Monsters, Metal, and Chilean Lore: A Conversation with Artist Claudio Bergamin

Heavy metal has always had a strange relationship with the unknown. Its imagery thrives in shadow - masked figures, foggy landscapes, ancient symbols, monsters, forgotten gods, and worlds that hover just outside the real. Album covers often become more than decoration; they act like portals into the mood and mythology of the music itself. Few artists understand that visual language better than Claudio Bergamin.

Known for his striking work across the metal world, Bergamin creates paintings that feel massive in scale and cinematic in tone. His artwork for bands like Judas Priest doesn’t simply illustrate songs - it builds entire universes around them. There’s movement in his work, a sense that something is happening just beyond the frame. 

Machines merge with mythology. Figures appear suspended between science fiction and ancient legend. The result feels both futuristic and timeless.

What makes Bergamin especially fascinating is how naturally his art overlaps with the kind of themes explored here on Blue Banana. His imagery often brushes against the unexplained. There are echoes of UFO lore, cryptid-like forms, spiritual symbolism, and dreamlike environments that seem to exist outside ordinary reality. 

His paintings invite questions rather than answers, which may be why they linger in the mind long after you’ve seen them.

Claudio Bergamin 

Growing up in Chile, Bergamin was surrounded by a culture rich with folklore, mysticism, and stories passed through generations. Those influences may not always appear directly, but they seem to live beneath the surface of his work. There’s a feeling that his art comes from somewhere deeper than simple imagination - as if he’s translating fragments of something already waiting to be discovered.

In this interview, we talk about the connection between heavy metal and visual storytelling, the strange pull of the paranormal, and how imagination, culture, and mystery collide inside the creative process.

You grew up in Chile - how did that environment shape the way you see monsters, mythology, and the unknown?

Interesting question. While South America doesn’t have Sasquatch, it certainly has its own rich tradition of mythological creatures and monster lore. I clearly remember my parents and relatives telling stories about strange creatures in southern Chile ever since I was a child. Many of these legends have ancient roots in the indigenous tribes that inhabited what is now Chile and Argentina long before the arrival of Spanish explorers. 

That said, we did experience a wave of Chupacabra sightings in northern Chile in the late 90s, particularly in the extremely arid desert region. Some witnesses described a bipedal creature that moved in an ape-like manner. I even personally met one witness who claimed to have seen a bizarre animal perched on top of a palm tree. According to him, it resembled a mandrill  - a species that is definitely not native to that area.

"Heavy Metal '84" Artwork by Claudio Bergamin

Do you think your visual style carries something from your roots, even when you’re painting futuristic or cosmic scenes?

I’m sorry to say no. I don’t want to come across as disloyal to my cultural heritage, but as a kid and later as a teenager, I simply wasn’t interested in the traditional artistic styles or subject matter of my homeland. All I cared about was fantasy and science fiction. At the time, the most celebrated Chilean art was heavily political, which really annoyed me. On top of that, the kind of work I was pursuing was often viewed as childish and superficial, arrogantly dismissed by professors and critics as a lesser form of art. “Oh that is just comic strips”. It is ironic that of all the people I met when I was in Art School back in the day, I am the only one currently working as a professional artist. I guess I am a stubborn guy.

Latin American folklore is full of strange creatures and legends - did any of those early stories stick with you and show up in your art later?

In my art? Not yet. But a few of those stories stand out in my mind and who knows, I might explore them one day. There’s an island in southern Chile called Chiloé, famous for its incredibly rich creature lore. That part of our culture truly fascinated me. 

In Chilote mythology of southern Chile, El Caleuche is a legendary ghost ship that sails the foggy canals of Chiloé. Appearing at night as a brilliantly lit white vessel filled with music and revelry, it is crewed by drowned sailors, witches, and demons. The magical ship can shapeshift, vanish instantly, or submerge underwater, luring victims with its enchanting lights and sounds. 

Also from Chilote mythology, El Trauco is a short, ugly dwarf-like creature who dwells deep in the forests. With no feet, a grotesque face, and a small stone axe, he uses his hypnotic gaze and breath to irresistibly seduce women, often impregnating them. Unexplained pregnancies in the region are traditionally blamed on encounters with this perverse forest spirit. 

From that same area La Pincoya is a beautiful sea spirit with long golden hair. She personifies the fertility of the ocean and dances on the beaches or in the waves. If she dances facing the sea, fishermen enjoy abundant catches; if she faces inland, seafood becomes scarce.

Another strange creature from Chiloé is the Imbunche. A horribly deformed guardian monster created by warlocks (brujos). According to the legend, it starts as a kidnapped baby whose body is ritually twisted: its head is rotated backwards, limbs are broken and contorted, and one arm is often inserted through a hole in its back so it appears to grow out from behind. It usually walks on one foot (with the other leg twisted behind it), making it a grotesque, crippled-looking being that guards the entrance to caves of sorcery. Alan Moore featured this character in his Swamp Thing series, published by DC Comics.

What was your gateway into heavy metal culture, and how did it fuse with your art style?

The artwork of the Heavy Metal world fascinated me just as much as the music itself. I remember spending hours at stores going through shelves and shelves of vinyl records, mesmerized by the incredible album covers created by legendary artists like Ken Kelly, Derek Riggs, and Roger Dean. That’s my earliest memory of Heavy Metal music.

My first rock heroes, however, were Queen. Their career spanned so many different styles, including heavy rock and metal, so when I started exploring heavier and faster music as a teenager, it felt like a natural progression.

Funnily enough, the high school friend who introduced me to Heavy Metal quickly grew out of it, but I’ll never forget the day he handed me Iron Maiden’s Piece of Mind. I became an instant fan. From there, I dove headfirst down the metal rabbit hole and discovered Judas Priest, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P., Helloween, and Mercyful Fate. Bands that remain my favorites to this day.

As for how it all fused with my artistic style? It was simple. I had been obsessed with comic books since childhood, and many of those artists shared a very similar aesthetic to the bold, dramatic graphics of Heavy Metal album covers. Going from drawing cartoon and comic book characters as a kid to creating album art graphics as an adult felt completely natural to me.

The cover to Firepower by Judas Priest 

Describe the process in becoming the primary artist for Judas Priest cover art.

I had already been doing design work for Richie Faulkner before he even joined Judas Priest. After he became part of the band, I continued collaborating with him on various projects, including branding, his official guitar picks, and even an emblem for his stage outfit.

What many people don’t know is that I started proposing concepts to Judas Priest as early as the Redeemer of Souls era (2013), back when the album was still under the working title Metalizer. For that project, I created a series of sketches featuring cybernetic faces, though the band ultimately decided to go in a different direction.

That experience only strengthened my desire to bring Judas Priest’s aesthetic back to the iconic robotic creatures that Doug Johnson created in the 80s. So when the time came to pitch ideas for Firepower, which happened to be on a Friday, I already had a very clear vision in mind. Remarkably, Richie shared the same vision for the artwork, and we spent the entire weekend exchanging concepts and inspiration over text. By Monday morning, I had a finished sketch ready to present to the rest of the band, and by Monday evening, it was officially approved and given the green light.

Everything just seemed to fall into place perfectly. It was a truly fascinating experience.

Heavy metal has always embraced the epic, the dark, and the otherworldly - what drew you to that world as an artist?

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been into fantasy cartoons, comics, and anime ever since I was a little kid. Transitioning from that to the dramatic (and often horror-tinged) aesthetics of Heavy Metal felt completely natural to me. It was all part of my programming.

Your interest in UFOs and cryptids - what is it about those subjects that resonates with you personally?

I don’t know, it’s hard to say for sure. I was simply drawn to these subjects from a very early age. I clearly remember being fascinated by TV shows like “In Search of…” and “UFOs Are Real” when I was a kid. “Unsolved Mysteries” also had a few UFO episodes that caught my attention.

Since I was already so deeply into fantasy and science fiction as genres, discovering that there were real-life cases with that same fantastic quality felt completely irresistible to me. It’s also worth mentioning that my mom was into Erich von Däniken and J.J. Benítez back when these topics were still very fringe, especially in Chile, where almost no one was talking about them. I definitely have to give her credit for introducing me to so many of these “crazy” subjects early on.

Claudio created cover the art work for Lyle
Blackburn's book Beyond Boggy Creek.

Have you ever had a personal experience with anything unexplained? Did it influence your art?

Yes. I actually saw a ghost once, or to be more precise, a Shadow Entity. By that time, I was already deeply into high strangeness, cryptozoology, and ufology. All of it built up years later to the point where I felt compelled to start illustrating these topics in my own style, which is exactly what I did in 2016.

If you could create the ultimate album cover about a real-life paranormal event, which case would you choose?

Interesting question. Well, I have created a bunch of book covers for Paranormal authors and that is not that different from doing album covers. But I would say either the Roswell Crash or The Philadelphia Experiment.

Aliens land tomorrow and make contact with you - what’s the first Metal album you’re showing them?

Ha ha. You’re funny. It probably wouldn’t be a Heavy Metal album but maybe something prog rock, like “The Universal Migrator” by Ayreon.

You can explore more of Claudio Bergamin’s vivid and otherworldly creations through his online art store, where his signature blend of heavy metal imagery, fantasy, cryptids, and cosmic mystery comes to life in prints, originals, and collectible pieces. It’s a chance to step deeper into the visual universe that fuels both his imagination and his unmistakable artistic style.

Other Notable Links: The Creature of Boggy Creek artwork

                                          UFO Collection - Bergamin Art 

                                  Bigfoot Collection - Bergamin Art 

                                  Judas Priest Firepower - Bergamin 

                                  Heavy Metal '84 - A tribute to KISS - Bergamin Art 

                        

Now Playing: My House On Mars - Ayreon 

Lyle Blackburn Forced to Delay New Book Amid Printing Chaos and European Tour

Fans waiting for cryptozoologist and author Lyle Blackburn’s upcoming book Terrifying Encounters Vol. 1 will have to wait a little longer.

Blackburn recently shared an update on Facebook explaining that unexpected issues with his printer have forced a temporary delay in the book’s release and preorder launch.

Originally planned for preorder rollout this week, the project hit complications when production problems made it unclear how many copies would actually be available. Rather than risk taking payments without firm inventory numbers, Blackburn chose to pause preorders entirely - a decision aimed at avoiding customer service headaches and unmet expectations.

Terrifying Encounters Vol. 1 is designed as a throwback collectible, featuring

retro “pocket paperback” sizing and a limited first pressing of 500 autographed editions. The books will only be available through Blackburn's online store and at his live appearances. 

The book is to feature terrifying accounts about Bigfoot, Dogman, and other mysterious creatures - continuing Blackburn’s long-running work documenting eyewitness encounters and folklore from across North America.

Blackburn expressed frustration with modern printing and distribution hurdles, noting that while companies are quick to accept orders, delivering a quality product on schedule has proven more difficult. He also added that he and his band Ghoultown are leaving for tour dates in Europe, which would make it difficult to handle "customer support messages and online store issues." He added that he will provide updates about the possibility of pre-ordering as soon as he can. 

Until then, Terrifying Encounters remains one of the more anticipated upcoming releases in the modern cryptid scene - it's just temporarily held back by very earthly problems.

Strange Frequencies: Kevin Lee Nelson's Musical Map of the Unknown

Kevin Lee Nelson is an author, researcher, and adventurer. He has written and lectured on topics of the paranormal, the occult, and folklore for nearly 30 years. Kevin has appeared on ABC's Scariest Places on Earth, Discovery Channel's Mystery Hunters, and Discovery Channel's Travelers. Kevin is co-author of the Back Roads Lore series, The Van Meter Visitor: A True and Mysterious Encounter with the Unknown, Wendigo Lore: Monsters, Myths, & Madness, The Big Muddy Monster: Legends, Sightings, & Other Strange Encounters and is a contributing author to a number of anthologies on American monster folklore. He is a founding member of the folkloric collective Back Roads Lore. Kevin currently lives in eastern Iowa on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. A nomad at heart, Kevin spends much of his time roaming America’s back roads in his black muscle car hunting down strange legends and mysterious encounters.

What role does music play outside of your investigative work?

I'm a big music fan — always have been. My tastes vary quite a bit. I like: Classical, Delta Blues, Industrial, Gothic Rock, Surf, Psychobilly, Neo-Folk, Exotica, and Dark Ambient — just to name a few. But what I generally listen to the most is Horror movie soundtracks. I have a massive collection of Horror soundtracks on vinyl. Often this music ends up being part of the soundtrack of my life. There are many times where my colleagues and I will be comparing research notes at some backwoods bar and "Carry on My Wayward Son" from Kansas will randomly play on the jukebox. It was made famous for being the de facto theme song for the Supernatural TV series. We all laugh at the irony because here we are hunting monsters along America's backroads just like the young characters in the show. A reminder that truth is stranger than fiction.

Was there a particular artist or album that really shaped you growing up?

As a teenager I went through a bunch of musical phases, from Pop and New Wave in the 80s, to Electronic and Metal in the early 90s. But during that time one artist stood out that I listened to the most: Sting. It was kind of an anomaly, as his musical genre (however you classify Sting) wasn't really something that I typically listened to much at all. His album The Soul Cages really spoke to me in particular. As a young teen I felt a bit adrift in life, and that album encapsulated a lot of those feelings. I even spent weeks painstakingly reproducing a painting that appears inside the album. It was kind of an obsession at the time.

Who was your first concert?

My first concert was Motley Crue in 1989 — the Dr. Feelgood tour. It totally blew my mind.

Who was your last concert?

I don't really go to live shows much anymore. Just once in a blue moon. Ticket prices have become outrageous and in general I no longer enjoy being in very loud places, or near large crowds. My teenage self would be shaking his fist and saying, "If it's too loud, you're too old!!". Well, I guess I'm old now. The last show I saw was The Handsome Family a couple years ago. They're kind of a dark folk/country/Americana duo that sings about haunted convenience stores, bottomless pits, and alien abductions. They also sing the theme song to one of my all-time favorite shows, True Detective (Season 1). The performance was at a place called "The Shitty Barn". Yes, that's its real name. It's just what it says, an old barn that can only accommodate 80 people, so it was a very intimate show. Great time.

What is the last album you've listened to?

I was just listening to the new Rob Zombie album, "The Great Satan". It just came out yesterday. Not his best, but still good.

Do you listen to music while researching or writing?

When I'm on the road going to strange places, I always have music playing in the background. It serves sort of like soundtrack to my adventures. Whether Classic Rock, or the scores to Horror films, I use it to set the mood. On the flipside, I rarely listen to music when I'm writing. I find it too distracting and it affects my concentration. Once in a while I'll play instrumental music on low, but I find anything with lyrics too distracting when I'm writing. Competing words. When I write I kind of go into the "Zone" and don't like any interruptions or distractions, so I typically prefer it to be dead quiet.

Have you ever had a strange or unexplained experience connected to music or a specific song?

Yes. Funny that you ask. Years ago, my co-authors Noah Voss, Chad Lewis, and I were in Lake City, MN to work with a TV production company filming a "sizzle reel" about a new cryptid/paranormal show they were pitching to various cable channels. Basically, a sizzle real is like a trailer for the potential show, and we were the cast, though it ended up going nowhere. The subject matter for this sizzle reel was Pepie the lake monster of Lake Pepin. During the weekend of filming, I began noticing something very peculiar. Every time we went into a store, restaurant, gas station, or whatever, a song by the 80s band The Police would be playing inside. There's that Sting connection. This happened over and over to the point that it became a joke among us. It was uncanny — a real synchronicity, like the universe was playing a joke on us. I began to wonder if there was a reason for it, like perhaps the band recently got back together, or one of the trio died or something and radio stations were doing a tribute. I checked the news and nothing like that occurred. Finally, on our last day we were gassing up our car, and I said to the guys, "How much to you want to bet that when I go inside to pay that a The Police song will be playing?" Considering how the weekend had been going, neither of them were willing to make that bet. It's a good thing they didn't. I went inside and sure enough The Police was playing over their speakers! I was floored. Even stranger — the name of the song was "Synchronicity II", and part of the lyrics describe a lake monster! How's that for strange!

Are there parallels between music and 'the unknown"?

Absolutely. Various musicians, researchers and occultists have explored the linkage between music and the occult and other paranormal experiences going all the way back to Ptolemy's "Harmonics" in the 2nd century A.D and Giordano Bruno's esoteric theories on music in the 16th century. Russian classical composer, Alexander Scriabin, composed much his work based upon occult principles. Even some modern artists have done a lot of exploration of these arcane areas, most notably composer and jazz musician John Zorn. Zorn even composed 72 experimental pieces based on the 72 demons of the notorious grimoire, The Lesser Key of Solomon. There's a new book out on this topic titled "Hermetic Music: As sounds the Heavens, sounds the Earth" by Jasper C. Hernandez that looks really fascinating.

Let's pretend that you rub a Genie's bottle and are given the opportunity to choose any one musician or band to join you on an investigation. Who are you picking and why?

I think I would have to pick my friend and fellow writer and researcher, Lyle Blackburn. He's the frontman for the Goth-Western band Ghoultown, but he's also an experienced cryptozoologist and has written many books on Bigfoot and other creatures. While as wild as it would be to have someone like Keith Richards or Billy Idol tag along for an adventure, I think most would just slow me down because they wouldn't have the background in folklore and the paranormal. Whereas Lyle would make a great asset to the team. If you haven't heard Ghoultown, I highly recommend giving them a listen.

Have you ever been genuinely scared during an investigation?

Unfortunately not! After doing this kind of work for years you get a bit desensitized to spooky places. I've stayed at over 100 allegedly haunted hotels and inns, usually by myself, and while thrilling, I can't say I've been truly scared. I've been startled by things a number of times, but never something I would call actual creeping dread and fear.

Have you ever left anything OUT of a book, because it's too strange to be believed?

No. Not that I can think of. In general, things can never be too strange for me. The few times I have left things out is because they werent strange enough or might have some potentially mundane explanation. I've never liked it when other authors over-hype minor occurrences, so I generally don't include them.

How does mystery and music come from the same human need - maybe from building an idea around something bigger than ourselves?

I think music and mystery both feed a need that most people have for a degree of transcendence. Mystery stimulates our curiosity and makes us wonder what's possible in this world and nudges us to test the barriers and limits of our perceived reality. Music does the same thing in many ways. It can paint pictures of fantastical places or carry our emotions into unexplored areas of our psyche. Both can serve as a vehicle to other realms. While there can be trite, derivative, and commercial music that takes us nowhere, just like cheap dime store mysteries. Great music and profound mysteries and can open doors in our minds we didn't even know were there and provided passageways to new worlds of experience.

Recently you visited a Tiki bar and mentioned “Exotica.” As someone still searching for the perfect Tiki bar—one that extends beyond décor into authentic Tiki music—that really stuck with me. That being said, what song or album (not necessarily Exotica) would you say best aligns with the way you investigate Fortean phenomena?

Yes, that tiki bar was the Bahi Hut in Sarasota, Florida. It's the second-oldest tiki bar in America — the real deal. Hmm… that’s a hard question. Considering the research I’m currently doing for my next book, I would choose the song “Hellhound on My Trail” by Robert Johnson (1911–1938).

For those unfamiliar, Robert Johnson was a Delta blues musician in Mississippi during the Great Depression. According to folklore, he sold his soul to the Devil at a crossroads so he could play guitar like the Devil himself. Before that, he had only modest talent, but almost overnight he gained extraordinary skill and became a guitar sensation. Using new techniques, he created sounds and songs no one had ever heard before — music that would eventually inspire entirely new forms, including rock and roll.

Johnson’s recordings carry an old-time atmosphere that perfectly captures early 20th-century rural America. When I’m traveling backroads searching for legends and local lore, his music feels just as appropriate today as it did then — timeless. According to legend, those hellhounds eventually caught up with him when the debt came due, and he died very young, like many musical legends. In many ways, he became the first member of the so-called “27 Club,” later joined by artists like Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison.

You can buy your own copies Kevin Lee Nelson's books here.

Now Playing: "Roadside Cross" - Deadbolt