The Cranberries, “Bury the Hatchet”

The Cranberries, Bury the Hatchet (1999)
Island Records
Designer: Storm Thorgerson

The Cranberries released their fourth album, Bury the Hatchet, in 1999 following a brief hiatus to refocus and regroup. Frontwoman Dolores O’Riorden battled an illness and had her first child, and those themes are seen in the album. Album themes also include divorce and child abuse.

The artwork is particularly notable for a number of reason. It was created by English graphic designer Storm Elvin Thorgerson, who is known for working on many iconic album covers including those for Muse, Pink Floyd, Genesis, and many others. He created Pink Floyd’s iconic Dark Side of the Moon cover and also designed the art for The Cranberries’ 2001 follow up, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.

Pitchfork rated the album was one of the worst album covers of all time, saying it “fluctuates between the iconic and insane.” It has received it’s fair share of criticism and praise, and it certainly is striking and iconic, but also is very symbolic for not only themes of the album, but also the band’s feelings as a whole at the time.

After three successful albums, The Cranberries were huge, maybe more huge than they intended to be or wanted to be. They briefly took some time away as a result. The eye could represent the world gazing down on the band in every moment that proved to be too much for them.

The band also tackles a lot of personal themes. Themes such as divorce, child abuse, and motherhood can leave a person feeling vulnerable when exposed to the world.