Mezzanine - Massive Attack - Iconische Albumhoezen

Mezzanine - Massive Attack | Iconic Album Covers

Black and Menacing: The Haunting Beauty of Mezzanine

Mezzanine - Massive Attack - Iconic Album Covers

In our series of Iconic Album Covers, it's the turn of Mezzanine by Massive Attack ! A grotesque black and shiny insect and a sense of menace that you can almost physically feel. That's the cover of Mezzanine , the third album by Massive Attack , released in 1998. And it's an image as ominous and layered as the music it represents.

With Mezzanine , Massive Attack established themselves as pioneers of the darker side of trip-hop. And the album cover? It became the perfect visual extension of that new, rawer direction.

A new phase for Massive Attack

Massive Attack were already a big name in the Bristol-based trip-hop collective in the 1990s, with atmospheric albums like Blue Lines and Protection . But on Mezzanine they went deeper, darker, heavier. Guitar lines, industrial beats, dark lyrics and oppressive soundscapes: this was no longer lounge music, but a sonic nightmare .

The album features classics like “Teardrop” (featuring Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins), “Angel,” “Inertia Creeps,” and “Risingson.” These songs aren’t just meant to be danced to, they’re meant to be lost in. And so is the cover.

The cover

The man behind the image is Nick Knight , an influential fashion and art photographer known for his confrontational and often surreal work. For Mezzanine he collaborated with design studio Tom Hingston Studio . The result is a close-up photograph of a polished black beetle , specifically an African giant beetle , with its pincers raised, ready to strike.

What makes this cover so strong is the minimalism: just one dominant image against a white background and the symbolism: the insect stands for something that stirs beneath the surface, like the music itself. It is a cover that you do not immediately understand, but you never forget it.

Black on black

Later physical releases of the album do feature the band name and album title, but the original release did not. However, the insect always remains central. The style is raw, clinical, almost medical, as if you are watching a dissection of something you normally try to avoid. The typography and design fit in seamlessly with the musical atmosphere: fragmentary, industrial and without emotional concessions. Like the music, the artwork is at times uncomfortable but fascinating.

What sets Mezzanine apart from many other album covers is that the image does not evoke nostalgia, romance or recognition . The image is ominous, cold, almost clinical, but it does something to you. It speaks to the subconscious. It suggests alienation and fear. It raises questions instead of providing answers. Just like the album itself, because the sound is menacing.

Art that lasts

Mezzanine 's influence is enormous. Both musically and visually. The cover became a reference point for the late 90s postmodern aesthetic: clinical minimalism with a menacing undertone. The image was later used in live visuals, merchandise and even as a visual reference in other media projects.

Interesting detail: in 2018, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary, Massive Attack reconstructed the album as DNA material (!) that was stored in the form of synthetic DNA in a hard drive. The cover of the project? Again: the black insect.

The cover of Mezzanine is not a comforting image. It is not warm, not nostalgic, not reassuring. And that is exactly why it works so well. It is a cover that fits perfectly with music that seeks boundaries and gets under your skin.

At Bob's Vinyl we love album covers that say as much as the music itself. Mezzanine is not a record you put on for the fun of it, it's an experience. And the cover prepares you for just that!

🪲 Do you dare to face the monster on the cover? Be sure to listen to this classic and buy it on vinyl here:

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