The Catalyst behind the scenes clip

MTV has posted a behind the scenes clip of the making of The Catalyst music video, don’t forget the video will air on MTV.com at midnight tonight eastern time, 5 am London, 8 am Moscow, 1 pm Tokyo, 2 pm Sydney, 12 pm Singapore on MTVAsia.com and on-air at 11am (WIB), 12pm (SG/HK/PH), 1pm (Malaysia).

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Linkin Park have gone to the ends of the earth — and the inner reaches of the mind — in previous videos, but it’s doubtful any of them can match the sheer spectacle of their brand-new clip for “The Catalyst,” which pushes the limits (and the band’s endurance) in newfound ways.

Directed once again by Linkin Park DJ Joseph Hahn, the clip for “The Catalyst” — the first single from their upcoming A Thousand Suns album — pits the band against the elements. In one scene, frontman Chester Bennington is submerged in a tank of water, singing the song’s massive chorus while trying very hard to keep from drowning. In another, his cohort Mike Shinoda sings in the backseat of a car, while smoke billows in from the windows.

“My voice is a little tired, because I’m singing on this one. And it’s a lot of singing; it’s been a long day, a lot of smoke [being used],” Shinoda told us on the set of the video. “Once again, Mr. Hahn is in the driver’s seat, and we have faith in where he’ll take us.”

And Shinoda isn’t the only one who got smoked out. Hahn shot other scenes in which he sealed his bandmates in a glass case, then filled the thing with clouds of smoke (he also shot the performance high speed, which, when slowed down, makes for some arresting visuals). And we haven’t even mentioned the piles of multicolored dust he covered the band in, which made for some messy — and totally excellent — footage.

There’s still plenty of behind-the-scenes footage to show you, but for right now, check out this exclusive sneak peek at the making of “The Catalyst” in the above video. You’ll see, once and for all, that Linkin Park truly suffer for their art.