When death metal bands need art that lives up to their brutal sound, they call Mark Riddick. Outfits like Arch Enemy, Dying Fetus, Morbid Angel, The Black Dahlia Murder, and other bands whose sound Andrew W.K. compared to having an orgasm for the first time regularly enlist the prolific 42-year-old Virginian for posters, album art, and merch. He’s been in the underground metal zine scene since he was 15, honing an instantly recognizable aesthetic.
He told VICE in an email that he views his work as having a unique visual language consisting of “oozing rot, dripping cobwebs, worms and maggots, extreme detail, and a strict adherence to black and white pen and ink work.” He counts as his inspiration both active artists and metal art legends, including Chris Moyen, Brad Moore, Sean Carr, Vincent Locke, Dan Seagrave, Alfonso Ruiz, Daniel Corcuera, Matt Carr, Daniel Shaw, and Mark Richards. Despite the mind-bending perspectives and imaginative scenarios he creates, Riddick says he doesn't use any mind-altering substances to come up with ideas.
The process of drawing such utterly creepy images is actually meditative. “It’s a way for me to decompress,” he said. “When I put the pen to the paper, everything around me is pushed into the background and becomes white noise, the focus is solely on where my next pen stroke will occur and what kind of decisions or creative steps must be taken to complete an illustration.” Riddick estimates that, in developing his look, he’s drawn well over 1,000 skulls over the years.
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