Kris: Well, I was born in Belgium on 17-07-1970 and I still live there in a small village called Zammel. I've been drawing ever since childhood but I never actually went to an art-school. Back in 1984 I created my own comic book character "Odoric" and I did a number of comic books and short stories about him over the years. The first actual record cover that I did was for the release on Vinyl of Ancient Rites' "The Diabolic Serenades" by Midian Creations. In 1994 I was asked by Osmose Productions from France to create a painting for Marduk. By doing so, my work was released into the world and I've been drawing CD covers ever since!

Kris: While growing up, I loved to indulge myself in my fathers comic-books. These comic books were all about Sword & Sorcery, Science Fiction and fantasy and illustrated by such legends as Hal Foster, Berni Wrightson, Frank Frazetta, Rosinski, Don Lawrence, etc., to name but a few! I was also very inspired by the movie "Conan The Barbarian". After I had watched that film at the movie-theatre, I started dreaming about creating such a world myself. So in order to convert my dreams into reality, I started drawing. I inherited my drawing-skills from my mother I believe… she did a lot of drawings when I was little. I just picked up her drawing tools and started at it myself. The ancient arts of the Celts and Vikings have also been a big influence on me, especially the knotwork-art. I'm also very inspired by music of course! I'm a Metal fan myself and I own a very large collection. I must add that I never really consciously chose to become an artist. It just happened because I like to draw and paint so much and I don't mind spending all my free time on it.

Kris: Yes, you're right about that! I always ask the band that I'm working for to give me as much information as possible. That includes lyrics, concept ideas, and most importantly the music itself! The music is my main source of inspiration. I just need to listen to it and when I close my eyes I start seeing visions of what the cover art could look like. Of course I keep in mind what the concept and lyrics are all about when I start doing some sketches. As soon as I have a good sketch of the composition, I'll send a scan to the band to see if they like it or not. I only start working on the final painting when the sketch is approved. Each band is different and there are some bands that really don't have any clue as to what their cover art should look like. In that case I can do whatever I want. But there are also bands that have very strong ideas about the visual representation of their music. Bands like Absu have the whole composition worked out already before they even contact me to paint it!

Kris: Well, Celtic knotwork has intrigued me ever since I first encountered it! There was a time when you almost couldn't find any knotwork designs anywhere. I started collecting as many books about it as I could find. At first it was very hard to imitate the knotwork patterns. Creating an original pattern or decorating an alternative shape with knotwork was really very difficult to do. I have lots and lots of respect for the ancient artists and craftsmen who developed this form of art. The strange thing is that when you practice drawing knotwork for many many years you start to develop a kind of intuition for it. Suddenly the lines start flowing instinctively in the right directions... it's kind of a mystery to me really. But I'm sure that I haven't even scratched the surface of this mystery. I don't really use knotwork patterns consciously in each of my paintings, but it just creeps in because I love it so much I guess... There aren't many artists who use knotwork in the right way. It just takes lots and lots of time and work. I can see in my own artworks when I didn't have enough time to do it right... it's a shame and it haunts me, but there's such a thing as deadlines in this day and age.

Kris: There are some pretty good programs around these days that do a great job in imitating handpainted art. And I do respect a good cover no matter how it was created... But what bothers me is when a cover artwork is created by using different elements from other artworks or photographs. It's always easy to tell when a cover is just stitched together. Also, regarding to the computer designs that are being used a lot these days I think that a traditionally created artwork has a more timeless quality to it. Computer generated art tends to look outdated fairly quickly. It's always amusing when people write me to ask what program I use to paint my artworks. These days it seems that less and less artists still use pencils, brushes and paint...

Kris: As always I'm working on a bit too many projects actually. I recently finished new covers for Ceremonial Castings, Celebrant and Crom but my latest work was the new Suidakra artwork for their upcoming "Caledonia" album. Next artworks that I need to finish are the new Waylander, Dark Forest and Charnel Winds artworks to name a few. There's also a new band with proscriptor from Absu on drums that I'm doing the artwork for. And then there are a few other projects in development, but it's too early to say anything about that yet.

Kris: Well, I honestly didn't keep count ! This is perhaps the most difficult question, haha ! But I'll give it a try ( in no particular order ) :

Ancient Rites, Samhain, Morbid, Entropy, Marduk, Absu, Sear Bliss, Enthroned, Avatar, Liar, Caducity, Infernal Beauty, The Darkening, Thyrfing, Bewitched, Nocturnal Breed, Twin Obscenity, Old Man's Child, Arch Enemy, Night Conquers Day, Deviser, Amsvartner, Skullview, Evoke, Nagelfar, Suidakra, Nebular Moon, Hellstorm, Frostmoon, Signs Of Darkness, Necrodochion, Magia Posthuma, Insanity Reigns Supreme, Prejudice, Infernal Legion, Ketter, Immortal, Cirith Gorgor, Celebrant, Cantar, Sathanas, Moonblood, Nebular Mystic, Lordes Werre, Callenish Circle, Shadowbreed, Incinerator, Morningstar, Enslaved, Angel Corpse, Oblivion, Aeon, Trollskogen, Vital Remains, Mundanus Imperium, Tearstained, In De Schaduw, The Reckoning, The Legion, Infernal Vengeance, Ragnarok, Hordak, Ceremonial Castings, Manegarm, Hypnosia, After All, Setherial, Lord Belial, Panzer, Theudho, Metalhead, Sallah, Hatred Unleashed, Paths Of Possession, Melechesh, Centinex, Flauros, Double Diamond, Crimson Scythe, Serpent Lord, Debauchery, Sympathy, Tiwaz, Torka, Suhrim, The Frost, Kyla, Ritual Steel, Demonizer, Nocturnal, Asatru, Lemuria, Dagorlad, Viperine, Embolus, Sabbat, Crimson Falls, Slechtvalk, Mandatory, Avidost, Crom, Mentation, Ulterior Decimation, Crawlspace, Morturom, Cryme, Old Path, Mystica, Arwen, Lord, Martyr, Nevermore, Hell Icon, Dark Fortress, Thornspawn, The Black Order, Allied Forces, Demon Child, Axamenta, Keltgar, Angus, Ufych Sormeer, Daemusinem, Patriarch, Vindsval, Xeah, Occult, Horna, ...

And a bunch of compilation stuff and all... I hope I didn't leave anyone out !

Kris: The concept for that cover was taken directly from the lyrics of the song "Kolöga Trolltand". In short it's about a Troll living in the woods nearby a village. The churchbell constantly wakes him up from his sleep and he gets so irritated by this that he smashes the church in rage. In the end he takes the churchbell home and uses it to drink his ale from. I added the wolves and the stone circle because I needed to expand the drawing over two pages. It was not an easy concept! I did many sketches and studies. My main problem was the Troll because I don't like to draw typical fantasy figures that much. So I did the Troll in my own way and that made the scene look a bit more realistic I guess. Also, this was my first artwork after a two month break that I needed to take because of my exhibition in Antwerp and the creation of my artbook. So I was very eager to start painting again and I think it shows! I didn't realize that it was that good though... it was only after I read all the positive reviews that I started feeling more comfortable about it. I'm never satisfied with my own work.

Kris: Yes, but I try to avoid doing too many logos. I always spend way too much time on the design of a logo. Sometimes it takes me even longer than a CD cover painting. It gets increasingly difficult to come up with something that hasn't been done before. The real master of logos is another Belgian artist: Christophe Spazjdel.

Kris: Certainly not that I'm aware of! If a band wants me to do their cover art, they just write me and ask me if I want to do it. I never ask them if they've contacted another artist to compare prices or anything. I also never write to bands myself to ask if they need a cover design. I only work on request.

Kris: I guess you've been watching too much Monty Python lately!? (Edit: There is no such thing as watching too much Monty Python!) I do own some swords and I'm also an archer in my free time. But I honestly wouldn't know who would be the last man standing, haha! I've never met Kristian Wahlin or Petagno in person. I've also never been in contact with any of them. I've only been in contact with JP Fournier, Juha Vuorma and Dan Seagrave ( who even shares my day of birth! ). I respect each and everyone of my fellow artists... They are about the only people that I can talk to about art skills and all. So I think instead of fighting there would be a lot of talking going on... which would be boring to you guys. (Edit again: It wouldn't be boring to me! I love all apsects of artwork, hence my interview with you, Kris!)

Kris: There's my comic book of course and then there are a few book covers and a DVD cover that I did. But that's about it I guess. Ever since I started doing covers for Metal bands, I received so many requests that I haven't had the time to work on anything else. Occasionally I did a portrait of a friend or a family member. But I do that only for people that I know really well. I also did a few tattoo designs for some friends. But I don't have the time to start doing that for other people as well.

Kris: I guess you won't expect this, but I actually have a fulltime daily job to earn my living. It has nothing to do with art or Metal or anything. I am only able to work on my paintings in the evenings or in the weekends. So it's hard to get all the work done sometimes... Time is my biggest enemy. Anyone who knows me well, will confirm that I'm never motivated by money. My first and only motivation is always the music, the band and creating the best possible artwork for both. The payment is always the last thing on my mind. So it wouldn't be a good idea for me to quit my job and start living off my artwork earnings. I would never be able to survive. I do a lot of artworks for underground bands who don't have much money, so in order to earn enough I guess I would have to start looking for bigger clients. The money that I get from my paintings is almost all spent on art materials and some fun stuff such as CD's, books, DVD's and occasionally a nice sword or something like that.

Kris: Like I said before, the price is always the last thing on my mind. I don't have fixed prices. It all depends on the difficulty of the concept, the amount of work, the painting materials needed, etc... Each case is different. I tend to ask less when a band is unsigned. The bigger the record company, the higher my prices. Usually they work with budgets anyway and everything is less personal.

Kris: It helps a lot when I really like the music. Sometimes it's also okay if I just like the concept or the lyrics. But if there's really nothing that inspires me, I guess I'll say no even if they would pay me. It happened a few times before...

Kris: Yes you're right ! I'm a big fan of that genre. I've always been a fan of it, even before it existed! In the 80's I was always looking for an epic or heroic feeling in Metal, but there weren't any bands that came even close to what I was looking for. Finally with Bathory's "Hammerheart" album things started to go in the right direction. And then there was Skyclad, which I thought was great especially in the early days. But it still took many years for the Folk/Pagan/Viking scene to emerge that we have today. These days I can't even keep up with the flow of new bands. What I'm looking for in my favorite bands are mainly two things: the music has to be epic and/or heroic. It's nearly impossible to name all the bands that I like, but these days I'm listening a lot to ( just to name a few ) Thiasos Dionysos, the Russian Arkona, Kromlek, Metsatöll, Hel, Nomans Land, Wyrd, Belenos, Nebelhorn, Klabautamann, Bergthron, etc. ... I really buy way too many CD's... Actually I don't think I've done that many covers for these kind of bands. I was very excited about doing the new Suidakra album artwork. I can't stop listening to the new songs... they are really very heroic once again. Another band that I was happy to do the cover for again was Hordak from Spain. Really an amazing band in my opinion... they also have this heroic and epic quality in their music. And then there's Manegarm of course, which is also quite an extraordinary band to work for. I love this genre so much actually that I sometimes consider to work only for these kind of bands in the future.

Kris: Well, I was surprised myself that Andras wanted to interview me on video when I visited them on tour ! I never expected them to actually use the footage. They even shot more, but there was a lot of noise at that place and it was very dark. I was convinced that it was all bad... Anyways, the new album is the best one yet I think, even if I didn't do the cover. I like the artwork very much actually. I can understand why they used someone from their own country this time. Also I think that the story behind my artworks had played out a bit and it's only natural that a band needs some change every now and then. But I would be very happy to do something for them again if they would ask me. I'm still in good contact with the band, so you never know. I actually did a sketch for the DVD cover art as well, but it wasn't meant to be I guess...

Kris: Agreed! I think the visual aspect can be very important for an album. The artwork is the first thing you see and in many cases it can be the main reason for picking up a CD. A good cover should represent the music in a visual way and it should create the right atmosphere for listening to it. Usually when it seems that a lot of time and work has been spent on the artwork, the music tends to be at the same level. So instinctively the choice goes out to the CD with the most appealing cover. I think these days good art is more important than ever for an unknown band. People can't buy everything, so when they need to make a choice they'll obviously pick the CD with the nicest cover.

Kris: That's no mystery actually because you can only buy it from myself. There's no distribution for it. The reason for that is mainly because the manufacturing and the postage costs are so high. I released this book for the occasion of my exhibition in Antwerp last year. It was actually an idea of a good friend of mine and we both shared in the costs. Of course, I needed to create the book in the first place and that was a hell of a job. I did all the layouts and everything myself. In the end I found myself working for four days without any rest or sleep to get it finished in time for the opening of my exhibition... needless to say that I was a wreck after that experience. I don't think I could do that again. Of course I did it to myself because I wanted to create a really special book and that meant lots of work. What's really great about it is that I could finally see my artworks in print without any of the logo's or alterations done by record companies and such. I also contacted some bands to write some lines about my artworks... I think it worked out very well and I'm proud that I managed to release this. It's very limited though, and there won't be a second printing.

Kris: Well, as I said before I have a regular job so I'm forced to "paint and draw when I'm not working". The other stuff that I fill my time with is connected to that in a way. I collect comics and fantasy artbooks. I have a very large Conan collection and I own lots and lots of CD's and DVD's. I'm also a real movie buff. My main interests are historic, SF or fantasy movies. On the weekends I like to visit CD and book fairs or various conventions. I also like visiting ancient ruins, castles or abbeys. I don't travel much though... the last time I traveled was 6 years ago ( my trip to Ireland where I visited Tara and other incredible places ).

Kris: In the first place I hope they will find something interesting in it. I always try to include some elements that are open to interpretation. I don't like it when an idea is too defined. Suggestion is better and leaves more to the imagination of the viewer. If you look carefully at my artworks, you'll often find more than one story in them. There's always the obvious scene that's playing out before your eyes, but there's also some symbolism in it on a different level. I always try to add a some mysterious elements to stimulate the imagination. I tend to use a lot of geometrical shapes in my compositions to create even more mystery. That's not always easy of course. Sometimes I need to stick to the concept of the band that I'm doing the artwork for. In the end I just hope the artwork gets noticed and that people are intrigued by it.

Kris: Thank you Britton and all Metal Coven readers for being interested in my work and for taking the time to look more closely at CD-cover artworks in general! I hope you enjoyed reading this interview and I hope I'll be able to keep on creating Metal art for as long as I can (...or until you all tell me to quit, haha!).