EVERYTHING ABOUT
THE ARTWORK
Thematically, Far From God moves through Baudelairian love, existential guilt and redemption, Christlike resurrections and the quiet nobility of creatures of the night. Vampires, werewolves and sacred symbolism are not escapism here, but vehicles for genuine dark emotion: solemn, romantic and unfiltered. The album rejects artificial gloss in favour of fantasy grounded in sincerity, rediscovering the heart of Gothic Metal in its most authentic form.
The cover art was produced by the renowned artist Eliran Kantor (previous artworks by him include bands such as Testament, My Dying Bride and Kreator, just to name a few) and features an original painting that brilliantly illustrates the album concept.
" I had an idea in my head for a piece for a long time and was awaiting the right album to flesh it out, an opportunity to do something really different from all of our peers, memorable and unique. I also wanted to avoid wolves in order to create a "new classic" Moonspell cover that won't carry any nostalgia or comparison to all the new "wolf" bands, and also use an allegory for distancing yourself from deep held beliefs instead of having a specific religious symbol or figure on the cover representing "god". Imagine if "Vulgar Display of Power" was called "A Punch to the Face" - all of a sudden the great artwork becomes too predictable. That's why I wanted to use another layer of allegory for FAR FROM GOD, to get the essence of the metaphor in the title: distancing from what is perceived as divine. The divine is love and the human connection, and from what is held as a comforting place.
I was imagining a scene that at first glance looks as if it is about love, yet when you examine it, it is about estrangement , as it reveals its deadly and sinister plan, as the main character is luring the other to come under the blade.
It serves as an allegory for all the last goodbyes, maybe those you don't realize were the last, how love intersects with loss, and about how it FEELS to let go. To pull that rope and drop the blade, sever ties. It connects with the gothic classicism of the music as the marriage of beauty and death.
I hope you like it as much as I do."
Eliran Kantor