Hear in the Now Frontier.
I can see why you selected that one for this thread. But honestly, I just don't get the appeal of that cover - maybe the title of the album caused me to think that the cover would have a deeper meaning or something. But a bunch of detached ears in mason jars in a wilderness just doesn't do it for me. (Personal opinion, I know)
Same with St. Anger - don't understand how that album cover is really appealing. Some of Pushead's other artwork for Metallica is pretty cool, but not that, IMO.
any Portnoy-era DT album
It amazes me that you could ever have been a DT fan before MM came aboard judging by all your hatred for everything from the MP-era.
In before Stadler posts about Grace Under Pressure!
If they had used the back image of the egg in the vice, then it would fit this category. Hold Your Fire and Roll the Bones also qualify (although I don't know that I'd go so far as to say that the cover of RtB is "great").
Interesting - the egg and vice artwork isn't all that amazing to me, but the front cover is probably my favorite one out of all Rush's covers.
Regarding RtB, good choice - forgot about that one. I think the artwork is pretty clever and impressive given that Photoshop was still in it's infancy back then. But HYF? If the juggler artwork was used on the cover, sure. But just 3 simple red balls on a red background? Meh.
Fear of a Blank Planet
Seriously? Love the artwork and the album - one of my favorites from PT!
As much as I love Iron Maiden, I always thought the Eddie thing is kind of silly. I do get it though, it has worked and served them well with album sales. So it's a good marketing tactic geared toward young metal heads back in the day. It also has paid dividends in merchandise sales at their shows. Even still to this day, Eddie lives on quite well in the Maiden line-up.
You just wrote why Eddie isn't silly I get it, if you don't like it, you don't like it, but Eddie is the greatest marketing stunt in heavy metal history. He's the quintessential mascot, Maiden didn't invent mascots but there isn't, and there won't be anymore, a mascot in heavy metal as worldwide recognizable as Eddie. Kiss marketed themselves as characters, sure, but Eddie is Eddie. No other mascot comes remotely close in terms of cultural impact.
I guess Snaggletooth B. Warpig (Motörhead's mascot) did though. He ran the full gamut of merchandising too (like Eddie does)
Concur with Stadler, particularly that Motorhead is not and never was on anything close to the same level as Maiden. Also, I had no idea that thing had a name.
How about Megadeth's Vic Rattlehead? He may not have been on every album cover and he doesn't stomp around the stage like Eddie, but otherwise I'd say he's right up there with Eddie.