2025 — Fun image, design, and visual pun. The blue and yellow tuk tuk in the background places this scrap metal-carrying "samlor" bicycle rickshaw in Bangkok, Thailand. Then, the words are arranged like they are pieces of scrap metal themselves. Finally, another way to say that everything needs to be destroyed is that everything needs to be "scrapped."

2025 — Leave it to Deftones to create a banger animal cover, particularly a white animal. Corn snakes don't have any venom, so those curves are more sensual than dangerous. It could be inspired by the lyric, "I really wish these snakes were your arms," from their song "Kimdracula." (Photographer: Kenneth Cappello, Designer: Frank Maddocks)

2025 — I want to believe this is real. My mind knows it must be photoshop, and that it would have been illegal, and dangerous, and very difficult, but still, for the love of all things frivolously stupid, let it be real! (Artist/Photographer: Toni Raukola)

2025 — An indigenous Mapuche woman enjoying some herb in a traditional "trarilonco" headdress. If Snoop Dogg ever made an album that was "guided by the indigenous worldview and struggle," like is part of the mission statement of this band, this is what it would look like. (Photographer: Kata Ulloa)

2024 — Proof that the natural world can be just as imposing as any hulking figure drawn by an artist. "Eiger Mordwand," a mountain in the Swiss Alps, is famous in mountaineering for being treacherous to climb (the latter part of its name means "Murder Wall"). The photo depicts an attempt to recover the body of mountaineer Toni Kurz, who died climbing the mountain in 1936 and whose tragic story is the main theme of the album. The presentation of the band name and title even enhances the sharp verticality of the image. (Artist: Michael Handt)

2024 — Some covers can just be silly, right? The most horrifying aspect is that garish yellow interior. Yikes.

2024 — About as beautiful of a structure as we humans are able to create; simply hypnotizing in its symmetrical intricacy. It also looks like a laser cannon if you screw your eyes up the right way. (Photographers: Chiaran Verheyden & Sam Coussens)

2024 — Small person, big thing, but in a unique way this time! Could be a modern cross burning of sorts, considering the anti-religious material on the album (eg. "Blinding Faith"). The cross could be so bright it's literally blinding. On the other hand, there does seem to be a presence of wonder, as if the grandeur of the cross represents something of true value. Fabulous ambiguity. (Photographer: Briscoe Park)

2023 — Either an electrocution or the moment before the crazy white people from "Get Out" steal your body.

2023 — Incredible costumes and makeup to communicate feminist themes of fallen angels and patriarchal abuse of power. (Costume Designer: MM Fabrications, Photographer: Blaqk Rabbit)

2023 — Are they about to get down to business to defeat the Hun? The "Mulan” vibes are strong here, and just like the ragtag band of Mulan warriors, they seem to be in need of serious help. Could an avalanche work twice? (Artists/Photographers: Sean Mundy, Bobby Hendry)

2023 — As artistic and breathtaking as Hokusai’s "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa," except that this wave happens to be real. It’s as if a beast is emerging from the ocean. Fantastic shot. My co-pick for APOTD in the 2020s (thus far). (Photographer: Rachael Talibart)

2021 — Hey, astronauts aren't supposed to be in church! Clearly, we are working with symbols, like religion, space, science, and enlightenment. My interpretation is that science, especially climate or planetary science, remains a beacon of knowledge despite its detractors in today's world of "alternative facts" and post-truth. Then again, science within a broader context of spirituality is probably the best way to go. That is just my opinion though, man. (Photographers: Giles Smith, Tom Welsh)

2021 — A very clever collage that tickles my little vegetarian heart. Bielak is most known for his intricate paintings and illustrations, but clearly a true artist can do it all. (Artist: Zbigniew Bielak)

2021 — Though there are artistic liberties being taken, this is a photo of the famous boulder-in-the-sky of Norway called "Kjeragbolten." You can actually walk on top, but it's about 3,000 feet above ground if you fall. I am sure-footed and not afraid of heights, so I hope to visit one day. (Artist: Hugh Syme)

2021 — For those of us who remember The Magic School Bus, this looks like Arnold when he "dies" on Pluto. It also gives me General Grievous vibes, and it's the first of several similar artworks in the band's catalog. (Mask Design: Dan Schaub)

2021 — Wait, the fallen angel Lucifer was a woman?! ...Sure, why not. It's pretty clear she's not to be messed with. Her hair is like an alternate version of Derrick Henry's single dreadlock. (Photographer: Nedda Afsari)

2021 — The feeling of peeking through the blinders only to see something you definitely shouldn't be seeing. (Photographer: Rowan Daly)

2021 — Part of the joy of hiking is reaching an end that is so vast that it inspires awe. I just wish I could have tagged along for the journey up! "Vadak" is Hungarian and can be translated to "wildlings," which fits nicely as well. (Photographer: Tamás Kátai)

2021 — A medieval hunter's shrine to the natural environment and their mastery over it. The collection of objects includes snake skin, two types of bird feathers, a horn, a fur tablecloth, a small mammal's skull, a small dagger, a chicken foot, at least three types of crystals or stones, moss, and a fern, all of which are illuminated by three lit candles. This reflects upon a life that is very, very different than the one I lead and I appreciate it even more for that reason. (Artist: Amjad Faur)

2020 — A bloody good juxtaposition if there ever was one. I’ve never had to think about this before, but it seems risky to go to the butcher in carcass-colored clothing. Wouldn’t want to be mistaken for a ham. (Photographer: Lola Lapiower)

2020 — Oof, tough scene for the coroner. And tough scene for allergies! If the doomsdayers didn't already die of suicide, I bet the pollen got ‘em. Gotta feel for the real estate agent too, who now has a lot of gardening to do. (Cover Designer: Tim Grove)

2020 — I took a mini poll and it seems that a significant percentage of people (including myself) do not identify what's on this cover right away, though there are certainly many who do. I'll just say, if you're not sure if you know what it is, then you haven't seen it yet, and once you do see it, you'll never be able to unsee it. My co-pick for APOTD in the 2020s (thus far). (Photographer: Teddie Taylor)

2020 — May I interest you in a microscopic Rorschach Test? We seem to have a liquid substance suspended in motion, producing a target riddled with bullets and bomb blasts, a descent into Hell for agonized faces, and a zombified runner’s leg stuck in mud. “Immoto” means motionless in Italian, so this checks out. (Artist: Alex Eckman-Lawn)

2019 — There have been so many devastating forest fires in the Western United States lately that this gives me actual anxiety. Friends of friends have lost homes in Lahaina, Maui and the northern suburbs of Los Angeles. Mother Nature is, of course, amoral, and yet it seems like an act of retribution for our environmental neglect. Ravenous is the word that most comes to mind when staring into the flame. My pick for APOTD in the 2010s. (Photographer: Kari Greer)

2019 — Obviously this image has been doctored quite a bit, but good golly does it pop. It's a good reminder to take the window seat on a plane because you never know what spectacle you might see. (Artist/Photographer: Francesco Dell'Orto)

2019 — This photograph is so distorted it almost seems like a painting. The majority of the distortion occurs in the streams of light, from the window and from the door, as if someone truly felt out of sorts under the sun. That's a shade of the blues I have never felt, myself. Neat trick stylizing it like a blues or jazz album, too. (Artist/Photographer: Ridge Rhine)

2019 — An impersonal, nondescript cityscape, so what’s interesting? Both in the foreground and in the background, a single light shines and/or sticks out. I interpret this as a subtle artistic statement of hope and possibility in an environment where people commonly feel disorientation. (Photographer: Luke Pownall)

2018 — In one of my favorite memoirs, "The Tender Bar," author JR Moehringer describes life lessons in resilience, companionship, and masculinity that he learned at his local bar. In my favorite TV show, "The Wire," an entire union of dock workers repeatedly congregate at the same local bar. Well, maybe for the older generation of American men, bars are or were a place of community, but for me, they've always been a place of anonymity, like I'm just a talking tree getting drunk. It's all love, though. Not saying they haven't be fun. (Artist/Photographer: Jade Lauren)

2018 — Other than "Snowpiercer," there aren't too many examples of Ice Age apocalypse in pop culture. It's probably just as likely as any other type of apocalypse; in fact, it was the first stage that occurred after the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs. In that time, and if we survive, who knows, maybe we'll go around looking like bank robbers with oxygen tubes. (Artist/Photographer: Juha Arvid Helminen)

2018 — There's a tremendous sense of searching, even desperation from this woman who may have wandered off from her bridal party in the early morning hours. I fear she may never find her "endless dawn"—after all, nothing gold can stay—but the flock of birds overhead seems to convey that hope is on the horizon. (Photographer: Bairon Rivera)

2018 — In the era of global warming, a luminescence that is fading and not escalating certainly sticks out. Life probably won't last until that time, but mountains will, and they'll remember. (Artist/Photographer: Andrew Weiss)

2018 — While the triangular distortion(s) of this tree-lined river scene is obviously what stands out, this selection is mainly because it reminds me of a 3-day riverboat tour I took with my sister to an orangutan sanctuary in Indonesia called Tanjung Puting. Sitting on the bow, wading through naturally black water, the banks lined with trees, a little wonder in the air... happy times. (Artist/Photographer: Maciej Kamuda)

2017 — Similar to Cattle Decapitation's "Terrasite," I just hate looking at this. Many covers in metal utilize hands in labyrinthine ways, but this one is definitely the creepiest. Like greasy maggots crawling all over her face. (Photographer: Jane Chardiet)

2017 — Perched like a gargoyle on a brilliant cliff edge in the mountains, it’s nice to see Papa Emeritus finally getting some time away from the cathedral… Wait, wrong band. What a scene, though. Beautiful and eerie at the same time. (Artist: Josh Nall)

2016 — Chile's Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth. To walk through the emptiness is to be alone with one's thoughts, until eventually the reality within one's mind starts to waver. Almost like a drunk who has let an empty beer bottle slip from their fingers while they wander into a new world. (Photographer: TMD)

2016 — Clever "blood spatter" of pink flamingo wings to match the title, and also a bit of a fake out of you know the music. Fun fact: A group of flamingos is called a "flamboyant," and you can see the world's biggest flamboyant at Lake Nakuru in Kenya, where the cover's photograph was taken. (Artist/Photographer: Frank Maddocks)

2016 — I am not a photographer, but I imagine there is quite a thrill in capturing the perfect reflection of an already cool-looking natural landmark. (Photographer: Christian Thiele)

2016 — Some places are just destined to be on a metal album cover. Lake Reschen in South Tyrol, Italy is one of those places. In 1950, a dam was built that flooded the valley and left standing this lonely church tower from the 1300s. It becomes approachable when the water freezes in winter. (Photographer: Marco Zanin)

2016 — Gloved hands transform this woman into a black flower from the daisy family. She's as pretty as a flower, too. Any farther into the vanishing light would deprive the world. (Artist/Photographer: Reilly Herrera)

2015 — Historical significance, ain't it a funny thing? The place is clearly in ruins, yet the grass is perfectly mowed and still means something to someone. Feeling connected to the past provides no tangible benefit, but it does ground our existence, and it also makes for a pleasing cover. (Photograph of Valle Crucis Abbey in Denbighshire, Wales)

2014 — I can't remember staring at the Sun ever bringing me so much joy. Playing off the theme of "shelter," the perfect circle forms a halo, as if the couple enjoys some sort of heavenly protection. Then, arms find shelter in another set of arms, and their triangular shape resembles a teepee, which is a more literal form of shelter. (Photographer: Andy Julia)

2014 — For such a common sight in windowsills, I bet many folks have never taken a closer look at this particular death that surrounds them in their own home. Isn't it odd how flies reach their demise upside-down? It's also odd that we need 29 letters to describe the fear of 666. Ironically, it's still 6 letters shorter than the fear of long words, hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. (Artist/Photographer: Jürgen Bartsch)

2014 — There's something deeply sad and disgusting about an obese chain smoker lying in a bed of ash and cigarette butts. All that human potential, sputtering out, like a car suddenly on empty. It just ain’t right. "Disgust" also happens to be the Polish translation of this band's name. (Photographer: J. Drzewiecki)

2014 — Such sorrow, such grief! Featured is a sculpture of the Poroineanu Family in Bucharest's Bellu Cemetery. Legend has it, Constantin Poroineanu went to Paris to study then fell in love with a French girl who was not accepted by his family. Years later, Constantin's son also went to Paris and also fell in love with a French girl, though this time married his French lover in secret... who turned out to be his father's daughter (i.e. his sister). Oof! A murder and some suicides later and we have our album cover. (Sculptor: Raffaello Romanelli, Photographer: Miluță Flueraș)

2014 — This cover photo is so bleak I feel it in my skin. The complete lack of color really helps emphasize the pain of the little girl(?). For her sake, I hope it's nothing a simple hug can't fix and not something truly scarring. (Photographer: Jerry Cooke)

2014 (Layout Designer: Daniel McBride)

2013 — These flowers would make just about anyone smile if they were handed to them. They’re so pillowy! White gladiolus, perhaps?

2013 — Pretty fantastic specter of body horror without the body. It’s hard not to get the faint sensation of a puncture, prick, or incision just from looking. It's also just a cool collection of surgical instruments, with the small scissors being the only obvious repeats. (Artist/Photographer: Martin Nesbitt)

2012 — Taken from an exhibit in "The Opposite House" hotel in Beijing that is based on Yayoi Kusama's "infinity mirror rooms." If you've never been to an infinity mirror room, or really any of Kusama's installations, absolutely do it. They're stunning. The "obliteration room" is another Kusama favorite of mine. (Artists/Photographers: Futura, Frank Maddocks)

2012 — Have you ever thought about where old ships go to die? Some follow the path of the "Columbus Wellington" cargo ship, which was built in Germany in 1977, and then eventually sent to a "shipbreaking yard" in Chittagong, Bangladesh and scrapped in 2008. Every day in Chittagong, thousands of migrant workers scrap parts of hundreds of ships, which just sit there like beached whales along a 50-mile stretch. Wild stuff. (Photographer: Roy Zipstein)

2012 — It's one thing to show a ghostly image of a miner and son superimposed over the natural beauty of Kentucky. It's another thing to do this on four different versions with four different landscapes. How cool. Solo member Austin Lunn clearly has a genuine love for his home state and for the labor and environmental issues that plague the state today. (Photographer: Bekah Lunn, Layout Designer: Austin Lunn)

2011 — I love this image because it perfectly fits the name of the album yet subverts expectations at the same time. Certainly a “sea” that none of us will ever swim in. The quirky band logo and distant Mars-like planet add to the piece as well.

2011 — Imagine taking a photo while staring into the sun and unexpectedly finding a flower. What a splendid surprise! And in the words of Hafez, the sun doesn't say to the person who took the photo, "You owe me." No, with a love like that, it just continues to light the world. (Photographer: Dave Turncrantz)

2011 — When evil and its related cousins arise in the world, it does so in billows of dark, grey smoke, infecting the very air, but also, sometimes, in the shape of an ice cream cone, packaged in such a way that disguises its insidious nature. Be on the lookout, friends. (Art Director/Designer: Danny Jones)

2010 — Celeste albums all sport a similar vibe—black and white, grungy, contemplative—but this is the most emotionally affecting of the bunch. A pair of brilliant eyes stare out from a grubby, potentially orphan face. It's such a potent window to the soul and really invites you to listen to the music. (Artist/Photographer: Johan)

2010 — The "SS Baychimo" was a cargo ship owned by the Hudson's Bay Company to trade provisions with Inuit communities along Victoria Island in the 1920s. In 1931, it got trapped in pack ice and had to be abandoned, when it then became a ghost ship for 38 years until it was last seen in 1969. It's now presumed sunk, but maybe it found its way into the Great Beyond and we just haven't caught up yet. (Art Director: Toby Fraser)

2010 — What a glorious bird. Sometimes a simple beauty is all that it takes. Like a more impressive version of Rush's "Fly By Night." (Photographer: John Ross)

2010 — Let me introduce you to Tabou (2002-08), the cat that could give a damn about you. Don’t like super eclectic avant-garde metal? That’s your problem! In fact, Tabou needs no introduction, while you can’t even function. Tabou is VIP, but you? Still need ID. Tabou is big like a pumpkin. You look like McCaulay Culkin, and a munchkin! (Artist/Photographer: Johan Deschamps Couturier)

2010 — Isn't it amazing how salt water can so expertly undo our nautical creations? Thousands of manhours reduced to a skeletal hull. The power of nature really is something. (Artist/Photographer: John Perry)

2010 — At this moment that I write, everybody knows the world is upside-down. Trump is the President of my country and has just seized the President of another country, Ukraine is still under attack from Russia, and the planet is under attack from everywhere. This is how I know. But how do you know? Different reasons I bet, but still, we both know. (Photographer: Dominic Kamp)

2009 — I get the feeling many Renaissance sculptors would have been hardcore metalheads. Based on the sculpture "Perseus with the Head of Medusa" by Benvenuto Cellini in 1554. My co-pick for APOTD in the 2000s. (Photographer: Gianfrancesco A)

2009 — Blurry lights and faded images of people and buildings surround a silhouette of a man standing in the middle of it all. Yup, pretty much sums up the apathy and anonymity of modern city life, which is a main theme on the album. (Artists/Photographers: Travis Smith, Wojtek Kutyla)

2009 —Amazingly, there aren’t too many digital shenanigans going on here; “The Wave” in Arizona is just that cool. People wait to win a permit lottery and then hike 6+ miles in the desert just to visit the sandstone formation. Normally, I’d fault the album title for distracting from such a beautiful image, but the letters are “carving” into the canyon, so I’ll allow it.

2008 — There is very little information about this cover photo, though it likely features a Western army from World War 2. My random guess would be Romanian, or maybe a British volunteer unit. The two soldiers who stand out are clearly chefs, which speaks to me on a personal level because my paternal grandfather was a chef for the Americans. Unfortunately, he passed away before I was born, but I feel I've been brought a little closer to him now.

2007 — There's something downright devilish in the way this Ankole-Watusi bull frames the Sun with its horns. I can't decide whether it comes from the savannah or the shadow realm. (Artist: Trine Paulsen, Kim Sølve, Photograph from Natural History Magazine Oct/1978)

2006 — This is a complicated selection, as the girl looking into the aquarium is simply a stock photo that has been used for other things. The superior version is actually "drawn" and appears on We Are Triumphant's 2019 release of cover songs of the same album. Funny how the non-real can make more of an impact than the real despite it being the same basic image. (Photographer: Michael Prince)

2006 — An in-your-face collage that is as badass as it is freaky. Bearded, pot smoking, rugged face guy is flanked by the kid from "Matilda" that ate the chocolate cake and a big-eared, sour-faced bloke who's scowling so hard his forehead will probably cramp. And that's before you get to the music! Which is... wild, to say the least. (Artist: Orion Landau)

2006 — Gazing out at the waves with toes in the sand on a clear day, what is the worst thing a little boy could see? In a different era, maybe the arrival of a pirate ship or conquistadors; in this era, the sight of a mushroom cloud, perhaps? An enormous factory system, looming in fog, is almost as terrifying, especially if it's a vision of the boy's future. I wonder how many factory workers would kill to be a child on the beach again. My pick for APOTD in the 2000s. (Artist: Travis Smith)

2005 — How very noir. Gives me the feeling we're in the world of "The Godfather" and somebody is about to get whacked. It'd be sweet if suddenly the camera were to zoom in, the figure steps into the light, and—surprise!—it's a woman with cleaning products coming to tidy up the AirBnB. (Cover Designer: Peter Theobalds)

2005 — The full image of this giant-sized Newton's cradle might be the best of DT’s many interesting covers. Not only is it visually dazzling, it also strongly represents the album’s theme that all harmonies are made using just ~8 notes; rinse, recycle, and repeat. Also, I know it's obvious, but the land in the background is... (can you guess it?)… Indiana. (Artist: Hugh Syme)

2005 — I'm driving this car that is my life and it's going pretty good, the bag around my head feels comfortable, too. What's that? It's impacting my ability to see? Don't be silly, it's molded to my face, custom made. And it's velvet! What could be nicer than that? Anyways, I haven't crashed yet. I'm in control. Oh, and before I forget... You got any of that good stuff? (Artist/Photographer: Storm Thorgerson)

2004 — Here we have the faint reflection of a grieving bride, still in her wedding clothes, from the window of a passenger train, possibly, as if she was forced to take the train home when her big day was ruined. Oh my. And if that's not bleak enough, the original cover featured a young person shoving a gun in their mouth. Despair much? (Artist/Photographer: Herr Morbid)

2004 — My pick for best cover that most people would consider provocative (and co-APOTD in the 2000s!). Reportedly the result of doctoring an image from a porn magazine using nothing but a copy machine, it's equal part seductive as it is vulnerable and grotesque. The eye is drawn initially to the breasts (oink twice if you see the pigs!), but the most distinctive feature may instead be the face darkened in shadow, while the paint smatter is a real chef's kiss. (Artist: Chris Taylor)

2003 — There seems to be a dislike for this cover among the Deep Purple faithful that I just don't understand. Maybe because I lived in a Southeast Asian country it hits me better than most, but, showing an early stage of the supply chain for a popular item seems pretty metal to me. These are some of the faces that bring us all our bananas. (Photographer: Bruce Payne)

2003 — Man, that looks sharp. The image, I mean, but the sword looks sharp, too. It's funny how the phrase "knight in shining armor" refers to a gallant gentleman in English when a dude trying to slice your head off was probably much closer to the reality.

2003 — The "thirteenth step" refers to a relapse into addiction after completing the 12 steps to recovery. What that has to do with a slug on a woman's face I cannot tell you, but she's looking elsewhere and seems generally unconcerned, so, maybe she's on something. There's also a nice visual harmony between the slug and the band's logo. (Artists: Steven R. Gilmore, Maynard James Keenan)

2002 — Ah, yes, the image I associate most with Agalloch: The Deer. It represents the chilly, grey winters of the Pacific Northwest (where I'm from) fairly well, and forebodes that awesome deer bone sound in the song "The Lodge." (Photograph of Thompson Elk Monument in Portland, OR)

2002 — This features a nuclear fusion reactor called a "Tokamak," first built in the Soviet Union in the 1950s-60s. It attempts to use a magnetic field to hold plasma/ionized gas in a donut shape at very low pressure. The first true "success" was in 1997, when 16 megawatts were produced from 24 megawatts of input. If it ever produces at a scale that's cost-effective for consumers, it could very well solve most (all?) of our energy problems and go a long way to combating climate change. (Photograph of JET facility in Oxford, UK)

2002 — There's something thought-provoking about this X-ray image. It’s a "symbol of life," but neither twists like a DNA double helix nor "wiggles" like a sperm cell. Maybe it's a snake, or the flight path of a fly—whatever it is, it's not the only conundrum. There also seems to be some added fluff, like the keys of a saxophone, or something more macabre. I haven’t cracked the code yet. (Artist/Photographer: Nick Veasey)

2002 — Possibly the first metal album to truly captivate me, and it started with this creepy blue figure on the cover. Where is his pupil and why is his skin like that? (Artist/Photographer: Lasse Hoile)

2002 — The best snake cover in metal, edging Pantera's "The Great Southern Trendkill" because the stylization of the band and album name is less distracting. I'm not an expert, but it looks like a Burmese python made "evil" by the black and white. (Photographer: Fernander F. Flux)

2002 — Clever pivot by the band after several unfinished, low-quality MP3s were leaked ahead of the album. The title is a reference to Abbie Hoffman's "Steal This Book" and the burned CD is a cheeky nod to the file sharing culture that had exploded after the proliferation of pirating tools like LimeWire. Four limited editions were even released that featured unique artwork by members in the band. (Designer: John Dolmayan)

2001 — Few things are sadder in this world than intelligent beings behind bars. This monkey knows, deep down, that it shouldn't be there, and I think we do too. Smart artistic choices on the font and frame as well. Really helps to bring out the melancholy. (Photographer: Jimmy Pappas)

2001 — I can't really explain why, but I share a special connection with bees and have never been stung. This is true even though I've let them wander all over my body (and face!) since I was a juvenile. They’re also very important for the world and deserve our attention now more than ever. (Photographer: Martin)

2001 — One of the few album covers to headbutt you right in the face. Bam! Brings me back to a field trip to Garut, Indonesia where I spectated on some rather intense ram fighting. Middle-of-nowhere Garut is a lot like the Iowa of Indonesia, too. Oh, and the goat’s name is Eeyore, according to Clown. (Photographer: Shawn "Clown" Crahan)

2000 — This one looks vaguely like a shrine to Santa Muerte, who is revered by certain (marginal) communities in Mexico and unrecognized by the Catholic Church. In hope of protecting against violent death, some worshippers may crawl on their knees to such a shrine, as seen in the opening scene of Season 3 of "Breaking Bad." (Artist/Photographer: Diseno de Dulce)

2000 — So, supposedly this is a creature called "The Sickness" being birthed through a vaginal canal. Others will say that it's "Foreskin Man" due to the close resemblance to an uncircumcised penis. But I say, nay, it's actually Y-wing pilot Lieutenant Telsij of Star Wars, getting his game face on before taking flight against the Death Star. (And he's Asian!) (Artist/Photographer: P.R. Brown)

1999 — Isn't the human creation magnificent? It's also amazing how the microscope of a hyper close-up stimulates new perspectives. For instance, I've never thought of the eye as a million sperm-like squiggles congregating in a deep abyss. But I do now! (Photograph of Dan Swanö's eye)

1999 — A picture of Eilean Donan Castle in Western Scotland and one of the most melancholy I have ever seen. Almost like a moment of sadness for its destruction by government troops in 1719. Bonus points for being purple. (Photographer: Arkdae)

1999 — Is this a Bonnie Raitt album? Just never see this kind of cover in metal. Very rad. Comes from a photo called "Oh! Those Fabulous Brom Sisters!" by a Czech artist. (Artist/Photographer: Jan Saudek)

1999 — Rumor has it, what looks like a pool of blood is actually a marmalade spill on a factory floor... Clever fake out.

1999 — This selection is actually of the re-release cover that features a tank at the Battle of Kursk in 1943. For an album with WW2 themes, a live action photo really elevates the mood. The Battle of Kursk, by the way, was the Nazis last offensive on the Eastern Front and a magnificent failure. (Photograph of Sweden's Stridsvagn 104; Re-Release: Photograph of Nazi's Panzer VI "Tiger")

1999 — Oh, the simplicity of an ordinary animal in an ordinary moment on an ordinary day. Clicking, cooing, scraping—going about life. Maybe even drumming its wings. Seems like a peaceful place. (Photographer: Jürgen Holzhausen)

1999 — Apparently, the image of this naked obese woman writing "I will be God" on the chalk board with a dunce cap was enough for Kmart (remember them?) to pull the album from their shelves. Then, if that isn’t enough, the social critique is aimed at "fattened Americans doing what they're told," in addition to the American God complex, I presume. Which, you know, yeah! (Artist/Photographer: Paul Elledge)

1999 — Being an artist is primarily a creative process, of course, but if artists want to continue being artists, they also need to market and promote after the creative process is over. For Steven Wilson, this contradiction is like "prostituting" oneself and "an absurd thing to be doing." Cue the very important, scientific-looking fake out of a man in full lab gear and very complicated machinery making flimsy CDs. (Artist/Photographer: Robert Harding)

1998 — It's a bit of a curse for the human race that terrifying things such as this also happen to have a certain appeal. Here's to hoping the next "slaughtersun" does not occur in our lifetimes. Or anyone's lifetime. (Layout Designer: Deanna Alcorn)

1998 — There's something about the image of this young woman that has always stuck with me. I hope she is happy in life, wherever she is. I also hope she doesn't sue the band like the former baby on the famous Nirvana cover.

1997 — Need we any more proof that we come from Africa? This is "science by editing," as my favorite YouTuber Jomboy likes to say. I'm being facetious, of course, but there's no arguing that the design leaves an impression. It's even better when you learn that the man on the cover was the UPS driver for the record company and was compensated for his contribution with a case of beer. My co-pick for APOTD of the 1990s. (Art Director: Eric Horst)

1997 — One of the better sports action photos you'll see, featuring Tony Alva of the famous Z-Boys in the 1970s. I wish I could skate board, but when I was 8 years old I had a bone cyst in my right femur, which led to a body cast, which then led to a ban on extreme sport until I was 16. By then I was interested in other things. (Photographer: Glen Friedman)

1997 — Gosh, just look at that brilliant blue! And the way the sun sparkles off the ice. It would really hurt to lose it. (Artist/Photographer: Season of Mist, Photograph of Portage Lake, Alaska)

1997 — I tend to be quite affected by close-ups of people's faces, so much so that watching Yann Arthus-Bertrand's documentary "Human" was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. This woman's face, with the closed eyes, crowsfeet, and pursed lips, is so weathered it comes off as almost aggressive. Kind of how I imagine Bathilda Bagshot in Harry Potter before she morphs into Nagini the snake. (Photographer: Susan Andrews)

1997 — Cold, dead, and covered in earth. This is the “paradise” that awaits us after death according to many folks. Best to make life your paradise if they’re right. Also, very neat styling of the band’s name. (Layout Designer: Martin Moos)

1996 — There are three versions of Iron Maiden's lead man standing under a tree shaped like a brain near a lake, each with a mirror image effect. Watching them play through on a GIF is a trippy experience. (Artists: Storm Thorgerson, Richard Manning)

1996 — Make a visit to Prior Park in Bath, England on a cloudy day and gloom probably dominates like it does on this cover, but visit on a sunny day and it's a lovely place for a family picnic. Both are good! It's just interesting how color and lighting can change one's perspective. (Photographer: Tuija Lindström)

1996 — A shift in attitude toward the Catholic religion seems to be the focus of this jewelry box. Going left to right, the rosary beads start prominent, then fade into the background, then are replaced by secular objects. The album name also suggests a sort of shedding of old wounds. Structurally, I like how each compartment frames the eye around an item, making the whole image easier to contemplate. (Art Director/Designer: Gabrielle Raumberger, Dylan Tran)

1995 — One of the most memorable images in all of heavy music and greatly representative of the Grunge movement overall. It's hard not to feel something when you see this three-legged dog. My co-pick for APOTD of the 1990s. (Faxed Image)

1995 — Like if "Katamari Damacy" were to happen in real life. The naked man probably went for a swim while his clothes got rolled up as collateral damage. (Artist: Storm Thorgerson)

1995 — Well well well. Looks like F&J incorporated someone’s person into the physical structure of the church long before Ghost ever did. In this case, there's a kind of manic curiosity, as if the man with the massive forehead is peeking in like WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?? (Artist/Photographer: Scott Mutter)

1995 — I'm not entirely sure what this is, but given the name of the album, I imagine it's an extreme close-up of connective tissue or the muscular system in the human body. I’m a fan of images at extreme scales because they offer such different perspectives. Also, it's easy to miss, but there's a sneaky "G" in the forefront of the central image. (Layout Designer: Media Logistics)

1994 — There's something about flies that is unbearable to most people. My father pursues them throughout the house. Heisenberg spends a full hour hunting one down in an infamous episode of "Breaking Bad." Cows swat them with their tails nonstop. Chris Rock talks about how the US only sends aid to Africa after they "wait for the flies.” Fittingly, during the photoshoot, it's been reported that the flies in the jar kept dying, and the kid behind the jar complained the entire time. What a dope cover. (Photographer: Rocky Schenck)

1994 — Korn kicked off a series of pretty impressive covers with an absolute banger that's as clever as it is frightening. The story is in the shadows, as the person out of frame is large, likely male, and holding what could be a gun and an instrument of torture. If that wasn't enough, the girl's shadow is altered to resemble a hanging body. Just diabolical. My co-pick for APOTD of the 1990s. (Photographer: Stephen Stickler)

1994 — US soldier points a gun to the head of a Vietnamese woman in the Vietnam War. How dumb was that war. How dumb are most (all?) wars. Sigh, we got a banger of an album cover out of it, though. ("Alternative" Associated Press)

1994 — On the theme of cycles, an ultrasound is squarely on the nose. It's also got a clever album release "birth" date, old school computer graphics, and a positively wicked color palette. Fun stuff. But, um, why does that last part give me the feeling this baby will claw its way out like Homelander in "The Boys"? (Designer: Philip Karger)

1993 — This one reminds me of Javanese “wayang” puppet masks that are as equally cool as they are creepy. It might even be one of them. “Grin” is such a perfect name, too. I can feel its creepy grin in my skin. (Photographer: Martin Becker)

1992 — Obligatory inclusion of one of the most famous photos of all time. For those who don’t know, it shows the Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức burning himself to death on a busy Saigon street in 1963 in protest of the South Vietnamese government’s persecution of religious sects (leader Ngô Đình Diệm was a fervent Catholic). When I learned this long ago, I found it interesting that it was not in protest of the Vietnam War. Anyway, pretty perfect for the album with “F.U. I won’t do what you tell me!” It can’t get any more sincere than Mr. Thích. (Photographer: Malcolm Browne)

1991 — A sawed in half, decomposing male skull positioned with interlocking lips to parody the "socialist fraternal kiss" between USSR's Leonid Brezhnev and East Germany's Erich Honecker in 1979... just sick. And by that I mean disgusting, but also cool. Especially since the mighty socialist empire had fallen just months before. (Artist: Joel-Peter Witkin)

1991 — Striking imagery and cheeky double entendre since dice used to be made of bone. Funny enough, like this boy, I found myself once with the opportunity to rudely kick a skull, and it wasn't in a forensics lab. Nobody would have known. Fortunately, we are our choices more than we are our impulses and my dignity remains intact. Some things just aren't worth doing even once. (Artist: Hugh Syme)

1984 — For many, "1984" conjures up images of Big Brother, but for metalheads, it's this blonde-haired, blue-eyed putto with a cigarette. (Note: A "putto" is the name for those chubby naked boys with wings in Christian iconography). One of the most recognizable covers in all of music, the pure and angelic combine with the cheeky and rebellious to masterful effect. (Artist: Margo Nahas)

1981 — Pictured here are "pictures" on the move while also being quite "moving" to some passerby. If that double entendre isn’t enough, Rush hits you with the rare triple entendre; the entire scene was filmed and the "moving picture" they made was shown at one of their concerts when the still frame suddenly came to life. My pick for APOTD in the 1980s. (Artist/Photographer: Hugh Syme, Photograph of the Ontario Legislature)

1980 — Such a simple yet striking image. Love the nod to Sheffield Steel and the symbolism of the razor blade cutting into the fingers but resulting in no blood. Metal music is for everyone, y'all! It might bark but it doesn't bite. (Artist/Photographer: Rosław Szaybo)

1979 — For as sexist as some Scorpions’ covers can be, this one just seems like self-parody, as if it’s teasing men for their sexual impulses. Like, watch where ya put ya hands, buddy! You might get stuck! I also find it interesting that you might see more skin in one minute of TV advertisements today (in the West), but you probably wouldn't see this cover released. Society has become both more and less sensitive. My co-pick for APOTD in the 1970s. (Artist/Photographer: Storm Thorgerson)

1979 — As far as band photo covers go, this has always been one of my favorites. One's got RBF, one looks like the friend they forgot about, one is on mushrooms, one is having the time of his life, and then there's Angus Young, who's wearing a hat with devil horns and giving the cheekiest expression ever. (Photographer: Jim Houghton)

1978 — I don't have a cat, but whenever I cat sit, I use this toy that simulates a bird fluttering with some feathers tied to a string, and the cats absolutely lose their effing minds. They become cracked out lunatics and look a lot like this cover. (Photographer: Sally Anne Thompson)

1976 — Sign me up to ride on a space buggy, they look like fun! Plus, the moon landing really added new meaning to the title of the album, "Nothing New Under the Sun" (translated from Swedish). We haven't visited another object in space since 1969. Might as well use the buggies for entertainment now. (NASA Photography)

1975 — By 1975, Zeppelin had already gone nuclear, so to include a tenement building on the cover was, at least partly, staying true to their blue-collar roots. This particular building is located in the East Village of Manhattan, which only 5 years later would become hip hop's "second birthplace" (along with Greenwich Village). It's not too hard to squint and see battle raps and big ass boomboxes on the tenement steps. (Artists/Designers: Peter Corriston, Mike Doud)

1974 — One of the biggest surprises putting this list together is that this cover comes from a photograph. What's pictured is a tornado near Jasper, Minnesota in 1927, with a nifty unicorn and some color added of course. It goes to show there's a fine line between what's fantasy and what's simply fantastic in this world we live in. My co-pick for APOTD in the 1970s. (Photographer: Lucille Handberg)

1973 — Unique among Zeppelin albums for being the first not to feature the band's name, which resulted in their creepiest and most mysterious cover yet. The collage features two naked children/siblings with blonde hair scaling the basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland and apparently took 10 days to perfect due to constant rain. (Artist/Photographer: Aubrey Powell)

1972 — This really reminds me of urban graves I've seen in Catholic areas of Latin America. Customers rent rectangular slots in concrete slabs so that the "walls" in the cemeteries look like they have hundreds of windows. One time, in La Paz, Bolivia, I had just arrived off a tiny, nausea-inducing plane ride from 6 weeks in the Amazon. The city was bustling and the air was incredibly thin, with Mt. Illimani towering overhead. I walked through the city and eventually wandered into a large urban cemetery, where I spent several hours and found some much needed tranquility. I was also deeply affected by many of the displays in the graves. The majority were well cared for (eg. clean, fresh flowers, trinkets), and most had some inscription, message, or item that made them very personal, which gave a slice of life of the person that passed, or at least of their memory and the emotions of those still caring for them. Anyway, great cover.

1971 — Even though I'm pretty much a pacifist, I have to admit this looks badass. The orange fog is funky and elevates it above the standard military fare. (Photograph of a British Chieftain in Wiltshire, England)

1970 — The cover that really started it all. Hilariously, the band had absolutely no input over what would appear. But the team at Vertigo Records really nailed the haunting, eerie atmosphere, and very few records so directly and memorably call out the cover artwork. The "figure in black" who "stands before me" is burned in my brain and those of many others I'm sure. The false color of the mill in Oxfordshire is quite memorable as well. (Photographer: Marcus Keef)

1970 — Somehow the award for creepiest cover for an album featured on MS from 1970 does not go to Black Sabbath. The second man is balding, bizarrely short, and without a left hand, and the two of them are standing on some sort of blood rug. Which one is Lucifer and which one is the friend? It's hard to tell. (Artist/Photographer: Juligan Studio)

1969 — For the 1% who don't know, the debut album of arguably the greatest band of all time features a stylized version of a photo taken of the Hindenburg disaster in 1937. Pretty metal, and too iconic to leave off the list. It's actually framed on the wall at my parent's house. Zepp should have stuck to album covers like this. (Artist: George Hardie)