Heavy Metal Cover Girls: Fierce Faeries

While doing this series I've covered several different varieties of supernatural femmes:  Witches, Succubi, Angels, Goddesses,  Mermaids and stranger things. However, if you were to ask what otherworldy creatures were happily adorning Metal cover albums I think there's one group you'd not be expecting.

Fairies.  Or if you want to use a more magical magickal term. Faeries. 

  Get past the sanitised version from kiddies bedtime stories and fairies Faeries are not to be messed with.
They might have pretty wings but the little folk have magic, cunning and a short fuse.  So I don't think you'll keep this lot happy with a saucer of buttermilk.

Catharsis - Imago (Russia 2002)

A cover the band liked so much they used it twice.

Catharsis - Имаго (Russia 2003)

 I wonder what conditioner she uses to get her wings so shiny and silky smooth? 

I suspect I'm not going to see a lot of  dark, angry bands in this post. 

By the time these albums rolled around, this Russian mob had evolved into Power Metal. 

Does anybody else think they'd do quite well in Eurovision? 

  Dragonfly - Domine (Argentina 2006)

Drawn from Life Size.

Just don't mock her for being tiny.

The last guy who did that found his nose magically grafted to his scrotum - sense of smell intact.

Faeries have a nasty sense of humour.  

Dragonfly are bombastic Power Metal a la Rhapsody

Ivanhoe - Lifeline (Germany 2008)

 I thought this unhappy lass was close up but nope, she really is one humongous, giant-ass Faerie.  

Jesus, she could probably smack kaiju about. 

Ivanhoe are Prog Metal   

V/A - Opera Metal Vol. 2

You have wings. What do you need a horse for?

One of many album covers that cheerfully recycle existing fantasy art.

Charlie - No Second Chance (UK 1977)

If I think about this album cover too long I start getting freaked out. 
Have you seen the original version of "The Fly?" You know the scene I mean. 

No wonder the later version of the album had something a bit less nightmare-fuelling.

Charlie were one of many British acts laying down the template for AOR in the late 70s.

Dean Clea & Emir Hot - The Quarterworlds Of Fantasia (Croatia 2008)

She felt strangely drawn to the clear, shiny thing for reasons she could never explain.


This was an instrumental project as far as I can tell.
There's some pretty good guitar work on display. Have a listen.

Fortaleza - La Fortaleza De La Soledad (Mexico 2008)

"Don't invite me to your party, huh? How about I drop your entire castle into the sea."

Fairies. Don't piss them off.
Ever.

Fortaleza are female-fronted Gothic/Power Metal 

Annysia - Nephilim (Spain 2015)

Don't look at the lovely blonde hair. Don't look at the cute wings.

Look at the big frigging sword and the expression on her face. 

Bowing is usually a good idea at this point. 

Annysia are fantasy-themed Symphonic Metal

Proving that an idea is rarely restricted to one cover, here we see several meetings between human musicians  and Faerie Folk

Pandaemonium - ...And the Runes Begin To Pray (Italy 1999)

Drawn by the music the Faeries gathered to listen.
Lost in his playing, the bard didn't realise that he had an audience..
When he looked up, they fled into the night.
The memory of their perfect buttocks sustained him through many cold nights.

What The Bard didn't know was that the Hidden Folk were not done with him yet.

Pandaemonium - Return To Reality (Italy 2005)

 The bard was not happy at the way his fanclub chose to wake him up in the morning.
"You couldn't tap me on the shoulder or something? Gits."

Pandaemonium - The Last Prayer (Italy 2012)

 I do like it when a band have recurring characters on their album sleeves.
If you're me, you start wondering what the ongoing story might be.
Here I'm hoping the story is "Human takes fairy to safety. Happy Ever After ensues."

Pandaemonium are Italian Power Metal not a million miles away from a certain other fantasy-themed PM act.


And finally..

Saurom - Suenos (Spain 2015)

Two strangers meet in the middle of the forest.
A bard seeking music. A Faerie seeking something new.
Seconds later the branch snapped.
She found this hilarious.

Saurom are Folk Metal with a very Spanish flavour. I am impressed. 

That's all folks.
See you tomorrow.