The Art of Metal: Kelson Frost

 

Due to too many posts waiting in the queue, I decided to release them this week in the global language only - Polscy czytelnicy wybaczcie!

Yeah, I was obviously slacking off, considering how many of these pieces I am unleashing at once, but dear reader, sometimes the procrastination is the humankind's worst enemy.

Today's hero will probably not ring a bell, except the most dedicated fans of Brazilian Metal, but I assure you that this artist deserves to be featured. Born in 1966, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Kelson Frost was responsible for co-operating with then fledging label, Cogumelo Records, which became famous, because Sepultura (yes, I really like to find any excuse to namedrop them).

He created the famous cover for Sarcófago's legendary albums, namely "Rotting", and "The Laws of Scourge".  Now, an interesting trivia about them is that for "Rotting", the band wanted Jesus Christ to kiss death, as a symbol that he was only a human. But Kelson being a believer, did not want to commit such an act of blasphemy, so he removed the crown of thorns. The band kinda liked it more, because the character was still recognizable, and it actually reinforced their point. The "Laws of Scourge" features a brazilian equivalent of a Black Dahlia case.

Other cover art done for Cogumelo was for The Mist, which is explained here, Headhunter D.C.'s "Born Suffer Die", Siecrist "Freeze in Hell", Riv "Is This a Modern World?", Chakal "The Man is His Own Jackal", Witchhammer "Mirror My Mirror", and after decades of silence, Pathologic Noise "Gore Aberration". I am proud to say that I own majority of the mentioned records, with only few exceptions.

Mr. Frost's other covers for various labels featured MX "Mental Slavery", Em Ruinas "...from the Speed Metal Graves", and Divine Death's side of their split with Insurrection. I allowed myself to list all of his known works (to me), because it wasn't really that much, but remember that it's quality that matters, not quantity. Kelson's style was pretty versatile, as he was capable of different moods, styles, concepts and ideas, but they were always high, class art and a marvel to look at.

But Kelson Frost wasn't only a painter. He was also a musician. He sang in a rather Avantgarde project (for many years mistakenly labeled as Death Metal) called Gothic Vox (for which he also created a cover art). Personally, I liked that band, but they're a rather acquired taste.

Below is the only interview (in Portuguese) I could find with Mr. Frost, albeit I remember reading also an older one on some blog, where he discussed more about his art, as well as his tenure with Gothic Vox:

Roadie Metal

Also, a personal request - if anyone has the cover for Riv - Is This a Modern World? (why this band is not on Metal-Archives? It's Thrash Metal / Crossover), please share! I would love to finally see this piece in high resolution:

 

Kelson Frost's Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kelsonfrost/