# MASCOTS FROM HELL 1 (ENGL)

It's common knowledge that heavy metal is a genre, which from a graphic point of view, gives a lot both at the top and at the bottom of the spectrum of the quality, and that the level of visual debauchery has always settled at a good level. One aspect which has characterized the bands at every latitude are the mascots, generally the most sleazy and improbable as possible, that have certainly adorned the shirts and kutten of many of us. Let's take a look at the creatures that have adorned with glory the front covers of the most obnoxious albums of all times.

Martha Splatterhead: Martha is basically Eddie with a punker haircut and Tura Satana's tits and, last but not least, a distinct inclination for savage violence. She appears on a good number of artworks by the american splatterock heroes The Accused, but oddly not in the '85 EP named (surprise surprise) "Martha Splatterhead", she will feature on the killer follow up "Return of...Martha Splatterhead". A creation of the pencil of Tommy Niemeyer. Martha likes to kill and devour (quoting an issue of the italian zine RRRRROOOAAARRR) the "bad guys": racists, rapists and other enemies of the civilized society! So keep Billie Eilish and the "girl power", we prefer to keep Martha Splatterhead.

Allister Fiend: "After spending many years in mental institutions around the world, it was inevitable that there was no cure for his lust for blood curdling rock’n’roll. So Allister Fiend was to be locked away in a padded cell never to be seen or heard from again… or so they thought…But late one night, full moon hanging in the sky, screams of anguish and pain broke the stillness of night and Allister Fiend was free at last. As the story goes, Allister Fiend is forever insane and only comes out at night or in your wildest nightmares. All that is known, however, is he has finally quenched his blood thirsty craving for rock’n’roll in Mötley Crüe, which is the very blood that keeps him alive!". Ok, this time we are talking about a showbiz heavy weight, not many are aware that the infamous Motley Crue bastards have a freaking'mascot. The skinny and logobrious Allister ruled a consistent part of  the sleazy merch of those junkie stars, and striped fuckers remebering the appereance of that merry fellow Nikki Sixx. Appartently Sixx dreamed the crazy sleazer in a lisergic situation! The name Allister Fiend is also quoted in the spoken word track "In the beginning" from the mastepiece "Shout at the devil".Cant find who's the artist behind!

Fangface: It's common for a band to have line-up changes, members comes and members goes, but can a mascot change a band? Of course it can, and our friend Fangface did it!
This buck-toothed bad ass first appeareance is on the kick-ass debut EP of Helloween, where it looks like is hatching out of an egg or something, and in the sophomore "Walls Of Jericho" where is tearing down a wall with is bare hands (trumpets are for losers). Then we all know the story Kai Hansen, packs his bloored v-shapes and leaves the Hamburg's pumpkins to start his own band Gamma Ray, and so he takes with him the correct way to sing "Victim of Fate" and, of course, Fangface that pops up on the highly notable full-lengh "Land of the Free"(after a truck-load of abominable covers).  At first drawn by Uwe Karczewski (Hamburg based designer that made several Helloween artworks and cult like paintings like Hellish Crossfire by Iron Angel and the one of StormWarrior), then the monster was reworked by the cult illustrator Derek Riggs (we do have really have to mention what he did?). Fangface itself is not a creation of the aforamentioned designers, but an Halloween mask (no pun intended) created in 1977 by Zagone Studio, and sold in the States for intense trick or treat sessions, but how do that wretched piece of silicon arrived in Germany? A young Piet Sielck (Iron Saviour) goes on holiday there, and buy a mask that strikes Hansen attention to the point of becoming a symbol.

!!!BONUS!!!

Van Alien: Since we come from Sardinia, we need to mention a Sardian mascotte! Van Alien is from Ur-Anus (near Quartu and Pirri), and his cosmic driving license is gone, because he drinks too much while he drives his flying  saucer. So is stuck on earth, and his main occupation is to persecute the thrash metal band Abduction in search for the alchohol he needs! This green dude was created by Stefano Paynt and named by Logan (guitar in Loanshark), a close friend of the band.