Patrizio Mameli, guitarist and vocalist of the veteran Dutch progressive death metal band PESTILENCE, has spoken in support of using artificial intelligence to design heavy metal album covers. He explained that A.I. offers artists distinctive and striking visuals that complement their music while being both cost-effective and easily accessible.
Earlier today (Sunday, December 29), Mameli shared a post on PESTILENCE‘s official Facebook page, writing: “I have to get something of my chest. This constant BS about metal bands using A.I. album covers more and more. There are a few reasons. First, huge budgets for real paintings are a thing of the past. Secondly, the idea of having mutilated bodies, zombies and extreme gore are also a thing of the past for PESTILENCE.
“When you want to survive in the nowadays industry you have to adapt and PESTILENCE has always been known to look ahead and never fall back into the old habits not just music style wise but every other new release has had a new approach to our own musically, unlike most acts that rely on their older legacy.
When we released [re-recorded best-of album] Levels Of Perception that was aimed to revisited the demo style recording, that was asked for by many fans, they didn’t like the production they asked for themselves. With [the upcoming album] Portals we will, again, follow our own path and you could really dig it. As an example this ‘drawing’ was considered to be amazing on my personal FB site. This is also A.I., and is an amazing piece of art. Not the album cover by the way!!!
“And now the real question: would you not buy and album with killer production and song just because a cover is A.I.? Then you are not listening to our compositions that are fully handmade. But rather are concerned with the 40× past you have been living in.
“Start embracing the future of music that is PESTILENCE.”
Earlier this year, PESTILENCE faced significant backlash from fans over the AI-generated cover art for their album Levels of Perception. Many fans criticized the artwork for lacking the authenticity and emotional depth typically associated with traditional hand-drawn or painted metal album covers. In response to the overwhelming negative feedback, the band ultimately decided to replace the AI-created design with a more traditional artwork.
Mameli wrote in a statement at the time: “First off, let me be absolutely clear about the fact that both band and record company still love [the AI] cover. Also, the artist that created this art, did not let the computer generate this picture. He used multiple methods to come to this result. So it’s not just A.I. in the real sense.
“But the point I’m getting at, is this: I will not risk all the work we have put into this release, just to push the cover. We care a lot about our fans and we do not want this product not to be a success just because we want to push our ideas regarding A.I. We have always stood at the forefront of game changing events within the d.m. scene, whether it’s music or in this case, a cover.
“Maybe the timing is not right just now, so we chose the middle way. This should make people more open to this monster of a release we have planned for y’all.”
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.