Previously we posted parts two parts of a series showcasing albums which caused a public stir with some of the most brutal, grotesque, offensive and controversial artworks to ever (well, sometimes) see the light of day. Some required their covers to be altered before being deemed fit for sale while others were outright banned in certain parts of the world. We definitely missed a few classic jimmy-rustlers in those, so here's a third installment in our journey down the path of provocation. As always, some of these are pretty NSFW, so don't say we didn't warn you!
1. Cannibal Corpse - Butchered at Birth (1991)
Cannibal Corpse already featured in our first part of the series for their 1992 album Tomb of the Mutilated and honestly, are you even surprised to see them here again? Their second album Butchered at Birth was so graphic that the band had to censor the artwork by wrapping the album in butcher paper and stamping their logo on it in order to be sold.
Like their other early albums, it was banned in several countries and they weren't allowed to perform songs from it when touring in Germany with the possibility of fines and/or jail time. Every Cannibal Corpse album was also banned from sale in Australia between 1996-2006.
2. Burzum - Aske (1993)
Okay so you're looking at a burnt house and thinking "why the fuck is this on here?". Turns out the cover for Burzum's EP Aske (Norwegian for 'Ashes') is a photo of the Fanfoft Stave Church after its arson in 1992. While he was never convicted for the infamous crimes, it's widely believed that iconic black metal figure and Burzum's sole member Varg Vikernes burned the church down and then took the photo himself.
3. Type O Negative - The Origin of the Feces (1992)
Yet another entry from the early '90s, this one is pretty disgusting but kinda hilarious too. The second album from Type O Negative showcases a band clearly not giving a shit, yet giving a shit at the same time. The artwork took a quite literal approach to illustrating the album's title The Origin of the Feces by showing a grainy close up of lead vocalist Peter Steele's sphincter. Nice.
The artwork was changed to something a little more digestible and anus-free for a re-release 2 years later.
4. Scorpions - Virgin Killer (1976)
Wildly-successful German rock band Scorpions who formed over a half-century ago are responsible for what might be the most controversial album artwork of all time. The cover features a nude 10-year-old girl behind a window pane with only a crack in the glass covering her privates (we chose to censor the cover with the bars).
Strangely, the idea actually came from their record label at the time and it was later revealed that the girl on the cover was either the daughter or niece of the product manager Steffan Böhle who was in charge of the artwork.
The album could only be sold sealed in black plastic in many countries and the cover was replaced in some territories with an alternative cover art with just the band members. Even the Wikipedia page for Virgin Killer was temporarily banned in 2008 over fears the image was illegal.
5. Leftöver Crack - Fuck World Trade (2004)
You only need to quickly glance at the artwork of political punk band Leftöver Crack's sophomore album Fuck World Trade to see why this was so controversial. Released almost three years after 9/11, the cover depicts politicians laughing as they pour gas from a pump onto the burning Twin Towers. The term 'Fuck World Trade' was actually coined before the attacks in 1999 as lyrics for the members' previous band Choking Victim. Walmart, Best Buy and other large retailers reportedly banned the album well before it was even released.
6. Rage Against the Machine - Self Titled (1992)
"Fuck you I won't do what you tell me" is a line which really just sums up Rage Against the Machine as a band. Using the famous image of Buddhist monk Thích Qu?ng ?c setting himself ablaze in protest of Buddhist persecution, the cover was powerful enough to match the strong political messages on their legendary self-titled debut album in 1992. Although the record wasn't banned anywhere, this photo paved the way for what would be a very outspoken and controversial career for the group.
7. Frenzal Rhomb - Dick Sandwich (1994)
Beloved Aussie punks Frenzal Rhomb have always been cheeky buggers, flipping the finger to those who took issue with their offensive artworks, lyrics and general behaviour. The cover of their debut EP titled Dick Sandwich depicts, well...a drawn dick sandwich. The penises resting on a slice of bread are coupled with what we choose to believe is butter and tomato sauce. Gross enough to put you off your lunch, that's for sure.
8. Butthole Surfers - Electriclarryland (1996)
American rock band Butthole Surfers chose to use artwork of a person's eardrum being completely butchered by a pencil for their seventh album Electriclarryland, a parody of Jimi Hendrix's iconic album Electric Ladyland. The cover was deemed too graphic and a "clean" version was released with alternative cover featuring a picture of a squirrel and the band's name reading "B***H*** Surfers" across the front. To top it off, profanities were also removed from the lyrics on the altered version. Damn, talk about censorship!
9. NOFX - Heavy Petting Zoo (1996)
Much like Frenzal Rhomb, iconic punk band NOFX have been a hard band to take seriously with continual bouts of tongue-in-cheek humour attached to their music. Heavy Petting Zoo was their sixth album and depicts a man cuddling a sheep on a farm with his hand reaching down to a questionable area on the animal.
The vinyl version of the album was titled Eating Lamb (the original title was still written on the spine) and features a far more graphic picture of the same man sexually engaging with the sheep in a 69 position (see part 1!). Epitaph Records hilariously promoted the album's release by sending out inflatable sheep with the message "Fuck ewe" attached. The title and artwork had no connection to the lyrical content and was banned in Germany due to its Zoophilia content.
10. Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking (1988)
To round out part three we have the debut studio album by Jane's Addiction. Ironically titled Nothing's Shocking, it turns out that a pair of naked conjoined twins with their hair on fire was actually pretty shocking to nine out of the eleven major record store chains at the time who refused to stock the album while others required it to be wrapped in brown paper (clearly the most popular censorship tool). Go figure!
Are there any that we missed? Make sure you check out parts one and two and let us know your favourite album artworks that did or didn't make our list!
