See why Ihsahn says Taylor Swift’s ‘folklore’ resembles his own artwork
On July 24, Taylor Swift released her surprise eighth studio album folklore. As soon as she debuted the album’s cover, however, some began to note the similarity the artwork has to cover art found in metal music.
Now, Emperor legend Ihsahn is comparing the folklore cover to the artwork for his single “Stridig.” The similarities between the two are pretty clear.
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For the new album, Swift took inspiration from various music genres. Folklore not only features collaborations with Bon Iver, Jack Antonoff and the National, but it is also her first LP to be classified in the alternative genre.
Before the album’s release, the internet quickly noted the similarities between folklore‘s cover art and the metal genre. Some even made metal-inspired edits of the album artwork.
Now, some individuals in metal are responding to the theories that folklore‘s cover is inspired by metal music.
Artist David Thiérrée is well-known in metal music for creating dozens of album covers. In the past, he has collaborated closely with Ihsahn. He created the artwork for Ihsahn’s Telemark EP and his “Stridig” single. It is the artwork for “Stridig” that Thiérrée notes is quite similar to the folklore cover art.
The artist took to Instagram to show a side-by-side comparison of the two covers.
“Well, folks, I’m not the only one to think that Taylor Swift’ s new visual is very Metal… Even very close to Ihsahn’s artworks I made. I could have done it for her, probably for a cheaper price than what she paid,” Thiérrée says.
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Although both covers are not identical, there are quite a few similarities between the two. Both of the black and white photographs feature tall trees in a desolate forest. As well, the composition of each cover is strikingly similar.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDEKNrxiDR3/
Ihsahn then reshared the post on his own Instagram account and commented on the similar album covers.
“So, anyone check out the new @taylorswift yet? Personally I like the design,” he says.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDExVRsF_Fn/
It’s unlikely that Swift spent her time in isolation researching metal album covers. But who knows, maybe she did after all?
Outside of the cover art, Swift is having a pretty good week since folklore dropped. In the first 24 hours following its release, over 1.3 million copies of the album were sold. As the week carries on, that number will only continue to increase.
Ihsahn recently unveiled the Pharos EP, a five-track release featuring three original songs and two covers. The EP arrives on Sept. 11 via Candlelight Records. Pre-orders are available here.
What are your thoughts on the similar album covers from Ihsahn and Taylor Swift? Let us know in the comments below.
