Don't Panic Films

Bowen Staines - "Raven Heart" (Demo) Demo of a brand-new song from Bowen Staines, entitled "Raven Heart", recorded live on the roof of the Arctic Endeavor, Upernavik, Greenland - 6/29/11Studio v...

We have a brand-new music video out for SÓLSTAFIR, and it’s A BLOODY GOOD TIME — CHECK IT OUT!!

— OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE —

“Dionysus” was produced and filmed in Reykjavík, Iceland between August — October 2021, and edited at the Don’t Panic Films studio in Boston, Massachusetts. While the video was originally shot in 8K, the finished product was scanned in its entirety onto 35mm filmstock for release. At its core, the music video for “Dionysus” is an allegory for the inner-violence and tragedy of substance abuse, and for the struggle with that endless twilight of codependent love, inherent.

While the majority of filming for “Dionysus” was completed in a single day, the pre-production process began nearly six months earlier. The idea for the high-pressure blood cannons came up fairly early on, with Sólstafir vocalist Aðalbjörn Tryggvason and I going back and forth over the best (and safest) way to build them— the main issue, of course, being that I would eventually have to fly from Boston to Iceland carrying a large, metal switchboard with dozens of red and black wires leading into multiple tubes of industrial-grade PVC piping inside my checked luggage. The day came, and it went about as well as you’d expect. I was allowed into Iceland purely through the mercy of a single border agent who happened to be a huge Sólstafir fan— he’d seen every video, and thus, understood I was being honest when I explained that the contents of my suitcase would be used to cover the band with 80-litres of blood in a few short days.

Things finally clicked for me the next morning, however, when I discovered via one of the local media outlets that the Icelandic SWAT team
(Víkingasveitin) had actually been dispatched to the Keflavik Airport for what ended up being a false-alarm. I’d completely forgotten, as I walked out of the airport and hitched a ride into Reykjavík with Sólstafir guitarist Sæþór Marius Sæþórsson, that there had been a large bus with blacked-out windows idling outside the terminal— and I remembered actually thinking, for a moment: “…is Iron Maiden playing?...” Nope. Bomb Squad.

Over the next week, the gents in Sólstafir learned how to play “Dionysus” at 272BPM— three-times the song’s normal speed— and because the video was to be filmed at extremely high frame rates, they would be required to perform the song at that speed live on the day of the shoot, in a single take. After thirty minutes of ProTools not working, and the coffee machine in the rehearsal space calling it a day, forever, things quickly started coming together— and we went from Addi leaving me a voicemail months earlier, like: “This.. Ok.. —This is extremely fast. I— I am not so optimistic that this is going to be possible, Bówen..”— to the guys absolutely nailing it within maybe two or three tries, if that, on the first day of practice. Good stuff, gentlemen. (Stick around for the credits, for more about that day of controlled chaos!)

We would be filming everything at the personal residence of legendary Icelandic filmmaker, Hrafn Gunnlaugsson— known for such films as ‘Hrafninn Flýgur’(1984), ‘Shadow of The Raven’(1988), and ‘Hvíti Víkingurinn’(1991). His house and entire seaside property is constructed (by him) largely from thousands of various sculptures and props from his films— “The Recycled House”, as it is known.

The first day of shooting was precisely that: we rocked through the whole thing in one twenty-hour day. It was cold, windy, and it poured rain sideways pretty much the whole time. Through the hospitality and watchful gaze of Hrafn, Sólstafir manager Erin Lynch heading up our production crew, and the expertise of Practical FX Specialist Gunnar Gunnarsson, we blasted through over 80-litres of blood in about twenty minutes. To protect the camera, I was wrapped in a big, plastic poncho in which I’d cut holes for the lens to poke through— which was then electrical-taped around my waist. I couldn’t see anything— and I mean, literally nothing— and when the blood started flying, I had to use the camera monitor as my eyes whenever I looked around, went anywhere, talked to anybody, or did anything for the rest of the day— which was somewhat *prohibitive* ..ehem.. easy, and unobtrusive. Truthfully, it was an awesome day, and lots of fun: The guys got a bloody great video, and I got a cold.

Final Notes: Everything in “Dionysus” was done for real: there are no motion graphics, no AfterEffects, and nothing artificial has been added to any of the performances seen in the finished product, whatsoever. I did the painting for the release artwork, comprised entirely of still images from the video. You are watching the final result of over a year of experimenting, planning, building, and finally, doing.

A heartfelt “Thank You!” to everyone involved in the making of Sólstafir’s “Dionysus”; A quick dedication to my father, Bill Staines, who
passed away before its completion— this is the first video I’ve ever done that he’s not been around to see; And, finally— To the guys in the band: Thank you for all your help, love, and unconditional trust. As always, it is a pleasure to create with you.

We hope that you enjoy watching this as much as we enjoyed making it.
Takk fyrir okkur.
-Bowen Staines
28.12.22
DontPanicIceland.com
solstafir.net
Season-Of-Mist.com

SÓLSTAFIR - 'Dionysus' (official music video) 2023

Check out this amazing review we just received for our brand-new Voidkeeper EP, ‘Eternal Decay’!

Hey hey, happy Metal loving people, the band Voidkeeper was nice enough to reach out for a review and I absolutely had to oblige. Give this EP a listen, it's well worth it.

Hailing from the northeastern reaches of the United States, Voidkeeper calls Boston, Massachusetts homebase for their wicked and groovy musical stylings. Though it’s been a while since I've had the pleasure of reviewing a metal band, I'm happy to break it back in with these talented guys. Claiming on their Bandcamp page (https://voidkeeper.bandcamp.com) to be “A brutal combo of classic death, black and doom metal. Catchy grooves, blackened melodies, and punishing death riffs.” Personally I think this is the best description you can ask for, on top of just having a brutal and raw feel to the music Voidkeeper offers some funky rhythms that I don’t often hear bands of their genre put out while blending their vocalist into the sound in a way that makes the demonic guttural vocals one of the instruments of their chaotic symphony.
The EP I have the pleasure of reviewing is “Eternal Decay” released this year, it comes with a fresh take on the metal scene and a masterful example of the way mixing can change the sound entirely. (We’ll get to that in a bit) We start this album off with “King Ov the Locusts”, which already shows us the Doom and Black Metal influence right away with purely epic rhythms coursing behind the blood curdling vocals that we hear throughout. Towards the beginning I definitely do feel the building of a swarm with the soundscape they start to weave early on eventually turning it into an epic coursing rhythm that will feed into the second track and one of my personal favorites, “Bog Monster”.
While I'm sure lyrically they’ve made some art, my ear isn’t quite fine tuned to Black Metal vocals so I really try to feel out the emotions the band is putting out and creating within their songs.Showing us a little of that guitar solo action towards the very end of this banger of a track, the lead up to that moment throws out the feeling of a struggle. The wails and screams that blend so expertly into the rhythms of the track are what shine through to me before the solo section, as mentioned earlier. Voidkeeper took a different route with vocals than I notice most bands do, while you may hear the vocalist a little more as a frontman than blended in and synched up in a perfect harmony with the band. Though it may not be the idea, “Bog Monster” seems to me to be an eerie call out to the void in denial of what’s coming.
With “Tears Ov the Witch '' coming in next, we fall back into a more coursing melody that sends you soaring along with the track as we hear those iconic blackened wails that define Voidkeeper’s vocal style. I was lucky enough to be able to talk with the drummer from Voidkeeper, Mark Andrew about the idea behind the EP and the overall initial vibes I was getting. From what I was told the general idea behind “Eternal Decay” as an EP was the inherent fall into insanity and the process of mental decay which is well displayed throughout.
“Tears-” carries into “Celestial Tombs Ov the Fallen Ones”, This part of the album sets in the groove along with some nice heavy chugging sections that carry along that vibe of spreading insanity. It’s the playful type of groovy guitar work that leads right into some slamming riffs that highlights the brutal hybrid this band is working to create. This track does a great job of bringing the energy up to 11 and bringing together all of the exciting elements displayed in the previous tracks. Voidkeeper's built a snowball of an EP, from start to finish this stuff is absolutely electric. I appreciated that the entire band was there along with the ripping guitar solo towards the finish, it is a beautiful symphony of chaos that you absolutely must experience for yourself.
Bringing us to our last track, sharing the name of the EP “Eternal Decay” caught me off guard in a good way. After “Celestial Tombs Ov the Fallen Ones”, I was expecting them to dial it up even more and slam down the EP into fiery cinders but I was left checking my spotify to see if the album had switched over. Surprisingly no, “Eternal Decay” is an artful and somber cherry topper to this kickass EP. Taking us on a path of acceptance and finality the dreamy guitar opener does lead us into some solid chugging riffs but we don’t lose our somber melody. Trading off between the two Voidkeeper uses their guttural vocals to show a glaring comparison to the ballad-esque guitarwork we hear. Another note I made about this track was the fight behind the vocals has been toned down, of course I was told this track was one of acceptance of the insanity but even without the cliff notes i’m still soaking up the message effortlessly. Without repeating myself too much, I have to say this final track really takes you on a push and pull of the fight and then acceptance over and over until the final solo work from the guitar that fades off into the end of this fantastic EP.
It’s wonderful to be back reviewing these talented musicians doing what they do best, and I can’t wait to see what Voidkeeper has in store for us next on the horizon. For now, this has been Riley Green with yet another fantastic batch of tunes for your listening ears. Stay weird, stay true, stay metal.

VOIDKEEPER - Eternal Decay [FULL ALBUM] 2022 'Eternal Decay' is the debut album from American blackened doom/death metal band VoidKeeper released in 2022.01 King Ov The Locusts 0:0002 Bog Monster 04:080...

Our band ~VOIDKEEPER~ released our debut album, ‘ETERNAL DECAY’, this afternoon! We are SO proud of it, and you can stream/purchase the whole album via the link below. Thank you all so much for always continuing to support independent artists, venues, labels, and musicians during these last few years. It’s so important!

My father, Bill Staines, is playing live from Caffe Lena right now. Please continue to support live music, the venues, and all the original troubadours still out there, doing things like this.

Bill Staines LIVE STREAM: Please use this link to send a tip to Bill Staines and support Caffe Lena: https://www.caffelena.org/tips/Become of member of Caffe Lena's Patre...

Hey, folks! Check out this wild video we just released this evening for the legendary punk band, Worm, for their song "Skater's Edge"! It was all shot at my backyard ramp, during this insane concert we hosted at our house roughly a month ago, featuring multiple bands, loads of skaters, and a few cops, too. Worm's own label Wreckless Wreck Chords are the same wonderful people who signed my band Witches Tears, and we owe them SO MUCH - plus, I’m on the cover of the single! SO - please check it out, and share it! This is some genuinely grassroots s**t, right here.

WORM Skaters Edge Official Music Video The 2nd Single Off Worm's 2019/2020 Album "This Is A Game" IS The 1st Track off the Album Skater's Edge. Words: Brennan Music: Brennan, Burns-Takki, Erikson,...

Our ‘Bláfjall’ music video for SÓLSTAFIR is up for an Independent Music Award!! Please take a second to vote; it would mean the world to us! All you have to do is enter an email address, and you can vote once per email address. After you register, it will bring you back to the nomination page, so just scroll to the bottom again to cast your vote. Please share, and tell all your friends! Thank you!!
🖤🤘🏼

Sólstafir - Fans Site Music will always be inspired by the environment in which it is created. With its incredible array of highly diverse landscapes ranging from white glaciers via volcanic bizarreness, moss-green bubble-fields, deep fjords, and frost-cracked mountains to black beaches, Iceland has shaped a host of asto...

Almost two years in the making, we are extremely proud to present our new video for SÓLSTAFIR's 'Bláfjall'! Sit back, turn it up, and enjoy.

Icelandic post-rockers Sólstafir launch epic Bláfjall video Nordic noir comes to Icelandic rock'n'roll as Sólstafir release dramatic, 12-minute Bláfjall video

We're back, with a brand new video that's coming out shortly, which will be our third for the Icelandic metal powerhouse, SÓLSTAFIR. Check out the video for 'Bláfjall' very soon!

BRAND NEW VIDEO! Check it!!

"THE GREAT BACKYARD SKATEPARK PROJECT" Presented by DON'T PANIC FILMS I've been a skateboarder for almost 25 years, and ever since I was young, I've always hoped to one day build my very own backyard skatepark. Finally, in…

History repeats itself soon! Stay tuned.

Sólstafir - Fjara (Official Music Video) From directors Bowen Staines (www.dontpaniciceland.com) & Gunnar B. Guðbjörnsson (www.Sir.is), comes a new project for Iceland's masters of psychedelic metal...

New Mammút! Check it out here:

Bella Union's Mammút debut new track 'The Moon Will Never Turn On Me' | Dork The Icelandic band drop a new album next month.

Let's talk about that movie Metalhead

I agree that tensions are inevitable, but it's as much due to tourism as it is to short-sighted venture capitalists pushing small businesses and the unique grassroots scene out of the capital - corporations that have absolutely no accountability for the day the tourism industry dries up and they pull all their shops, leaving downtown one gigantic f**k. Iceland, you used to be our little secret.

Iceland plans Airbnb restrictions amid tourism explosion Move to tax people who rent out properties through website as officials and residents express concerns over visitor impact

Happy Sunday, everyone! My brand new recording of "Under The Rose" is LIVE, and I'm really excited to share it with you. Check it out here, and if you enjoy it, please share! LOVE YA!!

"Under The Rose" (H.I.M. 'original cover') by Bowen Staines Check out this completely re-orchestrated and revamped version of H.I.M.’s ‘Under The Rose’, performed and recorded by Bowen Staines. Although…

Exactly one year ago, our music video for Valdimar's "Út úr þögninni (Out of Silence)" was released. I can honestly say that this is the video I'm probably the most proud of, for many reasons. I'd just updated all of my equipment right beforehand, so I was basically learning a whole new camera, lenses, dolly system, and tons of other equipment on the fly. The writing and pre-production took me nearly five months, and production took Margrét Björns and I over a month of hard work every day, fighting against bad weather and juggling lots of locations, and a really bad flu that hit everyone in the cast and crew super hard. I got to meet and work with some amazing people, all of whom lent huge parts of themselves to making such a personal and emotional story come to life. And while the story centers around the importance of honesty, love, and what it feels like to be truly fearless, I'd actually written it as an apology to an old friend of mine who's friendship was very dear to me, but I'd carelessly damaged while being very young and very stupid. Unfortunately, the video kinda slipped below the radar when it was released, and not a lot of people saw it; if you've got a moment today, take a second and check it out. And if you enjoy the video, please share it! Thank you!

VALDIMAR "Út úr þögninni" (Official Video) From filmmaker Bowen Staines (Sólstafir’s ‘Fjara’ and ‘Lágnætti’; Skálmöld’s ‘Gleipnir’;…

The brand new video we did for Draconian's "Stellar Tombs" is LIVE NOW, and is being premiere by Metal Hammer EU, Decibel Mag US, and Zero Tolerance UK. A brief introduction to this video.. I believe that our humanity was formed from two vital fundamentals: language and empathy. Language taught us how to speak, but empathy showed us how to listen. Cue humanity’s natural propensity for chaos; our greatest and most radical accomplishments repeatedly leave us walking a knife’s edge, pondering when the bigger fish will arrive and what form it will take this time around. When this is all over, will we become the dragonfly or the mammoth? Or will we get lucky and become hunters again, fighting for survival and asserting ourselves as Gods over Land and Nature, only to be overrun by wolves in the night? Jumping forward: a thousand years of civilization will rise and fall in an instant because of a single irrigation error. That, upon digging to the sea and proclaiming to the heavens, “We’ve done it!” immediately poisoned the rich soils with salt. We’ve come a long way since then, though! We split the atom, see? From all of us here at Don't Panic Films and Draconian, we sincerely hope you enjoy ‘Stellar Tombs’, and have as much fun watching it as we did making it - ENJOY!!

DRACONIAN - Stellar Tombs (Official Video) | Na**lm Records Order "SOVRAN" now! http://smarturl.it/SOVRAN-NPR iTunes: http://smarturl.it/SovranDL From American filmmaker Bowen Staines, director of Sólstafir’s ‘Fjara’ ...

The new Don't Panic Films studio is coming along very nicely...

We are very pleased to bring you the video for 'Út úr þögninni', by Iceland’s powerful electro-indie sextet, Valdimar. This is a video about honesty, love, and what it means to be fearless. We hope you enjoy the video! And if you do, please share it! TAKK!!!

Vísir - Frumsýnt á Vísi: Fárveikur aðalleikari í Út úr þögninni Frumsýning á tónlistarmyndbandi við lag Valdimar, Út úr þögninni.

Our music video for Skálmöld's 'Gleipnir' just broke 300,000 views on their YouTube channel. Congrats to the guys and to everyone involved in the making of this project!!

Skálmöld - Gleipnir (Official Video) Undan Loka Fenrir fæddist, fullur hroka víst var sagt. Er var þoka þá hann læddist, þungbært ok á heiminn lagt. Nú var gaumur að því gefinn, greri aumur hvol...

Úlfur Úlfur - Tarantúlur Leikstjórn & framleiðsla : Magnús Leifsson - www.magnusleifsson.com Kvikmyndataka : Þorsteinn Magnússon Klipping : Sigurður Eyþórsson Litgreining : Henrik Li...

Have you heard the brand new album from the Icelandic hardcore band, Muck? Well, it's called 'Your Joyous Future', and it's right f**king here, streaming right now from Noisey, so there's no excuse not to.

Whether Black Metal, Hardcore, Post-Rock, or In Between, Muck Combines Them All Seamlessly on... Out next week via Prosthetic, and streaming in full now at Noisey.

We just released a new music video this morning for Icelandic rapper, Emmsjé Gauti. It's a story about what it feels like to hit rock bottom, and a man doing everything he possibly can to fill the emptiness left by someone he cares about.This video was an experiment for me in a lot of ways, and the uniqueness of the song allowed me to test out several new styles of editing. Check it out!

Emmsjé Gauti 'Hafið' Official Music Video Directed by: Bowen Staines & Gauti Þeyr Shot and edited by: Bowen Staines Produced by: Gauti Þeyr Smink: Silja Dröfn Jónsdóttir www.dontpaniciceland.com Leikari:…

We've got a new music video coming out tomorrow, for the Icelandic rapper Emmsjé Gauti. This video and the song is much different than anything we've worked on before, so huge thanks to Gauti for trusting me and letting me experiment. We shot it in just one afternoon in the western parts of Reykjavík, and it will be online tomorrow so check it out. Thanks!!

An interesting article on the origins of the Icelandic music scene.

Northern souls: the anarcho-punks who made Iceland a pop powerhouse Iceland’s alternative scene grew out of a tiny nucleus of alternative musicians including Björk, whose influence now extends to the Broadchurch soundtrack. How did they do it?

Our new video for SÓLSTAFIR's 'Lágnætti is up for Music Video of The Year! We are extremely grateful and excited to be sharing the category with Agent Fresco and GusGus, among others. Take a moment and vote for your favorites in the link below, and please share the link so others may vote too - it would mean the world to us, and to all those who've been nominated! All the best, and have a VERY Happy New Year!! Lots of Love!

Hlustendaverðlaunin 2015 | X977.visir.is

Check out this great holiday spoof of the 'Fjara' video we did with Sólstafir! Awesome job! :)

Jólstafir - Pura

We've been hard at work these last few weeks on a brand new music video for Icelandic rap artist, Emmsjé Gauti! It's very early into the editing process right now, but things are coming together nicely and it should be ready within the next month or so. Keep checking back for updates and release info over the next few weeks; Happy Holidays to you all!