Stories behind the posters
Who took the photo, where, and how it ended up on a magazine poster.
Venom: three men from Newcastle who gave black metal its nameStuds, leather, stage names from hell and an album recorded in three days. The story of the classic Venom line-up, and the poster with the three of them at full volume.
Iron Maiden Killers: the night Eddie got his axeHow Derek Riggs painted Eddie with a bloody axe in front of his own block of flats in North London, and why Killers was the end of one Iron Maiden and the start of another.
Ride the Lightning: why Metallica put an electric chair on the coverAn electric chair, a bolt from the logo and a title borrowed from Stephen King. The story of the Ride the Lightning cover, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Why is there a man in pink pyjamas on the cover of Paranoid?The Paranoid cover was made for an album called War Pigs. The title changed at the last minute, the picture stayed. The story of the most confusing sleeve in metal, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Hammerheart: how a Victorian painting became a Viking metal coverThe Hammerheart cover was painted almost a century before the album, by a future president of the Royal Academy. The story of The Funeral of a Viking and Bathory's turn to the north.
Imaginations from the Other Side: what is waiting behind the frame?A golden frame, a dragon, a bard and a hooded stranger. How Andreas Marschall painted the doorway to Blind Guardian's other side, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
A Blaze in the Northern Sky: the album Darkthrone's label didn't wantA pale painted face in the dark, a raw sound the label called too weak, and a band that refused to budge. The story of A Blaze in the Northern Sky, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Death Symbolic: the cover that was painted with darkroom chemicalsRené Miville made the Symbolic sleeve by painting photo chemistry straight onto photographic paper. The story of the last cover in his Death trilogy, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Deep Purple Burn: five candles, five faces, one test shotThe Burn sleeve shows Deep Purple as five burning candles, and the photo was only meant to show the idea. The story of the cover, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Powerslave: the jokes Derek Riggs hid in Eddie's pyramidA pharaoh Eddie, a pyramid struck by lightning, and a few cheeky messages in fake hieroglyphs. The story of Derek Riggs's Powerslave cover, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Defenders of the Faith: meet the Metallian, half tiger, half tankHorns, fangs, tank tracks and a warning on the back of the sleeve. The story of the Metallian, the beast on the Defenders of the Faith cover, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
KISS Destroyer: the cover that was too violent the first timeFour superheroes in platform boots leaping over a ruined city. How Ken Kelly painted the Destroyer cover twice, and why the label sent the first version back.
Love Gun: how Ken Kelly made KISS look bigger than lifeFour heroes in a glowing archway and a crowd of painted women at their feet. The story of Ken Kelly's Love Gun cover, from a rejected alley sketch to a platinum sleeve.
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas: why a cathedral on a black metal cover?A purple cathedral on a black background, an album finished after its creator's death, and a sleeve that now sits in Norway's National Museum. The story of the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas cover.
Rust in Peace: who are the men in suits staring at the alien?Vic Rattlehead, a dead alien and five world leaders in a secret hangar. The story of Ed Repka's Rust in Peace cover, and a title borrowed from a bumper sticker.
Don't Break the Oath: the demon who points straight at youA horned demon in a sea of yellow flames, one finger aimed at the viewer. The story of Thomas Holm's cover for Mercyful Fate's Don't Break the Oath, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Garage Days Re-Revisited: why is there a price in Metallica's title?A price in the title, a joke in the subtitle and a new bassist in the photo. The story of Metallica's Garage Days EP, recorded in six days after the darkest year of their lives.
Master of Puppets: who is pulling the strings on that graveyard?A field of white crosses on strings, two hands in a blood-red sky, and a painting that later sold at Christie's. The story of the Master of Puppets cover, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Orgasmatron: why is Motörhead's monster a steam train?The Orgasmatron cover was painted for an album called Ridin' with the Driver. The title changed, the train stayed. The story of Joe Petagno's locomotive, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Blizzard of Ozz: who invited the cat to Ozzy's cover shoot?A raised cross, a cape, a pair of horns in the smoke and a black cat nobody planned. The story of the Blizzard of Ozz cover photo, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
The Ultimate Sin: Ozzy's least favourite album, and his best-loved cover?A woman in thigh-high boots, a winged beast with a very familiar face and a sky on fire. How Boris Vallejo painted The Ultimate Sin, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Cowboys from Hell: how Pantera got glued into an old Western saloonNo Photoshop, just scissors and glue. How Pantera ended up inside an old photo of a Colorado saloon, and how the album that changed the band got made.
Freddie at Wembley: the summer Queen played their last big showsFreddie Mercury leaning back over the Wembley stage in July 1986, mic in hand. The story of Queen's two Wembley nights on the Magic Tour, and the poster that puts the moment on your wall.
Rainbow Rising: whose fist is coming out of the sea?A giant fist bursting from a stormy sea to grab a rainbow. How Ken Kelly painted the Rising cover to Ritchie Blackmore's orders, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Holy Diver: is the demon drowning the priest, or the other way round?A demon with a chain, a priest in the waves, and a record label asking if Dio was sure about this. The story of the Holy Diver cover, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Sepultura Arise: the nightmare a sci-fi painter made to measureClaws, fangs, a staring eye and a burning torch. How a famous book cover painter ended up making Sepultura's Arise sleeve, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Chaos A.D.: who is hanging upside down on Sepultura's cover?A wrapped body hanging from machines, hands reaching up, faces in the walls. How Michael Whelan painted Cacophony for Sepultura's Chaos A.D., and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Hell Awaits: the Slayer cover that was painted overnightAlbert Cuellar painted the Hell Awaits sleeve in a single night, and its demons have a surprising relative in a 1977 French comic. The story of the cover, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Reign in Blood: the cover Slayer said they were stuck withA goat-headed lord on a throne, demons in bishops' hats and a body hanging on the wall. How a political illustrator painted Reign in Blood, and why the band did not want it at first.
Show No Mercy: who drew Slayer's goat warrior?A goat-headed warrior with a sword, a pentagram of daggers and a roadie's dad with a paintbrush. The story of Slayer's Show No Mercy cover, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
South of Heaven: who moved into the eyes of Slayer's skull?A cracked skull, a cathedral with the Slayer pentagram in its windows and strange creatures in the eye sockets. The story of Larry Carroll's South of Heaven cover.
Thin Lizzy Jailbreak: what is that robot doing on the cover?Marvel comics, H.G. Wells and a story Phil Lynott carried in his head. How Jim Fitzpatrick drew the Jailbreak cover, and the poster that puts it on your wall.
Venom Black Metal: the demon painted with correction fluidA white demon on black, a pentagram, 666 on one horn and a cross on the other. How Cronos designed the Black Metal cover, and the album that named a genre.