Metal Art: Birds

 
The above art comes from Serious Beak's Huxwhukw. I don't know whether that album is worth anything or not, since I haven't yet listened to it, but it strikes me that this is some of the best album art I've ever seen. So I started thinking about birds and their significance to the art of metal.


Of course, you have the carrion birds--the ravens, vultures, and crows. That's obvious enough.

Grand Feast for Vultures
Shadows of Extinction
Ravnenes Saga
The Sword/Witchcraft Split

But you also have the well-known bird of the night, the owl, every species of which is nocturnal. They are amazing hunters with spectacular vision.

Pray for Villains
Fly by Night
Diamond Eyes
Summer Darkyard
Kvelertak

And, obviously, there are always (un)dead birds.

Wrath
Eater of Birds
Nemesis Divina
Marée Noire

Budgie, of course, had a bird-man theme to the cover of most of their albums.



And that's just the tip of the beak. Birds are a surprisingly versatile symbol. Depending on the species and how it's depicted, a bird can represent strength, militarism, peace, ferocity, nobility, death, or life.