Behind The Artwork: ARKDOWN - The Calling (2018)

ARKDOWN are a formidable modern metal quintet hailing from Sheffield. Formed in late 2015, the emerging metallers draw from contemporary metalcore and deathcore influences, framed by their own melodic but heavy riff-based style. The Steel City riff beasts have just revealed a new track, Mirrors - https://youtu.be/UKZDWsBY13U , which is taken from their sophomore EP, The Calling, out Friday 2nd November. We asked the band about the artwork for

the release and its meaning:

1. Who designed the artwork?

The cover artwork for our new record, The Calling, was designed by our drummer, Alex Roberts. Alex runs a design outfit by the name of Darkmare Design and he produces all of the band's promotional imagery and also a lot of the flyer designs for our live shows.

2. What does the cover artwork represent?

We wanted to give this record a 'flagship' feeling so we based the artwork on the band's emblem. Whilst title 'The Calling' stemmed from the French term 'L'appel du vide' (The call of the void), we felt that the words without context suggested some kind of 'summons to join a secret society' or 'cult recruitment' and that's where the dripping red mark upon the wall came from; the symbol of that group.