THE DEFILED: 'Daggers' Cover Artwork Revealed

U.K. modern metallers THE DEFILED will release their second album, "Daggers", on August 2 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The cover artwork was designed and executed by Scott Chalmers, the band's longtime photographer.

Keyboardist The AvD explains the concept: "Daggers were made for only one thing — killing or betraying your fellow man. And one stab is almost always never enough…

"The flowers symbolize goodwill with the prospect of a co-operative future. The dagger behind the back symbolizes the ulterior motives, the insincerity and the impending disappointment that surrounds us all. This theme runs through all the tracks on the album.

"The concept was born out of a scene we wanted in our new video for 'Unspoken'. We wanted the two main characters shaking hands with daggers behind their backs. We were originally going to call the track 'Daggers', but then opted to go for 'Unspoken'. The song is about the politics of life and it seemed more fitting. We also didn't want to limit the word 'daggers' to only one song on the album, as it is the overall feeling we wanted for the full project."

A short teaser for the "Unspoken" video can be seen below. The full clip will make its online debut on June 3.

Having released its debut album "Grave Times" via Metal Hammer magazine in 2011, THE DEFILED has since enjoyed status as the U.K.'s biggest unsigned metal acts. Making huge strides forward on their own, their achievements as a self motivated and independent band in the world of heavy music, which includes sold out tours, prestigious slots at the biggest festivals and a Golden God Award, is remarkable. Their unwillingness to compromise or settle for anything less than their ambition dictates has got them this far; this alliance with indie metal powerhouse Nuclear Blast Entertainment now sets the sky as the limit.