Dubbing their gory muso-visual masterpiece “Red Fang: Headbang,” the music video/game centers on saving the band from utter annihilation as you progress through a phantasmagoric series of scenes. Ah yes, and the primary mechanic is headbanging.
The app takes on engendering interest in the band’s music from a groundbreaking new angle, encouraging listeners to play their way through the song as an entertainment experience far removed from music video traditions. The approach shows potential for future releases across the board in music and could, in fact, be the beginning of an interesting trend.
Metal Injection reported that Wieden+Kennedy advertising agency executive Ansel Wallenfang devised the clever concept and set the cogs in motion for its creation.
Willamette Week reported influences for the idea included 16-bit arcade games from the ’90s, which is hardly surprising given the game’s classic Mortal Kombat variety of visuals. The game itself involves surviving a zombie-infested Red Fang concert, aiding in the destruction of a car, and a fight against the comedian Brian Posehn ,whose bearded, robotic skull jumps out of a hell-pit for a very punny and literal ‘face-off.’
The game’s associated website epitomizes its creative direction with an intentionally kitsch aesthetic complete with laser-shooting skulls and a bloody font.
