Here are 60 awful metal album covers.
Whether it’s cheesy ’80s drawings or some very recent works by prominent bands, selecting album art always comes with inherent risk. Art is subjective, but consensus can also say a lot and, in this case, fans all seem to agree that these album covers are pretty dreadful.
It’s a wonder how some of these ever managed to be in the conversation, much less adorn music that a band worked hard to write and record. While poor art is not always a reflection of this music, there is a magical quality to a winning combination of great artwork and incredible music.
READ MORE: The Best Metal Song of Each Year Since 1970
Whatever the case, these are the album covers that made it to the finish line and will forever live in infamy. There’s some big artists in here too who were well established when these clunkers went public — Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Suicide Silence, Architects and others.
And there’s surely a bunch of artists you’ve never heard before and more than a few are absolutely worth listening to.
See all those crummy covers directly below!
60 Awful Metal Album Covers
In different ways and for various reasons, these heavy metal album covers are quite bad!
Gallery Credit: Joe DiVita
Rock + Metal Album Covers That Had to Be Changed Due to Controversy
These bands had to change their album covers because they were too controversial.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
30 of the Most Iconic Hard Rock + Metal Album Covers
Scroll through the gallery at the top of the page to see 30 Iconic Hard Rock + Metal Album Covers!
Gallery Credit: Joe DiVita