Album Covers

It's 6:07 a.m. and I'm already wide awake. But anyways, that was yesterday's ranting. I would like to talk about shitty album covers. Right now there are four that stick out in my mind:

WTF is this?! I have no idea how anyone at either Bleeding Through or their record company could have looked at that and said, "yeah I like this one." I hope this wasn't a fan art submitted contest because man your fans have really shitty drawing skills. For something released in 2010...WTF!!! (Korn had a contest for their album Issues where they would take fan submitted art and choose one for the new album cover. What ended up happening was that when they brought it down to the final four, they couldn't decided on which to select, so they released all four. Here are versions one, two, three and four. They all still look better any day)

I enjoy Heavy Heavy Low Low but again WTF is up with this. Super bright colors and again a terrible design. You're a damn metal band! I do have to say though that this is at least a little easier on the eyes than their upstairs neighbor. I understand their music is chaotic and random all bands need to have at least a decent album cover. I don't care if they play it safe, just don't release some pile of shit that isn't easy on the eyes.

Now this is one of those releases that still has me scratching my head. Iron Maiden has one of the thee best track records of awesome album covers. Derek Riggs is the man when it comes to knowing what it takes to draw an awesome album cover. (For those who don't know, Riggs drew every Maiden album cover and single from their first self-titled release to No Prayer For The Dying and came back for Brave New World). So you take Maiden and remember that to grace a Maiden cover, that shit has to look good (check out Virtual XI right here. That's what I'm taking about) but this pixelated screen shot of just terrible looking people and why is that baby standing on the side of the dog/wolf thing?! C'mon Maiden...really?

Helloween also falls into this category of shitty digital art. Except Dance of Death was released in 2002, Straight Out of Hell was released in...2013. I wish this was a joke too. If this released somewhere in the 90s I would have happily forgiven them but in 2013 you can't be releasing this kind of crap especially when A) you have a track record of some pretty damn good album art (Keeper of the Seven Keys and Metal Invaders look good) B) your name is Helloween. Seriously guys, some needs to inform me how these kinds of crappy computerized works of art are approved. Even paying $500 for fan art off of Deviant Art would have done these guys better. I still cringe looking at this thing. The pumpkin with the gas mask in the logo could have looked so much cooler!!!!!