Voyage Into Sickness: The Skingraver
Well, my dearly beloved death metal brothers and sisters, the time has come once again for another Voyage Into Sickness. I’d first like to thank you all for reading this article, once again. I’ve received some very positive feedback from brutal death metal loyalists and fans across the globe, and even some people getting into the bands and labels I’ve covered thus far. However, of all the subjects pertaining to this music I love, I realized that I have failed to cover one of the absolute most vital elements to brutal death metal…the art behind it.
For many forms of music, the art of an album is not something that is greatly considered in the grand scheme of things. However, in metal and especially brutal death metal, art is a very important element to any release. The art is an integral piece of the puzzle because of the feeling that it gives to the album and to the artist as a whole. From the art of Derek Riggs that defined Iron Maiden’s career to the legendary Vic Rattlehead character that always appeared as the slogan for Megadeth, artwork has been one of the most praised (and at the same time criticized) venues of the genre.
However, for bands of the more extreme nature, and especially bands like the ones we feature here in the Voyage, artwork must be taken to levels of sickness and depravity that would baffle many normal music fans. Since the cover of Repulsion’s Horrified album, death metal bands have always strived to make their individual artwork both original and still twisted beyond any and all human comprehension. When Cannibal Corpse hit the scene, they took the gore to a level not yet seen at that time. With their early recordings Eaten Back to Life, Butchered at Birth, and Tomb of the Mutilated, the band displayed some of the most vile and heinous artwork ever conceived at that time.
Since then, death metal artwork has graduated to even sicker levels, and dedicated underground artists continually seem to come up with even more vile, dark, and disturbing work than those before them. However, it takes true talent to do justice to this music in a visual manner. To many, it’s all about gore and nothing else, and as long as you’ve got something sick as your art, everything else will do itself…right? Not at all. As stated before, it takes a very talented and very motivated individual to craft the kind of artwork that is both disturbing, yet psychologically paralyzing enough to leave a lasting impression. For this edition of the Voyage, I decided to profile an artist that has proven himself to be one of the absolute best at doing this over the years.
That man is Jon Zig, also known as “The Skingraver”. Zig has been responsible for some of the most brutal and psychologically horrifying artwork in the history of the genre, including releases by Disavowed, Deeds of Flesh, Sinister, and countless others. Zig’s work has always been among the most dark and surreal that the genre has to offer. He offers a vision into worlds the human mind never wants to see, but feels compelled to view when presented with their existence. Zig stands alone as a pioneer of his art form, but as even he states, it was something born and bred within his subconscious even as a young boy. “I started when I was around three years old.” says Zig. “My father was a good sketch artist and he also worked on planes in the Military. So, my fascination started with airplanes, trucks, and other military vehicles. It became very dark not too long afterwards.”
In fact, it became very dark. Zig’s discovery of Heavy Metal around the age of 12 only helped to fuel the morbid imagery he was creating. “A friend of mine lived next door to this dude named Jaimie who played for a local band called Syranax. At the time, they were really heavy and evil and Jaimie was cool as hell. He turned me on to W.A.S.P., Metallica, Ozzy, Priest, etc.” As Zig also recalls, many of his friends from high school also helped to shape his musical leanings. “I had a couple of friends that I would hang out with. At their houses, their older brothers had Ozzy blasting from their rooms with all of his posters and shit. I loved the imagery and was very attracted to the anger. I could relate to the darkness!”
Zig’s obsession with heavy metal grew even more from that point, and it was during his mid-teens that he began doing designs relating to the music he loved. “When I actually started doing serious artwork, it was for underground metal shirts and access passes for a Helstar/Vigilante tour, as well as a few Flotsam and Jetsam show posters through a friend of mine named Ray. He did local bookings for some bands back in the day and I met a lot of musicians through him. Cannibal Corpse, Agony Column, Flotsam, David Ellefson, etc. This was when I was still very young, so I was blown away.”
One of Zig’s first ever T-shirt designs would reflect the macabre work he would become known for. “It was for a band called Antisma. It depicted Jesus on the front with the word “No Belief” and a pentagram on the back. I actually still have the shirt, and that was around 1990. Around that time I also saw one of the sickest shows ever when Sepultura, Obituary and Sadus played here in Austin. I met them along with James Murphy. I will never forget that.”
Throughout the years, Zig’s work became notorious in the world of brutal death metal, and it was around this time that he also began his career as a professional tattoo artist as well. As far as which one he enjoys more, Zig seems to take equal pleasure in both mediums. “Tattooing and album art are two different realms. The album artwork is circulated on a large scale, whereas tattooing is very personal to the individual. It gets circulated too, but to a world that normally wouldn’t see gross album art for a death metal band. I enjoy doing both.”
One of the highest honors The Skingraver has ever received came several months ago, when one of the pioneering bands of brutal death metal genre came knocking at his door. Suffocation chose Zig from a bevy of other artists to handle duties on their forthcoming album. Zig’s work for this album is dark like his previous work, but very ominous as well. As to how he got the gig, Jon remembers the work he did on Suffocation’s current bassist and former member of the legendary Deprecated, Derek Boyer. “Derek and I had discussed a few things pertaining to art in the past. I met him years ago when he jammed with Deeds Of Flesh and Deprecated, and I recently sleeved him. He wanted me to do some artwork for those guys, and I also did some tour passes for them a while back through Guy (Marchais, guitars), so he was down as well.”
Zig was also given the duty of designing Suffocation’s new symbol. However, he was not the first to take a stab at it. “Mike Smith contacted me about the symbol, while he had several other artists working on it. They’d seen a few sample designs but nothing they wanted to use. He said he would cut everyone else loose if I wanted the job, and I accepted.” Originally, Zig assumed he would only be doing the symbol but was excited to hear he would be doing the album’s full artwork as well. However, once the artwork was revealed, reactions were mixed. “They wanted something different and were very particular about the cover. Mike sent me a mock-up and I just rendered their ideas in my own way.”
Even with the criticism from some Suffocation fans about the album’s ominous simplicity, Zig is still very proud of the cover and stands by it, like all of his other pieces. “A lot of people hate the artwork, but some like it. In the end, Suffocation just wanted something that wasn’t too cluttered and very vast. I am proud of it and they are too. They are definitely forerunners in the genre, as well as one of my favorite bands, and I felt extremely honored to do their cover.” As far as inspiration for the Suffocation symbol itself, Zig drew from the band’s past works to create something that would not only reflect the band’s past, but their future as well. “I took pieces from the previous art on Effigy of The Forgotten, Souls To Deny, and Pierced From Within. It’s very simple, and not cluttered at all.”
When Zig isn’t doing work for other bands, labels, or individuals in his studio, he’s working with his two bands, Images of Violence and Sarcolytic. Both bands are truly some of the best the underground has to offer, and Zig’s passion for each is always evident when conversing with him. “We have been gaining a lot of respect and love what we do. Sarcolytic was actually formed when Images kicked out our drummer. Ricky wanted in and we work well together, plus we have been good friends for years. It was a very natural decision to bring him in. We bring out the best in one another musically and creatively. Images of Violence actually played recently with Brujeria and we crushed! I had a great time.”
Though both bands have a very strong Myspace presence, Zig intends on getting the bands’ actual websites up and running as soon as possible. “Both of those sites will be back up soon and both will be .com addresses for anyone that’s interested.”
Jon Zig has come along way by doing what he loves. His work is revered among Death Metal circles everywhere, his tattoo studio gains more popularity with each passing day, and his bands’ reputations in the underground continue to grow. But this has in no way made Zig a different person than he was when he started. His devotion to his art and his humble nature when speaking about his work is a quality that anyone would find endearing, especially in the brutal death metal world. “I feel blessed to be able to do this, and even though it’s sometimes scary not having a guaranteed paycheck, everything usually works out for the best.”
For aspiring artists everywhere, Zig always offers advice on how to handle yourself in the industry and how to continually improve your work. “It takes a lot of discipline to do this. All I can say is to do what you want to do. Keep your eyes open, look for opportunities and when you find them, take them. Always be respectful and remember, there is always someone better than you. For every five people that are your fan, there are ten more that hate you. But most importantly, remember your roots, do your best and you will go far.”
Zig’s future is most certainly a bright one as well. His studio continues to grow and hopes to expand into even more design territories before long. “In the future, I fully plan on getting involved with sculpting, stone carving, and animation. Eventually, Skingraver Tattoo Studio will also move to a bigger location and carry nothing but death metal shit! I’d also like to own a death metal club at some point.”
Much like his father, however, Zig’s biggest ambition would be to pass his talents in art on to his son and daughter. “Maybe one day I can pass the torch on to my kids. That would be my dream.”
Jon Zig has come a long way to where he is today, and his work always speaks for itself. With upcoming designs for Braced For Nails, Nailshitter, Inherit Disease, and many more, Zig’s workload is always growing but the quality remains the same. I’d like to thank Zig for taking time from his hectic schedule to sit down and do this feature with me. For those of you interested in seeking out his services, visit him on the web at http://www.jonzig.com or http://www.skingravertattoo.com.
Well, that’s all for this edition of Voyage Into Sickness. Thanks once again to Jon Zig, and join us next time when we profile one of the sickest new bands in the death metal scene, Inhuman Dissiliency. Until then, stay sick and let the metal flow!
Josh | 08/18/2006