10 Best Hard Rock Album Covers Of All Time
2. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were the band that truly signaled the rise of heavy metal. While even the band members may not have considered themselves a heavy metal band, it wasn't until they broke on the scene that the sound of heavy riffs and scary lyrics fully congealed. For the album that was going to scare you to death, it's almost amusing that most of it is nothing more than a country house.
Taken a little while before the album's release, the real sinister touch of the cover is the ominous figure trying to ward off intruders. While many later fans of Sabbath remarked the figure's similarities to Ozzy Osbourne, the actual identity of the individual remains a mystery. No one from the band nor their management ever managed to find out who this was, with even the photographer not having a clue.
In fact, the anonymity of this mysterious figure's anonymity makes the cover even more menacing. For all we know, this person may not even exist and may be just a demon caught lingering about the Earth before descending back into Hell. If there's anything this album ensures, it's a pure blast of heavy metal ecstasy...and perhaps a deep-seated fear of the countryside.