This video is what I wished “Vicarious” would’ve been more like. It had the elements of Alex Grey’s work yet it took those inspirations and weaved a story around them, not for them. It also took full advantage of Jones’ near Cronenberg-obsession with zooming in on strange, alien-like flesh.
The strong blue color and healthy usage of water perfectly fits the lyrical theme of the song. The interaction between the claymation creatures and their liquid surroundings is nothing short of beautiful, the brief clip 6:06 to 6:10 being one of my favorites in this video.
While “Aenima” had a strong steel blue theme running throughout, “Prison Sex”, which came out several years beforehand, focused much more on grays, blacks, and stained porcelain whites. Something about Undertow and its themes made the videos nightmarish with characters that were terrifying yet sympathetic. The puppet in this video is trapped, constantly under the watchful eye of a Giger-esque humanoid puppet master that forces its “love” and “comfort” upon the puppet. It’s a harrowing, saddening video that is also meticulously crafted. Probably the 2nd most terrifying video they’ve released.