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Oceanic (2002)
Released
Isis · Play Carry
The restrained image has nearly as much open space as visible detail. Carry is a good way to hear the music make sustained atmosphere part of the rhythm before the guitars and voice reach their full force.
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Sunbather (2013)
Released
Deafheaven · Play Dream House
The pink and orange fields of Nick Steinhardt’s design leave little for the eye to catch. On Dream House, bright chords and a much harsher vocal take up the same space without canceling each other out.
More about Sunbather45
The Mantle (2016)
Released
Agalloch · Play In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion
The monochrome elk image sets up the restraint of a record that often starts with acoustic instruments. The long second track shows how it can keep its distance and still grow into a heavy arrangement.
More about The Mantle46
Ace of Spades (1980)
Released
Motörhead · Play Ace of Spades
Alan Ballard’s cover photo turns the band into three dusty Western outlaws. The title track comes on just as directly, with Lemmy’s rough voice against a bass and guitar attack that leaves very little space between the parts.
More about Ace of Spades47
Oceanborn (1998)
Released
Nightwish · Play Stargazers
The owl, blue-white light, and dark water give the painting a nighttime distance. The high voice and fast keyboard figures in Stargazers bring that sense of distance into a much more urgent tempo.
More about Oceanborn48
Among the Living (1987)
Released
Anthrax · Play Among the Living
Don Brautigam’s brightly lit figure breaks up a crowd of dark hats and lowered heads. The title song answers that visual pattern with repeated thrash figures and abrupt group shouts that interrupt the flow.
More about Among the Living49
To Mega Therion (1985)
Released
Celtic Frost · Play The Usurper
H. R. Giger’s Satan I lets a large, dark figure dominate the smaller forms around it. The severe guitar figures and abrupt changes in The Usurper make a similarly claustrophobic space.
More about To Mega Therion50
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
Released
Black Sabbath · Play Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Drew Struzan’s front cover crowds disturbing figures around a bed. The title song moves from a heavy repeated riff to a much quieter middle, like the small patch of room the painting gives its central figure.
More about Sabbath Bloody Sabbath51
Holy Diver (1983)
Released
Dio · Play Holy Diver
The sleeve puts the horned Murray above a small, chained figure in the water. The low, insistent guitar figure and Ronnie James Dio’s voice give the title track the same sense of a large presence looming over the scene.
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Abigail (1987)
Released
King Diamond · Play Arrival
Thomas Holm’s moonlit horses and carriage make the cover look like the first frame of a ghost story. The guitars and shifting voices in Arrival help you follow the moment the story crosses the threshold.
More about Abigail53
Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998)
Released
Blind Guardian · Play Nightfall
Andreas Marschall makes the throne room dark enough that the blue figure in front seems to light up the scene. The layered voices of Nightfall bring a similarly theatrical scale to Tolkien’s story.
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