If you look quickly at the artwork for this crust record, as fast as the music so to speak, you may miss how incredibly detailed this is. It is structured like those old triptics, but this is speaks to us with a completely different lexicon. What it shares is that it is a work of love (from the artists for their work) and that it conveyes a strong message. However, Maria and Edu (bandmembers themselves) took a year to work on this and their work paid off! Once you slow down you can keep discovering details.

Our favorite black metal/grindcore space explorers are back! And not only did they bring great music, they also brought incredible artwork. It is inspired by The Expanse. If you are a returning reader you might have noticed I have soft spot for sci-fi art and this years best example of the style is right here, made by Graphic No Jutsu.

Enrico, singer of the band, creates the artwork for their own releases. This time he has outdone himself with this (at first sight) very simple piece of work. Simple as it may seem, it harbors a certain tenderness and vulnerability while at the same time it speaks to me about a silent strength. It’s kind of crazy one can evoke this much (interpretation) with only two colors, but here we are!

I am usually not a big fan of photos on covers, but over the course of last year I have grown to appreciate photos as art more and more. This reflects also on what I appreciate in art used on album covers and this is a good example of that. The composition is fantastic and the choice to print it in black and white only adds to it’s strength. This is the kind of picture that speaks to me, that captivates me and therefore more than deserves its spot in this list. So hats of to Kata Ulloa for a fantastic shot!

Another piece of art by a band member (the bands singer Heike Langhans), it seems to be the theme of this year! It looks very digital, but somehow it doesn’t bother me, even though I usually don’t prefer it. Somehow it fits what I read in it. To me this transfers a feeling of loneliness and calmness and a warning against digitization, almost a plea for a life away from our screens and that resonates with me (as a screen worker it just does, funny that one of my hobbies, this site, also glues me to a screen…). It invites me to slow down and enjoy the moment, let my mind wander. I love it when art manages to convey that feeling.