Taking a break from sports for the first time in a few weeks (and to be honest, it’s probably necessary – which says something coming from me), I’m curious as to what lies in your record collection from a more visual standpoint.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but one of the reasons I still trek to my local record shop to pick up new music is for the artwork these musicians are providing us. To me, it just means more to have this artwork in my hands, on my shelf, on my wall, etc etc. Especially in the metal world where the artwork can be, well, impressive. I recently went through my collection and rekindled my appreciation for what these artists have come up with. So. I’m curious:

BASED ON ALBUM ARTWORK, WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE IN YOUR COLLECTION?

Use your discretion when answering this one. Personally, when I think of my favorite album cover in my library, I think of what I would love to see blown up and covering a wall in my house, for example. It’s not the most brutal, the most colorful (otherwise, it would obviously be Mastodon’s Once More ‘Round The Sun pictured above), or even the most classic (Master of Puppets comes to mind… or anything Iron Maiden).

It came down to two finalists for me. And no, not a single Behemoth record was in the mix. It came down to Agalloch’s Marrow of the Spirit because nature (and we all know how much I nature) and – a surprise entry from a recent release – Arkona’s Yav. Now, I have a signed(!!!) copy of Marrow hanging on my wall and I must say… it’s awesome. It’s haunting, it’s mysterious, it’s organic. I mean, it looks like a painting. And that’s bad ass as fuck. But. Have you unfolded Yav and seen it from left to right as one piece? You really should. Either way, here’s the cover:

I gotta give some love to the 2014 release and my girl Masha Scream. It’s a very recent release so there’s nothing classic about it (yet). But as far as what I want on my wall in the not too distant future… this is tops. It was done by Gyula Havancsak and you can find the pieces he conceived for each song on this record on Arkona’s Facebook page. Yes. He created something equally as epic for each song on the album… this is just the cover. Seriously, check this shit out. Especially the child picking at skulls and the wolf holding a heart… both on the fold out of Yav. I’ve even had not-so-metal friends ask me where they can pick this up specifically for the artwork. It really is a gem.

So that’s how I art. But what say you? How do you metal art? Better yet, what gems should I add to my library that I currently missing? Annnddddd… go!

“Ein Bier… bitte.”

– Corey

Live. Love. Plow. Horns Up.