as punctuated by the shredding guitars of Alvin Chua and Karl Kliatchko and brief but memorable solos of keyboardist Karl Vito Cruz and bassist Carissa Ramos.
Anchoring the whole thing is the sinister-sounding growls of vocalist Bones, who complimented Direk Pedring for realizing his vision for the band.
“Pedring really captured the essence of the Boneyard Circus in this video,” the enigmatic frontman said.
Released via Tower of Doom Music, “Take Me Down” is currently available on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and other digital channels. Mr. Bones and The Boneyard Circus will be releasing a series of subsequent singles before the third album “The Grand Phantasma” is released by the second quarter of 2018.
Watch the official music video of “Take Me Down” here: