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Stop. Before you read any further, reread the title of this article. Good. Now, don't flame me if you don't like that one particular Judas Priest song, or if this particular band or that particular band isn't metal enough or heavy enough or any other nonsense. This is about album COVERS, not album contents, because I like pretty pictures as well as heavy music, so this is about graphic design more than anything else. 

Heavy metal compilations, and indeed, many metal albums in general, tend to be extremely fond of three important elements. One, FIRE!! Two, LIGHTNING!!! Three, muscly guys, and/or women with big boobs, and/or some kind of demon, preferably holding a guitar... that's been struck by lightning and is currently on fire. The ones I've spotlighted below are a little different, a little more subtle, maybe, or perhaps equally stupid, but in a different way. 

Except for this one.

I promise the rest of them will be more unconventional, but I just had to include this one, because it might as well the most archetypal metal compilation album cover of all time. This is the soundtrack to the 80s Canadian scifi/fantasy animation anthology birthed from a magazine of the same name. As you can see, it hits many of the expected notes. There's the chick with the large rack, swooping in on some kind of gryphon-type creature. It's epic, indeed, but it's the logo that steals the scene here, and particularly the chromed look, which is undeniably badass, and which inspired the logo for my own show (as seen here or here, all done up for xmas) as well as countless others. This may not be the best of the best, but for the genre, this is undeniably one of the most iconic.

Next up is an understated masterpiece. Look at this thing. It's nearly flawless. With limited visual information, this one album cover conveys so much. Of course, the title font is epic (download it for free here), though I kind of wish they'd gone with a plainer font for the smaller text. What makes this such a gem, however, is the choice to go with the studded leather idea, and then to subvert it by losing a stud. Who among us hasn't felt that pain at one time or another? Not only is studded leather, with one (or more) studs missing, the quintessential rocker/banger/punker accessory, but being a little grubby, messy, with parts missing is a crucial part of the overall identity.

I can't get enough of this one. There's an incredibly visceral quality to this cover that, despite a relatively overwrought illustration style, really grabs you at first sight. The lettering is simple and doesn't mess around, and the image of this dude crying tears of joy? fear? blood? while holding a ridiculous set of amp stacks to each ear makes this album cover a classic. By the way, you know that most of the time, those massive sets of amps are utterly bogus stage props, right? Here's proof. And more proof. And here's more info in case you'd like to buy or make a behemoth set of your own. 

An undeniably important album in the history of modern metal, this cover blows my mind in two specific ways. First, it's proof that simple black and white, while inexpensive, can still look amazing, and second of all, and maybe because of the black & white printing, this cover is incredibly timeless. The lava and skulls look current today, and even the font manages to stay unaged. Before going on to found Metal Blade Records, Brian Slagel put out a series of compilations of unsigned, underground metal bands (including a small band you may have heard of called Metallica). This is the first of those compilations, and looking at the cover, it's impossible to tell that this was released back in 1982. The design of this album was decades ahead, and it remains a visual classic.

This last one is a personal favorite, because it was given to me by my righteous friend Phil (who runs the excellent Cinéclub / Film Society of Montreal) and it currently hangs in a place of pride in my kitchen. While the font itself is a spectacular choice (and I'm particularly fond of how the title is haphazardly sprinkled along the top of the cover), it's the menacing glare of the stoned out banger sitting down to his repast of ball bearings 'n' milk that really sells this record. Of course, the premise is ridiculous, but all that matters is moving units, and an attention catching visual is the way to do it. Plus, if your "tr00" enough, you do eat ball bearings for breakfast, right? ... right?

That's it, a small peek at some of the arguably best heavy metal compilation album covers of all time. Undoubtedly you have your own favorites, so sound off on Twitter to @CJLO1690AM if you think I've missed any!

The president of Quebec’s Human Rights Commission is urging that Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms not be weakened to allow the adoption of Bill 60. 

According to the Gazette, Jacques Fremont voiced the commission’s serious reservations concerning the so called values charter in Montreal on Friday.

Fremont argued that Bill 60’s major amendments to the Charter of Rights would place values above basic human rights like freedom of expression and religion.

He added that the bill is essentially unnecessary, as equality, secularism and neutrality are already established in the Charter of Rights.

The commission’s briefing also warns that if Bill 60 was to be adopted in its current form, it could risk multiplying the number of legal challenges and conflicts in Quebec.