Demons & Diamonds.

Orange version. Design might be printed in two different colorways.

 It took a little over a year for the HOWL guys and I to get the ball rolling on this design, but it's done and just ahead of the release of band's sophomore album.

In March of 2011, I had the pleasure of tour managing Kylesa on the first Metalliance Tour. As it was a package tour, HOWL were one of the bands included and I was able to see them tear shit up on stage nightly. It's always good to tour with a band. You get to know them and their music and when it comes time to work with them, you have a better idea of what they're looking for and what will fit their aesthetic. This was the case with HOWL.

After the tour,  Rob, Vince, and I were talking about making a shirt relating to the song "Heavenless" and coinciding with the release of the video for the song. As it was only a few weeks before the video premiered, we opted to wait and work on something to go with the next album. I was still influenced by the song when I sketched out the design, but knew that above all I wanted the design to be metal as fuck. If you've seen them live, you know that they are one of the sickest metal bands out there. Why not match that intensity in the design? All of the classic metal elements are included within the design from the evil goat priest and cannibalistic demons to the dissected angel. I also wanted a sort of sinister beauty to come through by adding the nightshade growing from the mouth of the angel. You can also figure out the symbolism tied to that one pretty easily. The one aspect that I didn't figure on was that the design looks good when you look at the design upside down, too. Having the angel on top produces a different look and makes it so that you can double the use of one shirt design.

Lastly, there's also a nod to the one and only Dick Diamond in the piece. Who's Dick Diamond? Good question.