Paradise Lost have revealed the cover artwork that will grace their opus number fourteen The Plague Within, which comes out on June 1st in Europe and June 2nd in North America via Century Media. The cover artwork was created by the Polish artist, illustrator and architect Zbigniew M. Bielak, best known in the musical realm for his record cover illustrations, which among others include meticulously handcrafted artworks of Watain, Ghost or Entombed A.D. albums. Feast your eyes on it below.

The Plague Within was produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Ulver, Cathedral) at London's Orgone Studios.




Zbigniew comments: "Since their late 80's inception, through somber abrasiveness of their debut and harrowing tristesse of groundbreaking Gothic, the unparalleled icons of gloom, Paradise Lost grew deep into all things murky and dreadful in modern music. Let alone Duncan Fergado's artwork for their Lost Paradise debut remains one of my fave covers, so having heard that with The Plague Within the band harks back to days of old, was - to say the least - a thrilling incentive to pick up the commission. It was also a rare joy to see how preliminary calm and reflective Arcimboldian artwork, kept becoming ever darker and more sinister past each of Nick's and Greg's scrutinies, to finally become what one can see on the actual cover. A portrait of hopeless decrepitude of mental illness - which is what The Plague Within deals with thematically - where the tormented Sisyphus struggles to push his burden back up the slippery walls of a long frozen illusion."

Source:	centurymedia.com
Band profile:	Paradise Lost