Here With Gargoyles As My Friends...: April 2012

Introduction

Being a blog dedicated to the use of gargoyles, grotesques, statues and carvings in album art, especially that of Doom Metal (and related genres). It may also include similar archaic images such as standing stones, monoliths, or mediaeval illustrations.

To my mind Doom Metal (when done correctly) evokes a feeling a great age, spirituality and contemplation, and this is enhanced by the imagery. I have a love of churches and other old buildings, and the two things go hand in hand for me; the images of gargoyles, statues and crosses used by Doom and Doom/Death bands, especially in the early 90s, seemed to perfectly fit the music. Also, the band names like Cathedral, Church Of Misery, Chapel Of Rest, and Castle; all these added to my imagined link between the music and churches and other old buildings.

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Grave -- "Soulless"

Swedish Death Metallers Grave give us this excellent cover, interestingly using two images we have seen used before, on the Dark Passages compilation.

Cover image: Green man from the Lady Chapel, Ely Cathedral, England.

Back image (main): from the façade of Orvieto Cathedral, Italy, sculpted by Lorenzo Maitani.