2014 — This takes Narcissus to a whole new level. The skeleton staring back as the girl's reflection? —Ok, ho hum. The crown of flowers reflecting back as a ring of twigs while the water turns to blood? —Dynamite. (Artist: Gyula Havancsák)

2014 — One of the grooviest, most psychedelic covers since the decade that spawned the subgenre. Symbols of universal spirituality abound, including the 6-pointed star, Islamic moon, Christian peacock, and rising sun of Japan. The band name is even styled like a tambourine. And it's purple! (Artist: Marijke Koger-Dunham)

2014 — Based on a multi-album concept of a plant-loving, misanthropic mad scientist in self-imposed exile, this cover does perfect justice to the beauty of the plants as they likely exist in the mad scientist's mind. There's even something a little threatening about the plants that hints at violence were the scientist to ever engage in an anti-human crusade. (Artist: Irrwisch Artdesign)

2014 — Artistic smut, how about that? Couch Slut features two women in their lineup and several songs that very explicitly deal with degradation and sexual trauma, so it's no surprise the art doesn't shy away either. In fact, all of the band's covers are varying levels of shocking and controversial and are done in the same style. This selection kind of stands for all of them. (Artist: Leandro De Cotis)

2014 — What a trippy looking tree! I see two brains: One in the general shape of the tree, and another inside the tree, in white, with arms and an abdomen, possibly trying to get out. Let it out, I say! Let it breathe! Breath metal to the masses! (Artist: Robert Venosa)

2014 — This one holds the record for juxtaposition of contrasts: beautiful and ugly, light and dark, good and evil, young and old, feminine and masculine... Dare I say, when death metal is at its best, it sounds the way this cover looks. (Artist: Tomasz Alan Kopera)

2014 — A stirring interpretation of H.P. Lovecraft's "Mountains of Madness" in Antarctica. Cold, imposing, and... is that Dr. Dyer's plane swerving in from the left? I think it is! Bonus points for band member art, too. (Artist: Jeff Grimal)

2014 — One of three anglerfish on the list (see: Grant the Sun, Ahab), this one really comes from a place of passion. Drummer-vocalist Hozoji Matheson-Margullis is a marine scientist and Puyallup Tribe member who does deep dives in the Puget Sound for shellfish conservation. How rad is that? Top class incorporation of the band name as well. (Artist: Aaron John Gregory)

2014 — What is this, an angel of darkness burning up in the sun? A dementor's kiss on another dementor? X-ray vision of a snotty kid throwing a tantrum over candy? Well, I’ll be damned if it’s not a dope death metal cover. Tell me the genre without telling me the genre. (Artist: Brian Smith)

2014 — An incredibly poetic case of an album's art taking direct inspiration from an album's title. Rugged, experienced hands handle a cello-like instrument in a haze of darkness that consumes the musician's face. It all feels perfectly of the past, like an incomplete memory of a medieval dance hall. (Artist: Eliran Kantor)

2014 — There’s a rumor on Reddit that the band gave a bunch of mini crayons to a colony of ants and this is what they drew. Don’t believe everything you hear, but c’mon, how could it not be true. There’s an entire tunnel system for your eyes that leads to a plethora of odd treasures. (Artist: Jason Galea)

2014 — And as the phoenix rises from the ashes… Wait, scratch that, this magnificent creature is a “Fire Swan” (trans: “Tulijoutsen”). Swans are the national birds of Finland, with one mythical swan even appearing in the Finnish national epic (the "Kalevala"), floating along a river in the underworld. The coloring of the swan and river likely reflects this connection. The color palette is also a similar but greatly improved version of the band’s first effort, “Uljas Uusi Maailma.” (Artist: Maahy Abdul Muhsin)

2014 — The stream of light that pours through this person's cheek somehow leaps from the screen and pours through my person as well, like a grilled cheese warming my insides. Such an impressive, ethereal color palette. (Artist: Pascal Hauer)

2014— A bit chilling, yes? Children in peril, a panicked protector clinging to them with Rapunzel-like protection, crows looming ominously in the doorway... it really makes you feel something! The silver lining is that crows are sometimes seen as protectors in Polish folklore. This, paired with the woman's very vulnerable choice of hiding place, makes me think the crows are actually a line of defense against whatever danger is on the way. (Artist: Ela Biryło)

2014 — I have a friend who is very disturbed by this cover. He says the girl’s soul has been sucked out through her eyes. I don’t share his reaction or interpretation necessarily, but it's clear that she's not ok. If someone forced me to die by burning birthday candles in a crown on my head, I would be pretty not ok as well, and at that point, I’d probably prefer a more direct route to the afterlife such as a molten crown of gold, Game of Thrones style. (Artist: Aron Wiesenfeld)

2014 — "Insane" is the first word that comes to mind for this one, but I think MetalSucks says it best: "[It] looks like someone dropped a bunch of acid and went to a Chinese New Year parade." I once celebrated Chinese New Year in Malaysia, and after so many lanterns and fireworks and lion dances, that description seems accurate. The full version is even more insane, so check that out, too. (Artist: Skinner)

2014 — Put this one in the uncomfortable-but-therefore-good category. From the creepy-crawlers, to the hanging snot, to the vomit-colored haze—it's all grossly unattractive. Perhaps it's a representation of the inner beauty of an oppressive ruler, like a metal version of "Shallow Hal." (Artist: Nik Dudukovic)

2014 — An act of violence with such force the snow even seems to splash. Quite a moment. I wonder if the Sun ever feels any sadness for the horrors that occur in its absence (title trans: "The Sun's Sadness"). (Artist: R. Jonsson)

2014 — This cover reminds me of a short story called "How I Lived and How I Died," by Cuban author Virgilio Piñera. A man laments the ubiquitous presence of cockroaches in his life, and in his depression eventually becomes one of them / is devoured by them. A snippet: "I stopped exterminating them, understanding that they were a part of me, that the rest of the world was pure appearance and they, the only reality... They dominated my life so completely that I began to see cockroach wings on people's arms and cockroach legs instead of human legs. It all ended in catastrophe the day I said, 'God bless you, cockroach,' to a man who had just given me a used suit. I [then] sank into the depths of despair." (Artist: Caroline Harrison)

2014 — How would it feel to be skewered on a stick and then eaten by a rhinoceros? Would you want to be? "Bad" and "No" are the obvious answers, but farm animals do that for us every day, and I doubt they want to either. Fantastically uncomfortable artwork and my pick for AAOTY in 2014. (Artist: José Luis López Galván)

2014 — All I can do is speculate for this one, but this is what I got: The structure in the water looks like a wedding cake and the stork is a symbol of fertility. Seeing that a male statue has been beheaded and a different male stands atop the wedding cake, reaching up to the North Star, my interpretation is that a man has recently said goodbye to their solo life, gotten married, and now expects a child with his partner and hopes that all of this will guide him to a new level of completeness and spirituality. (Artist: Benjamin Vierling)

2014 (Artist: Li Cheng)

2014 — An impressively zany and chaotic cover that does not feel cluttered. Curious, who would you most want to hear "obzkure anekdotez" about? The rabid monkey, Western adventurer, undead mariachi band, troll astronauts, zombie limo driver, or purple and blue octopus? For me, it's the trolls. There's got to be a “Dumb and Dumber” type story behind why their helmets are cracked. (Artist: Andrew Saltmarsh)

2014 — Yaks and trudging—name a more iconic duo. The furry cargo trucks of the Himalayas trudge steep trails at high altitude with ease, like they're half-asleep. In fact, "dormiveglia" is Italian for the state of being semi-conscious or half-awake, so this checks out. The different grays also do an impressive job of creating a dreamy yet monotonous atmosphere. (Artist: Michael Ribeiro)

2013 — The "Flower of Life" symbol composed of overlapping circles to represent eternal interconnectedness, specifically in the Islamic style. Islamic art and culture are woefully under-represented in metal, so their rare appearances are special in my book. It's just odd that it came from these guys.

2013 — Standing in a desolate landscape, shackled around the legs by a kind of hellish vine, gazing at a shiny object in a blackened sky that is either the vehicle that left you or the planet you’re from... Yeesh, quite the unenviable position. The title translates roughly to "banished on land," so this interpretation fits. Humans would totally do this to their own if it were possible, too. Just ask anyone who spent time in the Gulag. (Artist: Antti Salminen)

2013 — One of the more "love it or hate it" covers out there, and I love. It's such a bubblegum pop fake out, for one; the last thing someone would expect is black metal. Then, it’s quite a creative kind of minimalism, with multiple letters missing “limbs,” so to speak. Finally, the color is supposed to mimic the color of the sun shining on closed eyelids, which is pretty rad. (Artist: Nick Steinhardt)

2013 — This one looks like someone took strands of my hair and made them into the rigging of a sailing ship. I once grew my hair out to waist length, so I could have supplied a very large model ship at that time. (Art Director: Henrik van Leeuwen)

2013 — Featured here is the painting "Lady Godiva" by John Collier in 1898, which portrays Godiva's (apocryphal) naked ride through Coventry to pressure her husband, the Earl of Mercia, to revoke crushing taxes on the commonfolk. It's an icon of social justice and pairs well with the theme of the album. However, my dumber and less accurate interpretation is that the horse, judging by its expression, is actually the fully conscious, talking being, and the woman is an automaton whose central processor has been turned off. The horse is part of the upper class and one of the few who can afford a humanoid servant, or paramour, or whatever. Its exact business is unclear, but it's likely up to no good. (Artist: John Collier)

2013 — A band named Kongh was bound to feature King Kong on a cover, weren't they? It's almost too on the nose, but I've always thought Kong was a sympathetic character and the scene is executed well. Kong looks mighty pissed, and frankly, I might be too if I were a "sole creation." Loneliness like that probably crushes the soul.

2013 — Leprous is one of the better bands that I can never seem to get into, but I do like their album covers. Skulls are so overdone that it can be difficult to make them stand out, but this one is fresh and interesting. It's like if the BCS Football Trophy started leaking jewels everywhere. (Artist: Jeff Jordan)

2013 — This selection is actually of the alternative cover that features a swarm of vultures equipped with video cameras around a naked woman sprawled out on the ground. The social commentary is obvious, so I'll just say, there was one time, in Peru, that I saw a group of street dogs surrounding another dog that was clearly injured on the road. At first I thought, wow, the dogs are protecting their own, how cute. Then the alpha dog snapped at another dog that tried to approach and I realized the injured dog was in heat. So, yeah, it's like that. (Artist: Jeff Jordan)

2013 — Dubbed the "broccoli beast" by some fans, this cover is based on the (awesome) idea of trees being able to move to better pastures when necessary, like leaves shifting toward light. The artist says inspiration for the original piece came from observing an eroded river bank where the trees looked like they were "climbing out of the ground." My co-pick for AAOTY in 2013. (Artist: Duncan Storr)

2013 — If you're either curious or high, there's a lot to stumble on here. Like 57% of the cover is weed, and yet, if you look for just five seconds, you might not notice. Follow the blunt smoke far enough and you'll find that it not only wraps around the woman but also in and out of the band's logo. Stare at the stone and logs and they become a massive bird's skeleton curled up in the fetal position. There's also some tasteful side boob of Cards Against Humanity fame. (Artist: Maciej Kamuda)

2013 — For those who don't know, the real Yuri Gagarin became the first human in outer space, completing an orbit of Earth in 1961, but was then banned from further space missions because the Soviet Union didn't want to risk the death of an international celebrity. Later on, in 1968, Gagarin completed pilot training and was back in the sky again, but crashed and died in a MiG-15 only five weeks later. Gagarin must've truly loved flying, but ultimately did not get to enjoy his passion very much. This exquisite cover is like an alternate reality where Gagarin makes the extraterrestrial landing he never got and is confronted by a world more fantastic than any known to exist. My co-pick for AAOTY in 2013. (Artist: Påhl Sundström)

2012 — Despite this band being from Norway, “El Caco” is Spanish for “thief” in Puerto Rico. Coincidentally, crows are good thieves; I once had a crow fly off with half of my Jimmy John’s sandwich. This crow may have therefore stolen someone’s heart, in hatred or in love (or both!). It also looks suspiciously like a vinyl record that’s been re-shaped into a crow, so maybe its talon is the needle of the tonearm placed on the heart, showing that the music will steal our hearts away. (Artist: Morten Transeth)

2012 — Han Solo looks around quizzically. "Wait a minute..." He unholsters his gun and shoots... Oh snap! It's moving! It moves! "Alright Chewie, let's get out of here!" (Artist: Greg Kubacki)

2012 — I'm not sure if brilliant, shimmering, resplendent sunlight could be depicted any better; I mean, my eyes even wince a bit like they would in real life! Add in the Mesoamerican temple steps and it's got a cultural basis as well. It's certainly a representation that's worthy of Tōnatiuh, the mighty Aztec sun god who demanded blood sacrifice. (Artist: Christina Casperson)

2012 — A guilty pleasure inclusion because it reminds me so much of Mt. Rainier and the Pacific Northwest. Come visit, y'all. Especially from June to September, when the weather is some of the best in the world. (Artist: Andre Kosslick)

2012 — As the power lines encroach and the mystery of the forest wanes, a decaying wood spirit commits a desperate final act, releasing a mighty curse upon the land… Eerie and uncomfortable. (Artist: Travis Smith)

2012 — Well, this one’s obviously perverted, and offensive, depending on who you are. Jesus's crucifixion was already pretty messed up, though. The man was publicly nailed to a cross with two common criminals and left there like a raisin in the sun to die. That was horrible and real, but this is art, and art inspires wonder. Are those fallen souls trying to harvest the holy one's manly vitality? Are they being supervised by Lucifer? What are his motivations? Pretty memorable, if nothing else. (Artist: Justin Bartlett)

2012 — A gruesome thinker, this one is. "Utilitarianism" is an ethical philosophy (in short: the greatest good for the greatest number), and in this piece, the utilitarian (i.e. the ethical thinker) is being jumped and beat on by representatives of the powerful elite like Eminem in "8 Mile." Your ethics have no place here, they say. This is clearly an ode to Napalm Death's first album "Scum," which features wealthy businessmen lording over skulls and starving children. (Artist: Frode Sylthe)

2012 — What a hellish marketplace! A pregnant, yet aging woman of royalty rolls a rickshaw of dead babies while, around her, red meat hangs from a butcher’s stall, young girls inspect skulls, a cat sniffs something dead, and a fruit seller sports a smile fit for a horror movie. The band logo is also quietly incorporated on a shop's wooden sign. You gotta love these guys. (Artist: Eliran Kantor)

2012 — In a movie script starring myself, I acquire a time machine and choose to visit a Viking tribal gathering. I'm eager to get a taste of their famed egalitarianism, as well as some mead and maybe even a mutton chop. Then I show up and—plot twist!—what I get is a horror similar to the movie "Midsommar." As a side point, it's interesting the three audience members who seem most titillated by the gruesome beheading are also the most skeletal. Maybe if you're excited to see death you're already a little dead inside? Fun wood carving aesthetic, too. (Artist: Wolkogniv)

2012 — Sex, booze, and material things: the universal lingua franca! Even between aliens and gorillas, apparently. It's a suitable metaphor for a supergroup of diverse musicians coming together to pump out an album. On a side note, I'd pay a lot of money to get into that hut. Just to see some things. (Artist: Jeff Jordan)

2012 — In the year 384, the high priest of Teotihuacán presided over a ceremony that consecrated a multiethnic Empire. Refugees had been pouring into the sacred metropolis for decades following the eruption of Mt. Xitle, and by donning a sun stone, the high priest projected a message of unity and oneness under the Divine Eye… None of that is true, but leading member Johan Edlund created a work of art that you can really dream on. (Artist: Johan Edlund)

2012 — Cute, blue, goat-like monsters munch on chocolate and candies while spewing out rainbows in a battle with their vegetable-wielding, storm-spewing evil cousins. Absolutely top tier stoner material. My pick for AAOTY in 2012. (Artist: John Santos)

2012 — Grey skies and electric light in Toronto, or anywhere, is not a healthy recipe for many folks. However, there's a meta-context here that's eerily similar to "Likferd" by Windir. Two months before the album was released, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist David Gold tragically passed away in a car accident, greatly adding to the weight of the mental and emotional stress on the cover. It's almost as if the man is actively mourning Gold's passing. (Artist: David D'Andrea)

2011 — I am tempted to call this one a massive guilty pleasure, but damn, I think the art is objectively good, too. "Tahoma" means "mother of waters" and "snowy peak" in Salish, which gives Tacoma, my hometown, its name, and is the native name for Mt. Rainier; the jewel of the Northwest. The red fish are sockeye salmon, which turn that color when they swim upriver during spawning. This is extra personal to me because, as a child, I actually had a creek in my backyard where I would watch salmon swim every fall. (Artist: Naomi Korchonnoff)

2011 — One man band Waldorf apparently grew up with this painting in his childhood home, and it made an impression on him. Two women alone in the woods in that era would have suggested witchcraft, but it looks to me like they've just gone off to enjoy themselves. A few decades later and they might've brought some s'mores to toast over the firepit. (19th century painting)

2011 — While I am a fan of the comic book style of this piece, what I enjoy most is, without a doubt, the fact that catastrophe has come to the dwellers of the house, yet the chickens are going about their business like nothing happened. Chickens, man. Just so different from us. Nothing really matters for them besides the next thing to peck and the next place to roost. (Artist: Jordan Crane)

2011 — This three-panel fold out of a medieval tower constricted by a snake and surrounded by angels and chaos is so epic that if I failed to include it, I'd have to punch myself in the face. Apparently, every song is represented, and the artist has said that it all seemed "impossible" to create at times. My pick for AAOTY in 2011. (Artist: Alice Duke)

2011 — They say to grab life by the horns, but what about one’s demons? Seems solid, actually: If we're proactive with our troubles and faults, maybe we can slay a few of them off the list. In any case, representing the inner struggle of angels and demons as a struggle between two ornately drawn mountain goats is a pretty sweet choice. (Artist: Stacey Rozich)

2011 — Such an emotive painting, with moonlight that bleeds into the soul. The figure looks like they're dissolving into the ether, as if by reaching the cliff's edge they have completed some essential purpose. It also looks mighty similar to Jack Skellington and "The Nightmare Before Christmas," so I wonder if that was the inspiration. I also see Pac-Man. (Artist: Fursy Teyssier)

2011 — Possibly the top album cover that nobody can accurately describe. There seems to be a capsule of horror ready to burst, with one individual's soul being sucked out through their eyes. The rest, I can't say, but it is as alien as it is fascinating, and the colors are superb. (Artist: Olli Kiviluoto)

2011 — Band member art alert... kind of. A 60-year-old painting by the bassist's grandfather that was reportedly inspired by an argument with his wife over a neighbor's "scurrilous" lies. It's wonderfully sociological: Animals scurry away from the massively long, frog-like tongue of a woman in a tree who has dropped her shoe. I take this to mean the involved parties are "waiting for the other shoe to drop." What a cool family legacy. (Artist: Jafar Petgar)

2011 — From the viewpoint of an assassin, a gun barrel carefully follows the steps of a darkened figure on horseback, until... BAM! The figure turns to the camera and shoots, with blood flooding onto the screen. You got got, assassin! Mr. Bond is here on the black sands of Iceland! (Artist: Kim Holm)

2011 — A tarot card with fascinating symbolism and gorgeous pencil-like lines that make it pop like fresh bubble wrap. We've got crescent moons crowning and cradling a fallen angel; sharks roaming a placid ocean; snakes encircling the band's letters... It all tells a story that only a skilled practitioner of the arts (i.e. the listener!) may divine. (Artist: Glyn Smyth)

2011 — Named after the Etruscan god of purification and the underworld, imagine if Hell was rehabilitative rather than punitive and souls weren't banished there forever. What if souls had the chance to climb the towers of redemption and stand before the light on a bridge exposed to heavenly judgment? Like a parole process in the afterlife. It would make the underworld a much less damning place. (Artist: Igor Omodei)

2011 — This one's for those times that the atmosphere looks so picturesque, or so heavy with colors and fractals and emotion, that you half expect paint to drip from the sky and kiss the ground. The band’s font is tasteful, too. (Artist: Stevie Floyd)

2010 — There's something very agreeable about Alcest's art and music. It's like Neige is able to peek inside your heart and leave a little gift there. A mermaid using her hair to cover her sleeping partner beneath a crescent moon while jellyfish swim overhead... how delightful is that? (Artist: Fursy Teyssier)

2010 — Oftentimes, vigilantes are the lapdogs of a more powerful entity that strive to uphold a certain legal, social, or moral agenda. They also tend to see things in black and white and can be rather savage in their execution. So, basically, this cover is perfect. (Artist/Designer: Justin Greaves)

2010 — A cross between Medusa and the wig for "Annie." Snakes bursting from a nest inside of a pumpkin. Or, fine, the seven-headed beast of Revelation bathing in hellfire. It makes sense that a trilogy of albums representing the relationship between God and The Devil would have a splash ending. (Artist: Davthvs)

2010 — Los Angeles, where Intronaut is based, is famous for being one of the smoggiest cities in the US, but that is not exactly new. The native Chumash people used to call the area of Los Angeles the "valley of smoke" due to the smoke that would linger in the air after wildfires. This means our skeletal friend equipped with a walking stick and robe of feathers could be a Chumash elder, gazing out at the haze in a bygone era. He's also joined by a colorful iguana. What's up little guy? (Artist: David D'Andrea)

2010 — Leading member Mike Scalzi designed this scratchy, threatening priest when the band decided not to hire a professional artist for the first time, and he has an interesting quote about it: "That's how Slough Feg music always looks to me. We've always had artwork that's too modernized, too slick. It never should have been like that, it should've been more scratchy, because those are the images that inspired what our music was to become." I respect the idea of matching the visuals to the music, of course, but I'm surprised he put their previous albums on blast. Aesthetically, they have one of the best discographies in metal. (Artist: Mike Scalzi)

2010 — I'm not an ornithologist, but I've never seen a bird like this. The trumpeter finch and orange-billed sparrow are the closest I can come up with. Maybe it's the "Three-Eyed Raven" from Game of Thrones, roosting in a snow flurry in the Land of Always Winter with an immense amount of cosmological knowledge concealed behind that supernatural monocle. (Artist: Simon Moody)

2010 — Top notch retro sci-fi aesthetic here. It looks like the Millennium Falcon emerging between two floating artichokes... Alright, alright, fine. Marijuana buds. They're a stoner band, not vegetable farmers. (Artist: Dan McPharlin)

2010 — I have no background information on this piece (not even the artist), but here’s my best guess: A comrade in the Soviet Union trudges back to the smokestack where he works under a darkened, polluted sky, likely to contribute to the most recent war effort that he is only vaguely aware of. A somber, poignant scene, whatever it is.

2010 — This one's quite a mental workout. To make sense of it, you can dart your gaze, twist your head, and feverishly use your imagination, but it still might fail to come up with anything solid. Is this what it's like to think like a mad man? Wheels spinning and spinning without end? (Artist: Costin Chioreanu)

2009 — The amount of insanity crowded around this guy's face is as impressive as it is nerve-racking and might be enough to trigger someone who actually suffers from agoraphobia. Appropriate, I'd say, for a grindcore album. (Artist: Florian Bertmer)

2009 — One of the all-time faces in metal. Heck, all music! The patterns somehow go very well together. Interesting choice to leave half of the portrait empty as well. Maybe the man is eavesdropping behind a wooden door, or maybe it's like a poster for a boxing showdown where the opponent is missing. I would pay big money to see Native Warrior vs. John Smith with gloves on. (Artist: Derek Albeck)

2009 — Not sure on the artistic intent of this piece, but it looks like a cloud of Agent Orange has collided with a pollen storm above a very safe and normal looking American neighborhood. That would be quite the misdirect in a movie plot, wouldn't it? (Artist: Brandon Proff)

2009 — A repeated image with an interesting mix of beauty, beast, and a little bit of mystery. It reminds me of the Star Wars bounty hunter Zam Wesell: pretty woman, or skeletal reptilian? "Both" is the uncomfortable answer, but aren't we all many things? (Artist: Jacob Bannon)

2009 — Inspired by Salman Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There Is No Heaven: A Letter to the Six Billionth Citizen,” this cover seems to be a letter to the seven billionth citizen with a time stamp from 1905 (the world hit 7 billion in 2011). In the essay, Rushdie argues that “the ancient wisdoms are modern non-senses” and religion should not have a strong place in the world anymore. Well... perhaps now is time to re-learn some of the ancient wisdoms? Our ancestors knew something, too. It'd be neat if this letter was actually an heirloom of one of the band members. (Artist: Rohner Segnitz)

2009 — Mmmmm, oh yes... I know this feeling... It's the same swirly warmth that I get from "The Starry Night" by Van Gogh. It’s even given me goosebumps, which my body often does when I experience something deep and important. Bonus points for band member art. (Artist: Aaron Turner)

2009 — Tough matchup for the poor pup! Unless it’s Pumba vs. Krypto, the warthog probably wins that every time. The angle of our perspective is class, as it emphasizes the agony of the pup and really elevates the overall savagery. We can practically hear the two beasts drool, snort, and squeal. (Artist: Vania Zouravliov)

2009 — Staring at screens, doomscrolling, and brainless consumption of media has become a real problem for our race. We should all kick the chair in the doorway to get out into the world, connect face-to-face, and think critically. Winner of thousands of fan submissions based on the theme of the album's title.

2009 — This cover reminds me of my sister, who is quite a skilled doodler in black and white. She doesn't customarily draw gremlins and third eyes, but if she got in the right mindset, I'm sure she could pull it off. I also enjoy that no eye is the same and that the band name is articulated in tree branches. (Artist: Mihály Gergely)

2009 — Lots of metal covers feature astronauts and planets and such, but rarely are they oppressive, like space truly would be. This one feels different, with an unidentifiable body shrouded in fog. The sprinkle of dust particles is a nice touch as well. (Artist: Samuli Huttunen)

2009 — Miyamoto Musashi, the renowned philosopher-swordsman from the 1600s, would have many reasons to feel honored by this tip of the cap from Andorra, including the cover (which is damn slick). Enveloped in shroud, the swordsman is anonymous, as if the sword and the man are one and the same. Miyamoto once said: "Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world," and also, "I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content," so I suspect this would make him pleased. (Artist: Bernat Argemí)

2009 — I am intimidated by this woman... but also, I'm attracted to her. She's got tattoos like an MS-13 member that could unlock the meaning of life and braids woven around horns that manifest the spirit of the buffalo. Hot. The black is also perfect, and unlike some of their other efforts, the band's name sits tastefully in the corner. (Artist: Michael Rosner)

2009 — One of the more beautiful and intricate 19th-century paintings used for covers, titled "Christ Stilleth the Tempest." The large cave structure, the light streaming down from above, and the seemingly hopeless situation remind me of Bane and Talia in The Pit in "The Dark Knight Rises." There's no connection, of course, but it's amazing how the brain makes analogies between things to create meaning. (Artist: John Martin)

2008 — Of all the cheesy monster covers in metal (including Amon Amarth's catalogue), this one might be the best of them. I also have a soft spot for Mjölnir, so I'm biased. (Artist: Tom Thiel)

2008 — This one has the feeling of an architectural model whose maker passed away and was then left in a cupboard to accumulate cobwebs. I sure hope the Earth's creator has many years left to live. Neat style that could pass as a rough draft. (Artist: Richard Forbes-Hamilton)

2008 — For a musical project based completely on the Final Fantasy video game series (and its fantastic visual artistry), it makes no sense that this band's first two albums are so visually unremarkable. They got this one right, though. The more you look, the more you are seduced by the romance and high fantasy of it all. (Artist: Hideo Minaba)

2008 — Bathroom tile and rugged landscapes go together like butter on pot roast, which is to say, not really. But how often are safety and wilderness separated by just a bathroom window? Our civilized enclosures aren't as airtight as we imagine them to be. Bonus points for the cool Rubik's Cube effect and the artist being the band's keyboardist. (Artist: Jeremy Schmidt)

2008 — If I ever sign up for a séance or need some witchcraft to put a curse on the latest pigeon to poop on my windshield, I want this woman to lead the ceremony—she clearly means business! Big fan of the color palette as well. (Artist: George Barr)

2008 — Ahhh, so this is what happens at Stonehenge at night when nobody is looking; I always thought it was a portal to some other dimension! (Hah.) Really effective use of dark browns. The script is a great touch, too, as it gives the towering pillars what looks like mouths and adds to the solemnity of the wake (or is it a resurrection?). (Artist: Ketalohelvete)

2008 — It is a triumph! The Martyr has voyaged into the depths of Hell, bludgeoned by violent storms and icy rain, charred by smelted gold and raging fire, and battled by demons in both swamp and abyss, only to heroically retrieve the Manifesto from the Devil himself. The Devil beat his wife in response, causing drops of blood to sprinkle upon the land as the sun shines across a brilliant sky. Folks, the deadlock between Heaven and Hell has finally been broken, and the Martyr's death will forever be tied to the sole word on the scroll: "Science." (Artist: Adam Wentworth)

2008 — What do you see here: life, or death? Based on the story of Samson stumbling upon a honey-producing beehive inside the skull of a lion he had killed (Judges 14:8-10), things may die, but the cycle of organic matter ensures that their purpose will eventually be renewed. My co-pick for AAOTD in the 2000s. Co-selected with The Acacia Strain's "Death is the Only Mortal," which is another visual marvel related to the cycle of rebirth, showing "dead" coral as a home to a bird and flower. (Artist: Arik Roper)

2008 — A public service announcement in the form of loud and bombastic paint smatter: We play music that's so loud and bombastic you should really think about your poor neighbors and board up your house! Well, that's very nice of you, Genghis Tron, but bring it on. Give us your best shot! (Artist: Jon Beasley)

2008 — Several of Intronaut's releases feature ancient and eerie collage art, so this selection stands for the lot of them. A repeated theme is death and decay below the flight of black birds, who seem to be the only ones capable of escaping the Earth's graveyard. Messengers to (or from) the afterlife, perhaps? (Artist: Ryan Wade)

2008 — This African woman from the Sub-Sahara is really, really out of place in the Moroccan or Middle Eastern town corridor; not only is she dressed differently, she's a literal giant, made taller by the water bucket. Of course, this contrast is what makes the piece awesome. It also fits the backstory of the album, which includes an Ouija board and an intercultural love triangle. (Artist: Jeff Jordan)

2008 — Oh, those elk, those jokesters! Always being silly and drawing attention to themselves. I wish their new kites would just take flight so I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. Us moose would never defile our antlers like that. I laugh at them. PAH! And no, I'm not at all bitter about losing the recent Cervidae Costume Contest, why would you ask? (Artists: Heather & Ivan Morison)

2007 — Struck with inspiration, you walk to a rock that overlooks the seashore. The sun has nearly set, but there's still a mango-colored glow. The waves crash, salt is in the air, and sand crinkles beneath your feet. You turn around to face away from the ocean, hold your arms out to the side, and let the wind blow through you like wings carrying you to the heavens. For one moment—one beautiful moment—you transcend yourself and go to some other plane. (Artist: Kris Angylus, Monica Dragynfly)

2007 — This close up of a wide-mouthed, vomiting beast is impressive and startling in its own right, but the full-size artwork is an absolutely trippy, fully-fleshed creature made up of several other animals, including a tiger, a snake, and an eagle. It's the type of poster that I wish I had on my dorm room wall. The powers of Paul Romano truly don't peak unless there's expanded space. (Artist: Paul Romano)

2007 — A minimalistic cityscape etched into a black background with imperfectly perfect precision, plus streaks of color that stand out like lightning in a sky. Simply put, this artwork rocks, the dim and blurry thumbnail be damned. Also, shout out to my sister who, like the artist, has a talent for drawing straight lines. It's not easy. (Artist/Layout Designer: Brandon Proff)

2007 — Dark, dreamy, and full of emotion. The blurs and swirls put me in a contemplative mood (are those stars? ...crosses? ...planes? ...is the man confused?...), while the fire in the man's chest bubbles some warmth in mine as well. It's a perfect complement to the concept of the album, which is "a musical description of a dream or stream of consciousness... explor[ing] the question of where dreams end and reality begins." (Artist: Antonio Seijas)

2007 — Attack of the bugs! Bring it on, I say, especially if there's gonna be a giant skeleton in charge--makes it easier to chop off the head of the snake! --err, roach. I know many people (and cities) will disagree, but I actually get a little anxious if a place is too bugless. Seems unnatural. (Artist: Daniel Shaw)

2007 — A very "homey" watercolor painting that feels like it could be produced by the best artist in your extended family. I also love phenomena that are described by a single word in one language but require many words in others: "Lumikuuro" is a brief flurry of snow in Finnish. (Artist: Mikhail Pushkarev)

2007 — "It's hard out in the streets" is a phrase some Americans like to say. The "hard" refers more to a difficulty of life, but the streets are also literally quite hard. It's similar in space, as the agitated spaceman has nowhere to go but his dingy, hard spacecraft. The gas giant out his window is not hard enough, while anything rockier is too hard to live on—they're either too hot or don't have an atmosphere, etc. It's just a hard hard world out there above our heads. (Artist: James E. Lyle)

2007 — Looks as if one of my beloved childhood characters, the Iron Giant, is stuck between gentle mode and angry weapon mode. Remember, you don't have to be a weapon, you are who you choose to be! So, choose...

2007 — A cute black metal album cover? Am I seeing this right? The ghostly spirits seem to be having a really great time zooming all around. Makes me jealous. If I could fly without effort, I'd turn the world into my own personal playpen, too. (Artist: Tristan)

2007 (Artist: John Coulthart)

2006 — The spirit of Grand Theft Auto, coming to a metal album near you! Seriously, GTA could develop a spinoff based on this cover alone, and feature some of the songs on its in-game radio station, "Channel X." (Artist: Cory Cudney)

2006 — "Inhuman Rearing" is the original title of this painting from 1999, and I would say that's apt. It's just so jarring to see such inhuman faces attached to those human bodies, in a scene that feels familiar, like a classic work of art. There are a few other disturbing details as well, such as the woman's amphibious hand or her slobbering, lion-faced left tit. (Artist: Viktor Safonkin)

2006 — The last time I hid in plain sight, I changed my shorts in public. These guys are lazily making off with an Olmec head. Zoom out to the fuller painting (“Big Mutant”) and the head becomes a version of the Cardiff Giant with a Barbie-like body and bulging calf muscles. If they can slip by the authorities with that, they should be hired by Danny Ocean for his next heist. (Artist: Jeff Jordan)

2006 — The kookiest cover on this list, bar none. Apparently, the author was inspired to create the original piece, "Milkbar," after watching white stuff leak out of the robot Bishop in the movie "Aliens." So, what we have here is milk. One woman is inspecting the milk and another guy is trying to catch some on his hand; otherwise, nobody cares, not even the kid with a cup and a cat under the table. Everything is divided into panels that look like bathroom tiles and the art style is like a less tidy "King of the Hill." What does this all mean? Basically, this is a lot of words to say who the f*** knows. (Artist: Amanda Church)

2006 — One of those non-technical pieces with imagery and color that really snuggle your insides. It seems likely that it represents a real place somewhere. I am not there, Mono, but I wish I were! My heart yearns for the flames of the cold mountain, bathed in moonlight. (Artist: Esteban Rey)

2006 — Funny business is afoot at the circus, you say? Burning the written word has been a sign of bad times since at least 213 BC—perfect content for dark cabaret! Artistically, the "simple" style manages to show an impressive amount of depth. I also love the silhouette of the boy's hair, since I think it's what mine would look like. (Artist: Crab Scrambly)

2005 — An undead cross between a wolf and an ibex leans down to drink water right at the moment you emerge from the bushes. It turns its head, water trickles through its ribcage, and the holes in its skull where its eyes should be somehow bear into you. You then realize you're having a terrible trip and should have laid off the mushrooms.

2005 — The Guy makes his first appearance in style, accompanied by a sea of colorful characters. I've been a fan of the raised fist since I first saw a clip of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics. The strength and solidarity it represents always hits hard. (Artist: Greg Capullo)

2005 — As a lover of anthropology, I would be remiss if I did not include this delightfully coarse depiction of our ancestors. One cheeky bugger has actually chiseled a new guitar. How's that for tool use! (Artists: Deanna Cilli, Greg Haa)

2005 — Sometimes a scene can sing a song. In this song, the expressions of the damned, err, insects, say: "Somebody, please tell me that I'm dreaming. It's not easy to stop from screaming!" While meanwhile, someone in the crowd yells out: "God be with you!" To which the insects think: "If there's a God, why has he let me go?" Or something like that. Stellar depiction of the sands of time running low. Originally published in the "Boston Herald" under the title "Witchcraft Victims on the Way to the Gallows" in 1930. (Artist: Frederick Coffay Yohn)

2004 — Skeletal war birds posed as peace doves dive bombing over the rat race of a scorched earth with bullets in their beaks instead of olive branches. Dope. Supposedly, it's an oblique reference to so-called "holy wars," and the Iraq War in particular. The script is also nice since it's big but not obtrusive. (Artist: K3n Adams)

2004 — Not my favorite Leviathan of all time—that would be Thomas Hobbes—but certainly one of the more memorable covers in the genre. The full vinyl version is stunning and a popular pick for top metal art of the decade. The music even manages to match this quality as well. (Artist: Paul Romano)

2004 — Artistic filth of the highest quality. Eyes make many appearances in metal, but rarely as a complete substitute for someone's forehead. Also, if the jaundiced mutant is really intent on helping the world to see, I don't think eating it like an apple is going to help. (Artist: Wes Benscoter)

2003 — A piece that is so calm, and yet, so crushingly violent. The fiery red sky seems to have nearly dried up the body of water, leaving the boatman with nothing to fish and nowhere to go. Soon, the boat won't even be able to float. A take on global warming that was ahead of its time, I'm guessing. (Artist: Travis Smith)

2003 — I have not played teeter-totter in a long while, but I remember it's very important that nobody jumps off. You need balance! Extol is a Christian band, so I suspect this is saying that religion or faith keeps one grounded, but Death keeps things interesting. Best to entertain Death a bit, or it might just be game over. (Artist: Hugh Syme)

2003 — In my experience, Christmas spirit is at its peak when there's snow on the ground. Here we have snow that is simply delicious, textured like frosting on a cupcake. And the buildings could even be gingerbread! Cropped from the painting "Skaters on a Frozen Pond" from 1880. (Artist: Frederik Marianus Kruseman)

2003 — Slapping together a regular image, a doctored image, and a cartoonish drawing has never looked as nice as it does here. Each component really seems to belong together. Australia and Asia, however, do not belong together, though the orange smog and the yellow distortion suggest some sort of apocalyptic situation where, who knows, maybe those two continents have collided. (Artists: Aaron Turner, Gregory White)

2003 — This selection is actually of the 2012 Reissue, despite the raider on a three-headed horse being pretty neat, too. In the Reissue, the Tusken Raiders make an appearance, making their way across the Tatooine desert in a caravan. Luke Skywalker's childhood home is even in the background, before it was torched to a crisp. Fun for any Star Wars fan. (Artist: Arik Roper)

2003 — In Norwegian, a "likferd" is a transportation of a body to a burial, which is why we see a casket in a canoe under the Norwegian flag. The original painting, "Likferd På Sognefjorden" from 1853, is beautiful in its own right, but the tragic passing of founder and lead man Terje "Valfar" Bakken in a snowstorm in his home region of Sogn (where the painting is set) the following year makes this project like his own likferd, so to speak. I wonder if Valfar would appreciate this darkly poetic fact. (Artists: Adolph Tidemand, Hans Gude)

2002 — The classy and mysterious allure of an ancient statue translated to a cover. Just as the "Fates" are woven for us all, this young woman seems fated to die, and then possibly immortalized in statue. But even statues break and deteriorate over time, thereby realizing their own kind of fate. (Cover Designer: Hybi)

2002 — It looks like something paranormal has infected the residents of a Roman gladiatorial school, perhaps charging them up for a Spartacus-like takeover of the property. And if you don't know who Spartacus is, well, I am. I'm Spartacus. (Artist: Thomas Ewerhard)

2002 — A visual continuation of the character on the band's debut album, "Journey of the Dunadan," released in 1993. That album was about Aragorn and this one is about Ancient Rome, which is a fun connection since Gondor was modeled (at least partly) after the old Empire. Nerdiness aside, this is the kind of surrealist art that can leave you staring for days, searching for a precise understanding that never comes. (Artist: Rosana Azar)

2002 — You konw how you can raed tihs snenctee jsut fnie dtiespe olny the frsit and lsat lrettes bineg cerorct? Well, this is like that, where the outline is there and our brains fill in the rest to outstanding effect. I'm not sure black and white has ever looked so good. (Artist: Hellcunt)

2002 — From an illustration of Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," what's depicted is "Death" playing dice with "Life-in-Death" for the souls on the ship. In this version, though, Life-in-Death has been cropped out and all that's left is the darkened aura of Death. Spooky! Or maybe nothing too nefarious is going on and Death just is enjoying a corn on the cob. (Artist: Gustave Doré)

2002 — I'm a sucker for a sea of faces ever since I visited "500 Lohan Temple" in Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia (check it out!). Each face is like a glimpse into a world that our brains subconsciously concoct stories about. I think my favorite kid is the one with the facial mark that looks like a black eye. And is that Alan "Yeah-Yeah" McClennan that I see? Next to the afro kid, for those who get the reference. (Artist: Eric White)

2002 — After losing his longtime life partner and 19-year-old daughter in unrelated tragedies in a 10-month period, drummer Neil Peart took a hiatus from the band and went on a 55,000-mile motorcycle trip to process his grief. Upon returning, he reflected on “how our lives, like comets, sparkle and fade.” Then, not too much later, in a “twilight moment,” artist Hugh Syme stepped outside his Indiana home to see the most wondrous and surreal shooting star, inspiring him to paint his impressions and drop the idea of using space photography. Amazing how art comes together sometimes. (Artist: Hugh Syme)

2002 — This is a pretty obvious play on Chaos Theory and the Butterfly Effect, and that's cool, but my mind goes to John Coffey and "The Green Mile." I imagine the eyeless butterfly breather as a kind of anti-character to Coffey, absorbing wellness instead of illness. He would be some kind of menace! There are Dementors, I guess, but they don't breathe out butterflies. (Artist: Travis Smith)

2002 — "Although changed, I arise again the same." That is the motto of the mathematician Bernoulli concerning the "Golden Spiral," or nature's most popular repeating fractal pattern, seen in seashells, cauliflower, ram horns, and galaxies, to name a few. A vision from the Spiral Generator would therefore be a look into the mind of God. Or the divine, or whatever. (Artist: Asgeir Mickelson)

2001 — "Forlorn" is the first word that comes to mind when viewing this wayward traveler at the front of their tent. I suspect they are a 39-year-old organ grinder ("Leierkastenmann") doing their best to avoid the meat grinder of WW2, since the album tells of the misfortunes of four Jewish musicians in that grand abomination. One of the more stunning works to be bathed in white. (Artists: Gabriele Böck, Irene Denner)

2001 — For an album of cover songs based on old horror films and TV series, the cover art is impressively on theme without being cheesy. Featured is the eye and camera from the movie poster for "Man With A Movie Camera" by Dziga Vertov in 1929. Vertov is a darling in visual anthropology (and film studies), which makes this cover all the doper. (Artist: Martin Kvamme)

2001 — Oh boy. A wall of fire with a face is coming in—that can't be good! If the boat was headed in the other direction, I would think it's a pyre, but it looks like violence instead. Artistically, each brush stroke really makes the piece come alive, from the glint of the sun to the ripple of the whitecaps to the breeze blowing through the warrior's hair. It almost feels possible to stick out your tongue and taste the salt in the atmosphere. (Artist: Skrymer)

2001 — 2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate? Sigh! Sigh! Sigh! A funky color palette paired with funky Hindu-inspired imagery and a funky presentation of the band’s name as though it were a pop album. Legendary. Goes without saying that the music is funky, too. (Artist: Stephen O'Malley)

2001 — At first, I assumed this was a blurry depiction of a couple kids sledding on a snowy day. Looking closer, though, it's a man in a suit and a blonde woman at the bedside of a young man wearing a beanie. This makes me think there's something very heavy going on. A cold day in more ways than one... Great art. (Artist: Jeff Till)

2001 — This thing you were given, carefully crafted, each part linked to the other, but more than machine, awakens, and all that there is, and all that there could be, is there for you, to be felt at the touch, and to be touched by the heart; seen, identified, and perceived. The incredible is all around. Open your eyes and use them. Open your eye and use that, too. (Artist: Alex Grey)

2000 — Such a soft and soothing image, like the artwork equivalent of a massage. If this is a flood, it feels like one where you will not drown, but will instead float peacefully until your body is delivered to safety. (Artist: Atsuo aka Fangs Anal Satan)

2000 — Blurring out the foreground—what a badass artistic decision. The haze from the weed smoke even seems to leak through to the audience... *cough!* *cough!* ...Potent stuff. Then the creepy hooded figures in the background add a bit of danger, though I'm sure Satan isn't too concerned. He'll probably just pass them the bong. (Artist: Tim Bagshaw)

2000 — Featured here are characters of thriller/mystery writer Edogawa Rampo: including, Kogoro Akechi, a kind of Sherlock Holmes-type super detective; Kobayashi Yoshio, Kogoro's 10-year-old assistant; and "The Fiend with Twenty Faces," an infamous gentleman-thief and Kogoro's most common antagonist. In the titular music video, each of the three members of the band play one of the characters. Quite fun. (Artist: Kotaro Koushi)

2000 — Ophelia floating serenely down a river? It always impresses me when fractals are done well, and in this case, they're done well enough to earn a permanent exhibit in the Louvre; "La Jeune Martyre" by Paul Delaroche is the original. I also have this on a t-shirt. My co-pick for AAOTD in the 2000s. (Artist: Paul Delaroche)

2000 — There's a lot of purple on this cover and that's usually enough for me. The full fold out, though, hits with absolute devilishness, like the face of a supernatural snake smirking at you through a web of flames. It's hard to ever be satisfied with the thumbnail after that. (Artist: Malleus Rock Art Lab)