Unearthly Trance, ‘V’ — Album Art of the Week

British artist Glyn Smyth is very open about his process, as evidenced by his blog post about the artwork he did for Unearthly Trance's fifth album, 'V.' "When I started getting my initial ideas together for the 'V' artwork," Smyth told Noisecreep, "I knew I wanted to try and capture a sense of something very old and primeval. Ideally I wanted to create an image that echoed UT's own preoccupations and relationship with the world of the occult, whilst still appearing 'metal' to the casual observer."

Smyth, prompted by the New York-based band's lyrics, researched ancient occult symbols and philosophy for design clues and inspiration. The end product involves a star intricately woven into a ram's head and horns gracing the cover, as well as a strangely serene, nighttime forest landscape for the gatefold.

"The end result was my version of the 'Ram of Mendes' (not a goat!), an incarnation of an ancient Egyptian deity called Banebdjedet, who is connected directly to the god Horus," Smyth explained of the cover. "This entity has particular significance in Unearthly Trance's cosmology. I like the fact that to many this will simply appear to be a dark and menacing image of Satan, but it is to my mind a challenging and transformative symbol that empowers rather than oppresses. And this is another aspect of the band's music itself that I think is often lost on more casual listeners."

Unearthly Trance embark on a partial U.S. tour with Suma starting at the end of September.