Though Jackass star Chris Pontius is expected to appear this summer in the next film instalment of the extreme stunt series, the rock-and-metal-loving wildboy is heating up screens right now in a vibrantly ritualistic new video with Norwegian outfit Vreid.
Pontius appears in the band’s new vid for “Loving the dead,” which finds Vreid joined by guest vocalist Agnete Kjølsrud (Djerv). The anthemic, dark-rocking single is described in a press release as being a love song at its heart, but likewise reflects “a surreal inner world where darkness and destructive self-talk dominate, touching on the moment where resistance gives way to survival instinct.”
Directed by Ulvar Gansum, the video first finds Pontius as a barfly awoken by the siren song of Kjølsrud blasting from an overhead TV. Compelled by the sound, he starts wandering snowy streets and ultimately ends up at a church where Vreid and Kjølsrud are tackling the tune.
“We wanted to create something cinematic and unexpected,” Vreid member Jarle Kvåle described in a statement of their Oslo-set visual experience. “Not just a performance video, but a visual journey.”
Like a scene out of Eyes Wide Shut, Pontius is peeping the concert alongside a bunch of debonair, masked ritualists. After filming the performance for a bit on his handicam, Pontius is taken over by the group and their music.
He caps the vid in pure Pontius fashion, stripping down to his banana hammock and dancing excitedly to the final moments of “Loving the dead.” “It didn’t feel strange at all,” the actor explained in his own statement. “It felt natural.”
You can get an eyeful of Pontius, Vreid and Kjølsrud up above. The single is likewise on streamers, while Vreid’s upcoming The Skies Turn Black album is out in full on March 6th.