Throughout metal’s history, there has been no shortage of shocking, vile, and gross album covers. Whether you’re venturing through death metal, black metal, or goregrind, there is plenty of upsetting and disturbing imagery to bask in.
But what are the most shocking and grossest album covers in metal? What are those covers that, if your parents were to ever see them, they would faint and never let you buy another album?
Well, being the horror freaks we are, we decided to put together a list that features the 10 most grim and unsettling metal album covers to have come out of the genre.
The Wretched Spawn – Cannibal Corpse
This whole list could be just Cannibal Corpse album covers, but where is the fun in that? Instead, we went with the one we find to be the most shocking. The graphic mutilation and body horror depicted in the art of The Wretched Spawn is horrific and captures the intense horror atmosphere of the band’s music.
Humanure – Cattle Decapitation
Ironically, for as gnarly as the band’s lyrics can be, Cattle Decapitation album covers can be somewhat tame… except Humanure. The album cover is blunt and the detail of human faces submerged in cow fecal matter might get you to hack up your last meal.
Dawn of the Black Hearts – Mayhem
While this list features an array of grotesque imagery, the album cover for The Dawn of the Black Hearts is by far one of the most tasteless ever. This bootleg Mayhem live album features the photo that the late Euronymous took when band frontman Dead killed himself. Putting it lightly, this cover is nothing short of fucked.
Gore Metal – Exhumed
Exhumed makes awesome death metal, and when it comes to their album covers, they offer the type of gripping visuals that you would find in horror movies. The all-out gory visual of Gore Metal – A Necrospective 1998-2015 feels ripped right out of a snuff film; there is somewhat of a grainy, Texas Chainsaw-esque quality to this photo that makes it feel too realistic (making it all the more unnerving).
Reek of Putrefaction – Carcass
Of course, we had to include the Godfather of goregrind on this list. Sort of interesting given the band’s graphic lyrics, but a lot of Carcass covers are pretty tame, with the big exception being Reek of Putrefaction. Decaying body parts, check. Disembodied body parts, check. Mutilated, hacked apart body parts, check. It’s all there on Reek of Putrefaction, and it all works to get your stomach churning.
Slave to the Scalpel – 200 Stab Wounds
You know what does it for us with this cover… the scalpel wound. Yeah, all the other stuff is typical horror movie flair… but the visual detail of blistered, raw skin, clinging to the blade is gross as hell. You can feel the light moisture of pus seeping out from the wound, dripping slowly down the victim’s face as they scream out in pain. Very tasty.
Homicidal Ecstasy – Sanguisugabogg
Among all the covers on this list, Homicidal Ecstasy may not be the most visually gripping when it comes to gore, but it may be the most psychologically unnerving. Really take the time to look at this piece… what is happening? The pornographic imagery, combined with the limbs of sea life creates a horror abstraction that the likes of David Lynch and Salvador Dalí would adore. The underlining horror of this artwork catches you by surprise and tempts you to look deeper.
Medical Renditions of Grinding Decomposition – Pharmacist
On the flip side, you have Pharmacist, who are far… far from subtle. Honestly, the cover for Medical Renditions of Grinding Decomposition makes stuff like Reek of Putrefaction look like child’s play. This graphic depiction of decomposition – blending rot, blood, pus, maggots, and what could possibly be fecal matter – comes together for some of the most primal imagery ever to appear on a metal album cover.
Odious Descent into Decay – Cerebral Rot
Imagine the vilest bathroom that you have ever stepped into – shit is smeared on the walls and the air has a noxious smell to it. It is that essence that Cerebral Rot’s Odious Descent into Decay presents, while also throwing in a little bit of Lovecraftian flair. Because who isn’t into the idea of wading through an alien shit-swamp wasteland?
Suicide Euphoria – Pissgrave
So there are several shocking album covers we could have posted at the very end of this list, but by far, Pissgrave’s Suicide Euphoria is one of the most fucked metal album covers we have ever seen. This list has featured a lot of gross shit, but this one is one of the more upsetting covers present. Bones rotting in viscera and shit is an easy formula for getting one to throw up their breakfast.