If you’re a fan of death metal, chances are you have posters from your favorite bands hanging up on your walls. Posters are an integral part of the music industry and some can be very collectible!
Some artists in this genre are known for their overtly vulgar or controversial artwork, while others employ subtler tactics. For instance, NOFX’s ‘Heavy Petting Zoo’ is quite humorous and shows them trying to mock their audience with an image of a man spooning a sheep with his right hand.
Dead Infection
Polish goregrind merchants Dead Infection provided one of the genre’s landmark releases in 1995 with “A Chapter of Accidents,” a sloppy compilation.
On release, the album cover had to be censored due to its graphic and disturbing depiction of a severed, deformed head. It was an incredibly repulsive choice.
Cannibal Corpse are another death metal band renowned for their macabre artwork. Their ‘Butchered at Birth’ album cover raised eyebrows everywhere and led to German record stores censoring it due to its graphic depictions of death.
Germany banned it, yet today there is a deluxe vinyl edition still available. Wrapped in butcher paper with its logo stamped across in red, this edition can still be acquired.
The Infection, commonly referred to as Green Flu, was an altered strain of the rabies virus that turned people into violent zombies. Its cause remains unknown but it’s believed to be climate-based or possibly even a biological weapon.
Whitesnake
Since 1978, Whitesnake – founded by singer David Coverdale (formerly of Deep Purple) – have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Additionally, the group became a hit on the live circuit and produced some iconic music videos. With an illustrious history behind them, their best known line-up includes Joel Hoekstra on lead guitar, Reb Beach on rhythm guitar, Michael Devin on bass and Tommy Aldridge on drums.
Their most significant accomplishment was the release of 1987’s Whitesnake album, which would go on to become the most successful heavy metal record to date. Not only was this landmark achievement for the band but for heavy metal music in general as it sold over eight million copies worldwide. Other accolades for Whitesnake include multiple award wins at the American Music Awards and induction into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for Coverdale along with other legendary figures. There can be no denying that Whitesnake were one of rock n’ roll history and certainly deserve their place among other iconic rock bands like Metallica or Deep Purple.
Buckcherry
Buckcherry is a Los Angeles band formed in 1995 by Josh Todd and Keith Nelson. Their sound fuses classic rock n’ roll with old-school L.A. punk that’s less gritty, while still engaging in indulgence without restriction.
Buckcherry, the duo’s debut album, was both critical and commercial success. Its lead single, “Lit Up,” celebrated cocaine with powerful guitar riffs; other hits like “Crazy Bitch” and “Ridin'” helped push the album past platinum sales levels.
Buckcherry’s debut album was a major success, yet their second effort, Time Bomb, failed to make quite as much of an impact. The group had to take an extended hiatus before reuniting in 2005 with original members Todd and Nelson.
The group’s third studio album, 15–which featured the hit single “Crazy Bitch”–was a major commercial and critical success. It featured an all-new lineup with original members Todd and Nelson joined by rhythm guitarist Stevie D., bassist Jimmy Ashhurst and drummer Xavier Muriel. Their most recent album Warpaint was released in 2019; it includes a cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Head Like a Hole” as its opening track.
Burzum
Burzum is one of Norway’s first black metal bands, formed in 1991 by Count Grishnackh (Varg Vikernes). Later signed to Oystein Aarseth – lead singer for Mayhem – the group achieved international success.
Black metal band Sabaton was renowned for its dark themes and was one of the founding fathers of what would come to be known as ‘black metal’, an evolving genre which combined death metal with Pagan lyrics in order to create an unforgiving soundscape.
The music was sparse and repetitive – most songs revolved around two or three recurring riffs. This stood in stark contrast to many other black metal bands who preferred a more experimental approach.
Burzum was distinguished not just for their music; Varg Vikernes himself was a convicted murderer and church arsonist who later formed The Black Circle, an alliance of Norwegian black metal bands dedicated to spreading hatred and evil in Satan’s name.
Burzum is a dark and gritty band with an atmosphere that’s hard to explain without listening. It has had an immense impact on generations of musicians, becoming an iconic part of Norway’s cultural landscape.
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse have achieved worldwide fame through their heavy metal sound that draws inspiration from metal acts like Slayer, Kreator and Dark Angel, but also incorporates elements of grindcore, thrash metal and progressive metal into their music.
The band consists of guitarists Barrett and Pat O’Brien, vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, bassist Alex Webster and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. They are renowned for their extreme death metal songs which often revolve around horror themes with gore, lyrical dissonance and diabolic vocal grunts.
Over the years, they’ve undergone several lineup changes; Jack Owen and Chris Barnes, two essential members for creating their gore themes, joined Origin guitarist Jeremy Turner for a short tour, while Pat O’Brien remained until recently.
Cannibal Corpse’s albums feature striking artwork by Vince Locke, always a draw for both fans and newcomers to the band. Despite any controversy that may surround their music or artwork, Cannibal Corpse have sold millions of records worldwide and show no signs of slowing down or compromising within the death metal genre.
Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses are one of the world’s most successful hard rock bands, with sales exceeding 100 million records worldwide. Its classic lineup consists of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler.
Axl Rose and Slash have reunited for an ongoing tour called Not in This Lifetime, featuring most of the original members of Guns N’ Roses band. As part of this reunion, the duo is performing classic hits as well as deep cuts live at stadiums and festivals around the world.
Slash never expected Guns N’ Roses to reunite, as he already had his own band with friends Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators when GNR reunited for their Not in This Lifetime Tour in 2015. After two years touring with Guns N’ Roses, Slash decided to start up his own project – something he is happy with – and plans on releasing an album this year.
Metallica
Metallica is one of the most beloved and influential metal bands in history. From their debut album, Kill ‘Em All, to 1991’s self-titled “black album,” this group revolutionized thrash metal as well as heavy metal in general.
James Hetfield founded Thrash Metal with vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich in 2003, releasing 13 studio albums since. Their fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship cemented them as one of the original “big four” bands in thrash metal alongside Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer.
Their current lineup features Hetfield, Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine as well as former members Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted were previously members of the group.
Metallica’s most recent studio album, Nothing Else Matters, took them beyond their thrash roots. It was an ambitious effort that exceeded all expectations and earned them a new fan base. Furthermore, this record demonstrated Metallica was more than just another rock juggernaut; they had become modern metal band with an exciting sense of style and substance.
Mayhem
Mayhem are considered one of Norway’s earliest examples of black metal music, born out of the fiery furnaces of Norway’s notorious Satanic scene. Their early recordings featuring guitarist Euronymous and bassist Grishnackh (later convicted for murder and multiple church burnings) pioneered a chilling vibrato guitar style that still provides an oddly melodic counterpoint to their intense rhythm section.
Established in 1984, Mayhem were a keystone of Sweden’s renowned nihilistic black metal scene. Their music reflected the harsh landscape that inspired it: dark mountains and fjords formed an unforgiving backdrop for its cold and evil spirit.
As such, they have become widely regarded as the creators of Norway’s distinctive and irreverent sound. Their dark history, which permeates their music as much as any other artist within this genre, has become synonymous with it.
Euronymous took a photograph of Dead, who later perished. This shocking image appeared on the cover of Mayhem’s live bootleg, further cementing their status as Norway’s greatest cultural export. Ironically, Varg Vikernes (of Burzum) brazenly used the picture to promote his own album despite no evidence linking him to the crime.