Matt Zane Re-Releases Banned “Kill Me” Video Alongside New Book “The Matt Zane Reckoning”
LOS ANGELES, CA — Long before Kanye West invoked Hitler and Lil Nas X portrayed Jesus, Matt Zane of Society 1 was already confronting social taboos head-on—artistically and unapologetically. Now, Zane is back with a remastered release of the controversial Society 1 video “Kill Me,” coinciding with the launch of his new book, The Matt Zane Reckoning, published by Heavy Music Artwork.
While the book offers a deep dive into Zane’s storied and controversial career, one major chapter was notably left out: the original, banned version of Kill Me.
“Bless the author Alex Milazzo for making this book. I’ll be eternally grateful for all his time and dedication,” said Zane. “With that being said, he didn’t feel comfortable including all aspects of my career—stories or visuals—and I don’t blame him.”
Zane continued:
“No pictures were included of me portraying Hitler or Jesus. When I originally did the video, it was banned everywhere. Ten years later, Kanye West and Lil Nas X are doing the same thing and it’s everywhere. I wanted to re-release the original cut of Kill Me just to let the music world know it exists—since it’s not shown in the book.”
Musically, Kill Me is a fast-paced, industrial-driven track, opening with a riff strikingly reminiscent of Ministry’s New World Order.
“At that time, Al Jourgenson of Ministry ripped two band members from me, so I decided to rip a riff off from him,” Zane added. “It was in good fun—but his management didn’t think so.”
Not one to shy away from controversy, Society 1 has built a reputation on pushing boundaries. As Bloody Disgusting once noted:
“Society 1 has never really seen a point in steering away from controversy, and their latest video for Kill Me proves that. Featuring singer Lord Zane as both Jesus AND Hitler, the video is a chaotic, frenzied montage of blood, breasts, swastikas, and sadomasochistic violence.”
The re-release of Kill Me offers both a retrospective and a timely commentary on the evolving nature of shock in art and music.
Order the book here: https://heavymusicartwork.com/products/everyone-dies-the-matt-zane-reckoning