Top 4 Metal Album Covers

Let's face it, we kind of earned our reputation for corny album covers. For every masterpiece worthy of a full back tattoo, there are a zillion neon gory monstroties created by a graphic-designs drop out. For your sake, I have sifted through the good, the bad, and the ugly to give you four of my favorites. Let's start it out with numba 4.

4. Last Of Lucy - Euphoric Obsession

Cow holy, this is as psychedelic and morbid as a bad trip itself. I love this kick-ass design, featuring sinister 'shrooms and the kind of freaky monster that appears when you eat one too many. Their appearance is lurid and colorful, without falling into the common rut of gawdy cartoon. On the contrary, the dark hues of the art force the viewer to peer in more deeply to appreciate the details. The subtle hints of reality in their stylistic design make everything that much more surreal, and that much more disturbing.

3. Muknal- EP

  I wish I could find a title for this, but I can't. Feel free to enlighten me if you know it. Any way, check out this most triumphant artwork: A celestial cave so surreal that it borders on psychedelic. I'm no artist, but I know some bitchin' contrast of positive and negative space when I see it. This is also reflective of the paradox of violet with crimson, or an earthbound crevasse juxtaposed with astronomical infinitude. Notice that, unlike other album covers, this one portrays no semblance of life. If you think that's morbid, just wait 'til you hear the music.

2. Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power

Behold: A cover that lives up to its title (literally!) The story behind the photoshoot is a modern-day legend. If the tale is to be believed, the dude getting socked in the head was paid $10 per punch until they got just the right shot, which was purported to be about 30 takes. At any rate, it's a sick picture for a sick album, so everyone wins.

1. Iron Maiden - Killers

The graphics are a perfect balance of realistic and stylized, creating an image as surreal and disturbing as the music itself. Eddie, my beloved anti-hero, looks badass as ever while he chops an anonymous victim. Eddie appears awesome, sadistic, and (dare I say it?) even a little sexy in a candid moment of calm between storms. Meanwhile, terrified civilians cower in their homes behind half-drawn curtains. Whether they are averting their eyes to the horror, or rubbernecking from the safety of their abodes, remains ambiguous.



Unholy Trinity: The Last Of Lucy

This is the final installation of Unholy Trinity, or the three most badass Technical Metal artsits. Hailing from Orange County, CA, the only appropriate choice to conclude this series, is the intricate psychosis known as The Last Of Lucy.

The Last Of Lucy is painstaking chaos. The mathematical insanity sounds something like a short-curcuiting robot overlord, or the soundtrack of dividing by zero. The vocals are screams and growls, a very raw and organic contrast to the otherwise technical style. The result is something like Rings Of Saturn clashing with Dillinger Escape Plan, then adding a modern Sludgecore twist. The audiovisual overdrive that characterizes TLOL is a catalyst for synesthesia, or the phenomenon of sensory overlap. If you're having a hard time imagining such a sensation, think of the last time you had a bad trip. Now imagine you could replay that awful moment backwards to hear satanic messages. That's TLOL.

In addition to their vivid, intense musical style, the band also boasts some of the coolest Metal artwork I've seen. Euphoric Obsession, their only full length CD, has a kick-ass design featuring sinister 'shrooms and the kind of freaky monster that appears when you eat one too many. Their merchandise is lurid and colorful, but not as cartoonish as, say, The Devil Wears Prada. The subtle hints of reality in their stylistic design make everything that much more surreal, and that much more disturbing. It's like blending MC Escher, non-Euclidean geometry, and an acid flash-back. Instead of method to their madness, there is a madness in their method. Love it to death, four stars outta five.