Some of the most outrageous, stunning and sometimes grotesque album artwork has come from hard metal bands. When you buy a metal album, not only are you getting a whole CD of tracks, but you’re also getting a visual masterpiece which you can proudly place on your shelf. Many bands go to great lengths to ensure they have the perfect album artwork because they believe that it’s not just about the music, but it’s the image and message that goes with it too.

Many people are opting to download their music these days rather than purchasing a CD. If some of your friends download albums from sites like iTunes so they can listen to music while they browse Facebook or play at www.partycasino.com, but you much prefer to own CDs so you can add them to your vast and growing music collection, then you might be keen to read about some of our favorite metal album artworks.

Iron Maiden
Every Iron Maiden album has been striking and stunning. They all do a fantastic job of catching your eye thanks to their vivid colors and dramatic images. Despite being just animations, they are rather grotesque to look at which makes them even more intriguing. The albums Killers and Live After Death are especially striking.

Meatloaf
Meatloaf’s music isn’t quite as heavy as other metal bands, but the album artwork could certainly convince you otherwise. The Bat Out Of Hell album is fantastically over the top and grotesque; we see a motorbike fly into a blood red sky, zooming over skeletons buried in the ground below.

Metallica
The artwork for …And Justice For All strongly stated the band’s opinion on the injustice in the legal system; we see Lady Justice tangled in chains and blindfolded. Their artwork also went hand in hand with their powerful lyrics.