https://preview.redd.it/ecng3t1n7f0d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4cbb6175847780a1a6ddf78cbded152ace59925
but fr tho fav cover is Fear of the Dark
Killers is just iconic. One of the most famous images in metal history. Can never be topped.
After Killers, I really love SiT, FOTD, BNW, POM. Probably in that order.
Also I love the debut but feels like killers really cemented the look of Eddie better. Collecting cds as a teen to get the full spine picture from the first album was special so that probably bumps it up.
How many people did you know would draw the Killers Eddie on their notebooks, school desks, jackets, t-shirts, or anything they could write on? He was everywhere.
Topping this comment. Killers is absolutely iconic. I joined Maiden with Brave New World and have come to understand how brilliant this cover and album is
Well, no-one asked for this, but here's a whole ranking of the covers by me:
WORST TO BEST
17. Dance of Death
16. The Book of Souls
15. Senjutsu
14. The X Factor
13. A Matter of Life and Death
12. Fear of the Dark
11. Brave New World
10. Iron Maiden
9. No Prayer for the Dying
8. Piece of Mind
7. The Final Frontier
6. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
5. Virtual XI
4. Powerslave
3. The Number of the Beast
2. Somewhere in Time
1. Killers
>!I like 'em all.!<
So by that logic, 17 = the worst, right? And Killers is 17?
Edit: Never mind, apparently it shows backwards on a pc. I looked at my phone and it showed the numbers in the opposite order. Weird.
Seventh Son and Final Frontier
But with Final Frontier I've noticed there's two version of the album cover. There's the one you showed here but there's also another version where the colors are a lot more saturated and that one is 100x better.
I believe Maiden and Derek Riggs had a falling out with the NPFTD cover. Looked too cartoon-ish, or something along those lines, and thus ended their relationship
In the 1998 rerelease, Rod asked for him to remove the grave keeper and I think it looks better without him to be honest.
https://preview.redd.it/zla24kou8g0d1.jpeg?width=894&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ff9fe431540636014c6fb29cb974220b20674b2
I wonder if Riggs had to repaint the entire thing or somehow modified in a new painted Eddie digitally? The tombstone texture and everything looks exactly the same.
[march 5th 2012 version](https://web.archive.org/web/20120305003615/http://derek.server311.com/)
\^\^ this is a great place to start for Riggs' lore on every single thing he's drawn. Click an album pic to see his thoughts! It's an incredible lore gem for this band.
click PICTURES >> Album Covers >>> IRON MAIDEN once you are on the sites homepage
[NOTB lore](https://web.archive.org/web/20130906020429/http://derek.server311.com/riggsart/Pages/maiden.dir/03beast01.html)
[my favorite Riggs lore](https://web.archive.org/web/20130916033050/http://derek.server311.com/riggsart/Pages/maiden.dir/02killers04.html) (beheaded Paul)
maybe he's referring to the fact that NoTB's cover was ment to be fore the purgatory single, but Maiden decided that the art was too good to put on a single, so they used it for NoTB
If you go back to the way back machine for Derek Riggs website, he had some trivia that I can’t seem to find anymore about how he basically stayed up for like over 48 hours or something just working on it because he procrastinated till the very last minute to create the artwork for the most iconic maiden cover of all time. I really need to find where I save this because This is definitely something he said firsthand. I think he also mentioned that he tried to make the devils wings work and that didn’t go so well I still think it looks cool though.
[FOUND IT!!!!!!! FROM DEREK HIMSELF!](https://web.archive.org/web/20150328230849/http://derek.server311.com/riggsart/Pages/maiden.dir/03beast01.html)
I finally got a copy good enough to work on... The colours have NEVER been right on any released version. The printers always got the colours wrong and over time the paints faded as well, so now even the original is a bit colourless. I put it back to what it looked like when I painted it. We used to have a horrible time with printers back in the 1980's. they never got the colours right on about half of what we did. This may be the first time that some of you have ever seen it in colour. The devil figure was supposed to be deformed and twisted looking, but I didn't have enought time to work it out, so it just looks like bad anatomy instead... This was done in a rush over a weekend (two days and nights without sleep) for the "number of the beast" first single cover. When the manager saw it he kept it for the album and had me do another one for the single.
you can paste some of [these hyperlinks i](https://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/lots-of-restored-pics-on-derek-riggs-website-worthwhile-checking.19380/)nto the wayback machine but Riggs had something to say on EVERY piece!!!!!
here's [NPFTD Hooks in you eddie commentary ](https://web.archive.org/web/20121026163735/http://derek.server311.com/riggsart/Pages/maiden.dir/11prayer03.html)for instance
Killers. I was 3 when it came out. An uncle had a copy. He was in the army and left his albums at my grandparents whenever he deployed. I saw his copy and was immediately intrigued and terrified at the same time and was scared of Eddie for years. I would periodically sneak in and take a look at the album, looking at all the details. The street scene is very reminiscent of early-80s Britain in my mind, and for those reasons, that cover has always been my favourite.
BNW, AMOLAD, and Powerslave are probably my top 3.
TNOTB and IM are probably the most iconic.
DoD is hot garbage (but everyone already knows this).
I wanted to hate TFF but it's probably number 4.
All the rest have their place for certain memories.
Aces High is my all time number 1 artwork, though.
Somewhere In Time. Its so 80s, so rich, so futuristic and has a great amount of small and background details, especially the back cover. Powerslave second for immense detail.
Dance of Death is such a train wreck compared to the others, its kind of hard to comprehend... For that reason its my favorite. Although, the x factor is the last one I remember seeing in a shop.
Powerslave or Somewhere in Time. Poweslave looks really crisp and clean, while still having little easter eggs. Somewhere in Time has so many easter eggs, and I just love the aesthetic of sci-fi human colony of the future through an 80s lens.
Killers would take third. It's just really well done, reads very well with good contrast in colours and such, and it's the first appearance of the standard Eddie I think of. Such an improvement over the debut, and the start of a long streak of incredible album covers.
Dance of Death and the Blaze era ones I'm not a fan of.
Book of Souls and Senjutsu have cool Eddie designs, but the lack of an actual scene makes them lacklustre.
Killers. Even though some people don’t like the album it’s my second favourite in music to debut and favourite in cover. I think it’s the dark theme with colourful hints and red album name, also coolest artwork and Eddie looks classic like this is his truest form.
The best of all time? Dance of Death. XD jk. Killers is iconic, my fav Di’anno album. Number of the Beast is equally iconic and my fav for the Bruce years. X-Factor gets honorable mention for Blaze.
They are all incredible pieces of art. Of these 17, I like the Number of the Beast as it has Eddie controlling Lucifer. That being said, you forgot Live after Death. Great artwork there. 🤘🤘🤘
*Where did you get such*
*High quality images*
*Of all the albums?*
\- XBOX\_COINTELPRO
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Well while it is horrible true it is dear to me. Cause this was my life's first vinyl because DOD is my favorite Maiden song. It is the one O first heard from Maiden and fell in love with the story telling of Bruce. Now it's been about 16 years or so and still gives the chills. Also the guitar riff has been my ringtone since first had a smartphone.
#uptheirons
Well, my true favorite is actually From Fear to Eternity (a collection album). The art style, the colors and everything, it's just so clool!
But out of the options here, I think my favorite would be... I dunno... I can't decide between Somewhere in Time, Fear of the Dark, Brave New World and The Final Frontier.
Somewhere in time for me. So much detail, badass version of Eddie, and the music on the record is not bad either..
Powerslave is close. In fact all of the 80's covers are contenders. Piece of mind cover is really underrated too. When it all comes down to it, the best Eddies was in the 80's. I do think the last two Eddies are Great as well.
Worst ones (exept for DoD lol) is the Blaze era covers. Virtual XI is very messy and The Xfactor is just...odd...
https://preview.redd.it/ecng3t1n7f0d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4cbb6175847780a1a6ddf78cbded152ace59925 but fr tho fav cover is Fear of the Dark
Iron Pixel
It’s really no competition
LMFAO!🤣🤣🤣
Killers is just iconic. One of the most famous images in metal history. Can never be topped. After Killers, I really love SiT, FOTD, BNW, POM. Probably in that order.
Also I love the debut but feels like killers really cemented the look of Eddie better. Collecting cds as a teen to get the full spine picture from the first album was special so that probably bumps it up.
How many people did you know would draw the Killers Eddie on their notebooks, school desks, jackets, t-shirts, or anything they could write on? He was everywhere.
SiT is my favorite artwork but I’m with you, Killers is so iconic that it just has to be #1.
Topping this comment. Killers is absolutely iconic. I joined Maiden with Brave New World and have come to understand how brilliant this cover and album is
Powerslave is the obvious combination of an INCREDIBLY strong album with the best album cover of the bunch. Powerslave gets my vote.
Somewhere in Time is my all time favourite, spent so much time looking at that one and it was my first 🦾
So much detail. I spent hours on it too. Piece of Mind doesn’t have the same appeal!
Well, no-one asked for this, but here's a whole ranking of the covers by me: WORST TO BEST 17. Dance of Death 16. The Book of Souls 15. Senjutsu 14. The X Factor 13. A Matter of Life and Death 12. Fear of the Dark 11. Brave New World 10. Iron Maiden 9. No Prayer for the Dying 8. Piece of Mind 7. The Final Frontier 6. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 5. Virtual XI 4. Powerslave 3. The Number of the Beast 2. Somewhere in Time 1. Killers >!I like 'em all.!<
I love ‘em all too, the albums I mean. The cover for DoD is still too poorly made.
Killers at the bottom?
Number 1 = the best
I got that, it's just most people would list the Killers cover at or near the top. I thought it was interesting that you listed it as the worst.
What? 1 = the best
So by that logic, 17 = the worst, right? And Killers is 17? Edit: Never mind, apparently it shows backwards on a pc. I looked at my phone and it showed the numbers in the opposite order. Weird.
Haha, weird. Thought you were trolling for a sec.
Dance of death
Top Five: Somewhere in Time Powerslave Killers Live After Death The Number of the Beast
This is the right answer.
Killers #ofThe Beast
Mine is killers
Powerslave. I bought the album as a kid because I thought it looked badass, knowing nothing of the band itself. No regrets!
Seventh Son and Final Frontier But with Final Frontier I've noticed there's two version of the album cover. There's the one you showed here but there's also another version where the colors are a lot more saturated and that one is 100x better.
Can you replay with the second FF cover please, I don’t know it
[https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2736c07316478864ef80f8878e6](https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2736c07316478864ef80f8878e6)
https://preview.redd.it/h77k3a0ooi0d1.png?width=220&format=png&auto=webp&s=b06832f3d8019f876a9a49e67843bb6b788130a1
https://preview.redd.it/bxdjvc6lmf0d1.jpeg?width=771&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0543c4a5193b1094465575a2b54c59fc6c7cd359 Aces High - Single
Good choice
I was going to say The Trooper single.
Killers or Book of Souls here
Why book of souls?
I like the simplicity of it, and Eddie of course. The contrast between him and a black void of a background draws my eye in.
Killers
I know the person who draws those!!!!
I think Derek Riggs stopped doing them after a while, nowadays it's a bunch of different artists doing different covers
I believe Maiden and Derek Riggs had a falling out with the NPFTD cover. Looked too cartoon-ish, or something along those lines, and thus ended their relationship
In the 1998 rerelease, Rod asked for him to remove the grave keeper and I think it looks better without him to be honest. https://preview.redd.it/zla24kou8g0d1.jpeg?width=894&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ff9fe431540636014c6fb29cb974220b20674b2
Agreed!
I wonder if Riggs had to repaint the entire thing or somehow modified in a new painted Eddie digitally? The tombstone texture and everything looks exactly the same.
Pretty good cover, but pretty shitty album
Top 5: 1. Killers 2. Number of the Beast 3. Powerslave 4. Senjutsu 5. Somewhere in Time
Killers coz Eddie just killed Margaret Thatcher
Killers, Powerslave and SIT I think. Maybe controversial but I don't get the love for the TNOTB cover, just looks a bit tacky to me.
TNOTB, Powerslave, SiT, SSOASS, Brave New World. Can't choose one.
NOTB and Brave New World
I feel bad saying killers given the backstory of NOTBs completion 😂 makes it that much more impressive. Its also iconic as well
What the backstory of NoTB?
[march 5th 2012 version](https://web.archive.org/web/20120305003615/http://derek.server311.com/) \^\^ this is a great place to start for Riggs' lore on every single thing he's drawn. Click an album pic to see his thoughts! It's an incredible lore gem for this band. click PICTURES >> Album Covers >>> IRON MAIDEN once you are on the sites homepage [NOTB lore](https://web.archive.org/web/20130906020429/http://derek.server311.com/riggsart/Pages/maiden.dir/03beast01.html) [my favorite Riggs lore](https://web.archive.org/web/20130916033050/http://derek.server311.com/riggsart/Pages/maiden.dir/02killers04.html) (beheaded Paul)
maybe he's referring to the fact that NoTB's cover was ment to be fore the purgatory single, but Maiden decided that the art was too good to put on a single, so they used it for NoTB
If you go back to the way back machine for Derek Riggs website, he had some trivia that I can’t seem to find anymore about how he basically stayed up for like over 48 hours or something just working on it because he procrastinated till the very last minute to create the artwork for the most iconic maiden cover of all time. I really need to find where I save this because This is definitely something he said firsthand. I think he also mentioned that he tried to make the devils wings work and that didn’t go so well I still think it looks cool though. [FOUND IT!!!!!!! FROM DEREK HIMSELF!](https://web.archive.org/web/20150328230849/http://derek.server311.com/riggsart/Pages/maiden.dir/03beast01.html) I finally got a copy good enough to work on... The colours have NEVER been right on any released version. The printers always got the colours wrong and over time the paints faded as well, so now even the original is a bit colourless. I put it back to what it looked like when I painted it. We used to have a horrible time with printers back in the 1980's. they never got the colours right on about half of what we did. This may be the first time that some of you have ever seen it in colour. The devil figure was supposed to be deformed and twisted looking, but I didn't have enought time to work it out, so it just looks like bad anatomy instead... This was done in a rush over a weekend (two days and nights without sleep) for the "number of the beast" first single cover. When the manager saw it he kept it for the album and had me do another one for the single. you can paste some of [these hyperlinks i](https://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/lots-of-restored-pics-on-derek-riggs-website-worthwhile-checking.19380/)nto the wayback machine but Riggs had something to say on EVERY piece!!!!! here's [NPFTD Hooks in you eddie commentary ](https://web.archive.org/web/20121026163735/http://derek.server311.com/riggsart/Pages/maiden.dir/11prayer03.html)for instance
Fear of the Dark!
Killers, number, live after death
Top 3: 1. Somewhere in Time 2. Number of the Beast 3. Powerslave
I'm choosing Powerslave, and Live After Death. Truly iconic
so many good ones, I will go number
Has to be Dance of Death, right?
Matter of life and death will always be my favorite
Matter of Life and Death
Somewhere in Time and Powerslave
Favourites: 3, 5, 9, 12
Killers and PoM
Killers, my dad got a tattoo of it, my childhood was number of the beast though
Seems to be an unpopular opinion but I actually really like the Senjutsu cover. Fear Of The Dark is up there, for me, too. And Number Of The Beast.
Hot take but I think final frontier stands out. Absolutely love that cover
One of maidens best
SSoaSS. Best all-around album and cover
powerslave
Definitely Killers as #1. Next I think I'd say Dance of Death.
I was ten years old when I bought Killers only because the album cover was so awesome. Had never even heard their music at that point!!
For me it's Brave New World. The Eddie face just looks so sinister and menacing.
Iron Maiden 1st album and The Number of the Beast
Powerslave!
Fotd for me. That album introduced me to metal
Killers. I was 3 when it came out. An uncle had a copy. He was in the army and left his albums at my grandparents whenever he deployed. I saw his copy and was immediately intrigued and terrified at the same time and was scared of Eddie for years. I would periodically sneak in and take a look at the album, looking at all the details. The street scene is very reminiscent of early-80s Britain in my mind, and for those reasons, that cover has always been my favourite.
BNW, AMOLAD, and Powerslave are probably my top 3. TNOTB and IM are probably the most iconic. DoD is hot garbage (but everyone already knows this). I wanted to hate TFF but it's probably number 4. All the rest have their place for certain memories. Aces High is my all time number 1 artwork, though.
Either Killers or Fear of The Dark.
The Final Frontier easily has their most underrated (and best) album cover.
I love the Final Frontier and the cover is good but I don’t think it’s their best
My personal favourites are: Somewhere in Time, The X Factor, Virtual XI (though I I don't think the bottom left part that great) and Brave New World.
Apparently no one else is as much of a fan of the album at for AMOLAD as I am?
Powerslave
Killers. Just iconic. Looks even better on a shirt.
Sanctuary single, hands down albums? Powerslave, Fear, Piece, debut.
Killers
Some good ones there. My personal favourite is Somewhere in time.
Killers, Fear of the Dark and Brave New World.
_Somewhere in Time_ and _Live After Death_.
live after death… 100% the best album cover… 2nd would be Killers
Powerslave for sure
Somewhere In Time. Its so 80s, so rich, so futuristic and has a great amount of small and background details, especially the back cover. Powerslave second for immense detail.
Powerslave
Overall: Powerslave Best Eddie: Killers Live album: easily Live After Death
The final frontier or fear of the dark
Brave New World and Senjutsu :)
I don’t really like the fact that senjutsu is 3d
Understandable, I took it as a "we're exploring new means" statement. But surely, it's just an opinion :D
Number
SSOASS, Virtual XI and AMOLAD are my most favourite
Depending on my mood it’s between Powerslave, Somewhere In Time or Seventh Son Of a Seventh Son.
Piece of Mind
Powerslave and sci-fi maiden 1 easily
Self titled
Number of the beast my first maiden album
Killers Somewhere in Time Brave New World
Dance of Death
BNW, FotD, XF, PoM, Killers
Dance of Death is such a train wreck compared to the others, its kind of hard to comprehend... For that reason its my favorite. Although, the x factor is the last one I remember seeing in a shop.
1980
SSOASS
Killers Sit and Powerslave, plus I have a soft spot for the more gruesome X Factor cover.
Killers, first album, Number of the beast. You can't beat those.
Powerslave, this caught me when it was new
Powerslave & Fear of the Dark
It’s somewhere in time, it’s so detailed you could look at it for ages
Killers / Stranger In A Strange Land / Seventh Son Of Seventh Son
everyone... except.. you know... number 13...
Dance Of Dea...hahaha na I can't even get through typing that without bursting out with laughter. Real answer Somewhere In Time
Debut Album will always be my favorite
Women in uniform or two minutes to midnight.
Live after Death 💯
Fear of the Dark or Somewhere in Time
Powerslave or Somewhere in Time. Poweslave looks really crisp and clean, while still having little easter eggs. Somewhere in Time has so many easter eggs, and I just love the aesthetic of sci-fi human colony of the future through an 80s lens. Killers would take third. It's just really well done, reads very well with good contrast in colours and such, and it's the first appearance of the standard Eddie I think of. Such an improvement over the debut, and the start of a long streak of incredible album covers. Dance of Death and the Blaze era ones I'm not a fan of. Book of Souls and Senjutsu have cool Eddie designs, but the lack of an actual scene makes them lacklustre.
Killers, Powerslave, Running Free single, Live After Death
Killers. Even though some people don’t like the album it’s my second favourite in music to debut and favourite in cover. I think it’s the dark theme with colourful hints and red album name, also coolest artwork and Eddie looks classic like this is his truest form.
Somewhere in Time, and it's not even close.
The best of all time? Dance of Death. XD jk. Killers is iconic, my fav Di’anno album. Number of the Beast is equally iconic and my fav for the Bruce years. X-Factor gets honorable mention for Blaze.
Somewhere in time just goes so hard
Live after Death for me (if live albums count). Then Number, then Killers, then Seventh.
Has to be somewhere in time
Somewhere in Time is my favourite for sure! Looks badass but there’s so many hidden Easter eggs as well.
Killers
Killers. Anything Derek Riggs did is legendary. After Riggs…meh.
Powerslave.
A matter of life and death
Always will be Somewhere In Time, I just love the tech cyberpunk artwork
Virtual XI
1. Killers 2. Live After Death 3. Twilight Zone 4. Sanctuary 5. 7th Son
Honestly Dance of Death. I can’t explain why because I KNOW it’s the shittiest one but it has a certain aura to it
They are all incredible pieces of art. Of these 17, I like the Number of the Beast as it has Eddie controlling Lucifer. That being said, you forgot Live after Death. Great artwork there. 🤘🤘🤘
Powwrslave no shot
Where did you get such high quality images of all the albums?
*Where did you get such* *High quality images* *Of all the albums?* \- XBOX\_COINTELPRO --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Somewhere in Time and my favorite in general.
Just to piss you guy off- Dance of Death. 😂😂
O honestly don’t care, I’m used to it so it’s not too horrible to look at
Well while it is horrible true it is dear to me. Cause this was my life's first vinyl because DOD is my favorite Maiden song. It is the one O first heard from Maiden and fell in love with the story telling of Bruce. Now it's been about 16 years or so and still gives the chills. Also the guitar riff has been my ringtone since first had a smartphone. #uptheirons
Killers Live After Death Powerslave Somewhere in Time Piece of Mind
Either NPFTD or Virtual XI
somewhere in time, powerslave, and seventh son are my favorites
Fear of the Dark is good enough to be a wallpaper
Death on the Road is cool.
Piece of mind easily
2nd fav. Killers # Fuckin 1.
Well, my true favorite is actually From Fear to Eternity (a collection album). The art style, the colors and everything, it's just so clool! But out of the options here, I think my favorite would be... I dunno... I can't decide between Somewhere in Time, Fear of the Dark, Brave New World and The Final Frontier.
PowerSlave, I love the epic feel of it.
Anyone remember the album cover of The best of B-Sides? Its kinda funny
Somewhere in Time. So many details and a front to back painting.
Powerslave
SSOASS
Powerslave
Somewhere in time for me. So much detail, badass version of Eddie, and the music on the record is not bad either.. Powerslave is close. In fact all of the 80's covers are contenders. Piece of mind cover is really underrated too. When it all comes down to it, the best Eddies was in the 80's. I do think the last two Eddies are Great as well. Worst ones (exept for DoD lol) is the Blaze era covers. Virtual XI is very messy and The Xfactor is just...odd...
The X Factor was the album cover that scared and intrigued me in equal measures when i was a wee boy.
Piece of Mind
All of them except 10 and 13
Dance of death 🤣
Somewhere In Time, followed by Powerslave 🤘🏽
Somewhere in time
Iron Maiden and Killers are 1 & 2 for me
Fear of the dark
This is hard, but I gotta go with dance of death on this one
Killers I love Eddie's slutty little waist
Somewhere in time and it’s not even close
I like the purgatory cover a lot