Illustrations and layout for the Dark Tranquillity album "Moment", released on Century Media Records on November 20, 2020.
The concept manifested itself after reading the lyrics and discussing the ideas therein with D.T.'s vocalist, Mikael Stanne. The album recording and early sketches started taking shape before the pandemic, but as with many other things the unfolding situation gave an additional layer of focus and meaning to the artwork. The "moment" referred to in the title is a sliver of time where the true nature of reality reveals itself in a sudden cataclysmic event. The symbolism is pretty universal and open for individual interpretation, and since it was clear that a dramatic image was needed, a "fiery" colour scheme was used.
Above: Front cover artwork. Below: Gatefold LP insert.
There was also a special deluxe version of the gatefold LP sold by the band themselves.
As usual for projects of this stature, there was also the need for several t-shirt designs featuring key elements from the artwork. In total, I made about 10 different ones, some of which are shown here. The ones with the "Moment in Concert" title were made for the livestreamed album release concert held at Stora Teatern in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Below is an early sketch of the concept. This line drawing was included as a special 30x30 cm art print in the band edition of the album.
I also made some animations based on the artwork for future live show use (D.T. has performed with a video backdrop live for many years). When regular touring resumes again, I'll post them here.
