Pittsburgh Metal Band DETHLEHEM Release Stop Motion D&D-Inspired Video for “Escape From Wolf Mountain”
Josh Millican
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Dethlehem is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign that came to life in the form of a metal band! The warriors of Dethlehem have quested throughout the realm, leveling up, and telling their tales through their unique brand of epic-melodic-death-metal!
Each album weaves a semi-cohesive story about the many trials and tribulations they’ve faced — including battling mimics, mind flayers, gelatinous cubes, fathers, dragons, and more!
Dethehem was formed in the late summer of 2008 as a one-off Halloween house party band. After a couple of fun shows in October 2008, they decided to keep playing and bringing their brand of satire and melodic death metal to the masses… and not just to their close friends at some random house parties. 12 years, and 4 albums later, Dethlehem is still dressing up in armor, creating music, and throwing in as many dumb, nerdy jokes as they can while doing it.
Jam Roll Studios is a video production company specializing in stop motion animation. Based in Pittsburgh, PA and helmed by Co-Founders Jordan Hammill, Alex Kropinak and Matt Davidson. Jam Roll Studios was established in 2018 and has produced content for clients such as Marvel Entertainment, The Topps Company, Crunchyroll/VRV, Mezco Toyz and Southern Tier Brewing Company.
Jam Roll Studios’ collaboration with Dethlehem was sparked years ago after attending one of their awesome shows. Immediately drawn to the energy, humor and creative talent of Dethlehem, Jam Roll Studios contacted them to offer their video production services on a potential music video. As Dethlehem was already working on their brand-new album, Maelstrom of the Emerald Dragon, this worked out perfectly to collaborate on a video for the track “Escape From Wolf Mountain.”
After studying the band’s character sheets, Jam Roll Studios proposed a story for what exactly happens during Dethlehem’s quest to retrieve a mysterious chalice from atop Wolf Mountain. Jam Roll Studios then began crafting the many sets and fabricating the articulated figures representing each of the members of Dethlehem. Jam Roll Studios also enlisted the talents of two students from Point Park University’s Animation and VFX program, Brittany Butler and Grace Johns, who created the 2-D-animated forest animals seen in the video. Several hundred hours and several thousand photographs later, “Escape From Wolf Mountain’s” music video was complete!
Jam Roll Studios and Dethlehem would also like to thank Producers Ashley Hammill and Jennifer Kropinak and Animation Assistants Matt Takacs, Jack Kropinak and Stephen Takacs for their invaluable help in making this project possible.
Are you a fan of Dethlehem and/or Dungeons & Dragons? What do you think of the video for “Escape from Wolf Mountain”? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
