Living in Australia after tape trading days were kind of over and pre internet, a lot of the time my mates and I would go to a CD shop and pick up CD's just cause the covered looked good. We would take it home and hope it was a good album. it was a hit and miss system.
what CD's have you purchased without knowing much if anything about the band and just went by the cover
oldmate on
For me the last time I did this was for Meat Shits – Gorenography
kissman on
Venom - Welcome to Hell back in '81... I was just a kid and boy did that cover impress me... I had to buy it! lol
Into Glory Ride on
Oh so many back then .... one of my best purchases of that kind was probably Viogression - Expound and Exhort.
Nater90 on
Order The Ennead - An Examination of Being
Cover was unique like nothing I have had before, Didn't know what genre it was turned out to be Black / Death Metal, Has two members from Decide whom I was already a fan of but didn't know of this side project. Came with a patch and thought if it's great another patch for my growing kutte but I kept buying more and more I ran out of room but it will be on one of my next ones no questions asked.
The Crown - Doomsday King
I love skulls and Metal so it just jumped out at me, Was like $5/10 worth every cent incredible album. Thought by it's artwork it would lean towards Thrash Metal and because of a song Angel of Death 1839 but has that as well as Melodic Death Metal elements which Sweden has a lot of amazing bands that I dove into, Especially Amorphis.
nameless_rites on
Age 14, I purchased Entombed - Clandestine because of the cover art. Rode my bike 10 miles through a thunderstorm because I forgot my money the first time; got home, put it on and instantly worth it. That's one thing I miss about mp3s and mailorder, you don't get to experience shit like that anymore.
19Philthy16 on
Actually, the cover artwork most times is essential to me for checking out new music in general! But I think I've never bought a record without listening to it first. I mean, in times of youtube, bandcamp and shit, you don't have to buy blindly and even in the pre youtube era, I did listen to the stuff in my local record shop, before I bought stuff.^^
Nater90 on
Yeah it's a cool thing to check out on YouTube especially to get the history to remember you and recommend other bands! Found some killer stuff that way.
Whenever I'm at my local shop my mate cranks some stuff he thinks I'll dig, he knows my taste well so I always order more haha.
killerdiy on
Konkhra- Spit or Swallow (Including the facelift EP) used CD.
Saw the hot pink cover photo of a girl putting a gun in her mouth... I was like, "this looks brutal", so I picked it up. It's still one of my favorite death metal albums, so many great riffs
laurensgrFCDB on
A few years ago, I found the original press of : Brutal Obscenity - It's because of the birds and the flowers....
Didn't know the band or the music, but after seeing the front cover that made my chuckle and reading on my phone this was a Thrash/crossover band from the Netherlands I knew this could only be good stuff!
https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Brutal_Obscenity/It%27s_Because_of...
oldmate on
haah thats a great cover... never heard of them... I will sus them out on youtube
laurensgrFCDB on
Do it man! Let me know if you like them!
oldmate on
I did they are geting good. I checked out the CD on ebay its fucking expensive!!! hope you got a good deal on it
laurensgrFCDB on
Haha, yeah. Its pretty rare nowadays and nobody knows them anymore.
I payed around €20 I believe, not really expensive.
oldmate on
dude thats a win for sure!!! nice pickup!
Lyx on
Wallop - Metallic Alps
It is as obscure as it sounds.
No regrets!
chainsawrentalshop on
First three that came to my mind:
Benediction - Subconscious Terror
Demolition Hammer - Tortured Existence
Obituary - Slowly We Rot
Hárbarðr on
Same here with Benediction! But it was Dark is the Season.
Saw it and knew it had to be good. I wasn't disappointed.
Thiellus on
Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky. My dad and I were at our local record shop back in the early 2000s, looking through the usual selection of thrash metal and power metal albums when we stumbled across this one. All black cover with the image of a man in white corpse paint blazing across an empty field like some awakened spirit or twisted maniac. We read through the track names and decided that we had to try it out. I was in my early teens and the heaviest thing I had been exposed to was Metallica’s Ride the Lightning at that point. I had no idea what I was getting into and in those days there was no option to simply look up an album on your phone to figure out what it was. That was my first exposure to Norwegian black metal and only happened because of that iconic cover art.
DeathRipper on
Slayer Reign in Blood! I was 14 and was stunned by it.
miggy_666 on
Samael's Blood Ritual on cassette in 1992; I was 14. They were relatively unknown in the states until Century Media signed them and when I saw that cover I knew it was for me.
NocturnalOccultist on
Tank - Power of the Hunter & This Means War
Bought both of them at the thrift store
EricW on
Possessed - Seven Churches
vkok on
Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkess Triumphant. Was 15 when it came out.
Thrashattck94 on
Kreator's Phantom Antichrist. I bought it on how fucking awesome the artwork was, but and that very point I was exposed to Kreator as I never ever heard of them before that album purchase.
Bayernpirat on
many years ago, we had a really good thrift store with many CDs, specially Metal, most of my collction is from this shop and one day I bought a Svartarid and a Hhroshargrani CD because they had an awesome artwork and I like both
nuclearthrasher666 on
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven
Iron Maiden - Death on the road
Slayer - Christ Illusion
All of the above at the time I was 12-13 years old. I should mention that back then I had no access to internet and I had absolutely no idea what each band/album sounded like. The only deciding factor was the artwork.
At the same period I almost bought some Blind guardian and Iced earth albums bacause of the album cover.
metalkeith on
Not long ago I grabbed the Dark Wizard EP from a local used music store. Wasn't disappointed.
bad_american1992 on
One of my girlfriends bought a copy of Goblin Cock- Bagged and Boarded specifically for the art, she found it at the thrift store for 99 cents. That album art had us dying.
oldmate on
how many girlfriends do you have ?
Nater90 on
I've seen Goblin Cock at my local shop and laughed so hard. Was tempted to get because of name.
meaningless on
omg...thats a long list..haha..back in days..there was no youtube and only a few metalheads in town :P
Stuff which comes straight in mind:
Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
Carcass - Reek of putrefaction
Bolt Thrower - Real of Chaos
Terrorizer - World down fall
Exodus - Fabolus disaster
Tankard - Alien E.P.
...and so on..haha ;)
oldmate on
I think this is something some current metal heads will never experience sadly..
meaningless on
well said...well said..., yep...
oldmate on
reading this thread it looks like it still happens which is fucking good to see
Nater90 on
You grew up in the best era Markus. I'm truly envious of you and the others that got too.
hozertrucker79 on
Death Leprosy
Corvus Corax on
Taake - Doedskvad
I had been introduced to the band years prior but, had forgotten about them until that album cover caught my eye, and I remembered liking the band. I purchased it and Doedskvad is still one of my favorite albums.
Jaybe666 on
silver connection - save me LOL
https://www.discogs.com/Silver-Convention-Save-Me/release/214228
Nater90 on
Tits and Metal go hand in hand haha.
kereealazer on
Most recent: Bell Witch: The Mirror Reaper, Space Chaser: Dead Sun Rising.
metalschwaddi on
Painkiller from Judas Priest!
cambotero on
Paradigma - Mare Veris
Sacred Reich - Heal
Ignorance - The confident rat
Epidemic - The truth of what it will be
After all - Mercury rising
Hollow - Modern cathedral / Architect of the mind
Liquid Graveyard - The fifth time I died
Crematory - Awake
dlasater on
Dusk and her embrace in 1998.
Knew nothing about black metal until getting the album only because of the album art. Fortunaltly their vamperotica shirts were only 20$ back then.
VoodooChild on
Cryfemal - Perpetua Fúnebre Gloria
was buying some vinyl from bands I knew and when just browsing I saw it and it was just 2 euros and I really loved the artwork. First time I saw new vinyl still in wrapper and stuff for 2 euros and I bought it since the artwork seemed interesting
titoagogo on
Piece of Mind - Iron Maiden
Bat Out of Hell - Meatloaf
Alive! - KISS
sandmanforce on
Iron maiden: Seventh son of the seventh son,
Suffocation: Effigy of the forgotten,
Entombed: Left hand path...
oldschoolbear on
Immolation Dawn of Possession tape when i was 11. I Saw it in a flea market for leas than a dollar, i think it was something like Iron Maiden but bot as "evil" as Slayer...sadly a friend Lost it :(
judascrust on
Impaled "the dead shall dead remain" saw that one in Newbury comics back when I was 16 and I knew I would love it haha - still do!
SeriouslyMikey on
Metallica - Kill 'Em All. Picked it up for my 11th birthday because of the cover and it got me hooked on metal
StonedThrasher666 on
Iron Maiden- Number of The Beast. I was 15 and it was my first metal album. I found it at a flea market, paid $5 U.S. for it.
Seniorbeerbelly on
For me it had to be Mordred “Fool’s Game”. Saw a sick album cover and i went for it since I had extra cash and ended up loving the album
jeg86 on
The Accused-Maddest Stories Ever Told.
https://www.discogs.com/The-Acc%C3%BCsed-Martha-Splatterheads-Maddest-St...
AllureoftheEarth321 on
Silencing Machine by Nachtmystium.... I actually ended up liking that album.
MasterDeath on
Autopsy - Shitfun
Antonio on
Back in the 80's, Quiet Riot III....disappointing release IMO....
hordkhen on
I remember I bought fleshgrinder libido corporis from a video game/entertainment type pawn shop because it had some kind of gore in a bucket on the cover (it may be an aborted fetus) I figured it would be like brujeria, I wasn't disappointed, but it's a strange album. Probably was $1.99 too.
Morbid_Welshman on
I don't usually buy an album based purely on the cover, but I do remember buying Marduk's Fuck Me Jesus while I was still in School for that reason, and now they're one of my favourite Black Metal bands
Retkon on
That kriegg Lust in Midnight demo tape in my collective. It was $5 and more importantly, it's got art of a chick with fucking huge tits getting groped by death himself. I'd day it was a pretty easy buy.
sandmanforce on
Entombed-Left hand path
oldmate on
so I was at a fest and in a merch tent and I ended up getting a few CD's that I had no idea of what they are. I got Carnal Decay – When Push Comes To Shove - just cause I like the art.
DoctorAMDC on
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
oldmate on
good album!!
YYMBR on
Finntroll Nattfödd
YYMBR on
Naglfar Pariah
SeriouslyMikey on
Literally just today, I picked up Toledo Steel. The cover is something I expect to see from early NWOBHM, not a 2018 release and they don't disappoint!
DerZauberfötus on
Cirith Ungol - King of the Dead
Saw it a few years ago in a store. I instantly fell in love with the cover. Still one of my favourite records.
judascrust on
i am a late bloomer to cirith ungol; been listening to metal for almost 20 years now and only just checked them out in the past year or so - I got into them from the "paradise lost" album popping up on youtube but "king..." is by far my favorite! a "take it to the grave" pick for sure!
doomtilldeath on
Merciless - The Awakening.
Bought it from a flea market in Rovaniemi, FIN for 2 finnish markka back in early 2000's. I had just got into extreme metal and thought the cover art looked awesome.
Metalmate on
Meatloaf- Bat Out Of Hell
metalmaciejmetal on
Gwar - Violence Has Arrived.
I heard about Gwar's reputation and some of my friends were saying they do crazy things on stage but aren't very good musically. Violence Has Arrived had such great art (I think an artist from Warhammer painted it) I decided to buy anyway. I was blown away. The music was great, very aggressive, very tight, lyrics were vicious. I didn't know what people were complaining about. I became a Gwar fan after that. Their subsequent albums just got better. (Except the new one. Fuck that shit, no Dave=No Gwar)