For Styigian’s new album, Fury Rising, the Philadelphia metal quartet approached Stephen Jensen and F3 Studios to create a package that captured the energy of the band’s music. It wasn’t the first time that Stephen has worked with the band. Last year, Stygian drummer, Steve Bacchia hired Stephen to design artwork for his custom made drum kit.

Click here or on the image above to see the cover.

Stygian came to Stephen with the title Fury Rising in hopes of having him develop a concept that would add powerful visuals to the already killer album. Stephen pitched the idea of a man struggling to break away from the forces around him that have been tearing him apart. The visual would show him covered in water and slime gasping for his first breath as he rises from the primordial ooze. Hands would be clawing at the man, tearing away at his flesh and trying to drag him back down. The man would be furious as he fought off all the demons trying to keep him from escaping. The band totally dug the concept.

Stephen needed to find a model that could show a range of emotion while being covered in slime. He remembered Johnny Jannotti, drummer for a Chicago band Chasing The Day that he had shot earlier this year. Johnny’s photo had such cool energy that Stephen knew that he was the right man for the cover model. He wanted to show Johnny covered in slime splashing out from the surface. Johnny was excited and completely up for the challenge.

F3 Studios’ Patrick Szczypinski worked to mix gallons of green slime to achieve the right viscosity that Stephen was looking for. He wanted it to look thick, yet clear and runny similar to the slime used in the Aliens movies. When Patrick achieved the right look for the slime they ran several lighting tests to capture the slime in the best way possible. Once the lighting was just right they ran a test with Johnny to make sure that they could achieve the right look with Johnny covered in slime while still allowing him to breath covered in the thick mess. Everything went perfectly and Johnny was immediately able to get into character and be able to convey the emotion while smothered in slime which now covered the studio.

Afterward, Stephen wanted to digitally show the model’s body being torn apart by the demons dragging him down. He added scratches into his arm and exposed the eye socket of his cracked skull. While working and reworking the cover ideas just kept flowing to make the cover even more intense. One of the last minute additions that Stephen made was to tear the back of his cranium open to expose his brain. Stygian loved all the detail that Stephen added to make the cover even creepier that he had originally pitched it.