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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE: ARI LEHMAN AND FIRST JASON UNLEASH “BARBALIEN”

Friday, July 21, 2023 | Exclusives, Music

By WILLIAM J. WRIGHT

July 21 marks the release of Barbie, and although that doesn’t mean much for hardcore horror fans, we still have cause to celebrate. To mark the occasion, metal keyboard madman and the Friday the 13th franchise’s original Jason Voorhees, Ari Lehman, and his band, First Jason, just unleashed the new video for “Barbalien,” a hard-driving track from their upcoming best-of compilation, and you can see it first, only at RUE MORGUE.  

Directed by Dylan Mars Greenberg, “Barbalien” is an insane blend of vibrant colors and surreal sci-fi imagery that perfectly complements First Jason’s patented high-intensity sound. A wild ride through a campy alien landscape filled with bizarre creatures, rayguns and spaceships, the video must be seen to be believed. Move over, Barbie. “Barbalien” is here!

“One morning after watching a documentary about aliens and UFOs I heard a voice in my head, saying, ‘She’s a Barbalien…’ So I immediately woke up and wrote the entire song, all at once,” First Jason frontman Lehman reveals. “Was it a message from outer space? Well, I don’t know, but I did know immediately that my dear friend Dylan Mars Greenberg, who I describe as a techno-surrealist-art-video genius, had to be the director! First Jason is very excited about the result – a super fun, retro sci-fi romp with alien monsters, lasers and spaceships, all depicted in vivid day glo colors!!! We are very grateful to Dylan for her amazing vision and enthusiastic approach.” 

“Directing the music video for ‘Barbalien’ was a blast!” Greenberg says. “The song is unbelievably fun, and I wanted to create a visual world that reflects the colorful energy of the song. It was an honor to work with Ari and the band, and I’m excited for audiences to witness it for the first time!”

“Barbalien” is now available on all major streaming platforms. The track will also be featured along with the songs “Killin’ It” and “Look What You Did” and fan favorites “Kill For Mother” and “The Scapegoat” on First Jason’s new best-of CD, coming, appropriately, on Friday, October 13.

See First Jason on the road at the following events and venues:

Saturday. August 12 –  Summer Slash Party With First Jason, Maloney’s, Council Bluffs,  Iowa 

Saturday. August 19 – Crypticon Denver, Denver, Colorado

Friday, October 13 – Devil’s Fork Metal Fest,  Haunted Pyramids, Lawndale, North Carolina

Saturday, October 21 – Embassy Theater, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Saturday, October 28 – Frightmare in the Falls. Niagra Falls, Ontario, Canada

William J. Wright
William J. Wright is RUE MORGUE's online managing editor. A two-time Rondo Classic Horror Award nominee and an active member of the Horror Writers Association, William is lifelong lover of the weird and macabre. His work has appeared in many popular (and a few unpopular) publications dedicated to horror and cult film. William earned a bachelor of arts degree from East Tennessee State University in 1998, majoring in English with a minor in Film Studies. He helped establish ETSU's Film Studies minor with professor and film scholar Mary Hurd and was the program's first graduate. He currently lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with his wife, three sons and a recalcitrant cat.