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Unforgettable 13 Scariest Metal Album Covers
Heavy metal holds the album cover art in high regard.
In order to give their work more depth and fully immerse the listener by utilizing as many senses as possible, bands make absolutely sure that the album cover strongly reflects the mood and ideology of their record. Album art has become even more significant as vinyl sales have increased since fans can examine every aspect and detail of the cover. Every small detail could prove to be too much on occasion.
Album covers express the mood of the music, which frequently seeks to create a sense of dread and fear. This imagery can represent a wide range of themes, including imagined terror, real events, and emotions. To offer you the 13 Scariest Metal Album Covers below, we’ve done all the grunt work and looked through a ton of album covers that have given fans many restless nights over the years.
13 Scariest Metal Album Covers!
Scroll through the article to see the 13 Scariest Metal Album Covers!
1: Black Sabbath, ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970)
Ozzie made one of the most purposefully evil albums before his reality program. Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath” was released on Friday, the 13th. The namesake song is about the devil, but others are inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Lord of the Rings, and other hellish sources. With its gothic farmhouse, gritty texture, and black figure, the record cover is a horror classic. The band has always denied occult practices, yet this album cover alone makes Ozzie the Prince of Darkness.
So Sometimes something so straightforward can have a significant impact over time. The cover art for Black Sabbath’s debut album is an example of this. The woman in the center of the photograph has a sinister appearance, and the image is out of focus with its colors enhanced to show off rustic fall leaves.
With the passage of time, the woman’s name has been forgotten, giving the record cover an even more mysterious atmosphere. This matches Sabbath’s music perfectly, especially as the needle drops and the thunder begins to rumble during the song’s title track.
2: Ozzy Osbourne, ‘Bark At The Moon’ (1983)
The Prince of Darkness himself went all out for his solo appearance, complete with careful werewolf makeup application. Grrr!
3: Sonic Youth, ‘Bad Moon Rising’ (1985)
An early album from one of the most influential alternative bands Even a song titled “Halloween” can be found on this album.
I did not become familiar with Sonic Youth until the 1990s when they were at the top of their game with the albums Goo and Dirty. Their music was definitely experimental and difficult to listen to, but it was in no way threatening, despite what the album cover for one of their earlier works might lead you to believe. It makes me think of the movie “The Wicker Man,” for some reason (I mean the good one with Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, not the remake with Nicholas Cage). Or perhaps it’s the strange amalgamation of a pagan scarecrow, a jack-o’-lantern, and contemporary industry that makes this cover look so frightening.
4: Autopsy, ‘Severed Survival’ (Censored Version) (1989)
The artwork presented here is the censored version of Autopsy’s self-titled debut album, although it is unquestionably superior to the original. Imagine having a regular procedure, only to have the anesthetic wear off mid-surgery with four evil zombies in scrubs hovering over you with tools of the trade.
The terrifying faces are wide-eyed and peering back at you, clearly delighted to see that you have woken up sooner than intended. Blood is all over the place. How would you respond? Jump off the table while you’re still open? Highly unlikely. One of the most dreadful scenarios anyone could encounter is shown on this album’s cover.
5: Cannibal Corpse, ‘Butchered at Birth’ (1991)
When it comes to gruesome album art, Cannibal Corpse is well known. With “Butchered at Birth,” they expanded the boundaries even further in 1991. Two zombies butcher a mother and her unborn child on the album cover, and judging by the babies that were already hanging from a tree behind them, it appears that they have committed this crime numerous times.
When this record was published, death metal was just starting to gain popularity, and it verified all of the parents’ worst fears. Upon its release, the record and others were prohibited in Australia and Germany.
6: Iron Maiden, ‘Fear of the Dark’ (1992)
For a good reason, being scared of the dark is one of the most widespread human fears. Because of our reduced sight and the presence of nighttime predators, the dark poses a threat to us. One of Iron Maiden’s most disturbing renditions of Eddie plays on this anxiety.
‘Fear of the Dark’ was the first album to lack Derek Riggs’ artwork, and Melvyn Grant made the shift feel seamless. Eddie is clinging to a tree, his Nosferatu-like hands outstretched and crimson eyes shining beside a gaping, starving mouth full of razor-sharp fangs.
7: Korn, ‘Korn’ (1994)
Korn’s aesthetic has always preyed on human feelings and uncomfortable situations, whether in album artwork or music videos. When they created the cover art for their self-titled debut album in 1994, they made their point immediately.
A little girl is trying to identify the silhouetted figure standing right in front of her as she sits on a swing with her hand on her forehead to help shield her eyes from the sun. The figure is seen from our vantage point as its long shadow is projected across the playground’s sand. It’s unclear what the person is holding, but it’s not likely to be anything pleasant.
8: Impaled, ‘Mondo Medicale’ (2002)
Impaled’s name is an abbreviation for Immoral Medical Practitioners and Licentious Evil-Doers, and they appear on the cover of ‘Mondo Medicale’ to be true to themselves. When the eyeballs were pulled from their sockets and the mouth was pushed open, the words “this is going to harm you a lot more than it’s going to pain me” could not be screamed much louder. The patient in this case is most likely fully aware and may choose to file a malpractice suit if he survives.
9: Cattle Decapitation, ‘Humanure’ (2004)
We have an issue right here. Cows are herbivores, which means they exclusively consume plants, in case you didn’t know. Hence, why have human feces been found below the slabs of steak and hamburgers’ crimson, runny backsides? We can’t answer that question; that belongs to Cattle Decapitation. But we can say that it’s unsettling. Three human skulls are included in the enormous mound of intestines that is on the ground. That’s a hungry cow.
10: Heaven and Hell, ‘The Devil You Know’ (2009)
One of the most eagerly awaited metal albums ever was born when Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice revealed they would be making a new album. Heaven and Hell did not let us down, whether it was the music or the artwork.
A headless Christ voodoo doll with several nails pierced in its torso is held in the arms of an eyeless, enormous demon with three serpentine tongues on the album cover for “The Devil You Know.” The blurred crimson and black hues that dominate this frightening work of art hide the background of withered, crucified bodies.
11: King Diamond, ‘Give Me Your Soul… Please’(2007)
It’s time to send your mind on a trip into the land of dreams and mist. It’s time to send off your mind on a trip into the land of dreams and mist. ” With a voice that wavers between a low growl and a high falsetto, King Diamond is emblematic of the kind of heavy metal pomp and ceremony that Spinal Tap and Tenacious D have parodied so effectively.
Still, I have to give them credit for having one of the most terrifying album covers I’ve ever seen. They deserve it. The child in this picture makes me think of the specters that appeared in The Shining. And the combination of all that blood, the sinister expression on her face, and the sweet, girlish way in which she is reaching out her hands is giving me the creeps to an extreme degree.
12: Malignancy, ‘Inhuman Grotesqueries’ (2007)
Surgery anxiety is quite understandable. You are opened up by a team of medical professionals using razor-sharp equipment while, ideally, you are not even conscious of what’s happening because of the anesthetic. What if the surgeon is devious? On Malignancy’s “Inhuman Grotesqueries,” where a row of malformed patients are tied to beds as more procedures are being performed in the background, the horror is obvious.
13: Avenged Sevenfold, ‘Nightmare’ (2010)
Because of this, we always leave a nightlight on when we go to bed.
Are you looking for scary album cover artwork?
Pick up your favorite scary premade album cover art today to improve your music. You can use the pre-made designs or create something from the ground up yourself, and it’s entirely up to you to choose how you will make your cover art.
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