Designed by Dan Goldsworthy

The pandemic years we're really stressful. I had recently got married to my first girlfriend. Dropped out of college. Started a new job and started jamming with some guys in a hot ass storage unit. There was no collective creative direction at the time, so we decided to go for my skeleton Idea.

Artwork by Dan Goldsworthy

Finding an artist to make the album art was difficult. Originally I was going to go for a comic book esq style. But all of the artists I asked kept ghosting me, even though I was offering to pay them money. I decided That I would send an email as a shot in the dark to my favorite album cover artist, Dan Goldsworthy. I first saw his artwork from Gloryhammer and Alestorm Covers. I loved his fresh take on the Old School Metal album cover style. Very reminicent of Ed Repka and Derek Riggs. Which I thought was perfect for the Old School style Thrash/Death Metal we were making. I'm very glad that he was down to do the cover art, and design our Logo. It kind of resembles a bat silhouette to me. Very spooky.

Photo by Missy Owens

Edited by Count Scapula
I couldn't get Manthing to wear corpse paint again. So I decided everyone can choose however they want to dress up as. "Spooky" was the vibe.

Photo by Missy Owens

Edited by Count Scapula

I had the costume jacket/chest piece made by Unknown Origin FX. A verteran owned costume and haunted house prop small business from Clarksville, TN. Made out of my very first (p)leather jacket. My Ex helped me with the Corpsepaint. They did a really good job with the cheeks that I have no idea how to replicate.

Photo by Missy Owens

Edited by Count Scapula
Manthing loved playing with us, and we had an awesome time together. But from the beginning his heart was never really set on playing music as a big part of his life. He had quit the band initially after we finished the demos. I called him back to finish the Album we started together.

Photo by Missy Owens

Edited by Count Scapula

Nice guy. Good at guitar. He was originally from Columbia. He didn't come back to Dead Alive when we started playing shows because he had to work and was planning on marrying his girlfriend.

Photo by Missy Owens

Edited by Count Scapula

Good drummer, but he wasn't the drummer Dead Alive needed. He was more of a Nu Metal/Hip Hop drummer. I had to teach him about metal drumming like blast beats and skank beats. His brand of creativity was fighting him on it.

Photo by Missy Owens

Edited by Count Scapula

I also was butting heads with V creatively. He wanted to be in a "serious" band, and have "serious" (and edgy) photos. While I wanted to be campy and fun.

Photo By Missy Owens

Originally I wanted Manthing to be a spooky sheet ghost, since he wouldn't wear facepaint. But the idea pissed off V. So we did a "Serious" photoshoot.

Photo by Missy Owens

Edited by Count Scapula

I appreciated This candid. Manthing looks awkward. V is not looking at the camera. Soultaker is having a fun time, despite the argument V and I had earlier. And I'm committed to just not expressing because of it. It was either that or I was committed to making the count an (edgy) EVIL metalhead.

Photo by Missy Owens

Edited by Count Scapula

Recording was a nightmare. I was the only one that knew the material and was prepared. Shortly after it was released, Manthing quit the band again to focus on working, we tried to get a new guitarist but that created even more creative butting of heads. I also had to go back to finish college, so we pretty much immediately went on hiatus.

Photo By Missy Owens

"Oh look at us. we're so serious and edgy."