Artist who created Slayer's covers including Reign In Blood dies aged 65
Lawrence Carroll created the cover art for Slayer's Reign In Blood, South Of Heaven, Seasons In The Abyss and Christ Illusion

Lawrence Carroll, the artist who designed and created four of Slayer’s most iconic covers, has died at the age of 65.
The news was confirmed by the Karsten Greve Gallery and his friend Jason Holley, who called him a “giant” and the man behind “some of the best metal covers of all time.”
Carroll, who was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1954, created the covers of 1986’s Reign In Blood, 1988’s South Of Heaven, 1990s Seasons In The Abyss and 2006 ’s Christ Illusion.
Speaking about his work with Revolver in 2010, Carroll said: “Not many art directors were lining up to ask me to illustrate the next Aerosmith or Sting album.
“I think they were afraid of what they would get. I was always told my work was too dark for most folks. So Slayer was a good fit for me.”
Carroll’s work has been shown in museums across the world, including New York’s Guggenheim, the Contemporary And Modern Art Museum of Trento and Roverando and Stuttgart City Gallery.




Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!

Scott has spent 36 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 11 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.