Travis Smith (artist)

Travis Smith (born February 26, 1970) is an American graphic artist best known for designing heavy metal album art. He has been called "renowned" by Alternative Press^[2] and "unquestionably one of the most talented graphic artists in metal today" by Chronicles of Chaos.^[3] Smith has done work for many established rock and metal bands, including Death, Devin Townsend, Dead Industry, Katatonia, Nevermore, Anathema, CKY, Soilwork, King Diamond, Novembre, Avenged Sevenfold, Strapping Young Lad, Persefone, Riverside, Overkill, and Opeth.

History

Travis Smith was born on February 26, 1970, just outside San Diego, California. Growing up, Smith had no formal art education aside from a semester in high school. He got his start designing album covers for his friend's band, progressive metal group Psychotic Waltz. As of 2005, Smith has worked with nearly 100 bands. He currently resides in San Diego.^[4] When asked what his favorite artwork is at the time, Smith has responded: "Devin Townsend's Terria, Opeth's Blackwater Park, and Katatonia's Last Fair Deal Gone Down."^[5]

Art

Smith's work base primarily consists of album art for metal bands. Smith is known for a "dark and introspective" style^[4] that is largely photography-based, digitally composed with various other media.^[6] For example, in creating his art for Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare (2010), Smith "did a few actual painted textures with acrylics and watercolor, scanned them, and blended them with the whole picture." For some specific parts, like the skull and the girl, Smith "would digitally paint over photos and blend them into their originals."^[1]

List of works

Year	Album	Artist	Credit(s)^[7]^[8]
1998	Elements of Anger	Sadus	Artwork
	Eyesore	Skinlab	Artwork, cover typeset
	Firestarter (Century Black compilation)	Various artists	Artwork, design
	Identity Four (Century Media compilation)	Various artists	Artwork
	Something Wicked This Way Comes	Iced Earth	Artwork
	The Sound of Perseverance	Death	Artwork
1999	Adagio	Solitude Aeturnus	Artwork, design
	Alive in Athens	Iced Earth	Artwork
	Demons and Wizards	Demons and Wizards	Artwork, design, layout design, logo
	Disembody: The New Flesh	Skinlab	Artwork, design
	Dreaming Neon Black	Nevermore	Design, photography, illustrations
	The Fragile Art of Existence	Control Denied	Design
	Necroshine	Overkill	Artwork
	Still Life	Opeth	Photography, booklet design
	Tonight's Decision	Katatonia	Design, layout design, illustrations
2000	Black Emotions	Beseech	Cover art
	Bloodletting	Overkill	Design, illustrations, layout concept
	Dead Heart in a Dead World	Nevermore	Design, illustrations, layout coordinator
	Identity 6 (Century Media compilation)	Various artists	Artwork
	Kings of the World	CJSS	Cover art
	Lightbringer	Power Symphony	Illustrations
	Manifestation	Malevolent Creation	Design, illustrations
	Only Law Is Survival	Hate Plow	Cover art
	Thane to the Throne	Jag Panzer	Cover art
2001	Blackwater Park	Opeth	Design, cover design
	Dark Genesis	Iced Earth	Artwork, design, layout design
	Death's Design	Diabolical Masquerade	Art direction, design
	Horror Show	Iced Earth	Layout design, illustrations
	Identity 7: Deadly Sins (Century Media compilation)	Various artists	Artwork
	Into the Deepest Wounds	Withered Earth	Layout design
	Last Fair Deal Gone Down	Katatonia	Design, photography
	Mechanized Warfare	Jag Panzer	Artwork
	Novembrine Waltz	Novembre	Cover art, Art direction, Layout design, Illustrations
	Praying, Hoping, Nothing	December	Artwork, art direction, design, cover art concept, layout design
	Profoundemonium	Trail of Tears	Layout design, cover design
	Rapture	Dragonlord	Art direction, design, layout design, illustrations
	Resonance	Anathema	Sleeve art
	Tonight's Music	Katatonia	Photography and design
	Sweet Home Transylvania	The Bronx Casket Co.	Images, image design
	Terria	Devin Townsend	Design, layout design, illustrations
	The Towers of Avarice	Zero Hour	Arranger, producer, design, layout design, illustrations
	Winds Blow Higher	Sleepless	Design, cover art
2002	Abigail II: The Revenge	King Diamond	Artwork
	Conceived in Fire	Living Sacrifice	Artwork
	Deadsoul Tribe	Deadsoul Tribe	Design, layout design, illustrations
	Deliverance	Opeth	Design, photography, execution
	Despise the Sun	Suffocation	Artwork, cover art concept
	Envenomed II	Malevolent Creation	Cover art
	Forgiving Eden	A Triggering Myth	Design, illustrations
	Karma in Black	The Defaced	Cover art
	Natural Born Chaos	Soilwork	Artwork, layout design
	No Reply	Daylight Dies	Photography, layout design
	Reflections of the I	Winds	Design, layout design
	Resonance 2	Anathema	Sleeve art
	Resurrection Through Carnage	Bloodbath	Digital editing, design
	Souls Highway	Beseech	Cover art
	This Is My Blood	Soul Embraced	Paintings
	To Welcome the Fade	Novembers Doom	Artwork
	Tribute to the Gods	Iced Earth	Artwork, design, layout design
	Trinity	Prototype	Artwork, package design, layout design
	The Will to Kill	Malevolent Creation	Artwork
	Words as Carriers	Matt Zane	Artwork, layout design
	Wrecking Everything	Overkill	Design
2003	Accelerated Evolution	The Devin Townsend Band	Graphic design, layout design
	Damnation	Opeth	Cover design, booklet design
	Emergent	Gordian Knot	Visuals
	Enemies of Reality	Nevermore	Artwork, layout design
	Exit Through Fear	Society 1	Artwork
	Fall, I Will Follow	Lacrimas Profundere	Photography, layout design
	The Glorious Burden	Iced Earth	Layout design
	Identity Eight (Century Media compilation)	Various artists	Artwork
	Keepers of Jericho: A Tribute to Helloween, Pt. II	Various artists	Cover art
	Killbox 13	Overkill	Design, layout design
	Labyrinth	Labyrinth	Artwork
	Metamorphosis	Zero Hour	Illustrations
	A Murder of Crows	Deadsoul Tribe	Design, layout design, illustrations
	The Puppet Master	King Diamond	Artwork
	Redemption	Redemption	Artwork, layout design
	Summoning	Twelfth Gate	Artwork, logo
	Strapping Young Lad	Strapping Young Lad	Visuals
	Viva Emptiness	Katatonia	Art direction, design
	Where Lovers Mourn	Draconian	Layout design, cover art
2004	Acceleration	Age of Silence	Artwork, graphic design, photography, layout design
	Delores Lesion	Lilitu	Art direction, design, photography, illustration concept
	Feel. Melt. Release. Escape.	Anti-Depressive Delivery	Illustrations
	Glow	Unjust	Logo
	Gone Forever	God Forbid	Concept, illustrations, logo
	The Imaginary Direction of Time	Winds	Graphic design, images
	In an Outrage	Chastain	Cover art
	diEversity	Entwine	Cover art and design
	Insect Song	Beyond the Embrace	Artwork
	The January Tree	Deadsoul Tribe	Layout design, cover photo
	A Natural Disaster	Anathema	Producer
	Of Malice and the Magnum Heart	Misery Signals	Illustrations
	Out of Myself	Riverside	Design, layout design, illustrations
	Temporary Psychotic State	Subterranean Masquerade	Layout design, illustrations
	Twice Second	Symphorce	Artwork
2005	Alien	Strapping Young Lad	Art consultant
	Arcane Rain Fell	Draconian	Layout design, cover art
	The Black Sessions	Katatonia	Design, layout design
	Ghost Reveries	Opeth	Art direction, layout design, illustrations
	Immersed	Sinai Beach	Artwork
	ReliXIV	Overkill	Layout design, cover art
	Torn Between Dimensions	At War with Self	Layout design, illustrations
2006	Eclipse	Amorphis	Artwork
	The Great Cold Distance	Katatonia	Art Direction, Design
	Materia	Novembre	Cover art, art direction, Layout design, Illustrations
	Opeth Collecter's Edition Slipcase	Opeth	Design, photography, cover design, images, booklet design, execution
	Alone	Solitude Aeturnus	Cover art
	The New Black	Strapping Young Lad	Artwork and photography
2007	The Blue	Novembre	Cover art, art direction, Layout design, Illustrations
	Live Consternation	Katatonia	Artwork^[9]
	Ziltoid the Omniscient	Devin Townsend	Artwork
	Viides Luku – Hävitetty	Moonsorrow	Artwork, Layout
	Silent Waters	Amorphis	Artwork
2008	Cynic Paradise	Pain	Cover art
	Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder	Cradle of Filth	Design producer
	The Wacken Carnage	Bloodbath	Artwork, art direction, design
	Watershed	Opeth	Cover design
2009	Addicted	Devin Townsend Project	Artwork
	Anno Domini High Definition	Riverside	Design, layout design, illustrations
	Bloodstained Endurance	Trail of Tears	Artwork
	Carver City	CKY	Artwork^[10]
	Skyforger	Amorphis	Artwork
	The Cold	Flotsam and Jetsam	Cover art^[11]
	Night Is the New Day	Katatonia	Artwork^[12]
	Snowfall on Judgment Day	Redemption	Artwork^[13]
2010	Monolith	In Mourning	Artwork
	Curse of the Red River	Barren Earth	Design, cover art
	Everything Remains as It Never Was	Eluveitie	Artwork, cover photo, back cover photo
	The Evolution of Chaos	Heathen	Artwork, package design, layout
	Ironbound	Overkill	Cover design, layout
	The Obsidian Conspiracy	Nevermore	Cover art^[14]
	Omen	Soulfly	Layout
	Monuments	Northern Oak	Cover design
	Nightmare	Avenged Sevenfold	Cover design, tray card art
	A Thin Shell	October Tide	Artwork and layout
2011	Heritage	Opeth	Cover illustration
	The Beginning of Times	Amorphis	Illustrations
	Bloodbath over Bloodstock	Bloodbath	Illustrations and layout
	The Sound of Perseverance (reissue)	Death	Illustration
	Night Is the New Day (reissue)	Katatonia	Illustration
	Last Fair Deal Gone Down (reissue)	Katatonia	Illustration
2012	Dead End Kings	Katatonia	Artwork and design
	Throes of Absoluton	7 Horns 7 Eyes	Artwork
	The Electric Age	Overkill	Cover art and layout
2013	The Complete Works	Strapping Young Lad	Cover art and design
	Whole	SOiL	Cover art and design
	Shrine of New Generation Slaves	Riverside	Artwork
	Mythos	Soul Embraced	Artwork
	Ghost Thief	Living Sacrifice	Artwork
	Acoustified!	Deron Miller	Artwork
2014	Casualties of Cool	Casualties of Cool	Artwork
	Pale Communion	Opeth	Artwork and design
	White Devil Armory	Overkill	Cover art and layout
2015	Love, Fear and The Time Machine	Riverside	Artwork
2016	Sorceress	Opeth	Artwork
2016	Selves We Cannot Forgive	Black Crown Initiate	Artwork
2017	Aathma	Persefone	Artwork
2017	The Grinding Wheel	Overkill	Cover art and layout
2018	Garden of the Titans: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater	Opeth	Artwork
	Shadow Work	Warrel Dane	Artwork
	Wasteland	Riverside	Artwork
2019	In Cauda Venenum	Opeth	Artwork
2019	The Wings of War	Overkill	Cover art and layout
2021	Paranoiattack	96 Bitter Beings	Artwork
2024	The Last Will and Testament	Opeth	Artwork

References

^ ^a ^b Bennett, J. (November–December 2010). "Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare: Guitarist Zacky Vengeance and artist Travis Smith live a dark dream." Revolver. p. 106.
^ Heisel, Scott (March 31, 2006). "All That Remains announce title, release date for new LP." Alternative Press.
^ Azevedo, Pedro (January 14, 2002). "Chaotic canvas of creation." Chronicles of Chaos.
^ ^a ^b Glenday, Duncan (March 31, 2005). "Cover art and cover artists" (Part 1 of 3). Sea of Tranquility.
^ "Sea of Tranquility - Last Fair Deal Gone Down review".
^ Glenday, Duncan (June 1, 2005). "Cover art and cover artists" (Part 3 of 3). Sea of Tranquility.
^ "Travis Smith – Credits", "Travis Smith – Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
^ "Travis Smith – Credits", "Travis Smith – Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
^ "Katatonia: Spanish Dates Announced" (July 17, 2009). Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
^ Cleveland, Karen (Summer 2009). "A Guided Tour of Carver City." Urban Male Magazine: 64–65. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
^ "Flotsam and Jetsam: European Dates Announced" (June 26, 2009). Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
^ "KATATONIA: New Album Pushed Back To November" (August 18, 2009). Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
^ "Redemption: Snowfall On Judgment Day Video Teaser Available" (June 29, 2009). Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
^ "NEVERMORE: 'The Obsidian Conspiracy' Artwork Unveiled". Archived from the original on 2010-05-01.

Additional references

Tagmatarhis, Alekos; Tsakonas, Giannis (January 16, 2005). "Interview – Travis Smith." Metal Perspective.

External links

Seempieces, Smith's studio

[revolver-2010-1] Bennett, J. (November–December 2010). "Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare: Guitarist Zacky Vengeance and artist Travis Smith live a dark dream." Revolver. p. 106.

[2] Heisel, Scott (March 31, 2006). "All That Remains announce title, release date for new LP." Alternative Press.

[azevedo-20020114-3] Azevedo, Pedro (January 14, 2002). "Chaotic canvas of creation." Chronicles of Chaos.

[glenday-20050331-4] Glenday, Duncan (March 31, 2005). "Cover art and cover artists" (Part 1 of 3). Sea of Tranquility.

[5] "Sea of Tranquility - Last Fair Deal Gone Down review".

[glenday-20050601-6] Glenday, Duncan (June 1, 2005). "Cover art and cover artists" (Part 3 of 3). Sea of Tranquility.

[allmusic-7] "Travis Smith – Credits", "Travis Smith – Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved May 31, 2010.

[allmusic2-8] "Travis Smith – Credits", "Travis Smith – Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved May 31, 2010.

[9] "Katatonia: Spanish Dates Announced" (July 17, 2009). Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 19, 2009.

[cleveland-10] Cleveland, Karen (Summer 2009). "A Guided Tour of Carver City." Urban Male Magazine: 64–65. Retrieved July 18, 2009.

[11] "Flotsam and Jetsam: European Dates Announced" (June 26, 2009). Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 19, 2009.

[12] "KATATONIA: New Album Pushed Back To November" (August 18, 2009). Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved August 19, 2009.

[13] "Redemption: Snowfall On Judgment Day Video Teaser Available" (June 29, 2009). Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 19, 2009.

[14] "NEVERMORE: 'The Obsidian Conspiracy' Artwork Unveiled". Archived from the original on 2010-05-01.

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