“I love all kinds of music and sounds. Basically what happened was I working with people like Heather Blush, then did a few videos for a band called WADE… then Clinton (St. John) and Darren Johnson,” begins Cook. “Then, somehow through the grapevine, I met Divinity.
”Cook has since done two videos for the Calgary-based thrashy deathsters, including “Plasma” from 2007’s Allegory and “Lay in The Bed You’ve Made” from 2009’s The Singularity.
“It just started spreading through the metal world… I really like metal because of the people: they are super nice people and they are willing to take a risk,” Cook says. Being adaptable, flexibility and being realistic about your available resources when creating a video is key, he adds.
“The other thing with metal music… is that you get those intense sounds and intense beats that are obviously pulling the video forward. So when you are editing film you are… always looking for those beats and opportunities within the song where you can do something dramatic or something that’s shocking and that kind of music calls for that".
As for the logistics of doing such projects, Cook has worked both alone and with crews, depending on available funds and flexibility. Project timelines are established when those factors are. “If I meet a band that I believe in and I think the song is really cool, I want to make that video, even if they [say,] ‘We only have X amount of dollars,’ ” he says. “I just find a way to do it.
”Cases in point: Truck’s “The Prey” video from 2010’s Truck: Passengers features a menacing man bedecked in a red spider costume stalking his beautiful prey. Orphan Hammer’s “Pyrrhic Victory Part One” is a live video showcasing all six members of the local super group in a barren warehouse that adeptly highlights their progressive and expansive sound. Then there are projects like “Breaking the Broken” from Chuck Schuldiner's 1999 album, The Fragile Art of Existence, which features macabre lucid dream imagery of an explorer trekking a desolate landscape pursued by the Grim Reaper. As for now, Cook is working on a video for Death’s “Pull the Plug” from 1988’s Leprosy (which is being reissued) for Death manager and Calgarian Eric Greif – who also utilized Cook for Control Denied and Morta Skuld videos – alongside a video for Calgary post-metallers Atomis. He is looking for interested clients, recommending you contact him personally.