“Profane Creations: the Metal Art of Mark Rudolph” – cover artwork unveiled via Decibel Magazine (EXCLUSIVE); artbook now available for pre-order

14th May 2024 0 By Jon Deaux

Making ugly bands look cute since 2009.”

– Jeff Walker (CARCASS)

“Mark’s depth-of-subject knowledge, attention to detail, and old school references have been an integral part of Decibel since 2009. We’ve had a front-row seat to his stunning evolution, and now, so do YOU.”

– Albert Mudrian (EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, DECIBEL MAGAZINE)

Profane Creations: the Metal Art of Mark Rudolph is a complete volume of extraordinary art chronicling the last decade of Mark Rudolph‘s metal-related illustrations, caricatures, album covers, T-shirt designs, and posters in one volume.

Rudolph‘s unique “Mad Magazine” take on extreme metal caught on with readers and bands alike, leading to him working with some of extreme metal’s most celebrated bands. Profane Creations: The Metal Art of Mark Rudolph features bands like Carcass, Autopsy, Broken Hope, Dismember, The Black Dahlia Murder, Paradise Lost, King Diamond, Celtic Frost and so many others. The curated art within is filled with notes and process commentary in a lavishly printed, large scale format. It’s a who’s who of heavy metal from the 80s to present day.

Profane Creations will be released on November 19th, 2024. Pre-orders are available now at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Profane-Creations-Metal-Mark-Rudolph/dp/1639511857. The cover artwork can be seen via Decibel Magazine, who exclusively unveiled the art to coincide with the announcement today: https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2024/05/14/profane-creations-the-metal-art-of-mark-rudolph-cover-art-revealed/

Profane Creations creator, Mark Rudolph, says: “The idea of doing a book about your career could be seen as an exercise in ego stroking, but while putting this together, I realized that it was as much a love letter to the genre of music that has shaped my entire life as it is a gallery of my selected work.

“When I was approached to put this book together, I thought I should be as comprehensive as possible. I have done all types of work from standup comedy posters, murals, comic books and design work, but upon seeing how varied some of the subject matter was, I decided to focus just on my metal-related work. It took some of the attention off of me as a subject and put it on something larger…heavy metal.

“Not being a musician myself, I still wanted to be a part of the burgeoning extreme metal scene of the early 90s, so I started a ‘zine with a buddy of mine. I cut my teeth on designing layouts and drawing artwork, but my art had its origins in comic books and at that time there wasn’t much room for that style in the scene. I went on to work for a few labels and became a professional designer, but never did I think I’d be able to pair my two artistic loves together. ‘Profane Creations’ is that union.

“It’s my absolute honor to be able to present a curated selection of my work in a beautiful large format like this. I hope you enjoy flipping through this tome and seeing how many of your favorite bands I made look ridiculous.”

About Mark Rudolph

Mark Rudolph is a cartoonist and illustrator that primarily works within the heavy metal milieu. His work focuses on caricature and exaggeration reminiscent of the parody of Mad Magazine and the grotesqueness of EC Comics. He’s worked for Decibel Magazine, Metal Hammer UK and various international publications as well as for underground bands including Autopsy, Carcass, Broken Hope, Paradise Lost, Pig Destroyer and The Black Dahlia Murder amongst many others.

His published books include Satan is Alive: A Tribute to Mercyful Fate, Morbid Tales: A Tribute to Celtic Frost, Metal Gods: A Tribute to Judas Priest, Closing Doors and Dagon. Most inhabit either the world of heavy metal, music in general or the horror genre. He has a vast catalog of self-published comic books that span the realm of horror, classic Sci-Fi and music including several extreme metal fanzines. He has published work from the likes of Marvel Comics, Nix Comics, Microcosm Publishing and others as well as several solo and group gallery shows throughout the country.

Mark Rudolph received a Bachelor of Applied Arts from Central Michigan University, was a designer for Relapse Records, several newspapers and publications before focusing on editorial illustration and comic books.

He lives in northern Michigan on 40 acres with his partner, two cats, a dog and four chickens.

About Dead Sky Publishing

Dead Sky Publishing, along with its Death’s Head Press imprint, publishes work that is inherently dark across a spectrum of genres and formats. From non-fiction to memoirs, from comic books to novels, from art books and photography books to short story collections, DSP’s roster includes NYT best-selling authors, Stoker Award-winning authors and celebrated creators across all genres and formats.

Dead Sky Publishing online:

https://deadskypublishing.com/