Happy New Year 2012! Let’s all hope this one brings as much good album covers as did year 2011. We had a fine selection last year and as my first post in 2012 I’ll share 25 pieces of what was the best. The cream of the crap. Every month I did select one as the best monthly cover. However opinions change and I wanted to point out more variety and some covers I might even missed for some reason. Therefore this selection isn’t just the battle of previous year monthly covers. It is a general battle and ALL of them are really good album covers. I hope you agree with me at least with some of them. They are not in any particular order except the last one which is the best.
As always, it was more than hard to choose the best cover and if asked next year I could have a different opinion. The variety was really good last year. You got some “funny” yet good looking covers like Zombie Inc.’s ” A Dreadful Decease”, White Wizzards “Flying Tigers” and In Extremos “Sterneneisen”. Last two of them has also same and cool airplane theme.
There are planes, zombies, wolfs, statues, skulls and animals. All of them can work really well in a heavy metal album art when used properly. Enjoy these and feel free to comment! Salut!
Zombie INC. - A Dreadful Decease
Good old zombie retro style with good typography. Never fails!
White Wizzard - Flying Tigers
Good album cover can be funny too. Nice coloring and diagonality brings nice movement.
Sonne Adam - Transformation
A classic approach to album cover. B/W brings lot of depth.
Skindred - Union Black
Beautifully aligned elements with nice touch of black color.
Sixx A.M. - This is Gonna Hurt
One of the best albums overall from 2011 deserves a good album cover. Nice touch with the typography in album title.
Six Reasons To Kill - Architects of Perfection
Yes, more zombie action! If you want an illustrated monster, use a talented illustrator like SRTK have done here to avoid looking ridiculous.
Septic Flesh - The Great Mass
This is really good example of good macro photography and stylish typography. Those statues look so alive it creeps me.
Powerwolf - Blood of the Saints
One of my personal favorite bands ever delivers excellent album covers also. This one is a killer!
Paradise Lost - Draconian Times MMXI
Excellent typography and good illustration combined to brutal and killing yet romantic package.
Nightbringer - Hierophany of the Open Grave
I would love to see this on LP-format instead of small pic. Lot of cool details to look at.
Neonfly - Outshine the Sun
Bring back the 80’s already! I just stop doing whatever I’m doing when looking at this. It is even hard to type… this.. sent… ence…
Lake of Tears - Illwill
You gotta love the way how the branches orbit around the band logo.
Kittie - I've Failed You
The simplicity is the beauty factor in this touching artwork.
In Extremo - Sterneneisen
Like White Wizzard, cover art can be entertaining. This one is amazing!
Inevitable - End The Oculus
This album art is so powerful and dramatic, yet simple. Nice touch with typography.
Evoken - Beneath The Frozen Soil
This is really haunting. I could place this on my wall with no problem whatsoever!
Disturbed - The Lost Children
A brief to designer: “Put our Disturbed character hanging with weird looking kids. Make it look good, okay.” And so he did…
Decapitated - Carnival is Forever
Good and simple image with nice focus on the face. Very effective.
Cycle of Pain - Cycle of Pain
What I really like this on is the color palette, which is very simple. The beautiful band logo fits here like a fist in the face.
Charred Walls Of The Damned - Cold Winds on Timeless Days
Once again points to the designer. I can only imagine the creative brief he got. “Wintery scene, octopussy-like clock, triangles with hands, more hands, ice, glass…”
Book of Black - Earth The Cold Testament
That wolf is the one wolf to rule them all. Really good illustration!
Bear - Doradus
I just love the creative solution in this. Nice bear hands.
Adversarial - All Idols Fall Before The Hammer
B/W works really well and the artwork is really something. Horns up!
Amorphis - The Beginning of Times
It is an egg. A beautiful one. This is one of the best covers I’ve seen in years. Wolfmother had also the egg-theme in one of their covers but this one is just way better. Everything works here.
Best album cover 2011:
Trivium - In Waves
You don’t even see the band’s name here. Just the symbol which fits perfectly to this odd piece of land that is rising from the sea. Smoke, B/W, excellent photography and good typography makes this the best of the best 2011.
Comments