Incite the Watch – Legendary rock musicians Billy Morrison, Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour), and guitar virtuoso Steve Vai have joined forces for their latest music video, a visually stunning animated exploration of rebellion against conformity. The track, also titled “Incite The Watch,” is the fifth single from Morrison’s critically acclaimed solo album, The Morrison Project, out now on TLG | ZOID | Virgin Music Group.
This Incite the Watch collaboration follows on the heels of Morrison’s chart-topping success with “Crack Cocaine,” featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Stevens. “Crack Cocaine” soared to #1 on the Active Rock Mediabase chart earlier this year, solidifying Morrison’s position as a force to be reckoned with in the rock world.
Stream “Incite the Watch” here:
Directed by Brett Boggs, whose credits include animation work for Disney films, the Incite the Watch video paints a vivid picture of a dystopian Los Angeles. In this alternate reality, a totalitarian regime has taken control, outlawing rock and roll, free expression, and individuality. The city becomes a post-apocalyptic wasteland, filled with shattered buildings, burning cars, and the remnants of crushed rebellions.
Cutting-Edge AI Animation Brings Dystopia to Life
The Incite the Watch video utilizes a groundbreaking animation technique that seamlessly blends traditional artist-drawn characters with cutting-edge AI imagery generated by CineTech, a new software application. Script descriptions were fed into CineTech, which then created individual scene descriptions. Detailed prompts were then used to generate background images, further enhanced for the desired look. Hand-drawn storyboards were then integrated with these images to achieve the precise visual style.
CineTech’s ShotSheets feature combined these images into organized PDFs, which were then uploaded into RunwayML for animation and further enhancement. These elements finally made their way into DaVinci Resolve for final touches, grading, and visual effects. This innovative approach allowed for the creation of a visually stunning product on a shorter timeline without sacrificing quality.
Rock Legends Reflect on Collaboration
“Billy and I have known each other for years and have performed together countless times,” says Corey Taylor. “It was only a matter of time before we put together something original and exciting. I’ve been a Steve Vai fan since I was 15 and never thought I’d get the chance to collaborate with him. Enter the great Billy Morrison who brought us all together on Incite the Watch! I’m stoked to be a part of this amazing album with so many talented artists.”
Steve Vai adds, “Billy Morrison is always up to something creative and musically intense, and The Morrison Project is a testament to that. When he sent me Incite, I was immediately eager to contribute. It’s a slamming and crushing track, and the energy is undeniable. It’s great to be a part of Billy’s creative vision.”
“The combination of Corey Taylor and Steve Vai on a Billy Morrison song is incredibly exciting for me!” exclaims Morrison. “The track started as a piano riff from Erik Eldenius, and once we had Corey’s phenomenal vocals on the song, there was only one man we wanted to tackle the complex three-key change solo section – and luckily, Steve said yes!”
Incite the Watch is a musical journey that twists and turns, throws in unexpected changes and sections, and ultimately resolves into modern rock heaviness. This epic collaboration between rock legends is sure to be a hit with fans of all three artists.
