1914's "VIRIBUS UNITIS" ALBUM COVER STORY

Ukrainian Blackened Death Metal act, 1914, just released their new album "Viribus Unitis" through Napalm Records. The cover artwork was crafted by Vladimir 'Smerdulak' Chebakov, who collaborated with the band in previous projects.

"We met about ten years ago, when I created an alternative version of the cover for their 2015 debut album 'Eschatology Of War,'" Chebakov says. "Later, 1914 signed with Napalm Records and invited me to continue our creative collaboration. This is the third album for the label on which we’ve joined forces."

According to the Czech artist, the cover concept was "inspired by the vast and inexhaustible theme of the Great War. And, of course, by the unstoppable enthusiasm of 1914’s frontman, Ditmar Kumamberg. Sometimes, I get the feeling he actually was there on those battlefields. This time, the album’s concept is based on the story of Ivan Pišta, a Ukrainian from Lviv who fought throughout the entire war as a soldier of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. So, we decided to build upon the painting 'Karpathenwacht' (Carpathian Watch, 1914–1915) by the Austrian artist Alois Hans Schram, which is still kept in Vienna today. The Carpathian Mountains, of course, also lie partly within modern-day Ukraine. In Schram’s original, the central figure is the Guardian Angel of the Carpathians, holding a flaming sword—a clear allusion to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden. We decided to shift the focus slightly by adding the figure of Death—the silent presence behind every event, always coming to reap her harvest. And the years of war are always fruitful ones for her. The Angel and Death stand as allies, brothers-in-arms, perhaps even accomplices in the same crime."

The artwork was "created entirely on an iPad Pro using Procreate," Chebakov reveals. "Some elements, such as the logo, title, and tonal adjustments, were added in Photoshop—so it’s a fully digital piece. Tablet, stylus, electric charge and hands—that’s all it took.

"Viribus Unitis" is available at https://napalmrecords.us/collections/1914 and https://x1914x.bandcamp.com/album/viribus-unitis

See more of Vladimir Chebakov's work at https://www.instagram.com/vladimirchebakov

The painting 'Karpathenwacht' (Carpathian Watch) that inspired the cover of Viribus Unitis. It was created in 1914–1915) by Austrian artist Alois Hans Schram.