Behind The Artworks: AVALAND - Chemical Poetry (2026)

The creation process behind Avaland’s artworks is always one of the most magical parts of crafting our albums. The best moment, without a doubt, is when Stan W. Decker sends me the first drafts of his work. Each new cover feels a bit like Christmas — we’re always eager to discover Stan’s latest masterpiece.

For the albums, I usually start by creating a demo artwork in Photoshop, forging a collage of images I find online. I’m aware that Stan doesn’t rely on it too much, especially nowadays, when it’s hard to tell what’s made by humans or by AI. Still, it gives him a general direction — themes, colors, atmosphere.

Things evolved with Chemical Poetry and its singles. This time, we worked from a complete written brief and a detailed mood board. We also sent Stan the lyrics, parts of our lore, and the story behind the album, giving him additional sources of inspiration.

Regarding the album cover, we wanted to fully embrace the narrative dimension of our music, drawing inspiration from movie and musical posters. I’m a huge fan of Rodney Matthews and Roger Dean, and I always share a few of my “iconic” favorites with him — especially Magnum’s On A Storyteller’s Night. Another key element we wanted to highlight was Avaland’s lore, particularly the figure representing the God of Time. That’s why you’ll find the stained-glass window with the three-headed deity right at the center of the cover, directly inspired by The Alan Parsons Project’s Turn of a Friendly Card, a cornerstone of my musical influences.

Knowing Stan’s love for intricate details, I gave him complete freedom to add as many story-related Easter eggs as he wished.

The final result is this incredible artwork: two characters gathered around an alchemy table, inside a cabinet bathed in purple magic, under the watchful gaze of the God of Time. The more you look at it, the more details reveal themselves — and even without hearing a single note, you can already guess fragments of the story. I’ve known this cover for a year now, and I’m still amazed by its aura.

Focusing now on the Faded Away artwork, my first impression was that it looks like the most quintessentially “Avaland” cover. Intimate and extravagant at the same time, drenched in blazing, powerful magic. The autumn shades Stan chose amplify the dreamlike atmosphere of the song. Funny enough, it also fits perfectly with the music video we created for this track: the character and the “Book of Avaland” appear in both the video and the cover, creating a seamless visual continuity.

It’s always a great pleasure to work with Stan. He truly brings our visions to life, transforming our ideas into immersive, cinematic frames. We can’t wait to finally hold the physical copies in our hands and admire his work even more.

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