Creativity and technology collide in the latest web project out of interactive studio GRAND, as rock act Hail the Villain go online to promote their forthcoming release, Population: Declining.

Set in the repressive Metal City, HailTheVillain.com is the first chapter in a story where everything is not as it seems. As the city’s residents go about their daily lives, Villains, imposters from the Dead Dimension, are roaming their streets undetected, feeding on the innocent as they plan for world domination.

The website opens with family man and steel factory worker Drake Carter ending his affair with seductive co-worker Thea Landa, sparking a chain of events that leads to Drake’s murder at the hands of his former lover and secret Villain as she moves to claim his soul for herself.

Freezing time in that brutal and savage moment, the website allows users to navigate through the scene to unlock character back-stories, clues, downloads and to participate in the story by becoming Villains and sharing messages with the band.

The concept for the website grew out of a series of sketches the band had created as a rough draft for a comic book inspired by the sounds of their new album, Population: Declining. Developing the site’s narrative in conjunction with partnering company Rune, GRAND set out to design a website with a difference, building a range of engaging features to plug into and enhance a story crafted to showcase the band’s music.

Interactive Agency: Grand, USA
Creative Director: Luke Canning
Technical Director: Matthew Quinn
Flash Developers: Stuart Evans, Tony Pilger
Software Developer: Joel Kronenberg
Interactive Designer: Luke Canning
Graffiti: Flying Fortress, 6:10
Original Story & Character Development By: RUNE Entertainment & Hail the Villain
Production Studio: RUNE Entertainment
Director: Paul Wollenzien
Producer: Nancy Nor
Story: Peter Nalli, Paul Wollenzien
Copywriters: Peter Nalli, Graham Perkins
3D Artists: Ricardo Gomez, Javier Castellanos, Tim Dormady, Martin Krol, David Young, Matt Pierce, Aaron Barr and Clayton Manson-Hing
2D Artists: Matthew Lau, Peter Nalli, Kay Huang, Trevor Spencer
Animation: Rob Gennings, Javier Castellanos
Sound Design: Mike Headford