Illustrious brush strokes to pair well with your riffs.
Here at Heaviest of Art, we believe in love at first sight...for music that is. Sometimes it takes but one glance at an album cover to have listeners head over heels, even to the point where one buys a record before listening to any tracks. There are even folks who force themselves to enjoy a record because of how damn good the art is (as crazy as that sounds). Needless to say, the illustrations before us have the power of changing our perceptions to the music lying within, hence the creation of this platform.
One look at our Top 30 Albums of 2019 list here is proof that 2019 continued the hot streak that metal that has seen in the several years prior. With great metal comes great art, and this year delivered, welcoming new faces to metal artwork and many returning ones as well. Renowned artists like Mariusz Lewandowski, Adam Burke, Stefan Todorovic (Khaos Diktator), and Paolo Girardo were actively present this year, finding themselves on several covers and already confirmed for several more in the new year. We also had Erica Frevel, Adrian Cox, Samantha Keeley Smith, Elijah Tamu, and more who did not illustrate a ton of covers, yet made a huge splash with their impactful work and have set the stage for an amazing future to come. The amount of great art this year is truly remarkable, but there were a select group that stood a notch above the rest (objectively speaking) for their ability to introduce us to new bands, make us purchase records, and ultimately, take our breath away.
Here are the Top 30 Album Covers of 2019:
30. WOLCENSMEN - Fire In The White Stone (David Thiérrée) | Listen
29. TOMB MOLD - Planetary Clairvoyance (Jesse Jacobi) | Listen
28. MUTILATRED - Ingested Filth (Patrick Mcdonagh) | Listen
27. BEASTWARS - IV (Nick Keller) | Listen
26. WITCH VOMIT - Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave (Matt Stikker) | Listen
25. TOTALED - Lament (Andrew Tremblay) | Listen
24. GATECREEPER - Deserted (Brad Moore) | Listen
23. Misþyrming - Algleymi (Manuel Tinnemans) | Listen
22. LUNAR SHADOW - The Smokeless Fires (Adam Burke) | Listen
21. RIPPED TO SHREDS - 魔經 - Demon Scriptures (Velio Josto) | Listen
20. SERPENT COLUMN - Mirror in Darkness (Jane Morris Pack) | Listen
19. MIZMOR - Cairn (Mariusz Lewandowski) | Listen
18. SUNN O))) - Pyroclasts (Samantha Keeley Smith) | Listen
17. PROFANATICA - Rotting Incarnation of God (Paolo Girardi) | Listen
16. SANGUINE EAGLE - Storm Mysticism (Yu Rim Chung) | Listen
15. ESOGENESI - Esogenesi (Korvo) | Listen
14. WILDERUN - Veil of Imagination (Adrian Cox) | Listen
13. BLUT AUS NORD - Hallucinogen (Dehn Sora) | Listen
12. DARKTHRONE - Old Star (Chadwick St. John) | Listen
11. ABYSSAL - A Beacon In The Husk (Elijah Tamu) | Listen
10. SHRINE OF INSANABILIS - Vast Vortex Litanies (Dávid Glomba) | Listen
9. SPIRIT ADRIFT - Divided by Darkness (Joe Petagno) | Listen
8. LICE - Woe Betide You (Timo Ketola) | Listen
7. ESOCTRILIHUM- The Telluric Ashes of the Ö Vrth Immemorial Gods (Alan Brown) | Listen
6. DEVIL MASTER - Satan Spits on Children of Light (Erica Frevel) | Listen
5. TENEBRAE IN PERPETUUM - Anorexia Obscura (Cold Poison) | Listen
4. POSSESSED - Revelations of Oblivion (Zbigniew M. Bielak) | Listen
3. HAUNTER - Sacramental Death Qualia (Elijah Tamu) | Listen
2. BARONESS - Gold & Grey (John Dyer Baizley) | Listen
1. MOSAIC - Secret Ambrosian Fire (Jose Gabriel Alegría Sabogal) | Listen
As 2019 comes to a close, Heaviest of Art would like to thank our featured artists for their artistic contributions to the world. We would also like to thank you, our readers and listeners, for supporting each and every one of the great artists listed above.
Moving forward, let's continue to commission new works, share existing pieces, and show love to these works that enrich our lives when we sit by the record player or browse through the shelves of our favorite record stores. Heaviest of Art foresees a great year ahead and we can't wait for you all to see what metal has in store for 2020.