My Top 10 Favorite Album Covers

Hey there!

Before I begin the second half of this part of the review tour, I thought I would take a mini-break, before I selected the bands I’ll cover in February. In keeping with the theme of music this month, I wanted to show you all some of my favorite artwork for album covers. I think you’ll find it to be a interesting list, considering that some of these album’s I’ve already covered, and some you may see in the future (Hint Hint). Until that time, enjoy my top 10 album covers.

10) Funker Vogt: Navigator

Ironically enough, I almost wasn’t going to put this cover on the list. The main reason is that it’s not all that interesting. The making of the cover feels incredibly basic, almost as if it was made in a day or two. With that said, I like what they made: A bleak set of docks lies in the background, a lone lighthouse standing on the shore, and a submarine sailing out into the ocean for war. Coupled with a dark sky & sea, the artist & album name up front, and the artist’s symbol smack dab in the middle. It’s not the most complex, but it’s a cool cover regardless.

9) Turmion Katilot: Technodiktator

It’s such a same that the band that occupies the number 9 spot on this list isn’t popular in the United states, because they’re a damn good band! Evocative music, warped stage antics, and bizarre album covers form a strange (But awesome) band. Technodiktator’s album cover just continues the strangeness of Turmion Katilot. For starters, the floor in the background looks like it was taken from a disco club. You’ve got old-school boom boxes blasting brutal beats (Try saying that 5 times fast!), and you have the Technodiktator himself taking the center stage, complete with a disco ball head (Which oddly enough has a gramophone horn for an ear....spitting out steam....weird, isn’t it?). A damn good album, and a damn good album cover!

8) Judas Priest: Turbo

Considering the reputation of this album, you’d think that it wouldn’t be on any favorite/best of lists. While not perfect, the music on Turbo is solid enough that I enjoyed a couple of the songs. The cover of Turbo, however, is definitely a plus. Doug Johnson, an artist at the time, had previously works on two of Judas Priest’s previous albums, Screaming for Vengeance & Defenders of the Faith, and you can tell that he had a hand in Turbo’s cover. Colorful & sleek, you can just get the message that the cover is conveying.

7) Unheilig: Phosphor (2001 Version)

I wasn’t kidding in the Phosphor review when I said that the original album cover was much better than the 2009 version. The 2009 cover, while stylish & well-done, feels very creepy. Der Graf is straight in front, and it looks like he’s walking right towards you. I don’t mind that style of artwork, but it’s the way his eyes make you feel. They’re really soul-piercing, and very unsettling. The original version is much less artsy. It’s just a black background, with the band’s name & title in the upper left in yellow-white letters, and you see Der Graf in the upper right corner. He kinda looks like a warlock as he’s casting a spell, which is always badass in my department.

6) October Tide: Rain Without End (1996 Version)

My number 6 is a conflicting choice for me. Not because of the cover, but because of the music on the album. Without getting into details, it’s all sounds the same (With the exception of the 5th song, but that’s for a future review). That said, the artwork for the original edition is one of the most beautiful, with the 2008 re-release coming in not that far behind. The 1996 edition is another simple one: there’s a small grove of trees, and a torrential rainstorm coming down. What makes this cover really lovely is that it’s drawn/painted. It’s really beautiful, and heavily invokes the feelings of sadness & loss very well.

5) Type-O Negative: World Coming Down

Among Type-O Negative, World Coming Down was a conflicting album. Pete Steele (R.I.P.) felt uncomfortable because of some of the songs (Particularly the soundscape Sinus), but Josh Silver thought the music was mixed well. As for the cover of the album, it’s a very dark sight. Using the typical green & black coloring that the band is know for, you see a shot of New York City (Including the World Trade Center, which was still up at the time), as well as the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. With the way the coloring is, the imagery takes on a very bleak pallor, and the feeling of depression immediately floods your mind. Given the emotional content of this album, the cover of World Coming Down is incredibly fitting.

4) Moonspell: Wolfheart (Both Versions)

It was really tough to choose between both versions of Wolfheart’s cover, as I thought both of them were awesome. So in the end, I decided to give the both of them a spot. The original version is simplistic, but badass: it’s just two wolves dukeing it out, with the band’s name and album title right below. The re-release goes more for a mystical approach: the background is nearly pitch-black, with the only source of illumination a full moon. Right in front of the moon is a group of wolf’s heads, and with the way they’re placed, it makes them look like a snarling & bloodthirsty hydra.

3) Rammstein: Mutter

I was very tempted to leave Mutter off the list, simply because the cover of this album is in somewhat bad taste (Ironic, given what’s in number 5 and number 3). The cover is completely dominated by the head of a fetus, and it doesn’t give you any clues as to whether it’s alive or dead. Considering the name of this album, along with the song, I get why they went this. The reason that Mutter’s cover is so high on this list is because Mutter was the first heavy metal album that I’ve ever owned. There’s a lot of fond memories surrounding this album, so I had to give it this spot. Speaking of fond memories...

2) Ministry: Rio Grande Blood

The only reason that Rio Grande Blood’s cover is number 2, and not number 1, is that it’s rather dated. Not the music mind you (We’ll get to that at a later day), because the music is still great! The reason why I say that the cover is dated, is because it contains the imagery of former president George W. Bush. He’s nailed to a cross, wearing a crown of thorns, and the lower half of his body is dunked in an oil barrel. Surrounding him are all the signs & controversies of what was wrong with the government at the time, and to a lesser extent still is. While it’s still nice to poke fun at Bush, there’s now plenty of newer juicy targets to laugh at & humiliate.

1) Metallica: The Black Album

Let’s take a trip through time: It’s 1991, and a four-year old me is looking at my mom & dad’s music collection. I’m flipping through, looking at all of the various covers amongst the Cassettes & CDs. After looking through them, I finally come across this simplistic monstrosity. The black background sent chills up my spine, the name of the band in silvery letters in the upper left corner was staring at me, and the snake, though barely visible, made it’s presence known to my soul. I still see that snake in my dreams from time to time, as it’s hissing echos in my ears for the rest of my time.

So there are my favorite album covers. I hope you’ve enjoyed this article, and maybe you’ve discovered an album or two by looking at this list.

See you all next time, when we’ll begin the second leg of my music review tour. Until then, stay Otaku!