Rolling Stone recently published a list of what they’ve deemed ‘The 50 Worst Album Covers Of All Time,’ and some notable heavier artists found themselves highlighted. The aforementioned publication sought out to mostly limit their choices towards artists who had access to professional graphic designers at the time of release, while also not including more than one album per artist.
Metallica‘s 16x multi-platinum self-titled album was the first heavy offering to appear on the list, landing at #41. Elsewhere, Black Flag wound up at #36 with “What The…“, Ozzy Osbourne‘s “Down To Earth” notched #30, and Anthrax‘s “Fistful Of Metal” placed at #23.
Van Halen‘s “Balance” was listed at #20, Scorpions‘ “Lovedrive” was awarded #18, and Creed‘s 6x multi-platinum 2001 opus “Weathered” landed at #3. Topping the list however was Limp Bizkit‘s 6x multi-platinum “Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water“. The aforementioned publication stated of that record’s art:
‘Five Gollum-looking dudes lolling around on a bed of nitrate-infused meat? Sure, that’s a fair representation of Limp Bizkit. Following up on their breakthrough hit Significant Other, the nu metal band leaned even harder into being repulsive — “chocolate starfish” is a slang term for “asshole,” a nickname vocalist Fred Durst adopted with pride — as a substitute for an actual artistic philosophy. This cover (made by the band’s guitarist, Wes Borland) is both tacky and gross, but at least it works as a warning label: What you see is what you get.’
You can take in the full list over at rollingstone.com.
