Controversial filmmaker and social activist Peter Joseph, made world famous by his counter-culture/social revolution film series under the banner title of “Zeitgeist”, meaning the “general intellectual, moral and cultural climate of an era”, was tapped by Black Sabbath to direct the nearly 9 min. epic, first single release of the group since their original formation disbanded in 1978 with the leaving of Ozzy Osborne. The new album is titled “13”.
What was deemed more of a “short-film” than a music video, the work had its World Premiere screening at the band’s June 6th album release in Hollywood’s Harmony Gold Preview Center. Comprised of symbology extracted from his documentary trilogy, coupled with layers of imposed archival imagery of the band, marking their history in a unique abstraction, the “God is Dead?” official music video is a sign of the times.
In an interview, director Peter Joseph, GENTLE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS LLC, stated:
“After an initial hesitancy in the direction proposed using just existing footage from my films, I quickly realized it was to be an extremely interesting and original expression. The gesture of the song “God is Dead?”, with its subtle reflection on the often dark world we inhabit and questioning of how such a world can be if there was a god, resonated with me.”
“It was expressed at the start that my work had been an influence on the song to begin with so that was very inspiring to hear. I grew up listening to early Black Sabbath and am a big fan of the core message. Songs such as ‘War Pigs’ and the anti-war, pro-unity gesture found in those early albums are very much in line with my values. I was honored to help.”
A musician as well as a filmmaker and outspoken social critic, Joseph has run the gamut of socially conscious expressions, including founding the global sustainability advocacy group The Zeitgeist Movement, along with being the founder/curator of the annual Zeitgeist Media Arts Festival which holds its annual event each year in Hollywood for socially conscious art. He hosts an online satire web-series called “Culture in Decline” and is in production of a new feature film series called “InterReflections”.
