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Posted December 19, 2008 | 13 comments

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The Top 20 Most Outrageous Heavy Metal Album Covers

Heavy metal bands have always relied on their album covers. Most metal bands wouldn’t have been half as popular if it wasn’t for their ridiculously awesome album art. But how did it go so wrong? When did bands start thinking it was okay to take their shirts off and pose as medieval warriors?

By Dustin Sussman

The following article does not represent the opinions of Spike TV or its affiliates.

 

20. Stryper: Soldiers Under Command

The Bible + Guns = Metal Masterpiece

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19. Stryken: First Strike

Strike three, you're out!

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18. Boned: Up At The Crack

Really?

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17. Attila: Attila

Billy Joel’s first band obviously had a thing for meat lockers.

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16. Black Sabbath: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Not really sure who is raping this chick, but it doesn’t look pleasant.

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Comments (13)
  • jjj666's Profile
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    1. jjj666 Posted on Jan 28 '09 at 12:55 AM

    check out a band called UNSANE ,..dude been decapitated on the train tracks.. pretty gruesome

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  • MaverickRebel's Profile
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    2. MaverickRebel Posted on Dec 26 '08 at 11:35 AM

    One would have to have lived a very sheltered life for these album covers to even cause a reaction. I've gotten so used to this kind of thing that I don't even react any more than just a chuckle at these covers. In fact, I have a few of these and I treasure them!!! Why? Because there is nothing more disgusting that conformity and blindly following mass culture. I would have loved to have been in one of these bands. I love and cherish their pursuit of shocking the masses of of their media sanitized view of life and the world. If these covers cause a reaction you can take it much deeper by flying to a country ravaged by war or famine and when you come back - this stuff will be trivial.

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  • MADDBUTCHERR's Profile
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    3. MADDBUTCHERR Posted on Dec 23 '08 at 1:26 AM

    You have some great bands here...but all of these covers are FAR from most outrages. Its 2008 let me bring you up to speed here. Look up these bands for Album covers. 1) (the Skull Fragment band you were thinking of...) MAYHEM (singers suicide photo for cd cover) 2)BRUJERIA -"Matando Guerous" (decapitaied crime seen photo - may be hard to find) 3) CARCASS -" Wake up and Smell the CARCASS" ( J.F.K. aptopsy photo for cover)



    Here are 3 to start...I'll return with more

    MADDBUTCHERR

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  • MADDBUTCHERR's Profile
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    4. MADDBUTCHERR Posted on Dec 23 '08 at 1:20 AM

    OK

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  • ajcny's Profile
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    5. ajcny Posted on Dec 22 '08 at 1:58 PM

    Also note that Pantera was a hair metal band (closer in spirit to Poison) when Metal Magic was recorded. Back then, Dimebag Darrell used to be called "Diamond." Meow is right!

    Definitely had to try a little harder on this one. Load is an outrageously shitty album, but by no means an outrageous album cover.

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  • swingingdick's Profile
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    6. swingingdick Posted on Dec 21 '08 at 8:52 PM

    good list, see brujeria cover here.. http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26p%3DBrujer%25C3%25ADa%2BMatando%2Bg%25C3%25BCeros%2Bimage&w=200&h=200&imgurl=www.nailboard.org%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2FBrujeria_MatandoGueros_200.jpg&size=12.9kB&name=Brujeria_MatandoGueros_200.jpg&rcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nailboard.org%2Fstore%3FcateID%3D14%26prodID%3D1519&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nailboard.org%2Fstore%3FcateID%3D14%26prodID%3D1519&p=brujer%C3%ADa+matando+g%C3%BCeros&type=jpeg&no=1&tt=10&oid=8ab018065fe9c5f6&tit=Brujeria_MatandoGueros_200.jpg&sigr=11k4egpru&sigi=11tl3vrhk&sigb=12hivnpl6



    seems like i remember another cover of a guy who'd been hit by a train, body parts all over.. couldn't find it though

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  • Geloti's Profile
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    7. Geloti Posted on Dec 21 '08 at 9:33 AM

    I don't know what you people are complaining about. So what if a few records were missing. You still took the time look through the whole thing. Point Author.

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  • Burzum666's Profile
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    8. Burzum666 Posted on Dec 19 '08 at 4:36 PM

    WORST ARTICLE IVE EVER READ.
    Do some research before you write anything "journalist".

    Look up some death metal/black metal bands and then start writing....
    what a fucking clown

    (made this acct just to write this btw. wouldnt go on this website anyways SPIKE blows)

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  • ClusterTim's Profile
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    9. ClusterTim Posted on Dec 19 '08 at 3:35 PM

    LOL, nice dude you did pick some real winners!

    jess
    www.anonymity.at.tc

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  • tas50's Profile
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    10. tas50 Posted on Dec 19 '08 at 3:16 PM

    Fxcknelson:



    So perhaps I'm a sick person, but I felt the need to look into the story. The leader singer (whose name was Dead) committed suicide and another member of the band went to the store first and bought a disposable camera. He took a bunch of pictures and did rearrange the body. Those pictures were later stolen and 1 became the cover for a bootleg live album



    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_Yngve_Ohlin

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  • bradiger
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    11. bradiger Posted on Dec 19 '08 at 2:08 PM

    LORDS OF CHAOS - LISTEN TO BUUUURRRRRZZZZZUUUUMMMM

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  • dsussman
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    12. dsussman Posted on Dec 19 '08 at 2:00 PM

    Fxcknelson, i honestly know the band and know the album cover from his suicide. i totally forgot about it. I think they also made a necklaces from his skull...

    this is a pretty funny interview with the remaining members...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0HX8d3SKzA

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  • Fxcknelson's Profile
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    13. Fxcknelson Posted on Dec 19 '08 at 1:07 PM

    I signed up just to leave this comment. Author, you need to dig a little harder for material in a list about outrageous Metal album covers. Have you ever heard of Mayhem, the Norwegian metal band? The singer committed suicide by shotgun to the face and when the guitarist found the body, before calling the police he rearranged his best friend's body and shotgun and took a picture, which became their next album cover. It's rumored that he kept parts of the brain, which he cooked and offered to bands he deemed worthy.

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