Gore Galore: What Type of Metal Uses Brutal, Bloody Album Art?
You’ve seen them.
Skulls exploding. Intestines coiled like microphones.
Rotting bodies holding microphones or standing over piles of corpses.
Some are disturbing. Some are absurd. All are unapologetically extreme.
But what type of metal actually uses this gore-filled aesthetic?
Let’s dive into the blood-soaked world of metal subgenres that thrive on the grotesque, and discover why gore is not just a shock tactic—it’s a reflection of sound, message, and chaos.
🩸 1. Death Metal: The Bloody Birthplace
When it comes to gore, death metal is the undisputed king.
From the early days of Cannibal Corpse, Autopsy, and Carcass, death metal bands have used gore not only to provoke but to amplify the brutality of their music.
Fast tempos, guttural vocals, blast beats—and cover art that screams carnage.
Common themes:
- Mutilation
- Surgical horror
- Necropsy and medical disfigurement
- The fragility of the human body
Why it works:
- Death metal lyrics often explore death as physical, unavoidable, and violent.
- The album art becomes a visual companion to the sonic devastation.
Gore isn’t random—it’s an extension of the genre’s obsession with decay.
🧠 2. Goregrind: When Gore Becomes the Genre
As if death metal wasn’t brutal enough, goregrind said: “Hold my entrails.”
Inspired by grindcore and early Carcass, goregrind focuses on:
- Distorted pitch-shifted vocals
- Ridiculously fast drum programming
- Over-the-top gore, often bordering on parody
Bands like:
- Regurgitate
- Last Days of Humanity
- Haemorrhage
The album covers?
Often look like surgical textbooks, B-movie posters, or hand-drawn autopsy fantasies.
Goregrind celebrates gore to the point of absurdity—it’s art and anti-art in one bloody mess.
🧟 3. Slam and Brutal Death Metal: The New Era of Gore
Modern bands in slam and brutal death metal take inspiration from older death metal and push the visuals even further.
Expect:
- Hyper-detailed, digital gore art
- Body horror combined with alien or demonic themes
- Violence so exaggerated it becomes surreal
Often combined with groovy, down-tuned riffs, these covers warn you that the music inside will not be gentle.
If the cover looks like it was banned in 10 countries—it’s probably slam.
🎨 Why Gore in Metal Art Still Matters
It’s not just about shock.
Gore art in metal:
- Visually separates extreme bands from mainstream expectations
- Represents themes of death, disgust, and defiance
- Offers fans a connection to underground horror culture
- Becomes a symbol of resistance against sanitization in modern art and music
And sometimes?
It’s just fun to go too far.
💀 But Not All Gore Is the Same
Even within gore-focused bands, styles vary:
- Some go comic-book horror
- Others mimic realistic medical illustrations
- Some embrace minimalist blood and shadow over full splatter
The variety shows how rich and intentional the gore aesthetic can be.
It’s not just violence—it’s visual language.
Conclusion
So what kind of metal uses gore-filled album covers?
- Death Metal
- Goregrind
- Slam
- Brutal Death
These aren’t just genres—they’re sonic horror films, and the album art is the poster.
Whether you find it disgusting, fascinating, or both, one thing’s clear:
In the world of extreme metal, blood sells—and it speaks.
So next time you see a grotesque album cover that makes you squint, don’t dismiss it.
It might just be the perfect visual for the sound inside.