Album Art of the Week: Heaven & Hell – ‘The Devil You Know’

Metal legends Heaven & Hell brings some visceral imagery on their debut, 'The Devil You Know.' The background painting is by Norwegian illustrator Per Haagensen. Not knowing the title of the album or of the piece, one is able to assume the snarling figure's identity via the multi-crucifixes and general nightmarishness of the Horned One.

This is one of the few album covers I've seen that lists the members' names. Normally this is something reserved for side projects of career virtuoso musicians, who have already built a name for themselves and are immediately recognizable as a brand. Heaven & Hell's roster reads like an abbreviated Who's Who of classic metal, so it makes sense to broadcast that fact on this album.

Interesting trivia: the two numbers that bookend the yellow Black Sabbath devil logo stand for Matthew 25:41, the Biblical verse where God banishes the unfaithful from Heaven to take up resience with the rebellious devils.