Like all of us, I'm sure you were devastated to learn about the loss of Frank Frazetta – one of the finest fantasy artists to walk the earth – and if you frequent these pages, you can probably name your favorite of his illustrations from the world of horror and dark fantasy... whether it's the incredible cover art for Creepy, Eerie, or Vampirella, those classic Conan and John Carter book covers, sweet movie posters for The Fearless Vampire Killers or Mad Monster Party, or any number of unforgettable beasties, axe-wielding barbarians and voluptuous witches and wenches. But as your humble music writer, I thought it would only be right to honor Frazetta's indelible stamp on the world of rock 'n' roll, in the form of some legendary album covers. Turn the page and see how a brush and canvas can truly rock...

It's no wonder just about anyone aspiring to ultimate coolness in the '70s dreamed of transferring Frazetta's epic images to the side of their Chevy van... when the band Dust licensed Frank's fantastic painting “Snow Giants” for their second (and last) album Hard Attack in 1972, the connection between heavy metal and sword & sorcery imagery was already beginning to take shape... and let's be honest, nothing rocks harder than a pair of burly, bearded ogres in viking helmets hacking apart a puny human.

It would be five years before a Frazetta painting would grace another rock album, but when Scotland hard-rockers Nazareth appropriated “The Brain” for their ninth album Expect No Mercy, they kicked up the horror/rock connection in a big way with this image – depicting a human vs. demon duel, in which another puny mortal is about to be violently bisected.

The years of '78 through '80 brought forth three of the strongest album images, all adopted by immortal southern blues-rockers Molly Hatchet, which rank among the artist's most easily-recognized works: the famous original “Death Dealer,” whose dark form has graced many a poster and t-shirt over the past three-plus decades, adorned the band's self-titled debut album – and is considered by many to be the band's unofficial mascot.

A year after that, yet another blade-wielding mercenary – this time from the Cimmerian school of mayhem, in the form of “Conan the Conqueror” – would burst forth onto the battlefield astride his mighty steed to take on an army of skeletal soldiers for the cover of Beatin' the Odds.

It would be more than two decades before the world of hard rock and metal would seek out the blood-drenched beauty that flowed from Frazetta's brush, when mighty Swedish guitar wizard Yngwie Malmsteen and his band Rising Force called upon Frank for another action-packed epic illustration – this time featuring another epic human/monster battle in the fifth “Death Dealer” variation – for the cover of their 2001 release War to End All Wars.

The old-school psychedelic rock influence on chart-topping Aussie band Wolfmother made their music a natural fit for Frazetta's style, and their decision to adorn their 2006 debut album with his classic Lovecraft-inspired fantasy work “The Sea Witch” not only demonstrated the irresistible allure of the artist's many luscious female subjects (and got the CD banned from Wal-Mart), but also brought the '70s Frazetta/rock connection full circle at last.

Ironically, it wasn't until near the end of his life that Frazetta was finally commissioned to create an original piece of album art – a whimsical graveyard image for the record Buddy Bought the Farm from horror-themed surf rockers The Dead Elvi. In a thoughtful tribute, the band has converted that image to a little animated memorial to the artist... a macabre but somehow sweet gesture that I think he might have enjoyed.

My little article here may not be quite as impressive, but it's my way of honoring just one facet of Frazetta's amazing impact on the world of art, entertainment, and pop culture in general. We'll miss ya, Frank...