1. "Phantoms" ( early 1996, no exact date of completion noted )

At the start of 1996, I was contacted by Mascot Records from Holland to create a cover for a band from Hungary that they had just signed. This band was of course Sear Bliss ! There already was a cover artwork, but it wasn't approved by the label. I'm not sure why I was contacted … I hadn't done that many covers at the time, but that's how I got the assignment. Actually, it was my first cover for Mascot records (later on " Two Moons Records" was created as a sub-division).

I was given total freedom by the record company. However, I wanted to know a bit more about the music, so I received a tape with some songs. Also, I didn't want to throw away the concept of the artwork that the band had sent in. So I started to work on that and after listening extensively to the music and studying the original design, I started doing some sketches. I kept the two trees with the female features, but I also added a few concepts of my own. I invented the eagle, the White Witch and even the snake…

I tried to get totally into the atmosphere of the music before I started painting. What's strange is that even though I didn't understand much of the lyrics, I managed to put a lot of it in the artwork. It was only afterwards, when the CD was released, that I was able to actually read the lyrics. I was completely amazed about how well everything I had done fitted together! When I met Sear Bliss on tour (many years later), I told Andras about this, and he thought that it was just intuition on my behalf… But personally I believe that it's really a strange thing, which turned out to be not the only strange coincidence…

Anyway, the lyrics to "Phantoms" are really intellectual and inspiring, which brings me to a more symbolic explanation of the cover artwork. According to me, the theme of the album is about the strength of the human soul when it combines with the spirit of nature. So when you look at the artwork; you'll see the eagle flying towards the sky as a focal point. This represents the human soul, releasing itself from its plain existence and soaring to a higher level. The eagle is in fact the soul of the person who's listening to the music. You'll also notice the female figure in the distance. This is the White Witch who represents an ancient goddess of nature and who releases the eagle ( the soul ) from it's earthly prison. The White Witch also represents the mystery of creation - life and death. Another detail on the cover is the serpent in its small cave under the trees. At the time I added it to give the artwork a sense of danger. Like in the Garden of Eden, there is an evil lurking… To symbolise that beneath the soil, there is much going on!

The cave would turn up on other Sear Bliss covers, as well as the White Witch and the female apparitions in trees or rocks…

I still remember when I first held the finished "Phantoms" CD in my hands! It was during the summer of 1996 at a Festival in Belgium. There was a Metal Market and there was someone from Mascot records who brought the CD's with him… I was really relieved that everything looked good! It wouldn't be the first time that an artwork got ruined because of bad printing! Anyway, I would soon be doing the next artwork for Sear Bliss!

II " The Pagan Winter / In The Shadow Of Another World" (completed on December 9, 1996).

Sooner than I had anticipated I was asked again by Mascot/Two Moons records to do another cover artwork for Sear Bliss. As I learned, the first demo recordings would be released on CD together with a new song. Just like with "Phantoms", the band had a design ready for the cover that had been rejected by the record company. The concept for this artwork was a little different. Two female figures appeared to be carved out of the walls of a cave that seemed to be located on another planet. In the starry skies beyond the cave there were two planets visible… Clearly based upon the new song "In the Shadow of Another World", I really liked the idea for this new artwork and started on it almost immediately. I tried to stay with the original concept as much as possible, so I didn't add the White Witch and the eagle. In stead of two planets, I only did one in order to avoid any reference to the name of the label ("Two Moons"). Again, I think it came out a lot better than I had expected and it still remains one of my favourite covers. The cave and the moon would also become recurring elements in later covers. Unfortunately, I still hadn't been in direct contact with anyone from the band ( I didn't have any e-mail or internet at the time…). So I still wasn't able to express my respect for the music, which was once again really great! Like no other band, Sear Bliss is able to create a very special atmosphere that seems to take one back to a different dimension… the new song "In The Shadow Of Another World" became one of my favourite Sear Bliss songs…

III "The Haunting" (completed on November 8, 1997)

In 1997 I was contacted once again by Two Moons records to create another CD-cover for Sear Bliss! This time there was no earlier design, just a picture featuring a landscape with a cascade. When I was talking on the phone with Ed Van Zijl (the owner of Two Moons) about the concept for this cover, he told me that it should be about caves with streams of molten lava running down into the depths. I recall that the title of the album would have been "Conquest Of Hell". So I got to work with this concept in mind and painted this large cave but again in a circular design as on "Phantoms". When I had almost completed the artwork I got another phone call from Ed, telling me that the title of the CD had changed into "The Haunting" and that they didn't want to go for the first concept anymore. In a way, I was relieved because I didn't think that the "Conquest Of Hell" concept fitted with Sear Bliss very well. Immediately, I went back to work on the cover and changed the colours. In the end, it turned out a lot better I think and much more fitting. At that stage I also added the eagle from "Phantoms", but this time in stead of flying up to the heavens, the eagle flies down into a dark abyss. I think that by adding the eagle the symbolism of the cover really came into its own. When I read the lyrics afterwards, again I think it was a fortunate coincidence that I decided to use this element. If one looks to the cover, there's also a figure of a person lying in the shadows. I added this to refer to the haunting souls of the people that got lost in the darkness of their existence. In a way, the symbolism is very melancholic and depressing.

When I first listened to "The Haunting", I noticed that it was a bit more experimental than the previous albums. No doubt this had happened under the influence of the producer and the record company (the CD was recorded in Holland this time). After getting used to some of the new elements in the sound, I found myself appreciating "The Haunting" very much! When someone close to me suddenly died, the song "Left In The Dark" had a very big impact on me and really touched my soul both lyrically and musically… I found myself left in the dark and all I could do is play this song...

Later, when Sear Bliss went on tour I finally met the guys in person and I was able to speak to Andras Nagy... Unfortunately it was only a very short talk, but it was enough to convince me that the band had really appreciated my work even if we hadn't been in direct contact… I also found it important that I was able to let them know how much I respected their music and that my artworks for Sear Bliss came right from my heart and soul! It was a meeting that I will always remember…

IV "Grand Destiny" (2001)

When Two Moons records decided to quit, Sear Bliss had no record company anymore and needed to find a new deal. It seemed that the symbolism of "The Haunting" was really appropriate at this stage. I didn't hear any news from Sear Bliss and because I had no address available, I wasn't able to contact them. It wasn't until early 2000 that I had found the Sear Bliss site on the internet and was able to write a mail to Andras. He immediately replied, updating me about the band (some members left after the tour) and telling me that they would want to work with me again! Ever since I stayed in contact with Andras and I received the new promo CD (which was once again really great). When finally a new label was found (Nephilim Records), I got to work on the CD-cover for "Grand Destiny". After the depressing symbolism of "The Haunting", I wanted this to represent a new beginning… a rebirth so to speak. That's why I chose to go back to the first cover with the concept and paint the White Witch again, who releases the eagle (representing the soul) from the caves where it was imprisoned ever since 'The Haunting". The female shapes once again return in the cave walls, but this time less static (they also seem to want to leave the caves). I think every aspect of the cover represents a new start and a promise of a "Grand Destiny" for Sear Bliss. In the meantime I went to see Sear Bliss once again when they were on tour with the new line up (July 2000). Unfortunately I got stuck in traffic and after driving for hours, I didn't make it on time to see the performance. But I did have a long talk with Andras backstage and it was again a meeting that will stay with me for a long time!

V "Forsaken Symphony" (2002)

With the cover of "Forsaken Symphony" I wanted to use a more aggressive image than before to illustrate the energy of the new songs and to establish the fact that Sear Bliss is back in full force. So I used the White Witch again, who is now being burned at the stake (which is a rather dark image compared to the previous artworks ). However, she isn't really burning as she even commands the flames (you can see small figures in the fire surrounding her, which represent the female spirits that have been present before in the trees or caves). Also, in the skies there are lots of eagles now, symbolising the many souls that aid the Witch in her fight. You can also see the full moon in the background as an indication to the cosmic powers that are at work here. In any way, I think this cover represents the struggle of the band to overcome every obstacle and their ultimate victory. The music is again magnificent in the grand Sear Bliss tradition! It's a typical album that seems to become better each time you listen to it.

Looking back now it seems strange perhaps, but all the ideas for the artworks just came naturally to me and seemed to fall in place each time. There was never any great pressure from the band on me, so I was in fact free to do what I wanted, which I think has been great! Of course it is a challenge to develop the story behind each artwork, but it is also very exciting and it makes everything a lot more interesting. I couldn't do this for every band though… For some reason Sear Bliss has been very inspiring, both musically and lyrically. I can only hope that there will be more Sear Bliss material in the future and that I can create many more artworks for this band! I hope there's still a "Grand Destiny" ahead!

Kris Verwimp 2002.

Thanks to Fieldy for coming up with the idea to do this artwork-story and for translating and publishing it and also thanks to Andras and Sear Bliss of course. Last but not least, thanks to YOU for taking the time to sit down and read my words! I hope it has been interesting to learn about the thoughts and experiences behind the cover-art of Sear Bliss.