In 1997 I was contacted once again by Two Moons records to create another CD-cover for Sear Bliss! This time there was no earlier design, just a picture featuring a landscape with a cascade. When I was talking on the phone with Ed Van Zijl (the owner of Two Moons) about the concept for this cover, he told me that it should be about caves with streams of molten lava running down into the depths. I recall that the title of the album would have been "Conquest Of Hell". So I got to work with this concept in mind and painted this large cave but again in a circular design as on "Phantoms". When I had almost completed the artwork I got another phone call from Ed, telling me that the title of the CD had changed into "The Haunting" and that they didn't want to go for the first concept anymore. In a way, I was relieved because I didn't think that the "Conquest Of Hell" concept fitted with Sear Bliss very well. Immediately, I went back to work on the cover and changed the colours. In the end, it turned out a lot better I think and much more fitting. At that stage I also added the eagle from "Phantoms", but this time in stead of flying up to the heavens, the eagle flies down into a dark abyss. I think that by adding the eagle the symbolism of the cover really came into its own. When I read the lyrics afterwards, again I think it was a fortunate coincidence that I decided to use this element. If one looks to the cover, there's also a figure of a person lying in the shadows. I added this to refer to the haunting souls of the people that got lost in the darkness of their existence. In a way, the symbolism is very melancholic and depressing.

When I first listened to "The Haunting", I noticed that it was a bit more experimental than the previous albums. No doubt this had happened under the influence of the producer and the record company (the CD was recorded in Holland this time). After getting used to some of the new elements in the sound, I found myself appreciating "The Haunting" very much! When someone close to me suddenly died, the song "Left In The Dark" had a very big impact on me and really touched my soul both lyrically and musically. I found myself left in the dark and all I could do is play this song... Later, when Sear Bliss went on tour I finally met the guys in person and I was able to speak to Andras Nagy... Unfortunately it was only a very short talk, but it was enough to convince me that the band had really appreciated my work even if we hadn't been in direct contact. I also found it important that I was able to let them know how much I respected their music and that my artworks for Sear Bliss came right from my heart and soul! It was a meeting that I will always remember.