dance of death artwork

What do you mean by "complete"? The artist that did it wanted to just leave Eddie on it, it was the band/management that decided to put the weird one we know of
 
I thought it was a case of the figures being roughly blocked out, with the intention of fully detailing them later. Hence they look like cheap low resolution CGI and not finished artwork.
 
I don't think there ever was a 'completed cover'.
 
Brigantium said:
I thought it was a case of the figures being roughly blocked out, with the intention of fully detailing them later. Hence they look like cheap low resolution CGI and not finished artwork.
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That was the second idea. The first idea was just to leave Eddie with a black background and the floor, afterwards the idea was to put the people, the artist presented the "sketch" and Maiden wanted to leave it like that
 
From my recollection (it's been awhile since I read the interview), the CG work was basically a first draft--something to give the band an idea of what it'll look like. The band (the quote I read way back was from Dickinson, I believe) thought that the blocked-0ut CG figures were strange-looking and unsettling the way they were unfinished and told the CG artist they wanted that unfinished version as the final cover. After, the CG artist wanted his name removed from the project.
 
Anyone from the ol' Maiden forums circa 2003 will recall how we all thought the cover was fake up until basically the day it was released. I still can't believe a band like Maiden who built a lot of their career on killer album covers (and killer music as well of course) could have approved such atrocious artwork.
 
Not atrocious. Especially when compared to the artwork on the X factor or virtual... The musical product on DOD is so excellent, perhaps I see the art through rose colored glasses. It's different looking for sure, but eerie dark and cool. IMO. :edmetal: . And as stated before, I don't believe there ever was a different, "completed" cover.
 
bornless1 said:
Not atrocious. Especially when compared to the artwork on the X factor or virtual... The musical product on DOD is so excellent, perhaps I see the art through rose colored glasses. It's different looking for sure, but eerie dark and cool. IMO. :edmetal: . And as stated before, I don't believe there ever was a different, "completed" cover.
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X Factor is very lame, but definitely has a certain look to it that fits the album. Virtual XI is only bad because of the late addition football match. The DoD version with just Eddie is far superior.

Also, I think DoD is hands down their worst sounding reunion album. It sounds like mud compared to BNW.
 
I never understood the hate for Virtual XI's cover. As far as I'm concerned, it's a return to form and easily the best of the 90s album covers.

DoD and The X Factor are both ugly, but DoD is worse.
 
I think VXI's cover is OK, but the football stuff is just pure cheese and just kills the theme IMHO (and I say that as a big football fan). Maiden tends to do a good job on visual 'immersion' as their covers/liner notes/lyrics artwork all compliment each other. VXI was the exception.
 
I suppose I don't have the hearing sensitivity to appreciate "mud", or anything at all poor on the DOD album. I can appreciate the difference when compared to BNW. But not compared to the subsequent reunion albums.
I do hear superior songs on DOD to anything else since Powerslave. PFD, DOD FITS Are 3 of the best songs of the reunion to me. And sound fricken awesome.
And the actual Eddie in the black hooded robe, reaching out at us is extraordinary. The surrounding entities don't bother me, but it is conceivable that " less is more" may apply here.
 
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