Lords of Salem – Album Artwork 2021

Editor: We’re looking at the album artwork for "Lords of Salem" by Robert Sammelin from 2021. It’s very striking – the woman riding the goat looks so vulnerable, but there's also this definite defiance in her eyes. What do you make of this piece? Curator: It immediately evokes historical anxieties around marginalized figures. The visual language taps into centuries of demonization of women, particularly those who don’t conform to societal norms. That Salem connection isn't accidental. Sammelin is prompting us to consider how power operates through fear and persecution, and who is most often targeted. Editor: So the imagery is meant to be deliberately provocative? Curator: Absolutely. The goat is an age-old symbol associated with the devil, and the inverted cross adds another layer of transgression. But think about why these symbols are so potent. They represent a challenge to established authority, a rejection of dominant narratives. How do we interpret that subversion here? Is the artist endorsing it, critiquing it, or something in between? Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way, about questioning authority. I guess I was mostly focused on the horror elements. Curator: Exactly. The horror genre often provides a space to explore uncomfortable truths and challenge the status quo. What if this seemingly "evil" woman and her companions represent a community of outsiders resisting oppression? This forces us to confront our own biases and assumptions about power and deviance. Editor: That really reframes how I see it. It’s not just scary imagery for shock value; it’s making a statement about social control. Curator: Precisely. And how art can act as a mirror, reflecting back to us the dark corners of our own history and the prejudices that continue to shape our present.