Gorillaz Demon Days Cover Parodies

2005Image parody / exploitable templateclassic

Also known as: Demon Days Parodies · Demon Days Album Cover Edits

Gorillaz Demon Days Cover Parodies are fan-created image templates based on the 2005 Gorillaz album cover, featuring a grid of four character portraits in white boxes on black—a format popularized on DeviantArt since its August 2005 debut.

Gorillaz "Demon Days" Cover Parodies are fan-made recreations of the album art from the virtual band Gorillaz's 2005 second studio album *Demon Days*. The cover's simple grid layout of four character portraits set in white boxes against a black background made it an easy and popular template for substituting in characters from other franchises. Since the first known parody appeared on DeviantArt in August 20051, thousands of versions have been created across platforms including DeviantArt, 4chan, and various fandom communities4.

TL;DR

Gorillaz "Demon Days" Cover Parodies are fan-made recreations of the album art from the virtual band Gorillaz's 2005 second studio album *Demon Days*.

Overview

The *Demon Days* album cover, designed by Jamie Hewlett, features the four animated Gorillaz band members in a 2x2 grid of white-bordered squares on a black background3. Murdoc sits top-left, 2-D top-right, Noodle bottom-left, and Russel bottom-right4. The design was inspired by the Beatles' 1970 album *Let It Be*3.

What makes the cover so appealing as a meme template is its clean, symmetrical layout. Any group of four characters can be slotted into the grid, and the result is instantly recognizable. The high-contrast black-and-white frame gives even the silliest character swaps a dramatic, moody look that plays well against the originals.

Gorillaz is a virtual band created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and *Tank Girl* co-creator Jamie Hewlett in 19985. After their self-titled debut album sold over seven million copies4, the duo released *Demon Days* on May 11, 2005 in Japan and May 23-24 in the UK and US3. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and went six times platinum in the UK5. Lead single "Feel Good Inc." won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 20063.

The first known parody of the cover appeared on DeviantArt on August 16, 2005, just three months after the album's release. User bundycoot (now The-Bundycoot) swapped the Gorillaz members with characters from *Kim Possible*, noting visual similarities between certain band members and the show's villains. Bundycoot specifically called out the parallels between Monkey Fist and Murdoc, and between Duff Killigan and Russel1.

Origin & Background

Platform
DeviantArt (first parody), Am I Right? (early spread)
Key People
bundycoot / The-Bundycoot, Jamie Hewlett, Damon Albarn
Date
2005
Year
2005

Gorillaz is a virtual band created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and *Tank Girl* co-creator Jamie Hewlett in 1998. After their self-titled debut album sold over seven million copies, the duo released *Demon Days* on May 11, 2005 in Japan and May 23-24 in the UK and US. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and went six times platinum in the UK. Lead single "Feel Good Inc." won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2006.

The first known parody of the cover appeared on DeviantArt on August 16, 2005, just three months after the album's release. User bundycoot (now The-Bundycoot) swapped the Gorillaz members with characters from *Kim Possible*, noting visual similarities between certain band members and the show's villains. Bundycoot specifically called out the parallels between Monkey Fist and Murdoc, and between Duff Killigan and Russel.

How It Spread

By October 2005, parody covers started appearing on Am I Right?, a music humor site dedicated to song parodies and album art spoofs. The format spread steadily through DeviantArt's fan art community, where it became a staple of fandom crossover art. The site now hosts over 3,000 pieces tagged "Demon Days".

In 2009, a Photoshop tutorial video was uploaded to YouTube showing viewers how to create their own *Demon Days* parodies, which helped standardize the format and lower the barrier to entry. The meme also found audiences on 4chan and within specific fandom communities. The brony fandom embraced the format on Bronibooru, where *My Little Pony* character versions of the cover circulated. In January 2012, Equestria Daily featured a 20-minute mashup album called "Discord Days" that combined *Demon Days* tracks with the *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* soundtrack, accompanied by a pony-style version of the album cover.

The parody format's longevity owes a lot to the album's own lasting cultural footprint. *Rolling Stone* ranked *Demon Days* at number 437 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2023, and Last.fm logged over 35 million plays of the album's tracks. Gorillaz themselves are recognized as pioneers of culture jamming, appearing on Wikipedia's list of culture jamming organizations.

How to Use This Meme

Creating a *Demon Days* cover parody typically follows a straightforward process:

1

Pick a group of four characters from any franchise, fandom, or real-life context

2

Draw or edit each character into one of the four squares, matching the original's framing (head-and-shoulders portrait, slightly moody expression)

3

Arrange them in a 2x2 grid with white borders on a black background

4

Optionally match character personalities to the original band members (the leader goes where 2-D is, the edgy one takes Murdoc's spot, etc.)

Fun Facts

The original *Demon Days* cover was itself a reference to the Beatles' *Let It Be* album from 1970, making every parody a reference to a reference.

Jamie Hewlett won the Design Museum's Designer of the Year award in 2006, partly for his Gorillaz artwork.

Gorillaz holds a Guinness World Record as the Most Successful Virtual Band.

The "Discord Days" MLP mashup was so well-received that Equestria Daily commenters compared it to the original album in quality, with one calling it "the greatest possible thing".

Damon Albarn drew inspiration for the album's dark tone from a train journey through impoverished areas of rural China, describing it as "dead trees as far as the eye can see".

Derivatives & Variations

Kim Possible version

— The first known parody, matching KP villains to Gorillaz members based on visual similarities[1].

My Little Pony "Discord Days"

— A full 20-minute mashup album pairing *Demon Days* instrumentals with *MLP: FiM* audio, released with a pony-style cover recreation[6].

Am I Right? submissions

— A collection of user-submitted album cover parodies hosted on the music humor site[2].

DeviantArt community art

— Thousands of fan art pieces recreating the cover with characters from South Park, anime series, and original characters, among others[7].

Bronibooru MLP versions

— Multiple *My Little Pony* takes on the cover tagged with "demon_days" and "parody" on the now-defunct pony art archive[8].

Frequently Asked Questions

Gorillaz Demon Days Cover Parodies

2005Image parody / exploitable templateclassic

Also known as: Demon Days Parodies · Demon Days Album Cover Edits

Gorillaz Demon Days Cover Parodies are fan-created image templates based on the 2005 Gorillaz album cover, featuring a grid of four character portraits in white boxes on black—a format popularized on DeviantArt since its August 2005 debut.

Gorillaz "Demon Days" Cover Parodies are fan-made recreations of the album art from the virtual band Gorillaz's 2005 second studio album *Demon Days*. The cover's simple grid layout of four character portraits set in white boxes against a black background made it an easy and popular template for substituting in characters from other franchises. Since the first known parody appeared on DeviantArt in August 2005, thousands of versions have been created across platforms including DeviantArt, 4chan, and various fandom communities.

TL;DR

Gorillaz "Demon Days" Cover Parodies are fan-made recreations of the album art from the virtual band Gorillaz's 2005 second studio album *Demon Days*.

Overview

The *Demon Days* album cover, designed by Jamie Hewlett, features the four animated Gorillaz band members in a 2x2 grid of white-bordered squares on a black background. Murdoc sits top-left, 2-D top-right, Noodle bottom-left, and Russel bottom-right. The design was inspired by the Beatles' 1970 album *Let It Be*.

What makes the cover so appealing as a meme template is its clean, symmetrical layout. Any group of four characters can be slotted into the grid, and the result is instantly recognizable. The high-contrast black-and-white frame gives even the silliest character swaps a dramatic, moody look that plays well against the originals.

Gorillaz is a virtual band created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and *Tank Girl* co-creator Jamie Hewlett in 1998. After their self-titled debut album sold over seven million copies, the duo released *Demon Days* on May 11, 2005 in Japan and May 23-24 in the UK and US. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and went six times platinum in the UK. Lead single "Feel Good Inc." won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2006.

The first known parody of the cover appeared on DeviantArt on August 16, 2005, just three months after the album's release. User bundycoot (now The-Bundycoot) swapped the Gorillaz members with characters from *Kim Possible*, noting visual similarities between certain band members and the show's villains. Bundycoot specifically called out the parallels between Monkey Fist and Murdoc, and between Duff Killigan and Russel.

Origin & Background

Platform
DeviantArt (first parody), Am I Right? (early spread)
Key People
bundycoot / The-Bundycoot, Jamie Hewlett, Damon Albarn
Date
2005
Year
2005

Gorillaz is a virtual band created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and *Tank Girl* co-creator Jamie Hewlett in 1998. After their self-titled debut album sold over seven million copies, the duo released *Demon Days* on May 11, 2005 in Japan and May 23-24 in the UK and US. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and went six times platinum in the UK. Lead single "Feel Good Inc." won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2006.

The first known parody of the cover appeared on DeviantArt on August 16, 2005, just three months after the album's release. User bundycoot (now The-Bundycoot) swapped the Gorillaz members with characters from *Kim Possible*, noting visual similarities between certain band members and the show's villains. Bundycoot specifically called out the parallels between Monkey Fist and Murdoc, and between Duff Killigan and Russel.

How It Spread

By October 2005, parody covers started appearing on Am I Right?, a music humor site dedicated to song parodies and album art spoofs. The format spread steadily through DeviantArt's fan art community, where it became a staple of fandom crossover art. The site now hosts over 3,000 pieces tagged "Demon Days".

In 2009, a Photoshop tutorial video was uploaded to YouTube showing viewers how to create their own *Demon Days* parodies, which helped standardize the format and lower the barrier to entry. The meme also found audiences on 4chan and within specific fandom communities. The brony fandom embraced the format on Bronibooru, where *My Little Pony* character versions of the cover circulated. In January 2012, Equestria Daily featured a 20-minute mashup album called "Discord Days" that combined *Demon Days* tracks with the *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* soundtrack, accompanied by a pony-style version of the album cover.

The parody format's longevity owes a lot to the album's own lasting cultural footprint. *Rolling Stone* ranked *Demon Days* at number 437 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2023, and Last.fm logged over 35 million plays of the album's tracks. Gorillaz themselves are recognized as pioneers of culture jamming, appearing on Wikipedia's list of culture jamming organizations.

How to Use This Meme

Creating a *Demon Days* cover parody typically follows a straightforward process:

1

Pick a group of four characters from any franchise, fandom, or real-life context

2

Draw or edit each character into one of the four squares, matching the original's framing (head-and-shoulders portrait, slightly moody expression)

3

Arrange them in a 2x2 grid with white borders on a black background

4

Optionally match character personalities to the original band members (the leader goes where 2-D is, the edgy one takes Murdoc's spot, etc.)

Fun Facts

The original *Demon Days* cover was itself a reference to the Beatles' *Let It Be* album from 1970, making every parody a reference to a reference.

Jamie Hewlett won the Design Museum's Designer of the Year award in 2006, partly for his Gorillaz artwork.

Gorillaz holds a Guinness World Record as the Most Successful Virtual Band.

The "Discord Days" MLP mashup was so well-received that Equestria Daily commenters compared it to the original album in quality, with one calling it "the greatest possible thing".

Damon Albarn drew inspiration for the album's dark tone from a train journey through impoverished areas of rural China, describing it as "dead trees as far as the eye can see".

Derivatives & Variations

Kim Possible version

— The first known parody, matching KP villains to Gorillaz members based on visual similarities[1].

My Little Pony "Discord Days"

— A full 20-minute mashup album pairing *Demon Days* instrumentals with *MLP: FiM* audio, released with a pony-style cover recreation[6].

Am I Right? submissions

— A collection of user-submitted album cover parodies hosted on the music humor site[2].

DeviantArt community art

— Thousands of fan art pieces recreating the cover with characters from South Park, anime series, and original characters, among others[7].

Bronibooru MLP versions

— Multiple *My Little Pony* takes on the cover tagged with "demon_days" and "parody" on the now-defunct pony art archive[8].

Frequently Asked Questions