Rotgod's Art: Raw is the law

The concept for the "Raw is the law" cover art originated back in october 2022, right after conceiving the four songs that would form the EP's tracklist, with the purpose of uniting them all through a common visual concept filled with references and easter eggs.

Of course, it was instantly clear that such an overcrowded cover stuffed with endless details would require quite a bit of room to make everything easily discernible - hence, the idea of printing this EP on 12" vinyl (first time ever in Rotgod history) instead of CD. The sketch I drew in october 2022 (a true modern art masterpiece in pencils and pastels from first grade) did already include most of the details you can see on the finished cover, and by then it was already clear this would prove to be a very difficult work, one that would need an artist who truly knew his shit in regards to space and proportions - which is also why I would later create a sort of "perspective map" emphasizing the disposition of the different elements within the space of the image.

Some time later, I ran across the incredible works made by Claudio Elias Scialabba, clearly informed by a strong 80's metal/punk background - with that same eye for the horrific, the grotesque and the perverse that's so dear to anyone enamored with the aesthetics from that decade. I had been thrilled already by his work on the cover art for Bunker 66's compilation "Portraits of dismay" (masterful reference to Sodom's blackened masterpiece "Obsessed by cruelty"), but after scrolling his Instagram gallery I was persuaded beyond any reasonable doubt he was the right man for the "Raw is the law" artwork - most notably, given his predominantly thrashcore/crossover roots.

When I contacted Scialabba around summer 2024, he was instantly thrilled about the idea. Most of his recent works are paintings, bearing an extremely sinuous, sophisticated style; however, the idea of going back to his personal roots - the classically raw, edgy, stylized hand-drawn thrashcore artworks for 80's bands such as The Accused - proved to be extremely motivating for him, so much so that within a few days he had already finished the job, with just a few minor fixes and touchups required on small details here and there (mostly just tiny easter eggs related to the songs) for what turned out to be an overall spot-on composition, nailed on first try.

Had you previously noticed the various easter eggs and references hidden within the cover art? Are you confused and/or curious to know what the fuck do they mean?

Well - then, the time is right to stream "Raw is the law" and delve deep into the lyrics!

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