NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A New Mexico couple is gaining national prominence thanks to the world-famous heavy metal band Metallica. Their work is featured in the band’s latest video.
The Taos Pueblo man gave details on how a chance encounter the day after his wedding got them this opportunity.
“Somebody gives you an impossible mission, find that as the most exciting opportunity to say that I’m the best,” said Mozart Gabriel, storyboard artist and colorist on Metallica’s latest music video for their song ‘Inamorata.’ He said he and his wife got the opportunity to work on it through a chance encounter with the son of the bassist of Metallica in Nashville.
They went to see the son’s show the day after they got married and ran into the bassist for Metallica, Robert Trujillo, himself.
“I told him I’m from Taos Pueblo, and he’s like, ‘Oh no way! My family’s from Taos. My whole family is from Taos.’ I was like, ‘No way! That’s awesome,'” Gabriel recalled.
He said Trujillo liked his wife Helly March’s illustrations, and the deal was sealed. But, it was a huge undertaking.
“He was like ‘Man, we’ve been going through this process of trying to do the impossible. We’re trying to make an 11-minute Metallica music video in three weeks, and there’s so many people that are saying no!'”
However, they jumped at the chance and hammered out their part of the storyboarding process over the course of three days. Gabriel said they were able to blend some of his culture into the creative process.
“It’s very subtle, but it’s so beautiful that we get to add that little bit of indigenous into it. I think what’s really beautiful about it is we’re such beautiful storytellers, you know, the Pueblo, people of New Mexico, have such really great stories that have been untold. That’s exciting to open that door and also have that beautiful collaboration with Metallica.”
The final product dropped Friday.
“The band really, really ended up loving the music video, and they said it was one of their favorite videos in the whole album,” Gabriel said. He said it’s the largest project he and his wife have been involved with.
