AND JUSTICE FOR ART ( INTERVIEW )
“Portland-based, Doom Metal quartet, Witch Mountain will release their “Mobile Of Angels” album via Profound Lore Records on Sept 30th.
The recordings’ devilish-playful and quasi-psychedelic cover art was painted by American artist Sam Ford, (who previously collaborated with the band on their “Cauldron Of The Wild” LP) and by Marvel/DC Comics colorist, Jason Lewis.
“The concept was almost entirely based off a dream Rob (WM’s guitarist) had about being led to a cabin in the woods and shown a huge carousel-like “mobile of angels” while haunting carnival music played,” Sam Ford explains, exclusively for And Justice For Art. “The carnival music became the basis for the song structure, and we derived the artwork from the idea of this mobile. I just heard enough to get me going on the art.”
“Nate Carson (Percussion) came up with the idea of having vocalist Uta posing as a fallen angel with her halo acting as the mobile. He really conceptualized the whole piece, I just added a few flourishes like the headless angel she’s clutching like a piece of candy she just bit into, and the flames with coiling snake bodies instead of smoke. Jason Lewis made the fireworks go off with his amazing color work.”
Amazingly the time frame for bringing the artwork to life was relatively short. “The whole thing took a little more than a week; Nate came up with it in the middle of WM’s Europe tour, I drew it in the middle of Wizard Rifle’s West Coast tour with Black Cobra. Jason banged it out in a day or two, and Mark McCormick did his excellent layout job in the same space of time, turned out pretty awesome!”
Brooklyn: Vinyl Fantasy Presents: art by Sam Ford and KC Burney :: 194 Knickerbocker Ave, Brooklyn
“Sam is an illustrator and artist who has worked on some sick show flyers, posters and album covers for bands like Graves at Sea, Pentagram, Baroness, Nachtmystium, The Mountain Goats, and his own band Wizard Rifle (check them out. They rule).
KC Burney has shown work at Vinyl Fantasy before so we welcome him and his new pieces back for another go! He does dope illustrations on paper and…..biker helmets.
METALSUCKS
Wow, This Cormorant Earth Diver Album Art
“According to a press release, this is just “part of a 4-panel presentation that includes further custom artwork from Sam.” I’m definitely stoked to see the rest of it. Now let’s just keep our fingers crossed that the quality of the music on Earth Diver is on par with Ford’s work.”
NEW RELEASE – NORILSK – “THE IDEA OF NORTH”
Bassist and vocalist Nicolas Miquelon comments: “We wanted graphic art for this album cover, but we also wanted continuity with the visual theme developed on the EP. I knew about Sam Ford from his involvement with the Portland doom metal scene, and I had no doubt that his twisted imagination would be the perfect catalyst to re-interpret and expand Norilsk’s initial concept. As this is Norilsk’s first full length, we couldn’t be happier to have Sam’s signature on the album, as well as to have the support of two truly dedicated Canadian labels, Hypnotic Dirge Records and Dwyer Records.”
THE OBELISK: Diesto to Release For Water or Blood on Aug. 27
“If you’ve got a second to stare too, do yourself a favor too and click the cover art by Sam Ford below to enlarge the image, because it rules. Behold.”
Sam Ford: One Leathery Gentleman (Interview w/ Metal Band Art)
” Portland, Oregon’s Sam Ford. Artist. Drummer. Dungeon Master. After reading this interview and being dazzled by his awesome art, you are commanded to legally download “Speak Loudly, Say Nothing” by Wizard Rifle. Sam plays drums. One more example of an artist/musician double threat for my follow up article about people more talented than me.”
NEW MUSIC
(NOISEY / VICE): DOOMY PORTLAND TRIO WIZARD RIFLE WIN PROMO PHOTO AND SONG OF THE DAY
Portland trio Wizard Rifle not only win for the greatest promo photo of the year, but also song of the day with “Crystal Witch.” The ripper, which can be found on the band’s new LP Here In The Deadlights, is due via Seventh Rule and currently up for preorder. Check out the track below, but beware the whiplash once it really starts goin’.
THE OBELISK: WIZARD RIFLE SIGN TO SEVENTH RULE
INTERVIEW: LOST AT E MINOR
Landed in Portland, OR, after a record 48-hour non-stop drive from Baltimore. Got to relax, take a shower, and talk to our booking agent’s roommate, Sam Ford, a 23-year-old fellow who has a brutally bright future ahead of him.
Honing his skills as an apprentice to comic book legend Paul Chadwick, Ford currently does amazing album covers, posters, and flyers for bands such as Thrones, Black Elk, Baroness, and many other metal-oriented acts. His impossibly detailed and expressive work lends itself perfectly to the music of the bands he works with. [Gerry Mak] [LOST AT E MINOR ARTICLE]