…And Justice For Art: Metal Artists’ All-Time Favorite Album Covers (Part 4)

This is it! Unlike our mix-up last week, we present with the fourth and final episode in our And Justice For Art mini series dubbed “Metal Artists’ All-Time Favorite Album Covers”. We’re ending it with a bang and bringing you fave covers from some of Metal’s big hitters. Grab a brew (alcoholic or non) and check out what these 10 metal musicians (including members Of Lamb Of God, Enslaved, Tombs and As I Lay Dying) had to say about album artwork that left them with a lasting impression.

01. Chris Adler – Lamd Of God (drummer):
“I think is probably Peace Sells by Megadeth; is old but is still very relevant. At that time was interesting to find a speed metal band that had something to say other than just talking about getting drunk or girls. I think it was the first time that I realized you can do more with this music than just show off. There are things to say and people will listen.”

02. Grutle Kjellson – Enslaved (vocalist, bassist):
“That’s a difficult question. There are so many good covers. The first thing that pops up to my mind is King Crimson’s In The Court Of The Crimson King; the screaming face. You know, that was actually the last painting he (designer Barry Godber) made before he died. He was a young artist. It’s a really fearful piece of art: the eyes on that face, the colors, everything is kind of a futuristic projection of the 21st century schizoid man. So it’s kind of a fear of the future that is really strong.

It looks a little cartoonish at the same time beacuse you can find an infant fear. You can sense the fear that the artist had, he was very afraid of what would happen in the future. I guess that guy was kind of a little schizophrenic himself maybe or at least maybe there was a little manic depression there. That’s genuine fear. I guess it had to become a symbolic artwork for the whole Progressive Rock movement; it’s probably the biggest rock album. The music still sounds great and vital and it was released 42 years ago! That’s really timeless music and really timeless cover art too.”

03. Johandy Ureña – Archaios (drummer):
“Iron Maiden’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son. Because of the concept of Eddie giving birth while floating on an frozen and deserted place. The colors used on the background make Eddie pop-out a lot and that makes you pay attention and look for small details plus it describes exactly the album title.”

04. Phil Sgrosso – As I Lay Dying (guitarist):
“Old Metallica covers, Master of Puppets. I relate that style to that era of Metal.”

05. Todd Michael Hall – Reverence (vocalist):
“I would have to say that the Iron Maiden Powerslave album cover is my favorite. Iron Maiden has a string of really cool album covers. Everyone wanted to have them as a shirt, poster, or back patch. They made you want to buy the album too. While I think that many of Iron Maiden’s album covers are cool, I think Powerslave is the best, because of all the intricate detail of hieroglyphics, etc. and how there was so much more to the “art” than just Eddie. Eddie was transformed to meet the concept of the album, which is one of the fun parts of seeing each new Iron Maiden album cover.”

06. Paul Delaney – Black Anvil (bassist, vocalist):
“Black Sabbath’s Black Sabbath. It’s the hardest thing ever and needs no explanation.”

07. Luisma Quiroga – Haemorrhage (guitarist, vocalist):
“I think one of my favourite covers ever is Cannibal Corpse’s Butchered at Birth. Maybe it’s not a technical prodigy, but it has some fucking horrible feeling within. The concept is repulsive and extreme and the colours on the black background creates a gloomy atmosphere that add even more cruelty to the original idea. It’s still disgusting after the years.”

08. Mike Hill – Tombs (guitarist, vocalist):
“Black Flag – Slip It In; at the time it came out, it was so offensive. Deep down, I knew religion was a lie and all of the morality was bullshit, that we were all just raging beast obsessed with killing and fucking and ultimately nothing could suppress those dark desires.”

09. Daniel Garcia – Vita Imana (drummer):
“My favorite cover is The More Things Change by Machine Head, because it is a cover that has it all, detail, intrigue, brutality. Not explain, the first time I saw her I thought incredible and even today I still think.”

10. Shyaithan – Impiety (bassist, vocalist):
“Celtic Frost’s To Megatherion: One of the best works from HR Giger circa 1977 and perfectly used for such a brilliant album. The devil using Jesus as a slingshot, now who would have thought of that?”

So there you have it. These are some of the albums that changed metal musicians’ lives forever. From the gory and gross to the mystical and wondrous, these artists have successfully captured a band’s sound and music with what is now iconic imagery. We may revisit this subject, but for now we’re going back to our regular rotation of articles. Next week we’ll bring you a cosmic piece on Cynic’s album Focus.

Coming Next Week: Cynic’s “Focus” – The Cosmic Marriage of Progressive Metal and Angelic Art
Previously on AJFA: Metal Artists’ All-Time Favorite Album Covers (Part 3)