20 of the most interesting illustrated album covers
Choosing album artwork must be one of the most difficult parts of finalizing a record. Artists go into these decisions knowing the image will follow them throughout their careers—it will be turned into T-shirts, posters, backdrops and even tattoos.While many artists have used photography or typeface to create their album artwork, other bands have gone for a more surrealist approach. Here are the top 20 illustrated album covers.
Homesick by A Day To Remember
Homesick, with its eerie trees and lurking spiders, is probably ADTR’s most memorable album cover. The style might also seem familiar, since the man who designed it, Dan Mumford, has done album artwork for Miss May I, Parkway Drive and many other acclaimed metalcore artists.
Tracing Back Roots by We Came As Romans
https://www.instagram.com/p/mgKwGZPQtQ/
Paul Romano has designed every album cover for We Came As Romans, but Tracing Back Roots is by far the most interesting. Continuing with their ever-present plant motif, the image of the man becoming a tree fits beautifully with the overall theme of the record.
Bone Palace Ballet by Chiodos
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnmcqGrnT4T/
If the style from Tracing Back Roots looks familiar, it’s because any fan of Chiodos has seen Paul Romano’s work before. Trading in trees for skeletons, Romano brought to life some of Chiodos’ most iconic images.
Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge by My Chemical Romance
https://www.instagram.com/p/Nw2CkniTvC/
Inspired by the tragic story of the two lovers depicted throughout the tracks of this album, Gerard Way designed the album artwork for My Chem’s second full-length, which makes this creepy cover art even cooler.
In Love And Death by the Used
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br8lEuEgwyh/
The hanging heart has become synonymous with the Used, but also shows that sometimes simplicity can go a very long way.
The Emptiness by Alesana
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlulAr9AVzI/
The Emptiness tells the story of an artist gone mad after the death of his beloved. Rather than use dark colors to depict their brooding artist, Alesana opted for sepia tones to illustrate their best-selling record.
The Art Of Drowning by AFI
https://www.instagram.com/p/BowHIK6Fe7h/
Done in the same style as their All Hallow’s EP, The Art Of Drowning artwork by Alan Forbes brings whimsy to the macabre.
Dookie by Green Day
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtCY2rhnSDz/
There is no album on this list more recognizable than Green Day’s 1994 punk masterpiece, Dookie. Its cohesive chaos allows for the viewer to find something new and bizarre almost every time they look at it.
Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins
This album has always looked like a strange recreation of a Renaissance painting done by aliens trying to understand art history. That, or a girl who got stuck in a star exhibit during a field trip to the Air and Space Museum. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty eye-catching image.
Demon Days by Gorillaz
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtIDfWrFPHR/
The four-square image of the animated characters that make up Gorillaz comes to life on the cover of Demon Days. The album art pays a slight tribute to many iconic images of the Beatles with their covers for A Hard Day’s Night and Let It Be.
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Collide With The Sky by Pierce The Veil
Pierce The Veil took things to a very literal level with their imagery for Collide With The Sky.
Ben Weasel by the Max Levine Ensemble
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZzQw5cBdLN/
After being criticized publicly by Ben Weasel, this D.C. punk band decided to name a record after him, depicting the frontman of Screeching Weasel as both a man and an actual weasel. If that wasn’t enough, the opening track is appropriately titled “Ben Weasel Thinks We Suck.”
Laugh Tracks by Knocked Loose
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrBizCOHLbD/
Who knew the color aqua could feel so sinister? This hardcore debut record is gritty, raw and especially unnerving, just like its album artwork.
The Sufferer And The Witness by Rise Against
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnN_5Lzny1Q/
This surrealist image by Andrew Zbihlyj blurs the lines between the sufferer and the witness, one of the many political issues Rise Against wanted to bring to light on this record.
Stillworld by Invent, Animate
https://www.instagram.com/p/Brnh7eLHAy2/
For being a pretty heavy album, Stillworld has rather soothing cover art. It depicts a white wolf howling in the snow at the moon with indigo hues throughout—all subtle references to various tracks off the record.
Instant Gratification by Dance Gavin Dance
Dance Gavin Dance always employ left field imagery, and cover art is no exception. Designed by Mattias Adolfsson, this image feels like work by a futuristic Hieronymus Bosch.
Everyone’s Out To Get Me by Get Scared
This album cover makes me feel claustrophobic and paranoid. Like, where is this dude? Why is he surrounded by all this random junk? What exactly is this random junk? Also, why is this record so good?
Saloon by the Ongoing Concept
This breakout record by the Ongoing Concept looks like the album cover is still in the concept stage of its development, which is incredibly witty for a band with their name whose lead single is about being an artist.
Disobedient by Stick To Your Guns
Disobedient depicts a striking image. Reading more like a campaign poster than album artwork, it openly critiques police brutality in black and white.
Emarosa by Emarosa
The Emarosa fox is just hands-down adorable, and this image helped pave the way for the fox becoming one of the main symbols of the band throughout its various lineup changes.
