Behind The Artworks: Parallel Minds - Every Hour Wounds .... The Last One Kills (2019)

We have a specificity in Parallel Minds. We're a full DIY band :-) While Greg (guitars) is in charge of the mix, I (Steph, vocals) am in charge of the visual aspect, including videos, and of course, booklet and cover.

I'm also writing the lyrics, so I have quite a precise idea what to do when the time comes to work on the cover. Usually it evolves with the music, and I have done around 10 versions of this one. Of course, my bandmates follow the evolution and give me advice.

I wasn't very satisfied with our first one (Headlong Disaster, 2015) in the end. Too many details blurring the meaning.

So I wanted something more simple and more graphic this time, so I removed many details from one version to another. 

The overall shape of the characters evoke an hourglass, formed by both half bottom and upper clocks and outstretched hands. It also obviously refers to Michel Ange's Adam's creation. In this case, the human kinda creates his own damnation and punishment.

A previous version had inversed colours, with white in the upper side, which is more logical for a human eye. We always look pictures top-down, so the lower part always seems a bit squashed.

So I found it stronger to have this invasive and aggressive red at the top. It seems to crush the poor human being at the bottom.

I think the artwork matches the music  adequately, often thrashy, and the lyrics, regularly dealing with humanity's self destruction and constant errors.