Evil Twinsies! These Heavy Metal Magazine Characters Look Just Like Real-Life Heavy Metal Musicians

• Halford

  [Photo: Getty Images / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

• Lita

  [Photo: RCA Records / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

• Dio

  [Photo: Getty Images / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

• Tool

  [Photo: Getty Images / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

• Doro

  [Photo: Getty Images / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

• Disturbed

  [Photo: Getty Images / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

• Rollins

  [Photo: Getty Images / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

• Amy_Lee

  [Photo: Getty Images / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

• les

  [Photo: Getty Images / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

• ArchEnemy

  [Photo: Getty Images / Art: Heavy Metal Magazine]

Since the late ‘70s, horny sci-fi fans have been ogling the pages of Heavy Metal magazine for its mix of adult-oriented fantasy comics and erotica-inspired artwork. Originating in France in 1975 under the name Métal Hurlant, which translates to “Howling Metal,” the magazine’s American publishers decided a name change was in order for the U.S. market. What better name than that of a certain musical movement — wink, Heavy Metal — that was ascending into the mainstream from the fringes of rock. Was Heavy Metal a magazine about heavy metal music? No, but it did share the genre’s fascination with fantasy and horror, and the cover illustrations of half-naked warrior babes could  have easily passed for metal album covers. Adding to the confusion was the 1981 animated-movie Heavy Metal, based on stories from the magazine, and it’s soundtrack which featured hard rockers Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult alongside the very un-metal Stevie Nicks and Eagles’ guitarist Don Felder.

So in the spirit of our previous feature 30 Musicians & Their Cartoon Look-Alikes we present to you 10 heavy metal musicians who look like characters from Heavy Metal magazine in the hopes of bridging the gap between the musical genre and the mag. We’ve combed through Heavy Metal’s online archives and found some pretty amazing doppelgangers, from metal legend Ronnie James Dio to Tool singer Maynard James Keenan and including some pretty badass metal babes like Lita Ford and Doro Pesch. In some cases, it’s hard to believe these characters weren’t inspired by the musicians themselves. So crank up your favorite metal album or cue up the Heavy Metal movie, then take a gander at our gallery and prepare to have your mind blown.