WTF Bad Album Covers: Static-X Start A War

Our very first WTF bad album cover since Vinyl Road Rage! Don’t worry, there are plenty more Vinyl Road Rage record store review posts coming, but this week we resume our normal posts, too…and WTF bad album covers are piling up all over the place faster than I can write them up and post them.

First I’d like to say that from a visual perspective, I think this band was much better when it was called Alice In Chains. Maybe they THINK they’re Alice In Chains, but one listen to the tracks off this album and you’ll be begging for Layne Staley to dig himself out of the ground and throttle these guys to death with his bare zombified hands.

This is yet another in a long parade of nu metal “mad faces” album covers, but honestly, the cover makes it look like the mad faces are due to the fact that the hair salon won’t take them as walk-in clients rather than some kind of teeno-angst mongering.

I couldn’t figure out what it was that made me think this Static-X album cover is so wretched until I realized that the mad face dude with his mouth open (catching flies, no doubt) makes this cover look an AWFUL LOT like that Devil’s Bris album by Voltaire.

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WTF Bad Album Covers: Conway Twitty Wants Your Sweet Ass

Looking at this, it is PAINFULLY obvious that I’ve been picking on the gangta rap and heavy metal genres far too much. I might actually owe Mister Stinky an apology after seeing this winner by Conway Twitty. I nearly typed Conway TWITTER just now, which is a sign of some kind of horrific impending brain malfunction/meltdown, I am sure.

There’s so much wrong going on here that you don’t know which way to run. How much coke do you have to be on to look at this and say, “Yep, that’s MY RECORD and that’s EXACTLY how I wanna look.” Just LOOK at it–this cover makes Conway Twitty look like that creep who backs you into a corner at parties, smelling of Coors and stale cigarettes, asking you when the last time you were with a REAL MAANNN.

And let’s not overlook the title. Say it to yourself out loud to discover just how creepy it sounds to hear “I’ve alllready looooved you..in mah minnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”

Yeah, Conway, I’m sure of that. But did I squeal like a pig when it happened?

WTF Bad Album Covers: No Commentary Necessary

I’m not saying a DAMN THING about this one. Do I really need to? Times like these I wish I could turn off the non-stop Beavis and Butthead episode playing in my brain, but I can’t, OK? Just snicker along with me and let’s call it a day and nobody make the joke about playing this album only once per month. Effing tasteless.

WTF Bad Album Covers: Twin Peaks, Anyone?

Does the peace of mind come from the perspective of whoever’s responsible for the dead chick on the cover wrapped in plastic? Is this the corpse of a shrewish, constantly nagging loudmouth who said one snide thing too many before being bashed over the head with an Italian glass ashtray? Or maybe this album cover is suggesting that being DEAD and WRAPPED IN PLASTIC is what gives that peace of mind? Wow…what a statement!

Our First NSFW WTF Bad Album Cover

This edition of WTF Bad Album Covers is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. Now that we have that formality out of the way… … Continue Reading

WTF Bad Album Covers: Dolly Parton Bubbling Over

by Joe Wallace

If I saw the disembodied head of Dolly Parton floating in MY lawn sprinkler system, I wouldn’t know whether to shoot myself in the head or start screaming for an exorcist, but one thing’s for sure–I wouldn’t stand idly by waiting for the hideous jabbering head of Dolly Parton to start uttering blasphemies in Etruscan and summoning demons in the middle of the yard.

The most WTF part of this wretched album cover is the fact that–unless my eyes deceive me–that’s Dolly Parton standing at the back of this scene, watching her OWN HEAD floating on the sprinkler spray. How effed up is THAT? What is this cover saying about the mental state of the singer?

Seems to me that Dolly Parton’s dual personality crisis has manifested itself on this album–this cover is a cry for help. “Please save me from myself!” Dolly is shrieking. That’s not a smile on her face, that’s the rictus grin of someone who has either died recently or has been injected with a lethal dose of botox and rabies.

Or it’s the facial expression of someone who GETS that the cover art concepts sucks the root, but has been held hostage by the record company. “Dolly, if you don’t do this album cover JUST THE WAY WE SAY, we’ll electrocute a puppy. AND we’ll cut off your electrolysis treatments. Got it? You WANT hairy nipples? Go ahead, give us trouble.”

WTF Bad Album Covers: Monstrosity In Dark Purity

by Joe Wallace

Oh, sweet Jesus what do we have HERE? Scary, barely legible band logos indicated the presence of METAL.

Supported by the fact that a vaguely Rob Zombie-esque sinister entity appears on the cover of this mons-turd, and it doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes or his latter day doppleganger Doctor Who to figure out that a brain clearly damaged by hours of non-stop headbanging thought this Photoshopped atrocity would be a great way to sell records.

The name of this little gem really takes the cake. “In Dark Purity“?? Why not just call it “Little House On The Prairie With Satan” and get it over with?

With a title like that, these guys HAVE to be Cookie Monster metal. I’m not listening to this to find out–we’ll save that little chore for a teeno hesher who hasn’t heard enough bad music yet. I can only judge this book by its cover…

I won’t even LOOK at the song titles, which I am sure are early-period Metallica ripoffs. I bet you a dollar there’s an Eye of the Beholder-style title, some kind of Fade to Black reference, a song about falling into a pit of despair and at least one track that makes references to conquering, crushing, or sodomizing an angel.

Go look for me, willya?

WTF Bad Album Covers: Kenny Loggins Keep the Fire

by Joe Wallace

There are three basic things wrong with this album cover; the name Kenny Loggins, the feathered hair that somehow makes Kenny Loggins look like Jesus, and the candy-ass new age look of this overall. The very IDEA of Kenny Loggins is offensive enough, but to have him all jumped up to look like Shirley MacLaine’s guru or maybe that creepy high school substitute teacher in his loungewear? It’s enough to make your aura turn brown.

I can’t get over the fact that somebody went out of their way to get this autographed by Mister Footloose himself. “Hey Kenny, your album cover makes you look like a character from Tim & Eric’s Awesome Show. Can I have your autograph, Monsuier New Age? I’ve got a collection of famous wankers and you’re next on the list.”