Metal Can Look Good Too || King Diamond- Abigail

Just last week, the album art of King Diamond’s 1987 concept record ‘Abigail’ was inducted (as number 10) into the staff-picked, greatest album covers in Roadrunner records history list.  You can read the full story and see a video here.  I'll admit I have not been following the countdown at all since then, just took note at their nod to an amazing album with an amazing cover.

It would seem the staff of Roadrunner love this album cover for much the same reasons as I do, the first and foremost being that it's hand painted.  Digitizing everything has become a sort of mainstay in music these days from the album cover to what is inside, and it’s always refreshing for me to take a look back and celebrate the way things were.  Of course there are still bands that keep the tradition of hand painted album art alive, but they are becoming fewer and farther between.  The second reason is that this art has an eerie sort of beauty in an almost foreboding sense.  The muted colors and atmosphere create an added dimension to the wonderful sonic experience found with in the walls of its shell, creating an all around visceral experience for both the looker and listener.