I’ve always wished that metal music would find its way into more Hollywood films (Cannibal Corpse in Ace Ventura anyone?) but uh, this isn’t quite what I had in mind - a recent post by Seattle’s The Stranger brought to my attention the work of Matthew Barney, an experimental artist and filmmaker. Barney is the boyfriend of Icelandic singer Bjork, so you know he’s probably kind of strange.

Barney is most famous for The Cremaster Cycle, a series of five surrealist films exploring the process of creation, linked through the concept of the male cremaster muscle and the theme of sexual differentiation. Metal fans will be most interested in Cremaster 2, which includes Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo drumming while accompanied by… a swarm of bees. As weird as it sounds, the end result is actually pretty cool, almost making you wish that more bands used controlled bee noises as a primary instrument. Morbid Angel vocalist Steve Tucker provides some growls to go along with the insects and drums, and he was also a good enough sport to allow himself to be coated with bees while singing. You can check out a clip of Lombardo’s performance in the movie on YouTube.

Speaking of Dave Lombardo, check out this month’s Decibel issue for an interesting article about Lombardo’s initial clash with the rest of the members of Slayer, and their subsequent reunion. It really gives you an appreciation for Lombardo’s talent, and provides a glimpse into the various strong personalities of the band members in the early days of their career.