Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Dollar Bin Special Post:Eric's Favorite Heavy Metal Album Covers

By Eric Polk-
If there are two things that go together like Nancy and Freddy, Jigsaw and Amanda, and peanut butter and tuna fish, it's heavy metal and horror. I mean look at the original heavy metal band, Black Sabbath. They got their name from an old Boris Karloff movie. Thoughout the years, metal bands have contributed tracks to horror movies, well-known and obscure. Some metal artist have starred in cheesy, low-budget horror features(Black Roses or Rock-n-Roll Nightmare ring a bell?). Others have released horror-themed albums(Alice Cooper, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister fame, Helloween, Cannibal Corpse to name a few). While even more have released eye-popping, horrifying album covers which back in the days before Napster was meant to attract a young metalhead's attention. Here for your reading pleasure are five of my favorite horror-themed album covers. Enjoy.


1)Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath
The progenitors of heavy metal debut. A witch out in the field in front an old, dilapidated shack. For 1970, pretty scary!


2)Cannibal Corpse-Gallery of Suicide
I could probably list this entire death metal band's discography, but I think this 1998 album cover is probably the most graphic.
3)Venom-Welcome to Hell
They gave birth to black metal while adding fuel to the religious fundamentalists war on heavy metal with this cuddly album cover.



4)Metallica-Master of Puppets
THE classic metal album of the 1980s. Crosses, a pair of shadow hands manipulating puppet string. A darkened background. Sweet as scary!



5)Iron Maiden-Number of the Beast
I'm hard-pressed to find a more intense album cover than this one from my favorite old-school metal band. Eddie(Maiden's mascot) proving he's more powerful than Satan!

There you have it. I know there are other scary album covers in the world of heavy metal I have yet to get to, but I'll save those for another time. UP THE IRONS!!!






4 comments:

Unknown said...

If you want gory, you certainly can't go wrong with Cannibal Corpse. The Maiden album covers are some of my best beloved, and Dio had some great ones as well.

Eric Polk said...

For sure...Lock Up the Wolves, Holy Diver....It's a shame he's no longer with us.

Spooky Sean said...

Vince Locke is responsible for all those Cannibal Corpse covers. Consequently, he is one of my favorite artists. Sweet list.
http://spookysean.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Cannibal+Corpse+Centuries+Of+To.jpg

Cal Miller said...

DIO RIP...