UPDATE - 3/11@3:39PM: Amazon now also has the track list from the sell sheet up on their site (international sites too), adding to the mounting evidence that it's not fake. The UPC code also checks out.

UPDATE - 3/8@5:00PM: As many of you have pointed out this may very well not be (probably not actually) the official cover art. So just to clarify, I meant that the image itself is official as it came from the album sell sheet. Whether it'll be on the cover or used in the album sleeve or at all - I don't know. We'll find out eventually. Also, cygnus-x1.net has reported the following:

Eric from Power Windows reached out to Anthem regarding the cover art for Snakes & Arrows. He received the following response:

Q: "Is that the actual cover?"
A: "My lips are sealed. Like all Rush albums - but even more so on this one - the band is holding everything very close to their chests. There will not be advance copies except for a few watermarked ones that are 'personalized' - and if they get leaked, we know who leaked them. However those are only going to the major territories (like UK, Germany, etc.) and some very top shelf journalists."

There you have it. Thanks to Eric for sharing this news.

----- snip -----

UPDATE - 3/8@2:13PM: Here's the sell sheet pdf .

It's official. The cover art and track listing discussed in the last two posts are official. The sales sheet for the album put out by Anthem verifies the info. It also states that the first single "Far Cry" goes for adds at all rock radio formats on March 19th rather than March 13th. Now they did say all... so maybe select stations/outlets will get it on the 13th? No idea really. If somebody more familiar with how these things operate has anything to add, please do.

As far as the cover art goes reader John E - who originally convinced me it was bogus - did some diligent research and ended up refuting himself. He came up with the following info.

The "Snakes and Arrows" version of the ancient game of Karma, called "Leela" was actually brought to this country in 1969 by none other than Harish Johari.

That image is THE gameboard for Snakes and Arrows.
No wonder they used the image. There is no other.
The actual placement of the snakes on the board, along with the arrows have an individual meaning.

Here is the info that convinced me:

"Chutes and Ladders came to the western world from India in the days of British rule and has been popular ever since. Harish Johari, a native of northern India, brought to this country in 1969 two copies of a similar board game on which serpents and arrows serve for chutes and ladders. The playing field is a rectangular array of eight rows and nine columns, therefore, seventy two squares. Pilgrim's path moves back and forth across the board as it moves upward from bottom to top, from square one to square 72. Upon each square is a single Sanskrit word. Leela: The Game of Self-Knowledge[1], is a book in which Johari explains the significance of the position and sequence of the Sanskrit words. The playing board is included as an insert."

Very impressive. Kudos to John E for digging this up and also supplying me with the sell sheet. Below is a low-res image scan of the sell sheet:

Related Posts:
[Snakes and Arrows cover art revealed]
[Snakes & Arrows partial complete track listing]
[Possible Snakes & Arrows artwork teaser?]
[Full transcript of Geddy Lee Revolver Magazine interview]
[Snakes & Arrows now available for pre-order]
[Snakes and Arrows release date pushed back one week]
[New Geddy Lee interview with Revolver magazine]
[Rush Snakes and Arrows rumor mill]
[New album release date May 1st; Far Cry sample online]
[New Rush single Far Cry to hit radio on March 19-20]

NOTE: Posts over 10 years old are partially archived. All comments, images and other embedded media have been removed.