#obsceneart

I realize I haven't posted one of these in a really long time so hopefully today's installment is over-the-top enough to make up for the lack of obscene updates.

Anyway...

Bleeding Through was formed in Orange County, Los Angeles in 1999 as a side project for Eighteen Visions guitarist Brandan Schieppati, who took on the role of lead vocalist, but quickly gained enough momentum to become a full time band.

They first came to my attention in 2003 with the release of their 3rd full length and Trustkill Records debut 'This Is Love, This Is Murderous.' I remember seeing the cover artwork in a record store and just thinking to myself "holy shit this must sound intense:"

  Further inspection would reveal that this was indeed the heaviest record I had ever laid my ears upon (at that point in my life anyway) and I began following the band with enthusiasm.

What followed was 'The Truth' in 2006, and much to my delight it also featured some artwork that I could hardly beleive was allowed to be displayed in stores (albeit it was covered by a slipcase this time around):

However, it was the interior art that really pushed limits as it showcased each band member suffering from various traumatic injuries. In reality, the band was simply covered in goo and photographed and then photoshopped but the end result looks all too real:

In 1984 Black Flag released a unique split album called ‘Family Man.’ One side featured spoken word tracks by vocalist Henry Rollins while the other was composed of mainly instrumental tracks with ‘Armageddon Man’ being the only song to feature Rollins and the instruments together.

But that wasn’t the only unique thing about the album. It featured shocking cover artwork of a man with a gun pressed against his temple standing in a room full of what appears to be his dead/dying family members:

The grim depiction was designed by guitarist Greg Ginn’s younger brother Raymond Pettibon (born Raymond Ginn) who was also the one to suggest the name Black Flag and the mastermind behind the iconic four bars logo that has become synonymous with the band. His artwork appeared on merchandise, flyers, and records for Black Flag throughout the 1980’s and often featured violent and/or anti-authoritarian subject matter.

Released in August of 2006, Slayer's 'Christ Illusion' gained a lot of extra exposure not only for it's lyrical content but also for it's cover which depicts an amputated Jesus Christ standing in a sea of blood amidst a bunch of dead bodies.

Painted by long time collaborator Larry Carroll (Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, Seasons into the Abyss) the cover also managed to get the album completely banned in India. Retailers throughout the rest of the world sold the original version with a slip cover that obscured the image but allowed the special edition (which features an alternate cover of Jesus' arm with a hole through the palm) to sit on their shelves as is.

Compared to some of the other covers I've posted, this week's edition of Obscene Art might not seem all that offensive, but this album has received a lot of negative attention so I thought it was worth talking about anyway.

Naturally, naming your band 'United Nations' and using a logo that closely resembles the one used by the real UN, is going to piss some people off. But that's exactly what happened in 2008 when the mysterious band (whose members are contractually obligated to remain anonymous but are rumored to be members of Converge, Glassjaw, and Thursday) tried to release their debut album.

Featuring artwork that is essentially the same image used for The Beatles' 'Abbey Road,' but with The Beatles completely engulfed in flames, the album was never released in stores and only 1,000 copies were ever made. So if you have one, you've got yourself a nice little collectors item.

Vancouver pop punk hero's Living With Lions managed to stir up some controversy earlier this year with the release of their sophomore album 'Holy Shit: The Poo Testament.'

Featuring cover artwork that resembles a mock Bible and images of Jesus Christ as a giant excrement on the inside, 'Holy Shit' proved particularly offensive to Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore who criticized the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recording (FACTOR) for helping the band fund the album:

"The content of this CD is offensive and the fact that it is clearly designed to offend a group of Canadians based on their faith is simply wrong."

Which the band responded to by returning their loan of $13,248.00 in it's entirety. The album was recalled for a short while and re-released without the FACTOR logo or acknowledgements.

The controversy has been both a blessing and a curse to the band, giving them a lot of extra attention they probably wouldn't have received otherwise but also overshadowing any artistic statement the band is trying to convey with their songs.

Although, anyone who actually took the time to listen to this great record will know that it's not the Christians who should be up in arms about 'Holy Shit,' it's the bands' ex-girlfriends. You won't find any anti-religious songs or lyrics about burning down churches. Just a few ballads about heartache and growing up.

NOFX- Heavy Petting Zoo/ Eating Lamb

Even if you've been living under a rock and have never heard of NOFX before, you have to expect there's going to be some controversy when it comes to an album titled 'Heavy Petting Zoo.'

Released in 1996 through Epitaph Records, NOFX's sixth studio album landed them on the Billboard charts for the first time ever and simultaniously offended parents everywhere with it's lewd cover art (designed by Mark DeSalvo), which depicts a man sexually touching a sheep: