Numidian Killing Machine have unveiled the artwork and tracklist for their forthcoming EP, The Sermon of Agurzil.
The release will focus on Agurzil, the god of war of the Numidian Amazighs, and the impact of his legacy on Numidian life and customs.
The artwork is based on an image of the abandoned Aurès village of Oued Abiod, whose original name is Ighzer Amellal, meaning “The White River”. The image includes a sculpted door dating from the beginning of the last century.
Numidian Killing Machine said the image was then altered digitally using Photoshop and GIMP, with houses and areas duplicated through the clone stamp tool to create the impression of a village or citadel. Further effects were added to strengthen the cold and dark atmosphere of the cover.
The band also clarified that the artwork is not inspired by Windir’s Arntor, despite some visual similarities.
“As we said earlier, we would give you more details about the artwork and how it developed. It is in fact inspired by an image of the Aurès abandoned village of Oued Abiod, its true name being Ighzer Amellal, ‘The White River’. The picture below shows a sculpted door that dates to the beginning of the last century. We used graphic software such as Photoshop and GIMP to make it look like artwork for our release, duplicating houses and areas with the clone stamp tool, thus simulating a village or a citadel, as well as adding many effects to reinforce the cold and dark feel. So, as many of you thought, it is not inspired by Windir’s album Arntor, although it looks like it. The release will be dedicated to the god of war of the Numidians, namely Agurzil, and the impact of his legacy on Numidian life and habits.”
Further release details have yet to be announced.
