Review: Ironwrath ‘The Best Part of Me’
IRONWRATH- The Best Part of Me video
by Chris Gatto
In the age of MTV, the music video ruled the airwaves. Bands spent ungodly amounts of money producing music videos that were crafted especially for music television. As technology progressed, and that tv channel scrapped its programming for reality tv, the music video went the way of the dinosaur. It became easier and cheaper for bands to garner the attention of new fans scrolling on their phones. At most, bands release so-called lyric videos to entertain their fans. California’s Ironwrath stand out starkly in a world of lyric videos. Famed cinematographer and drummer C.G.Ryche is a master at meticulously crafting the kind of audio visual musical experience that bands like Queensryche merely toyed at.
The 8-time award winning video for “The Best Part of Me” from Master Storyteller, is a perfect example of this. One of the mellower songs from the album, a ballad, if you will, but certainly not tame as it tackles themes of love and loss. The video opens and closes with a ring on a necklace lying on the floor of a building (warehouse, barn?) and enter the story in medias res- exploring the longing of a man for his lost love after her tragic (but unspecified) death. We follow the budding relationship of a young man and young woman through the man’s memories. We see this couple as kids playing together and best friends as teens. The boy gives the girl a promise ring to signify their relationship. The girl’s death is inferred in the 2nd verse: “Now that you’ve passed away, I find myself longing… If this is the bottom, why am I still falling?” and the young man remembers her at different stages in his life, realizing that his relationship with her made him a better man. In a poignant moment, the man, much older now, (and portrayed by Les Carlsen) comes back to the building and drops the necklace in the same spot he gave it to her. That night is his last and as he passes away, the couple reunite in a field (the girl now played by Les’ wife Joyce Carlsen). So glad for this last part for bringing heaven into the equation. Videos like Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” also delved into love and loss, with the same dash of mystery, but without the God-factor, leave the viewer on their own to face their raging emotions without resolution.
This version of the video (non-theatrical) also portrays the band playing Unplugged style in the building as the action unfolds around them. It sounds as if there is an orchestra playing along with the band, so clearly the instruments you see being played are not the sum total of what you hear- but the result is a lush soundtrack exploring the breadth of the main character’s emotions, ably voiced by the dynamic vocals of Allen Woodward. So many details packaged into this one video. I watched it on repeat, learning a little more each time, but still had to question producer C.G.Ryche on some aspects of it. The video was a 5 day shoot, over 12 locations, with 8 actors plus the band, and took 3 months to complete. Enjoy!
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