In Lovecraft's source story The Dreams in the Witch House (1933), Father Iwanicki is only mentioned in passing.  For the Rock Opera, his role is greatly expanded, so I chose to infuse a Heavy Metal aspect to the Father by invoking a flashback to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the year Keziah Mason (The Witch) was condemned to hang.  By placing the Father at the center of two rings, the light of God encompassing the Bible, and a ring of fire and witches around the Father, I aimed to infuse the piece with a sense of Faith's steely resolve to fight the sinister forces of evil.  Lying beneath the Father and the five Witches, is a mouth of Lovecraftian fangs, suggesting that as Heaven and Hell battle one another, a more sinister horror lies in wait.

As the Concept Album evolves into a potential cinematic experience, this presentation of Father Iwanicki distances itself dramatically from my past incarnation of Sean Branney as Iwanicki.  I chose to integrate characteristics of Swedish actor Stefan Sauk into the concept.  Instead of Branney’s fearsome inquisitor burning witches, this Father concept embraces an evil elegance.  Sauk’s Father Iwanicki is more modern, and stands confidently in front of the entrance archway to St. Stanislaus Church.  As time has passed, the archway stonework has mutated from angelic wings, morphing into something far more Lovecraftian.  The light of biblical illumination is now relegated to a small glow, as opposed to the protective ring from before.  The cross, which was large and imposing, now melts from a string of rosary beads.   Inside the church, a silhouette of Jesus Christ nearly vanishes into the stained glass, which is now crowned by a masquerading Eye of Azathoth in stained glass.

As the Witch, Alaine Kashian’s soaring vocal performance from the Concept Album provided tremendous artistic inspiration.  Her chaotic and energetic seduction fueled what you see here.  From her voice, I built a visual persona through the combination of vibrant colors and elegant lines, as saturated shades of intense red ignite the environment around her.   As she crosses through the mist of an interdimensional portal back to the world of mankind, the portal is invaded by an infestation of disjointed appendages.   The overseeing Eye of Azathoth peers into our world, while tentacles constrict Keziah’s movements.  Even so, she holds a dominant pose, suggesting that she still wields the ability to physically decide her own motion while under the confinements of a greater power.  Her microphone is held like a javelin, suggesting that her amplified voice is a weapon of considerable force.

Using Douglas Blair’s tumultuous electric guitar solo from the song “Between Reality and Dreaming”, I portrayed Douglas as a mutating beast in a lurid Lovecraftian Eden.  Contrary to the biblical description of paradise, this Dark Eden is a desaturated realm infested by insectoid vegetation under a perpetual moon.  Douglas’ infamous “blade guitar” frantically rotates, howling and spewing molten lamentations.  Matching traits of his guitar, he flaunts spiky blades from his arms, spine and headdress.  As the guitar screams, a violet mist forms, matching the glow of his calm, calamitous eyes.

To match Bruce's majestic demeanor and legendary stature in Rock, I decided to portray him as a Demon Lord, the gatekeeper to the Throne of Azathoth.  Bruce’s insanely dexterous skills with the guitar are physically characterized by an extra pair of clawed Lovecraftian limbs which enable the Demon Lord to play guitar with four hands at the same time.  Surrounded by membranous wings fused together in the shape of an enormous cloak, the Demon Lord unveils himself upon unsuspecting victims, defying all sonic laws with a deviant and turbulent solo, welcoming them into his hellish realm.   Behind him, a vaporous alien moon rises brightly, creating a series of concentric circular light rings originating from his right pupil.   Look into the eye and stare, if you dare, and you’ll feel the sonic wave pulsing from Bruce’s austere gaze. 

I was really excited to have the chance to create one of the most famous monsters of the Lovecraftian Mythos. The Crawling Chaos, Nyarlathotep, the Black Man of the Witch Cult, call him what you wish, he’s the only active Deity that walks the Earth as events unfold in the Witch House.  The goal was to combine Lovecraftian traits of a Deity, a Human and a Monster, while maintaining consistency with the rest of the characters.  His “chest mouth” is a beckoning beast that roars the name of “Azathoth”, summoning the ultimate figure of Lovecraftian doom.  The floorboards feature Necronomicon text branded into the wood.  The “head serpent” is reminiscent of many Nyarlathotepian concepts.  Look closely, and you’ll see the shrieking faces of his past victims mutated into the serpentine flesh of his tentacular crown.  The most challenging aspect was to get the right skin tone - not too human, not too alien.  He’s known as The Black Man of the Witch Cult, which I attributed to his flesh being made of cosmic Dark Matter.  In this presentation, he crawls, his hind legs clicking ominously with cloven hooves, his pose paying tribute and standing guard over the Eye of Azathoth in the background.

Of all the twisted creatures in the Lovecraftian Mythos, no beast is more “Heavy Metal” than Brown Jenkin, the Witch’s human-faced, rat-like familiar.  Through Walter Gilman’s walls, he transits the dimensions, wreaking havoc.  I had great fun transforming rat-like Chris Laney, a wickedly talented Metal musician / vocalist from Sweden.   The goal was to merge man and beast, placing him in a dimension of sound and light.  As Laney roars, he shreds his guitar with his lower limb, while rays of piping sound blast upward from analog tubes which glow trans-dimensional violet.  This cacophony of sound summons The Crawling Chaos, whose whip-tentacle can be seen rising in the background.  In tribute to Azathoth, a scarring demonic brand appears on Brown Jenkin’s chest, an omen of impending doom.

Of all the twisted creatures in the Lovecraftian Mythos, no beast is more “Heavy Metal” than Brown Jenkin, the Witch’s human-faced, rat-like familiar.  Through Walter Gilman’s walls, he transits the dimensions, wreaking havoc.  I had great fun transforming rat-like Chris Laney, a wickedly talented Metal musician / vocalist from Sweden.   The goal was to merge man and beast, placing him in a dimension of sound and light.  As Laney roars, he shreds his guitar with his lower limb, while rays of piping sound blast upward from analog tubes which glow trans-dimensional violet.  This cacophony of sound summons The Crawling Chaos, whose whip-tentacle can be seen rising in the background.  In tribute to Azathoth, a scarring demonic brand appears on Brown Jenkin’s chest, an omen of impending doom.

“PhotoBash” (photography by Mathias Blom / digital enhancements by Mohloco) 2013

by Mohloco – 2013 (official album cover)