Two decades later, I found myself speaking enthusiastically with an artist named Jos A. Smith about licensing his artwork for our upcoming album, Advent Parallax. Jos was a contemporary of Giger, and they had actually collaborated together on designs for an unmade film called "The Tourist". That aside, Jos' work was just as captivating and massive as his Swiss counterpart, and before long we were actively collaborating on new commissions for Averse Sefira. The results can be seen in the Advent Parallax booklet, but until now the original drawings have not been published. To wit:
 |
| Sanguine Mapsama |
 |
| The Carcass |
 |
| Wrath - original version, unused |
 |
| Wrath - 2nd version |
It is difficult to describe the sense of accomplishment and pride that comes from working with such a talented and unique fine artist. Moreover, it is almost impossible to describe how it feels to have a life-long aspiration become reality.
And Sanguine recently found this tribute:
This was painted by Tom Neely as part of a series of black metal Post-It note art. It is striking that such a simple format can capture so much, and that our work speaks to so many gifted individuals. We are honored and humbled.
