Pickled Priest Cover Story #15: The Baizley Underground: The Spectacularly Intricate Album Art of Baroness's John Baizley

There are plenty of musicians who are also visual artists. It makes sense that the creativity required in one discipline would sometimes translate to another. In rare cases, it is hard to determine which talent is more substantial than the other. Such is the case with John Baizley, leader of the great Savannah, Georgia metal band, Baroness. If metal is your thing, you already know them well. Metal isn't my main thing and even I know them well. They are one of those bands that have transcended the boundaries of traditional metal, finding a place where power and riffs exist simultaneously with elements from outside the genre, a little prog here, a little alt-rock there, even some post-punk now and then. Baizley is a formidable singer, songwriter, and guitarist—a real triple threat—and the one constant member throughout the band's history. Another constant is the band's distinct album covers, all designed by Baizley, which have created a visual brand for the group over the years that is as impactful as their music. Today we're going to look at our 20 favorite album covers that Baizley has created over the years, many for Baroness, but I'm also including some of his work for other bands as well. You will find that while Baizley has a highly identifiable and consistent style he will also deviate from that style to great effect at times. Of course, these album covers will be ranked in our order of preference, but I think you'll agree that the man is a major talent in more ways than one. If his music never took off, he'd be making a fine living off of his art, that's for sure.

Note: Original releases, reissued albums, live albums, and EPs are eligible for the list. All bands he did covers for were considered, but some bands didn't make the cut.

BAIZLEY DARK: OUR 20 FAVORITE JOHN BAIZLEY ALBUM COVERS

20 Skeletonwitch | Serpents Unleashed (2013)

Yep, this is a quick taste of what you're in for in this post. Prepare yourself for anything. We got snakes circling a dude with ripped abs and a skull head with antlers, a goat under one arm, scepter in the other. And this is the cover that ranks 20th on our hit parade! As we all know, ranking art is a dubious proposition, but stating personal preferences mitigates that absurdity somewhat, which is why we do it. This first selection finds Baizley contributing his talents to his friends in Ohio's Skeletonwitch for their album Serpents Unleashed. Personally, I'd prefer Baizley's album cover art stand alone, sans band name and album title, so the entirety of the work can be seen without obstructions, but the band insisted on slapping their overly fussed-over logo (a staple of heavy metal) on the top obscuring a vital section of the work in the progress. Big mistake because this is one hell of a visual. And fair warning: It doesn't get any easier from here for nothing in Baizley's world is traditional. His style, which is now instantly identifiable to metal fans and art lovers both, often contains similar components. By the end of this short journey, you'll discover that Baizley likes to merge worlds with his art. The netherworld mixes with the real world. The animal world mixes with the surreal world. The medieval mixes with the modern. The macabre with absurd. And so on and so on. Settle in and let's count this fucker down.

19 Kylesa | Static Tensions (2009)

I appreciate that Baizley is community minded, here helping out fellow Savannah, Georgia sludge-metal band Kylesa with the cover of their 2009 LP, Static Tensions. Already, you can immediately identify his distinct style. As with all his creations, this one rewards detailed analysis. And take your time when you do, but don't expect that analysis to yield concrete answers. That's one of the qualities I like about his work. You can look at it for hours and never figure out quite what's going on. Does he even know? It can't be as simple as a ram from hell ensuring proper dental floss technique that's for sure. Something far more sinister is a work here.

18 Baroness | First EP (2005)

Ah, the early days, when things were much simpler. This is the very first Baroness release, an EP appropriately titled First. While minimalist compared to future covers, it still has a haunting presence, almost Stephen King-like with its blood-dripping title font and a set of sullen-eyed twins whose long, straight hair seems to be suspending their heads in mid-air. If you didn't know better you might mistake this for a horror movie poster. Cue nightmare to be named later. Also notable is the sense of texture, a sandpapery grit that makes you want to run your fingers over the surface. A cool effect. Last but not least, the block lettering, which provides an arching canopy for the whole composition. I'm already intrigued and we're only getting started.

17 Deadbird | Twilight Ritual (2008)

From Deadbird's second record, Twilight Ritual, we get a pretty literal take from Baizley here, one that's a straight read on the band name and album title. It doesn't happen often, so enjoy it while it lasts. Accordingly, we get a dead bird carcass—with a suspiciously preserved eyeball—engaging in the titular rite and that's about it. The nature and extent of the ritual is unknown and it's probably better that way. Is that rope involved? The cover, despite its inherent creepiness (get used to it), has an appealingly rich color palette, a sharp ink outline, deep color saturation, and striking composition overall. (Perhaps I've been watching too much Inkmaster.)

16 Baroness | Live at Maida Vale - Vol. II (2020)

Baroness, like countless bands, made a trip or two to the BBC's legendary Maide Vale studios in London to record some live sessions, both of which have now been memorialized on two EPs, this being the second installment from 2020. I wonder if the stuffed shirts at the Beeb thought they had booked a real Baroness for a visit instead of an American metal band, perhaps Cecily Bonville, the 7th Baroness of Harington (my second favorite baroness). Well, by the sound of the four song EP the compound may never be the same again, especially after the eight-minute version of "Tourniquet/Can Oscura" that wraps the session. Fire, as the kids say. Of course, Baizley paired a distinctive cover for the release that is actually somewhat of a visual sidestep from his usual modus operandi, at least when it comes to the lack of color and the overall layout. While I've slotted this a bit lower because a skull on a heavy metal record is a bit rote by now, there's no denying the appealing metallic feel of the image, as if the cranium was chrome dipped or something. It's begging to be tattooed on a willing arm. The background pattern and title bar gives off the impression this is some kind of bizarro anatomy textbook from an underground medical society, of which you want no part to be sure. An immediate trend seen in Baizley's work is the omnipresence of some kind of flora and fauna no matter how disturbing or sensational the artwork. Keep an eye out for it going forward.

15 Black Tusk | The Fallen Kingdom EP (2007)

Another Savannah, Georgia sludge-metal band benefits from Baizley's demented mind for their album artwork, this time Black Tusk's LP, The Fallen Kingdom. Man, I've got to read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil again, because I don't recall any mention of a thriving sludge-metal scene at all in that book. But a scene there is, and there's some pretty fucking rad artwork to go along with it. This time, there's a tribal feel to the cover which fits the Fallen Kingdom title perfectly. An enchantress, decked out for a fireside ritual perhaps, seems ready to rock some worlds, especially when it's revealed there's actually some kind of black tusked monster (with leaking brain) behind her mask ready to make you her midnight snack. Anytime, you can combine haunting beauty and impending doom on the same cover, that's an asset. Baizley is a master colorist, as we will see shortly, and here he mixes watercolors artfully, lending this metal record an indelible image that is refreshingly outside of the norm for the genre. That's Baizley's stock-in-trade in a nutshell.

14 Baroness | Live at Maida Vale (2013)

Baroness's first BBC EP featured live takes on "Take My Bones Away" and "Cocainium," which only makes me appreciate the hallowed British institution more than I already do. What do you want to play? Cool, roll tape! They weren't above pushing the needle in the name of artistic expression. Baizley took the same approach on both of his band's live EPs, but this one pre-dated Vol. II by a full seven years. I do appreciate the continuity between the two sessions. While the previously discussed volume is stunning as well, I like the visual and coloring here more because both are somewhat unexpected. Baizley's use of animals isn't new, and will continue throughout this post, but the layered swan image is undermined by the presence of some free-floating nails with no explanation apparent. Also, is this a three-headed swan or is that just an optical illusion? Once again, Baizley's ability to undermine images with foreboding menace, providing a sense of unease in the process, is his ultimate talent. I love the goldenrod/black color combination, the Spirograph background pattern, and the use of shading throughout.

Note: The swan head is eerily similar to the bird head from the Deadbird cover in entry #17, perhaps an inspiration for this work?

13 Baroness | Second EP (2005)

Back to the early days for Baroness's second EP, the creatively titled Second. Again, like First, we find twins on the cover, this time in the form of some kind of Indian chief/swami types with "cut out" mouths perhaps inspired by those hysterical cartoons from Monty Python's Flying Circus back in the day. The straight hair is reprised from EP1 as is the centerpiece design element. Was that intentional or just the current state of his art at the time? Likely both. Overall, this is a pretty dense composition with no empty space whatsoever. It is full of Baizley's usual intricate design, with the hair alone probably requiring a great deal of time to complete. It was worth the effort. Also, don't miss the band's name hidden in the light purple halos. A nice touch and an inspired infusion of color into a predominantly black and white cover.

12 Gillian Welch | The Harrow & The Harvest (2011)

I've gotta be honest, I wasn't expecting a Gillian Welch entry on this list. That said, I love this cover because it offers something new while also remaining true to Baizley's core style. The decision to go two-color in lieu of the usual full-color approach (seen below, which was eventually used for a reissue) clearly fits her musical approach much better. She's an old Americana singer, not a prog metal act, after all. The color seems way too busy for a Gillian Welch record. I also dig that Baizley did a portrait this time, demonstrating yet another talent in his arsenal. Here, we find Welch calling for the check at a local diner as her perennial sidecar, David Rawlings, sets fire to the backdrop. It couldn't be entirely straightforward, of course. The only remaining question was, "Which one of you wants to have an owl sitting on your head?" After that, project finished. Other nice touches are the tasteful border, with name and title neatly delineated, which provides an antique feel to the composition, like something you might find in a pile of old photographs at a county fair. There's no lack of fine detail to appreciate here, as well, which can sometimes be harder to appreciate in full color. I'd buy this record, music unheard. And I did.

What's he whispering?

11 Horse Torso | Wolf Who Cried Boy (2017)

Despite the fact the band's name is Horse Torso and the image features nothing bu horse heads, a real horse-head-scratcher, I still love this image Baizley created for the Brooklyn math rock band. It has the feel of a multiple exposure photograph of a horse going batshit crazy in the paddock, perhaps spooked by a chihuahua loose in its enclosure. Rendered not in watercolor, but instead with colored pencils and a simple crosshatch application, the feeling of frantic movement is palpable. The fact it was all done within such a narrow swath of the color spectrum only makes it that much more spectacular.

10 Converge | Jane Live (2017)

The original album cover of Converge's revered 2001 album, Jane Doe, is considered by some to be an iconic image from its era (see below). They probably sold more t-shirts than albums. The claim is a bit diminished for me knowing it's just a picture of a model all doomed and gloomed up for effect (see even further below), but it is undeniably impactful a haunting image in its final state. When Converge decided to do the full-album live treatment in 2017, they commissioned several artists to do their take on the original cover art for what would become Jane Live, released 16 years later. Baizley's Jane Doe couldn't be more perfect. It bravely counters everything that made the original so powerful in the first place. The girl's face is now clearly rendered (looking like a younger Martina Navratilova to me). The darkness is now awash in vibrant colors, bringing Jane back to life in the process, her sallow cheekbones restored to their original runway beauty. Even the doomsday clock background was upgraded to a sun or a moon depending on your perspective. The original looked like it was set in a dark room, possibly a hostage situation, but Baizley replaced it with a fingerprint design, almost as if our Jane Doe can now once and for all be officially identified. In the end, the original reigns, but there is room for both versions. I've been staring at Baizley's on the regular lately and it has thoroughly captivated me in a entirely new way.

Original Jacob Bannon cover, now iconic

Model pose right

09 Baroness | Stone (2023)

It may seem, going forward, that I am biased toward Baizley's work during his band's prime era, but I call them as I see them. To me, his finest work was mainly produced for albums falling in Baroness's "color" era, an era where numerous albums were released, each with a color as their visual identity (Red, Blue, Purple, Gold & Grey, Yellow & Green). They are the most meticulously crafted album covers of his artistic career to date and the music contained within followed suit (or vice versa). If this type of art isn't your thing, I've got bad news for you. For the rest of this piece, a steady diet of (real and mutant) animals, fish, reptiles, flowers, weapons, flora of all kinds, and nude women are in your future. That's just what he does. Clearly, Baizley's subconscious, while ultimately responsible for his art, is built on deep influences from art history, mythology, mysticism, psychology, religion, and philosophy ranging from the 17th century to the present day. You don't arrive at the images he creates overnight. He has said that, "In the past, mythology was used to explain the inexplicable. Now we have to contend with our own knowledge of the world around us." Does that fully explain his warped take on his own set of vast influences? No way. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

As I said, most of Baroness's later work revolves around a spectrum of color. It seems mainly a way for fans to differentiate between albums since none of them technically have a title written on the cover, but there's also an artistic vision attached. As Picasso had his "blue" period, Baizley has his distinct periods as well; he just moves on at a quicker pace. This approach continued for five albums until it was interrupted by the release of Stone in 2023. I still hold out hope that my favorite Crayola color, Burnt Sienna, will be featured someday, but I assume John thought the color concept had run its course and moved his focus accordingly to the physical world instead—only time will tell. The fact that most of the band's album covers from 2007 to 2023 are mini-masterpieces makes my ranking of this era a major challenge.

That said, Stone ranks lowest of "The Big 6" for me because, despite the fact that its intricacies are mind-blowing and its message powerful, the colors seem a touch washed out, which could likely be attributed to the title of the album. Stone, by nature, assumes its color over time via their geological origin story, with exposure to elements and the passage of time a major factor in their appearance. I do appreciate how hard it is to make a painting look like stone. The woman in the center (the one being consumed by salamanders/eels of some sort) looks as if she is made of stone, which is a very cool effect, not for amateurs. The theme of women in bondage is both ancient and modern simultaneously, symbolizing their constant fight for equality. Is that even what it means? I don't know for sure. The indignities add up when you add frogs, rats, and crabs to the visual. It's a lot to take in. (For the record, if given the choice, I'll take the frogs.) You can really spend some time perusing this cover. The same goes for all Baizley's work. They reward the critical eye. That's what makes them so compelling. I imagine they've drawn much more attention to Baroness's music over the years than they might've achieved otherwise, the main purpose of a great album cover, so mission accomplished.

08 Baroness | Gold & Grey (2019)

I am the son of an artist and my father instilled in his kids an appreciation for artwork of all kinds, whether he knew it at the time or not. We probably wouldn't have loved the board game Masterpiece—which involved buying and trading paintings from Chicago's Art Institute (where my dad trained)—if not for his influence. That probably explains why I write about album covers so much. For me, it's a crucial part of the whole experience. However, lover of art that I am, I am not an art expert, which probably didn't even need to be said (and for the record, I don't consider myself a music expert either). Hence, I had to do some research to understand some of Baizley's artistic influences. What did I find? Of course, there's Caravaggio...always fucking Caravaggio. Does he have to horn in on everything? And Rubens in his portrayal of women. Then, I discovered a host of Art Nouveau notables like Dürer, Alphonse Mucha, and Aubrey Beardsley. Those are the most commonly cited influences and with good reason. Aubrey's work seems like a particularly accurate parallel (see below), with precise linework and fine detailing his trademark. He also seemed to love foliage much like the artist in the spotlight today.

Dürer's work (below) also is a fine comparison, as he was one of those artists who didn't waste an inch of canvas when executing his dense, complex compositions.

Mucha is probably the most directly similar to Baizley as the painting below should clearly demonstrate. The images weren't as surreal as Baizley's but you can see a lot of similarities in the use of color, flora and fauna, and varying thickness of linework.

We're all the sum of our influences, of course, but it's what you do with them next that counts—in art, in music, in life—and Baizley has certainly created a world of his own making with his music and his art. Gold & Grey is yet another stunning creation that would be #1 on almost any other band's album cover list.

07 Baroness | Yellow & Green (2012)

As far as colors go, yellow doesn't do it for me. Green? Yes, all I can get. Here, Baizley crams both colors into one project and I'll allow it, especially when we get to two covers (and a double-LP) in the bargain, one on the front, one of the back. Despite my stated color preferences, I still like the yellow cover a touch more than the green mainly because crustaceans creep me out in general. That said, as an animal advocate, I'm not in love with the image of a ruthless siren holding a knife to a swan's throat while the remaining swans nosh on nails (one of Baizley's default add-ins), but the macabre scene is undeniably disturbing and unforgettable simultaneously. It's like the Manson family was let loose on the Ramble and Lake in Central Park. And, wait, why is the other girl holding as mallet? It only gets worse! Despite it all, as art, it's provocative and controversial, perfect fodder for the cover of a metal album, which rely on such things to sell an image.

The green cover shows what happens when they add LSD to the Cheddar Bay Biscuits at Red Lobster. Things get very weird, very fast. But at least nobody's getting killed on screen, even if things seems to be heading in that direction. A halo of giant teeth only adds to the unsettling scene. I avert my eyes when I see this cover, so for that reason I dropped it down a few pegs.

Full gatefold image: Call me when it's over

06 Black Tusk | Set the Dial (2011)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Baroness programming to slip in this amazing cover for Black Tusk's Set the Dial, the band's second appearance on our Top 20 list. Their music must've really inspired Baizley, because he consistently delivered some of his best work for the band. This cover, however, is something truly special, rivaling anything he created for his own use. I almost don't know where to start so I'll shotgun my favorite things.

• I love the darkness of the image, which makes it an outlier compared to Baizley's other work.

• The contrast between the ominous background and the woman makes her stand out hauntingly, no thanks to her hijab made of snakes.

• The very limited color palette.

• The way the color of the snakes is found in the "sand dogs" (as I call them) and the flashbulb dots.

• The flashbulb itself. So random (or is it?).

• The texture of the whole piece.

• The execution of the sand dogs in general.

• The ribbon with the band name and album title—-subtle and unobtrusive.

• Oh, and if you didn't notice, the impending doom threatening the whole scene tipped off by the eyeball between her right wrist and butt cheek. Something wicked this way comes.

05 Baroness | Blue Record (2009)

Our top five are interchangeable depending on my mood ring, so subtle are the differences in their ranking. The cover for Baroness's Blue Record benefits from the versatility of the color blue in general—the water and the sky equally in play. Plus, Baizley's beloved foliage grows under and over water, so that enters into the equation as well. I'm somewhat surprised he didn't make at least one of the women a mermaid, but perhaps that was too predictable. What throws me off in a good way is that there's really no "underwater" feel to the action. That must be intelligent design, says this non-religious writer. In Baizley's world, nothing needs to add up, which is one of its best qualities. Fish can live and swim in the air. Hens can nest on the heads of Rubenesque women and lay eggs that crack open on their bosom. Catfish can sit on laps. The scene, washed in resplendent blue hues, may be visually incongruous but it's also a work of absurd brilliance.

04 Baroness | Red Album (2007)

The very first edition of the color series, Red Album, is also the least surreal in the series. Not that it doesn't contain elements of concern, what with the tiny skull tiara, tooth necklace, and Silence of the Lambs-esque death's head moths and all, but in Baizley's world, this is relatively tame stuff. In the sphere of heavy metal music, you'd expect a Red Album to contain copious amounts of blood, perhaps raining from the sky even (if Slayer has anything to say about it). Instead, Baizley uses his red most prominently in the foreground flowers and ladybugs, with shading and accents added sparingly elsewhere, even in the background pattern. Not very metal at all! This restraint allows the red to stand out even more—a clever and unexpected deployment. What really elevates this cover is the presence of the two hauntingly beautiful women, clearly cult members in my storyline, in repose as if in the afterglow of a ritual sacrifice or something equally unnerving. Their stare is entrancing, almost foreboding evil. They are looking through you and possibly, even worse, directly at you, luring you into their trap. Are you the next victim?

03 Kvelertak | Kvelertak (2010)

Baizley saved his first use of the Owlctopus (Octoowl?) for Norwegian metal band Kvelertak's self-titled 2010 LP and his piercing gaze seems to be telling us, "I'm having a freak-off with these two babes tonight, what are you going to be doing?" You don't trot out the rose tiara unless some real Caligula shit is about go down. I know what you're thinking. Yeah, it's a cool cover, but nowhere near as complex and intricate as others on this list. But that's exactly why I like it. There's an understated yet haunting beauty to the whole composition that I simply cannot turn away from. Sometimes pulling back and paring things down to the core elements can make the whole affair that much more impactful. I like that Baizley has the ability to do both. That said, scroll down for Baizley's entire work which was completed on a much larger canvas, entitled The Virgin Spring, for a twist you probably didn't see coming and if you did, don't call me anymore. I don't know, and I don't want to know, what the fuck this skull-headed nurse (I'm guessing) with the perky "hoot-ers" does to the narrative I've created in my mind, but it ain't good. I'm not even going to speculate.

Nurse! Can I have another pudding cup? On second thought, forget it.

02 Cursed | III: Architects of Troubled Sleep (2016)

I'm not sure how Baizley got mixed up with Canadian hardcore metal band Cursed, but I'm glad he did, because his cover for their third album, subtitled Architects of Troubled Sleep, is a black and white masterpiece. And could a title be more fitting for the collected works of John Baizley? Throw all the horrorcore metal bullshit my way that you've got, all the rotting corpses, torture devices, and sadistic butchers in your arsenal, but the things that really haunt my nightmares can be found on this list of twenty cover images. The stuff that really penetrates your psyche. These days, we laugh at the goriest scenes in horror movies—we've been there, seen that. What really sticks with you is the shit you can't conjure in your wildest dreams and that's why Baizley's work is so compelling for me. When the beautiful things in life turn on you, that's when you know you're really fucked. But back to this cover, a true visual curveball in the Baizley oeuvre (there, I've finally worked in "oeuvre"—am I officially an art critic yet?) where we see the scope of the artist's brilliance in living non-color. Other than the strikingly beautiful face, there's very little from Baizley's usual quiver in use here—no animals, no insects, no flowers or plants, no background moons—instead just arrowheads broken off in the exploded skull of a seductive she-devil (I think that's a horn sticking out of the right side of her head) as she clutches the arrows of her demise passively, almost if she's thankful for their presence. Troubled sleep is the name of the game on this list, but the reason I won't be resting anytime soon is because I will be thinking about how much talent is takes to execute such crisp linework, such haunting facial features, such intricate detail. It's almost unfair that someone can produce such art from nothing.

01 Baroness | Purple (2015)

It's as simple as this, and I hate to leave you with such an anticlimactic ending. I love the color purple and I love dogs, especially when they look like a beloved old friend of mine (RIP Etta). I do appreciate falcons as well, unless from Atlanta, who should immediately change their color from red to purple, which is much cooler. This cover also incorporates many of Baizley's favorite things together into one convenient location, so it's a good summary of everything he's about. There's artistically-rendered nudes, this time not all conventionally beautiful (appreciated), one possibly an extra from the movie Hellraiser (not appreciated). One of them also inexplicably has tiny pots of honey spilling all over her and a nonplussed side-eye that says, "At least I didn't get the nails." In addition to that, there's birds and bees and rats and plantlife and a giant goodnight moon. Everything you'd ever want in a John Baizley cover and more.

BONUS COVER

Baizley also took on this cover for comedy duo Flight of the Conchords in 2009, proving that there's a sense of humor behind all his surreal artwork. I never doubted it.

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Well, I'm off to the tattoo parlor, post in hand, to get a full back job done. I suggest you do the same.. See you soon.

Cheers,

The Priestess (for this post only)