Unhappy Holidays

My holiday card for 2010.

Rebirth

Dennis Dread was very kind to post one of my photos from my Maryland Death Fest diary as part of his end of year lists. It is a photo of Chris Reifert, before, according to Dennis, "Reifert at MDF just before the triumphant rebirth of Autopsy!" Here is the full photo with Dennis and Chris.




It's a truly fucking honor to be a humble witness to a gathering of artists that have inspired me to realize my rebirth into the world of art. Thank you Dennis, and thank you Chris and Autopsy!

WEREWOLF, SEMEN, & BLOOD

In the spirit of the 500 year lunar eclipse occuring on the eve of the winter solstice...

Black Metal Swan

In honor of one of my anticipated films of the year, Black Swan, here is my visual interpretation of Black Swan, if it was made in a black metal context. I did this drawing 2 months ago and the more I let the lines flow, the more involved I got into finishing the piece.

Some of the most powerful black metal albums that I've listened to this year, such as Krieg's The Isolationist (here's an interesting interview with Krieg mainman Neil Imperial) and Agalloch's Marrow of the Spirit, reflect on the dark side of humanity, and how we are drifting towards our own self-imposed self destruction. Self destruction is a major theme in Black Swan, and I felt a connection between the film and black metal as a genre.

Some of you might even be familiar with ballet's connections with extreme metal in the past.

Lock N' Load Cover

This is a cover for a comic called Lock N' Load #5, a crime noir written and drawn by Columbia College grad Nick Rohr. It will soon be available in limited quantities at Quimby's.

Locrian

I mentioned in Decibel's December issue that Locrian's Territories is one of my favorite albums of 2010. After seeing Locrian play tracks from their new album The Crystal World last Monday, that makes it two of my favorite albums of 2010. The photo above is also one of the best shots I've ever taken as a concert photographer.

Taking photos of Locrian is a huge challenge. With such dark lighting conditions, I have to balance my attention to the music as well as trying to adjust settings in my camera in the soonest and best way possible. I approach the camera like I do with my work on paper. I am glad to have the opportunity of seeing this amazing band in this city, as well as being among their peers.

The rest of the set can be found here. Please respect the copyright. Thanks.

St. Vitus Winter 2010 European Tour Shirt

Only available this December on the St. Vitus European tour.

RIP Armando Acosta

http://www.crustcake.com/2010/12/rip-armando-acosta.html

Excellent eulogy by Andy from Crustcake.

"Armando Acosta, the original drummer for Saint Vitus, passed away on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 58. Acosta played on all of Vitus' albums, most notably the 1986 classic Born Too Late. His last show with the band was on April 29, 2009, in Stuttgart, Germany. While no cause of death has been released, he had been struggling with health issues for quite some time. Saint Vitus is one of our favorite groups, and as fans, we mourn the loss of Acosta. "

Even though I have never met Armando, it is a great honor for me to have St. Vitus as a client and I wish all the best to the band.

St. Vitus Winter European Tour 2010

Incantation Poster

A poster for the Incantation "Hall of Fame" show I did for Decibel Magazine.

Wear 3d glasses for this one.

Sneak Peak

Sketchbook Drawings (Early 2010)

From top to bottom: a select collection of sketchbook drawings from January thru August 2010.

Sleep

Proceed the Weediaaaaaaaaaaaaaan....NAZARETH!!!!!!

More pics here.

New Shit

Coming soon...

Maryland Death Fest 2010

This week, I will be in scenic Baltimore, Maryland for yet another year of Maryland Death Fest. I will not answer any contacts during that time. Thanks.

RIP Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010)

RIP Ian Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980)

The Killing Of Satan

I saw this video on Justin Bartlett's blog today. I do remember watching this film when I was a kid. The lead actor, Ramon Revilla, was the Filipino equivalent of Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson in terms of badassness. Those people mutilating themselves in the video are called flagellants and they roam the streets on Good Friday whipping their bleeding backs. It's pretty kvlt and br00tal, if you ask me. Yes, evil Filipino villains used to have really bad porn staches back in the 80's. Filipino B-movies are amazing.

Macabre 25th Anniversary Shirt Design

Coming soon.

And oh yeah, if your band wants a killer shirt design, hit me up. I usually do stuff in black and white. Colored prints don't really appeal to me. We'll discuss pricing and such.

I'm Glad I Don't Live In Arizona

I normally don't post a lot because of my busy schedule, but the events of the recent weeks have gotten my blood boiling.

The paranoid, racist state government of Arizona recently passed Arizona state bill 1070, which makes it legal for law enforcement officers to profile anyone who looks like they're an illegal immigrant. Under the already worn out guise of national security, law enforcement officers can further abuse their power and can deport anybody who is perceived to be an undocumented person. I believe this law racially profiles individuals who look like Latinos and it makes one wonder: doesn't this remind anyone of 1930's Nazi Germany?

I came here 9 years ago from the Philippines, but I do have Spanish blood, which makes my lineage stretch over 2 continents. I'm proud to be an immigrant. I came here legally on my own volition and was able to create a meaningful life for myself. The United States is a nation built on immigration, but unfortunately, a lot of racists such as the Tea Bagger party have completely forgotten that their ancestors originally came to North America illegally and later on stole the land from the Native Americans. I'm glad I live in a big city that celebrates the diversity that is created because of all the immigrants that live here. I never look at people if they're legal or illegal: I judge people's characters if they're nice or not. I avoid people who are assholes, but I can get along really well with people if they're cool. Obviously, these teabaggers are sad, brain dead pathetic twerps who live in small towns and need something to pick on because their lives are so dull and boring. The issue of illegal immigration only came up during the middle of the past decade because George W. Bush needed a scapegoat for the obvious futility of his 2 bullshit wars. Immigration law should be reformed, not regressed into the broken shell that it is.

Here is my response to the that new bullshit law: a parody of Raising Arizona titled "Racist Arizona" with the 3 main proponents of this bill, Russell Stewart, Jan Brewer, and most especially that meathead (closet homosexual?) "tough guy" sheriff Joe Arpaio.

In the spirit of punk, print this file out onto a sticker, shirt, anything, and spread it like it's a virus. Make people aware of the racist bullshit going on in Arizona. Join the protests that are happening around the country. It's time to take this country back from the racist shitheads that are ruining it.

Yakuza Listening Party

My bros in Yakuza in conjuction with the Chicago Metal Factory are hosting a free listening party for their new album Of Seismic Consequence on May 20 at Liar's Club. See you there.

St. Vitus West Coast Summer Tour Poster 2010

Laziness Yields Zero Blog Entries

I've been busy with school lately (I am finishing up the toughest semester I've ever had, 6 classes, holy shit), so my web presence has been put on the back burner for a while. In the meantime, I will be putting out some new shit soon:

• a new St. Vitus June/July tour ad/poster
• a new Macabre tour poster
• a new portfolio website

These should be rolling out in the next few weeks or so.

Printz Not Dead

A 'zine is in the works. More details soon.

Concert Photography

Amebix @ Reggie's Rock Club

I rediscovered my love for concert photography 2 years ago after purchasing my Nikon D40 single reflex camera. For a pro-sumer camera, it has a lot of bite. I am looking to upgrade my lens after it came off and hit a concrete floor hard at a recent Weekend Nachos show. Some photos I took in 2009 can be viewed here.

St. Vitus 2010 Euro Tour Shirt

Welcome

Welcome to Visual Aggressor. This is my new blog, where I will periodically post artwork and photography that I'm going to keep myself busy on.

Cheers,

Carmelo Espanola