CENSORED: The Power and Impact of Album Artwork

Since albums and CD’s have been released, the album’s cover art would not only sell records, but would create a recognizable style that would not only help define genres, artists or even mascots that would stand the test of time. Albums like Master of Puppets from Metallica can be identifiable from the sea of white crosses on the album’s cover. Any Iron Maiden cover wouldn’t be recognizable without the band’s iconic mascot Eddie on it.

But what about the controversial album artwork? Covers that were controversial because of its content, imagery and message. Were they commissioned to push boundaries? Sell albums? Offend on purpose or accidentally? Today, I will look at some of the impact that certain bands would benefit from controversial artwork and genres that thrived on their album artwork.

Controversial album art didn’t always start when extreme metal became popular in the 80’s and 90’s. England’s The Beatles famously got into hot water with the cover for their 1966 album Yesterday and Today. Taken by photographer Robert Whittaker, the album shows the band dressed in white coats and covered with baby doll parts and raw meat. Due to the gory nature of the cover at the time, the band’s label Capitol Records would withdraw the cover from retailers and re-released the album with a more wholesome & “safe” cover. With physical copies of the original “butcher” cover become collector’s items.

Many bands would also push sexual covers on the front of their records. But two bands unfortunately maybe sexualized their cover stars a little too young. Legendary psychedelic/blues rock act Blind Faith, that featured legendary guitarist Eric Clapton, released only one album before disbanding. The band’s 1969 self-titled album featured a topless 11-year old girl holding a model aircraft. Famously accusing the artwork of being an example of exploiting underage girls and pedophilia. The album cover was changed in the US to a photo of the band and the band’s logo above it. Another band that also faced the same accusations was 80’s hard rockers Scorpions. The band’s fourth album, 1976’s Virgin Killer, featured a nude prepubescent girl on the cover with a cracked-glass effect appearing over her crotch region. Facing both US and UK controversies, as well as other countries and retailers, the album would also be changed to a picture of the band in some countries. The album cover even got the album’s Wikipedia page taken down due to the cover being claimed as pedophilia and underage porn. Virgin Killer’s page was restored and currently up at time of writing. Showing the original cover and the censored cover.

What many people don’t know, that one of the most iconic and recognizable hard rock & heavy metal albums is actually the clean cover. Guns N' Roses' landmark 1987 debut Appetite For Destruction, feature album art based on the Robert Williams’ painting of the same name. When the album and cover were released, many retailers were unhappy with the divisive cover, including an exposed breast and insinuation of sex. Geffen Records, the band’s label, made a compromise and moved this cover into the inner sleeve and the cover was replaced with the memorable cross and skulls image we know today.

Now, we CANNOT talk about controversial album covers without bringing up legendary death metal juggernauts Cannibal Corpse. From the band’s debut album Eaten Back To Life in 1990, the band became known for the graphic and gory artwork for many of their earlier albums. Some being censored up to the band’s tenth album Kill. With their early albums drawn by famous horror comic book artist Vince Locke, the band began to gain infamy for their album art. Starting with the band’s second album Butchered at Birth. Graphic, disturbing, macabre and for some. hard to look at. The album immediately gained the band notoriety for the art matching the band’s dark and violent music. The cover grew attention from US government officials like Bob Dole, claiming the album was undermining the national character of the United States. In Germany, many of the band’s albums were not allowed to be sold to children under the Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media. This also included certain songs not being able to be played live in the country. Bassist Alex Webster commented on the response to the band’s censorship in an interview with puregrainaudio:

"If you really saw someone get their brains bashed in right in front of you, I think it would have a pretty dramatic impact [...] you'd react to it, no matter how many movies you've watched or how much gore metal you've listened to [...] even though we've got crazy entertainment now, our social realities are actually a bit more civilized than they were back then [...] we're not hanging people or whipping them in the street and I think that's positive improvement for any society"

Death metal and grindcore, and all it’s subsequent subgenres, would take inspiration from the graphic and violent nature of Corpse’s album artwork and embrace it. Some even trying to top the graphic nature of the famous act. Albums like Cattle Decapitation’s Humanure, Carcass’ Reek of Putrefaction and Impaled’s Mondo Medicale pushed not only graphic art, but used actual medical photos of either corpses, autopsies and medical disorders or injuries related to murder and suicide. Using the horrors of real-life and adding a dark touch of reality to these band’s graphic lyrical subjects. Adding a dark, unsettling realism to the music’s menacing undertones.

Another band to face controversy for some of their album covers are the darker side of the “Big 4” of thrash metal Slayer. Though not to the same extent of gore and violence as Cannibal Corpse, the band drew controversy for some of it’s dark, occult or Satanic imagery on a lot of their album covers. From the band’s first foray into Satanic imagery on their second album Hell Awaits, to the demonic and macabre cover of their defining record Reign in Blood. The band delivered a one-two punch of a controversial cover and bad timing in 2001. Slayer released their ninth album God Hates Us All in 2001. The album’s artwork drew the ire of many retailers and religious groups upon release. Not only because of the lyrical message defacing and denouncing God, but the image of bloody, driven nails into the Bible, vandalized with the band’s name was unsettling to some far-right conservatives. The other blow that hurt the album was the album came out the same day as the September 11th attacks. With that tragedy impacting the United States, and a message of hope, togetherness and religious reliance following the tragedy. The album was also heavily considered ill-timing and what one reviewer put “not what we need right now at this time of mourning”.

Death metal wasn’t the only genre to push controversy with it’s album artwork. Infamous black metal act Mayhem released a bootleg live album in 1995 called The Dawn of The Black Hearts. On the cover is a picture of the body of late Mayhem vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin (aka Dead) who had taken his own life by slitting his wrists and shooting himself in the head in April of 1991. The band’s guitarist Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth, after finding Dead’s body and before calling the police, went and bought a disposable camera and took this picture. Following Dead’s death, the band’s infamy and stories of the band’s evil ways began to grow. Rumors of Euronymous taking Dead’s skull fragments and using them to make necklaces for the scene’s “Inner Circle” spread like wildfire. Building the band’s infamy, along with church burnings and Euronymous’ murder in 1993, would help build the band’s legendary story of infamy.

Mainstream hard rock acts would not only use their album art to shock their audience, but to make a message. Political rockers Rage Against The Machine released their debut self-titled album in 1992. A band heavily influential for their political message and live shows, the band’s debut featured the famous image of Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức performing self-immolation. Though eye-catching and impactful upon seeing someone stuck in time dying for their cause, the image became identifiable and associated with the band. An image that now has become associated with the band and relating to the band’s message of political rebellion and justice.

Album artwork has so much impact to the listener. Creating a visual representation of the music or imagery that truly embodies the band or artist’s message. From the dark, ominous and brooding elements of doom metal, to the trippy, psychedelic, marijuana-heavy influence of stoner metal. Obscene, gross and graphic depictions in death metal and goregrind, to the offensive and blasphemic nature of black metal. It may inspire them to pick up an instrument, sing or scream, or even pick up a pen or pencil or paintbrush and start drawing. Whether its just drawing something simple as a skull or dragon, to an image that can help send a message to the injustice or unhappiness of its people. Becoming a sign or an image of hope, rebellion, and something to live and die for.

With the rise of AI, it is important that we still use physical art and human-made artwork when it comes to album/EP covers and artwork. It not only helps bands create an identifiable and relatable image to match the album, but it gives artists a chance to shine, showcase their abilities, and make a living off their work. Making a difference with human expression, creativity and a message that a robot can never do, nor hit the same impact that any human could create or deliver. We need to keep artists like Vince Locke, Kris Verwimp, Mariusz Lewandowski, Edward J. Repka and Brian "Pushead" Schroeder’s mark on metal music alive. Inspiring a new creative revolution in a digital age that captures the importance of the album cover and the artwork that helps enhance and keeps metal alive for future generations and new listeners.