Vote for Rock’s Spookiest Album Cover: Only the Final Four Remain!

Vote for Rock’s Spookiest Album Cover: Only the Final Four Remain!

Matthew WilkeningMatthew WilkeningPublished: October 24, 2026Adrian Borromeo, UCR

Only four of rock’s spookiest album covers remain after three rounds of our annual Halloween bracket – and three of them come from the Black Sabbath family tree.

The heavy metal pioneers’ self-titled 1970 debut album – the one featuring the mysterious witch-like woman on the cover – is one step away from the finals. So are albums from two of the band’s singers: Ozzy Osbourne’s Bark at the Moon and Dio’s Holy Diver.

It’s possible we could have an all-Sabbath alumni finals, but the mighty Iron Maiden and their Killers album will have a lot to say about that.

The power is all in your hands. You can vote once an hour in the two remaining battles from now until 11:59PM EST on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The winners will move on to the finals, which begin the following morning.

Adrian Borromeo, UCRAdrian Borromeo, UCR

Round Three Results:

• Iron Maiden Killers defeated Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell 74% to 26%
• Black Sabbath Black Sabbath defeated Uriah Heep ..Very ‘Eavy… Very ‘Umble 77% to 23%
• Ozzy Osbourne Bark at the Moon defeated Megadeth Countdown to Extinction 71% to 29%
• Dio Holy Diver defeated Alice Cooper Raise Your Fist and Yell 74% to 26%

Round Two Results:

• Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell defeated Judas Priest Painkiller 59% to 41%
• Iron Maiden Killers defeated Kiss Creatures of the Night 85% to 15%
• Megadeth Countdown to Extinction defeated The Mothers of Invention Weasels Ripped My Flesh 70% to 30%
• Ozzy Osbourne Bark at the Moon defeated Funkadelic Maggot Brain 75% to 25%
• Dio Holy Diver defeated the Rolling Stones Goats Head Soup 59% to 41%
• Alice Cooper Raise Your Fist and Yell beat Captain Beefheart Trout Mask Replica 71% to 29%
• Uriah Heep …Very ‘Eavy… Very ‘Umble beat The Beatles Yesterday and Today 66% to 34%
• Black Sabbath Black Sabbath defeated AC/DC If You Want Blood… 84% to 16%

Round One Results:

• Black Sabbath Black Sabbath defeated Frank Zappa Thing-Fish 91% to 9%
• AC/DC If You Want Blood… defeated Tom Waits Bone Machine 61% to 39%
• The Beatles Yesterday and Today defeated Van Halen Balance 62% to 38%
• Uriah Heep …Very ‘Eavy… Very ‘Umble beat David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs 61% to 39%
• Captain Beefheart Trout Mask Replica beat Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here 50.25% to 49.75%
• Alice Cooper Raise Your Fist and Yell beat Scorpions Blackout 51% to 49%
• The Rolling Stones Goats Head Soup defeated The Cure’s The Head on the Door 86% to 14%
• Dio’s Holy Diver defeated Queen’s News of the World 72% to 28%
• Ozzy Osbourne’s Bark at the Moon defeated Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel 80% to 20%
• Funkadelic Maggot Brain defeated Metallica’s Metal Up Your Ass 65% to 35%
• The Mothers of Invention Weasels Ripped My Flesh defeated Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction 52% to 48%
• Megadeth Countdown to Extinction defeated the Doors’ Strange Days 75% to 25%
• Iron Maiden Killers defeated King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King 72% to 28%
• Kiss Creatures of the Night defeated Led Zeppelin Presence 67% to 33%
• Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell defeated Jane’s Addiction Ritual de lo Habitual 72% to 28%
• Judas Priest Painkiller defeated Debbie Harry KooKoo 67% to 33%

Gallery Credit: Corey Irwin

Categories: Halloween, Readers Poll