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Our Top 10 Iron Maiden album covers takes a look at some of the greatest albums covers in Classic Rock History. Iron Maiden album covers were an art form in themselves. Iron Maiden album covers were graces by a mascot they named “Eddie The Head.” This character would be depicted on just about every Iron Maiden album cover the bead has ever released with a few exceptions. The artwork was painted and designed by a brilliant artist named Derek Riggs. He would paint and design most of the Iron Maiden cover art for the entire decade of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The band would turn to other artists in the 1990s after Iron Maiden and Derek Riggs parted ways. However Derek Riggs artwork would have a lasting impact on the bands image for their entire career.
This Top 10 Iron Maiden Album Covers article examines all the band’s albums including their studio, live and compilation releases. The band also released an amazing body singles and imports. This article just focuses on the U.S. official studio, live and compilation issues. Otherwise its just way too many to choose from. Besides our choices for our favorite 10 Iron Maiden album covers we have also included a listing of all their official U.S studio, live and compilation releases while also featuring the covers.
# 10 – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
We open up this top 10 Iron Maiden Album Covers list with the cover of the great album Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son. The album was released 1988. Iron Maiden;s brilliant album cover design artist Derek Riggs was told by the band’s management to create a design that was very different from the previous paintings that he had created for the band throughout their 1980s run. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son’s cold artic style background surrounding the upper torso and head of the iconic Eddie character was the result.
# 9 – From Fear to Eternity The Best of 1990 – 2010
Continuing with our top 10 Iron Maiden album covers list we turn to one of the band’s compilation albums. The album From Fear To Eternity was released in 2011.
# 8 – Fear Of The Dark
Iron Maiden’s Fear Of The Dark cover was a significant departure from the design of their previous covers. There’s good reason for that. The band’s management decided that it was time for a change. The band brought in a new artist to design the cover named Melvyn Grant, who would continue to work for the band designing album covers.
# 7 – Rock In Rio
Iron Maiden’s live album Rock In Rio was released in 2002. Its one of our favorite live album covers of all time. Its design is a work of brilliance.
# 6 – Death On The Road
Everything about Iron Maiden’s album cover for Death on the Road was simply stunning. The use of color in this one is brilliant as it showcases Eddie and the horse in the most horrific and artistic fashion.
# 5 – The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden’s album The Number Of The Beast was the bands third album release and presented the world the voice and talents of Bruce Dickinson. The legendary artist Derek Riggs who painted the cover said that the cover design was inspired by a Dr. Strange Comic Book in which Dr. Strange was dangled like a puppet by one of the comic’s villains.
# 4 – Powerslave
Iron Maiden’s Powerslave album cover was a brilliant creation placing Eddie in the Pharoah’s chair. The Powerslave album was released in 1984. The Ancient Egypt themes would be presented as part of the tour that followed the album.
# 3 – Somewhere In Time
The picture below does not do this great album cover justice. This one just shines so graphically intense when your holding it in your hands. The great album Somewhere in Time was released in 1986. The cover was created by Derek Riggs. If one looks closely at the cover they will find many nuggets added for Iron Maiden fans. The poster hanging on the wall is from the cover of the first album with graffiti painted over it seemingly saying “Eddie Lives.” There are also many references to Iron Maiden songs sprinkled throughout the album cover. Try finding them on a download image. Forget about it!
# 2 – Iron Maiden
As we get oh so close to the top of our Iron Maiden Album Covers list, we turn to the one that got it all started. In the number two spot is Iron Maiden’s debut album form 1980 simply entitled Iron Maiden.
# 1 – Killers
Iron Maiden’s Killers album comes in at the number one spot on our top 10 Iron Maiden Album covers list. It just barely beast out their 1980 debut album which was just so iconic. There was just something special about the Killers cover that just could not be beat.
Compete Studio Iron Maiden Album Covers
Iron Maiden (1980)
Released in 1980
Killers (1981)
Released in 1981
The Number of the Beast (1982)
Released in 1982
Piece of Mind (1983)
Released in 1983
Powerslave (1984)
Released in 1984
Somewhere in Time (1986)
Released in 1986
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
Released in 1988
No Prayer for the Dying (1990)
Released in 1990
Fear of the Dark (1992)
Released in 1992
The X Factor (1995)
Released in 1995
Virtual XI (1998)
Released in 1998
Brave New World (2000)
Released in 2000
Dance of Death (2003)
Released in 2003
A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
Released in 2006
The Final Frontier (2010)
Released in 2010
The Book of Souls (2015)
Released in 2015
Compete List Of Studio Iron Maiden Live Album Covers
Live After Death
Released in 1985
A Real Live One
Released in 1993
A Real Dead One
Released in 1993
Live at Donington
Released in 1993
Rock In Rio
Released in 2002
BBC Archives
Released in 2002
Beast over Hammersmith
Released in 2002
Death on the Road
Released in 2005
Flight 666
Released in 2009
En Vivo!
Released in 2012
Maiden England ’88
Released in 2013
The Book of Souls: Live Chapter
Released in 2017
Iron Maiden Compilation Album Covers
Best of the Beast
Released in 1996
Ed Hunter
Released in 1999
Best of the ‘B’ Sides
Released in 2002
Edward the Great
Released in 2002
The Essential Iron Maiden
Released in 2005
Somewhere Back in Time The Best of: 1980 – 1989
Released in 2008
From Fear to Eternity The Best of 1990 – 2010
Released in 2011
Check out our other Iron Maiden articles…..
Complete List Of Iron Maiden Albums And Discography
Top 10 Iron Maiden Songs
Top 10 Iron Maiden Albums
Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast: Album Review
Iron Maiden The Book of Souls: Album Review
Looking Back At Iron Maiden’s Debut Album
Updated May 22, 2023
Top 10 Iron Maiden Album Covers article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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