The 1980s were a defining decade for heavy metal, with bands pushing boundaries in sound, image, and album artwork. While some covers became legendary, others became infamous for all the wrong reasons. Whether it was poor artistic choices, awkward band photos, or just plain bad design, these covers failed to capture the spirit of heavy metal—or worse, made fans cringe.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the worst heavy metal album covers from the 80s, analysing what went wrong and why they remain unforgettable (for the wrong reasons).
Druid – Vampire Cult (1988)
Druid was not a major label act; they were part of the underground scene. Many lesser-known bands at the time couldn’t afford professional artwork, resulting in homemade-looking covers like this one. This was the case with Druid and Vampire Cult, as the first pressing was a self-released vinyl under the pseudo-label Crossbone Records.
The central figure appears to be a vampire-like creature, yet oddly, he is covered in crosses—shouldn’t vampires fear crosses? For some reason, he is about to strike a giant skull with a bizarre-looking axe, while the skull itself is inexplicably holding a small arrow. In the background, another vampire is present, wielding what looks like a small kitchen knife. Both figures sport hair that resembles a palm tree, complete with bangs.
The album title, Vampire Cult, is written in a very basic font, while the band’s logo looks like a parody of a thrash metal logo.
Pantera – Metal Magic (1983)
Long before Pantera became one of the most influential groove metal bands, they started as a glam metal act in the early 1980s. Their 1983 debut album, Metal Magic, was self-released under their own label of the same name. While the album itself is a curious relic of Pantera’s hair metal phase, its cover art is nothing short of legendary—in the worst way possible.
The central figure appears to be a muscular, sword-wielding, humanoid panther striking a dramatic pose. His skin tone resembles that of a human, yet he is only wearing a belt as clothing. Fortunately, no genitals are visible. However, even without them, it somehow looks like the humanoid panther is experiencing an orgasm. His face is frozen in a wide grin, with his pupils rolled upward. He certainly seems to be having a great time with that sword.
Predator – Easy Prey (1986)
Predator was a heavy/speed metal band from the USA that only released one full-length album in the 1980s. However, they are making a comeback with a new album in 2025.
Their lone 80s album is primarily known for its notoriously bad cover art. Unlike most metal bands of that era, this one opted for a photo rather than an illustration. The cover features a young woman walking along the beach in a bikini on what appears to be a grey, overcast afternoon. But, as the album title suggests, she is Easy Prey.
In the background, lurking behind some poles, we see a man wearing a white mask. This guy certainly knows how to make a fashion statement—he has cut extremely large holes into his white t-shirt. He must have used a sharp pair of scissors, as the holes are remarkably clean-cut. However, he seems to have forgotten his shoes. But who needs shoes when you’re out hunting for easy prey at the beach?
Geisha – Phantasmagoria (1987)
Geisha was an obscure heavy metal band from Denmark that only released one album. Interestingly, several of its members went on to join much bigger bands—three of them even became part of King Diamond, including drummer Mikkey Dee.
As for the album cover, it’s hard to say exactly what’s going on. It features an airbrushed painting that presumably depicts the band members. Vocalist Yenz Cheyenne is holding a candle—or at least, I think it’s a candle, but it could be anything.
The strangest part of the painting is that one of the members is almost ghost-like, partially visible with glowing white eyes. Why is he so hidden? The other members are clearly visible. Was he added in later because they forgot to include him? Sadly, we may never know the answer.
Magnus – Scarlet Slaughterer (1989)
The late ’80s were a golden age for extreme metal, with thrash and death metal bands pushing the boundaries of aggression. While Magnus is a respected Polish death/thrash band, their debut album’s artwork is as cringe-worthy as it gets.
Presumably, the red-armored warrior in the center is meant to be the Scarlet Slaughterer, but he looks more like a cartoon character drawn by a six-year-old. He even has only four fingers on each hand, just like a Disney character.
In the background, there’s a green phone booth where the Scarlet Slaughterer appears to have just slaughtered someone. Behind it, trees are blowing in the wind, and above them, a castle stands alongside modern city buildings. I should also mention that the entire composition is completely out of proportion.
Oral – Oral Sex (1985)
There weren’t many all-female heavy metal bands in the ’80s, but Oral from the UK was one of them—well, sort of. While the EP credits Bev E. Lee (vocals), Monica Ramone (guitars, mouth organ), Dee (drums), and Candy (bass), the actual vocals were performed by Monica, while the music was written by Garry Bushell and Steve Kent and played by songwriter Steve (guitars), Mark Brabbs (drums), and Keith (bass). So much for one of the few all-female metal bands of the ’80s.
The cover is all about sex—naturally. After all, the band’s name is Oral, and their EP is called Sex. So is that what an all-female band is supposed to be about? The women on the cover appear to be into S&M, having dragged their submissive partners down to a rocky beach. It actually looks quite cold, with the sky looming gray overhead. Hopefully, they had some extra clothes nearby.
Fun fact: Monica Ramone has a brief appearance in the Iron Maiden music video “Two Minutes to Midnight”.
Sinner – Danger Zone (1984)
Sinner, the German heavy metal band led by Mat Sinner, has released plenty of solid metal albums over the years, but Danger Zone stands out—not for its music, but for its unintentionally hilarious album cover.
I assume that the figures sitting in the car are the band members, crashing headfirst into a massive pane of glass that takes up the entire cover. Well, almost—the glass shatters dramatically as the car collides with the edge of the artwork itself, breaking the very borders of the album cover. That must have been some serious speed.
But why are they crashing? Well, on the side, there’s a bizarre-looking woman dressed head to toe in black leather. I can only assume the band got distracted by her towering, bright-orange ‘80s hairdo.
Torch – Torch (1983)
Since Swedish band Torch released their album long before Avatar, we can only assume the cover was inspired by The Smurfs. But the blue woman on the cover is angry. Very angry. So furious that her forehead bulges outward in true Frankenstein fashion.
On top of that, she’s wearing a spiked headband and a matching choker. This is not a woman to mess with. The grimace she makes, combined with her anatomically incorrect face, suggests that it’s best to keep your distance. Because this is a true warrior—perhaps an Amazon—completely blue with rage.
Victim – Power Hungry (1983)
The American speed metal band Victim was active for only three years. However, during that time, they managed to record three full-length albums.
Their debut album also features a striking cover depicting a guy biting into his Flying V guitar. Strangely, the guitar is painted in the colors of the Russian flag. Maybe that’s why he’s biting it—after all, Americans haven’t exactly been fond of Russians, especially in the 1980s.
Vulcano – Live! (1985)
When it comes to early extreme metal, Brazil’s Vulcano was one of the pioneering forces in South American black/death metal, delivering raw, aggressive, and chaotic music that influenced countless underground bands.
This album actually came out before Vulcano had even released their debut album. Apparently, they didn’t have the budget to hire a professional artist. Here, we see a Conan-like barbarian, barely clothed, wielding a sword as he attacks some kind of monstrous beast.
The creature has an improbably elongated head, a large belly, and is charging forward on two legs.
In the background, there is a castle and a flying monster—so this barbarian has even more to look forward to once he finishes off the two-legged beast with the elongated head.
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