Justin Bieber’s Logo Just Got a Metal Facelift

“You won’t Belieb this,” begins a post on the official website for Mark Riddick, whose distinct illustration style has adorned album covers and t-shirts for Morbid Angel, Rotting Christ, The Black Dahlia Murder, Revocation, Warbringer, Grave, Exodus, Suffocation and quite literally hundreds of others.

But Belieb it we do! Pop star Justin Bieber has made headlines a number of times over the past couple of years for his love of metal, lip-syncing to Ozzy’s “Crazy Train,” wearing Metallica and Iron Maiden t-shirts and even using his voice to “play” Kirk Hammett’s opening solo in “Fade to Black” (watch if you dare).

But now he’s taken things to the next level by commissioning Riddick to design a metal-styled logo to be used on a series of merch designs for his upcoming “Purpose Tour.” The logo isn’t as overtly metal as most of Riddick’s work, but it’s got enough pointy things on it that it communicates the idea well enough, and it’s certainly a bit of a change in direction from Bieber’s corporate pop past. Here, take a look:

Riddick did a number of sketches for the logo that didn’t make the cut, and he’s posted those for all to see on the RiddickArt Facebook page. Interestingly (but perhaps predictably), most of the initial sketches are MORE metal than the logo that eventually ended up being chosen. Here are a few of them:

While many a metalhead will be sure to cry “sellout” in Riddick’s direction, I think it’s pretty badass. Riddick has been toiling in the underground for 25 fucking years producing hundreds of top-quality designs for peanuts and he probably got paid hella good for this gig, after which he’ll likely go back to doing exactly what he was doing before. Congrats to thee, I say. As for Bieber… well, he still sucks.

Thanks: Mike R.