Our friends over at TheGauntlet just posted a great new "Top 10 Banned Metal Album Covers" list. Some of their choices may surprise you. I had no idea that some of these albums were meant to have different covers! See if you agree with their list right here.

One theme has been intertwined with metal from day one. That theme is evil. Not all metal bands are evil, nor do they all utilize evil themes in their music. However, an evil motif has become the most poignant representative characteristic of metal. It's kind of like superheroes and comic books. Not all comics are about superheroes, but the word "comic" has become synonymous with "superhero" due to their prominence in the medium. The following are the bands I consider to be the most evil bands in the history of metal. Some of these bands had members who actually committed genuinely evil acts, while some only referenced evil in their music.

Just like these underrated guitarists, bassists almost never get the respect they truly deserve. The bass doesn't always just follow the guitar as many people might think. These are the metal bassists who have not only provided the deep end necessary for the "heaviness" in heavy metal, but have gone above and beyond, contributing their own styles to the sound of the band, and innovating the term of "lead bass."
 
10. Martin Mendez - Opeth

Everybody's seen the same "Best Guitarists in Metal" list a million times: Tony Iommi, Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammett, and so on and so forth. The same names get trotted out time and time again. One needn't even look at the list to know who will be on it. This list is different.

These are the guitar greats who don't get the respect they deserve. Some of them were/are in bands who never achieved a large amount of popularity, while some of them were/are the less heralded members of bands featuring the usual guitar heroes. These are the "Top 10 Most Underrated Metal Guitarists."

10. James Murphy - Various bands

Album covers are extremely important. Poor album covers can:

1. Kill the mood of an album
2. Hurt casual sales of an album
3. Make a band look totally wussy and uncreative

Last week I presented the metal album covers that get it right. These are the ones that get it wrong:

10. Into Glory Ride - Manowar