Fatalist, ‘The Depths of Inhumanity’ — Album Art of the Week

California's Fatalist debut their first full-length release, 'The Depths of Inhumanity,' on Ibex Moon Records. They are self-described as old-school Scandinavian death metal and artist Irene from Namtaru Creations took their musical leanings as a launching pad for her contributions.

"Fatalist wanted me to do a cover artwork in the 'old-school' style," Irene told Noisecreep recently. "The first idea that came into my head, was the cover of the classic Entombed [album] 'Left Hand Path' by Dan Seagrave."

Irene worked with Fatalist on the basics of the design, which included "empty buildings covered with roots everywhere, like an abandoned urban suburb by the cemetery," she explained further. "Some dead bodies can be found on the waters, and I used more than just cold tones to give some contrast to the whole scenario."

Furthermore, she said, "The mountains in the background give to the image another perspective and more deep. The clouds twisted coming from a ghostly screaming skull intensify the meaning of the 'Depths,' like some kind of abomination that can erase every sign of life by a fatal breath."

Under the Namtaru banner, Irene's artistic output has been picked up by clients like Trivium and Gorgoroth. "For creating this artwork," Irene said of her technique. "I made a drawing that I edited and colored through digital mediums. I also used ... photos as reference for the buildings and the general scene. I also used ... handmade textures with old papers that can be seen at the top of the image."

The cover for the seventh issue of Flesh Salad Zine, a printed Spanish death metal publication, was designed by Irene. An interview with her was also in that issue, in which she discussed the Fatalist artwork. "Then I discovered that they were interviewed in the same [issue] number," Irene said. "And it was a very nice surprise for me!"