Category Archives: Skull

Skull of the day

SKULL16

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BLACK ANVIL, Time Insults the Mind (2008, Relapse)

The skull:
Rendered simply in the style of a woodcutting, the skull is properly front-and-center, huge, and stupid (although perhaps not literally: this extra-fat skull must have housed an extra-large brain.) Bonus points for the hourglass (a side obsession of both Friars) on its pate. Additional credit must be given for allowing the skull to cover the logo in places. Black Anvil are clearly a band who take their skulls very seriously.

The music:
Formed by a trio of hardcore veterans from NYC, Black Anvil offer a crusty, blackened update on Venom. As might be expected, they fail somewhat in capturing the absolutely punishing attack of their live performances on disc, but this EP is still a solid and enjoyable listen, and a good warmup to their even better full length debut.
– Friar Johnsen

SKULL15

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MEGADETH, Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good! (1985, Combat)

The skull:
Among the first of the big dumb skulls, and certainly one of the greatest. The solid steel visor riveted across his eyes and the iron staples closing his jaws perhaps mitigate somewhat the dumbness, but it cannot be argued that this is BDSery in it’s purest form: a massive, real skull commanding the majority of the cover’s real estate, just daring you to fuck with it and knowing that you will not!

The music:
A thrash metal classic for the ages! While it doesn’t reach the heights of the band’s sophomore album, which in this Friar’s opinion is the single greatest metal album ever made, Killing Is My Business… is every bit the caustic revenge art its mastermind intended it to be. Mustaine’s riffs on the first two albums are utterly inscrutable; just try to imagine any other band coming up to the main riff in the title track. Or that awesome bass solo in “The Skull Beneath the Skin”. Reissued indifferently, then remixed indiscriminately, the original pressing is the canonincal one. If the copy you own doesn’t have this cover, and if it is lacking an unredacted recording of “These Boots,” then you don’t really own the album and should be ashamed.
– Friar Johnsen

SKULL14

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DEVASTATION, Idolatry (1991, Combat)

The skull:
This band are committed not only to skull covers, but they have a particular fascination with blindfolded skulls. Their first album, 1987’s Violent Termination, featured multiple skulls, which got them kicked out of the Skullection, but the prominent skull was blindfolded. This motif repeats here, on the original cover art for their their third album, but this time it’s a drawn cover (the first album was a photograph). The cover art resembles Pushead’s style, although it’s not him. It’s a legitimately great cover, but between cannibalizing their own ideas (blindfolded skulls), using artwork that looks like a Pushead rip-off, and never having found their own musical voice, Devastation are the epitome of unoriginality.

The music:
This Texas band’s first album was shabby death/thrash with terrible vocals; their second album was a Dark Angel ripoff; Idolatry, their third, is probably their best, but it too finds the band looking for some kind of unique identity. It sounds like Possessed in the Eyes of Horror era, only not as good. Vocalist Rodney Dunsmore sounds especially like Jeff Beccera (here’s where I say again: “only not as good”). Cool production, quality drum and guitar sounds. One can spot sonic references to Massacre’s From Beyond, just in a more thrash-oriented framework. But it all falls flat when the songs aren’t that good and the riffs are dull.
— Friar Wagner

 

SKULL13

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SKULL, Beer, Metal, Spikes (2005, Utterly Somber Creations)

The skull:
One could assume these Colombians were presaging a Big Dumb Skull website one day, naming themselves accordingly and slapping an utterly somber skullirific skull on their tape cover, just for us! And for the bonus glory! How kind. 1000% 10-out-of-10 A++ awesomeness here, from the band name to the plain ol’ big dumb skull on the cover. ‘Nuff said!

The music:
Spinal Tap attempting to play Venom covers? Man, this is rough, but if you like early Vulcano and early Sodom, you might get something out of this primitiveness. The questionable English skills add an element of unintentional comedy: “Demential Force,” “Thrasher (or What?).” (It’s way better than my Spanish, I’ll admit.) Harmless and kind of enjoyable, but ultimately more fun to look at than listen to.

SKULL12

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DEAD & BLOATED, You Don’t (1992, Colossal)

The skull:
Xs in the eyes are a visual trope of longstanding precedence to indicate deadness, but affixing them to a skull seems a rather redundant indulgence. The tentacles sprouting from the dome remind me of those ridiculous hats that Xtreme teenage snowboarders (and the guitarist from Panzerballett) are sometimes known to wear, and the entire design looks like it was crafted with an eye toward the band having to silkscreen it themselves. A rather slovenly cover overall, with a skull lacking in bigness but compensating with extra dumbness.

The music:
Quirky (at least aspirationally) crossover thrash recorded at least a couple years after that was even a marginally good idea. The bass plays an enjoyably prominent role in the mix, but the vocals are a terrible Mille-esque caterwaul, and the thin grooves and clunky riffs situate Dead & Bloated in the fourth-tier musical company of Ironchrist and Doomwatch.
– Friar Johnsen

SKULL11

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DECEIVER, Riding With the Reaper (2005, Iron Fist Productions)

The skull:
Barely makes it into the Skullection due to its puny size, although its place upon a chopping block (at least, we want to assume it’s a chopping block) and the flames licking in the background entice and seduce us. There seem to be pins in the right cheekbone of the skull…someone met their fate at the hands of a mad acupuncturist? Nah, probably too holistic of a thing for a band like Deceiver to consider.

The music:
Deceiver plays what music scribe Simon Reynolds describes as “music about music.” That is, music that’s totally referential and utterly derivative in nature. Some metalheads like that. I tend to shy away from it. Regardless of personal prejudices, if you’re an Iron Maiden fan who cannot get enough of the ’80s German thrash metal wave, worship the Possessed/Slayer template, and like ’90s bands such as Defleshed and Aura Noir, and also go for fourth generation death/thrash, and understand that Nifelheim remains authentic above all others, then by all means indulge! Still, they’re no Nifelheim, despite them desperately trying to be. Being Swedish alone won’t get you there. But they’re broken up already, so who cares?

SKULL10

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ZNÖWHITE, Kick’Em When They’re Down (1985, Enigma)

The skull:
Incredibly big and almost impossibly dumb, this skull appears to have been hand crafted by an airbrush artisan at the boardwalk or something. It would have looked incredibly boss sprayed on the back of a denim jacket. The sinister sockets and rictus grin give the skull the air of midgrade malevolence you’d expect from a guy who’s waiting for the rank stink of his unleashed flatulence to reach you.

The music:
Pencil thin production and reedy female vocals somewhat mar this otherwise above-average thrash metal EP. The full length that follows it, Act of God, is an underrated classic though, one of the best Metallica-inspired thrash albums of the 80s, and singer Nicole Lee fully redeems herself there. Guitarist Greg Fulton (known then as Ian Tafoya) was always the star of the show, however, with one of the tightest right hands in the business, and his rhythm work on Kick’Em When They’re Down is pretty damned impressive for 1985. Znöwhite eventually morphed into Cyclone Temple, and their debut is another minor masterpiece, but after that album, Fulton lost his magic and his discs got more and more boring.
– Friar Johnsen

SKULL9

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SAVATAGE, The Dungeons Are Calling (1984, Combat)

The skull:
The skull’s maw opens in a squeal of madness, apparently the remains of someone tied in chains in a dungeon (see chains on the right), although I never got the gigantic eye dropper…but maybe now I do…it may have been the torture device that sealed this unfortunate dude’s fate. But now he’s #9 in the Big Dumb Skullection. Prestige! God this cover rules. So does…

The music:
Aside from the first side of Ride the Lightning or the first side of Metal Church, is there anything more headbangable than the first side of this EP? The title track and “By the Grace of the Witch” are as lethal a one-two punch as any great metal album openers you could name. Unbelievably awesome riffs, the melodic banshee screech of Jon Oliva, the blunt impact of the production…metal perfection. The rest is good too, but maybe not quite as memorable as the first two songs, excepting “City Beneath the Surface,” another Sava-classic. I’d rather listen to this on any given Christmas over Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but I do like when I’m at the post office and see promo tie-ins with T-SO…which is nothing less than victory for The Dungeons Are Calling. Who thought anything related to this classic EP would be tied into the United States Postal Service one day? What a wonderful world.
— Friar Wagner

SKULL8

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OZ, Turn the Cross Upside Down (1984, Typhon Wave)

The skull:
Same photo session as Skull7, just a different angle. So, the skulliness is still mighty high, despite the lack of blood and fire from the Fire in the Brain cover. It is, ironically, an unoriginal, unimaginative choice for a Big Dumb Skull cover. Also, nothing about a cross or the inversion thereof is reflected in the artwork. Still, a skull in Quorthon’s hand is worth more than a whole pile of skulls any day.

The music:
“Turn the Cross Upside Down” is a classic song…amazing that it didn’t land on Fire in the Brain. This version comes from the Scandinavian Metal Attack compilation, and the other two songs on this EP are the Fire in the Brain versions of “Gambler” and “Search Lights.” Top-notch dark heavy metal from the early days.
–Friar Wagner

SKULL7

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OZ, Fire in the Brain (1984, Combat)

The skull:
Top-notch skulliness here: the skull is on fire, held in an outstretched hand whose arm is wrapped in a big studded armband, while blood drips from the fingers. And this is a photograph to boot! The skull is on the cheapo side, looks like like a wax Halloween decoration or candle, but it’s passable. And the best thing: the hand/arm belongs to none other than Bathory mastermind Quorthon. It does NOT get more metal than that.

The music:
Of all the albums Oz have recorded (there are sixth full-lengths to date, and they’re threatening more), this is definitely the best and only mandatory one. It’s traditional heavy metal, not black or death or thrash, but still very much on the sinister side, both in lyrical focus, the nature of the riffs, and the dirty, murky recording. Vocalist Ape DeMartini chortles in an Udo Dirkschneider sort of way, while bassist Jay C. Blade proved himself a songwriter of uncommon skill. His strongest songs are stacked on the first side of the album, a near-perfect set of dark metal burners, while the second side’s “Gambler” and “Fire in the Brain” measure up nicely with the first four classics. The other two are great too. Too bad the quality didn’t carry much steam past this album, as follow-up III Warning bordered on forgettable.
— Friar Wagner