Behind The Artworks: North Of South - The Dogma & The Outsider (2019)

It's a brilliant work by Pablo Jeje (aka Pablo García), an amazing local graphic designer from my city, León, in the Northwest of Spain.

In our first meeting, I gave him some guidelines and suggestions and, then, he started to work and came up with this excellent piece of art.

I asked him for a clean and elegant cover, based in white tones, totally away from some Metal cliches like blood, demons, skulls and chains.

I also suggested him to include a female character but with a respectful and fine approach: no naked amazons, no exuberant virgins, no sexy women prepared to be offered to any macho.

And, finally, I asked for a surrealistic concept. I love that kind of art. And, as a reference, I provided Pablo some covers by Storm Thorgeson, the famous British artist who made some legendary artwork for artists and bands like Scorpions, UFO, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Helloween, Muse and Bruce Dickinson, among many others.

Pablo brought a very personal mix of my suggestions with his own art and surprised me with this extraordinary cover with the polar bear, the girl in the red raincoat and the snow-covered location, that, in fact, is a real place in our region.

It's enigmatic, inspiring, classy, poetic. And it absolutely fits with the concept of the title of the EP, which alludes to the idea of innovation, breaking conventions, avoid the topics...

That's the true musical essence and nature of North of South. So... who's the dogma and who's the outsider...?