Well, it's been a while since we've had an art update, hasn't it?
When Fire sent me a zip file a few weeks ago, I had NO clue it would be Soundscapes Vol. 3. I was just as surprised to see Volume 3 as you are now. I had been working on a few other ZREO art projects at the time, but I pretty much dropped everything in order to do this. It took me a single listen of the entire album and a few days of thinking to know what direction I needed to take the art. It was very clear to me that as Fire's work gets better and better, he inspires me to do the same with my art! I'd like to thank him for that.
When I first heard the new album, I had a few ideas rolling around in my head, but I really wanted to show the scope of this album... which meant I needed to show Hyrule under water with a focus on Hyrule Castle.
To be honest, I really didn't like the way my Volume 2 CD art turned out. Maybe it was because I couldn't find a theme to connect all the tracks together, or maybe it was because I suck... but I always liked the look of Volume 1 so much! I wanted to take that look and professionalism into Volume 3's art, I knew I wanted to do something bold and different, and Fire allowed me to do that by compiling such a fantastic album with a great focus on The Wind Waker. Each track compliments one another naturally, yet with an interesting sense of subtlety.
For those of you who are wondering, I took an image of Hyrule's map and took out the labels digitally. I then gave it some depth and perspective and built the world from there. Interestingly enough, the castle in the background is actually the castle from Twilight Princess... but I'm allowed a little artistic license, right?
I hope you enjoy the album art! There is definitely more art on the way for ZREO's other projects. Some of my best work is on the horizon - and the same goes for Fire - this is just the start of it. I hope you enjoy Volume 3 as I have!
~MoZ