11. Meshuggah: Obzen

Joachim Luetke makes it on the list again with this one, which has a pretty clear story behind it, as described by the band members themselves. The artwork features a photograph of a male model in the 'zen lotus position' with the bottom half of the photograph being from a female model. This is because the male model could not perform the position, making the figure androgynous. The model is covered in blood, which is explained as a metaphor for mankind finding peace of mind through obscenity. This is another album that had to released in certain territories with a hugely toned down alternate version. This takes away from the aesthetic genius that the original artwork displays, which I found to be as weird and mysterious as Meshuggah's music itself and left me highly curious on what the musical content was going to be, a true sign of a great album cover.