MALTHUSIAN AND MITCHELL NOLTE: TOWARDS THE UNKNOWN

Relapse Records will release "The Summoning Bell," the new album from Irish Death Metal group, Malthusian. The cover image was crafted by Australian artist, Mitchell Nolte Art and Illustration.

"The artwork is based on an old Irish picture of a man with a scythe walking an old coastal road in County Kerry from the National Folklore Collection," reveals Malthusian's guitarist/vocalist, MB. See the original image in the comments. "The scythe would've taken away from the intended focal point which is simply that of a man walking the old road, so we decided to change that. No need to question where he is coming from or where he is going. The beauty is in the unknowing. There are fires on the hills as I had read about fires being used as beacons on islands and hills of the west coast in older times to guide the boats and also, in a celebratory capacity to mark the summer solstice."

 The photo that inspired the artwork.

The band was "on the search for an artist," MB remembers. "I had initially thought to do a photo realistic picture of the mentioned picture but along the journey I came across Mitchell's work. We chatted and I felt he was the correct person for the job. Great artist and very easy to work with."

The guitarist assures that the artwork was created digitally and "represents the title track quite perfectly on a lyrical level and I could tie it to other lyrics as well but not as directly or succinctly."

Pre-order "The Summoning Bell" at https://orcd.co/malthusian

See more of Mitchell Nolte's work at https://www.mitchellnolte.com/