Posting the outer illustration work for metallic HC terror outfit Rot In Hell, this time pairing up with fellow UK disciples Wayfarer. For this release, both bands drew lyrical inspiration from Norse mythology, namely The Prose Edda.
Lyrically, the apocalyptic themes were being expressed in this instance through references to Ragnarok - the end of the world in Norse mythology. Though a time of great strife and upheaval, it also serves as a necessary purging; the cleansing of the old through destruction in order to pave the way for the new. It is a cyclical myth, famously symbolised by the serpent that devours its own tail, in this case being the great world serpent Jormungand.
The artwork is a depiction of Odin's ravens, Huginn and Muninn, representative of "thought" and "memory". There is a school of thought that proposes the idea that a lot of early Norse myth retains attributes that relate directly to shamanism, which was once prevalent in all cultures. "Grímnismál", one of the poems of the Poetic Edda, has Odin (disguised as Grimmir) as narrator and says this of his ravens:
“Huginn and Muninn fly each day
Over spacious earth
I fear for Huginn, that he comes back
Yet anxious am I for Muninn."
It has been suggested that this might be a cryptic reference to the danger of shamanic flight - the fact that one who journeys so far might become lost and never return...
During Ragnarok, both fire and water consume the world. The outer illustration - "Embers Ascend" - represents Huginn as the the dynamic, active and fiery aspect of the mind striving to escape the flames rising from Asgard. The inner illustration - "The Risen Tide" - represents Muninn as the part of the psyche that is passive, reflective and ruled by water. Only the safe return of each ensures that our fragile worldview, crumbling amidst the chaos of Ragnarok, can be maintained.
This release should be seeing the light of day sometime around Samhain / Halloween on Carry The Weight Records.
Lyrically, the apocalyptic themes were being expressed in this instance through references to Ragnarok - the end of the world in Norse mythology. Though a time of great strife and upheaval, it also serves as a necessary purging; the cleansing of the old through destruction in order to pave the way for the new. It is a cyclical myth, famously symbolised by the serpent that devours its own tail, in this case being the great world serpent Jormungand.
The artwork is a depiction of Odin's ravens, Huginn and Muninn, representative of "thought" and "memory". There is a school of thought that proposes the idea that a lot of early Norse myth retains attributes that relate directly to shamanism, which was once prevalent in all cultures. "Grímnismál", one of the poems of the Poetic Edda, has Odin (disguised as Grimmir) as narrator and says this of his ravens:
“Huginn and Muninn fly each day
Over spacious earth
I fear for Huginn, that he comes back
Yet anxious am I for Muninn."
It has been suggested that this might be a cryptic reference to the danger of shamanic flight - the fact that one who journeys so far might become lost and never return...
During Ragnarok, both fire and water consume the world. The outer illustration - "Embers Ascend" - represents Huginn as the the dynamic, active and fiery aspect of the mind striving to escape the flames rising from Asgard. The inner illustration - "The Risen Tide" - represents Muninn as the part of the psyche that is passive, reflective and ruled by water. Only the safe return of each ensures that our fragile worldview, crumbling amidst the chaos of Ragnarok, can be maintained.
This release should be seeing the light of day sometime around Samhain / Halloween on Carry The Weight Records.
myspace.com/rotinhellband
myspace.com/hailwayfarer
http://www.ctwrecords.com/
thanks for this glyn.....it is still blowing my mind.
ReplyDeletegonna book in for this bad boy soon!!
This is (once again) incredible. The detail is astounding.
ReplyDeletespeechless.
ReplyDelete