Back in 1996, Megadeth’s original title for their 7th studio album was “Needles and Pins”.
Immediately my visual direction of this project was to be a nod to the gris-gris world of voodoo — (avoiding the cliché of anything remotely hypo, or drug-related).

After weeks of prep — a reference photo session with Dimo Safari in Toronto — shooting the stunning Brazilian model friend of his that would be my reference for the cover painting. Followed by a week long journey of discovery to New Orleans. We made the rounds to all the recommended, reputable and long-established shops. Marie Laveau’s being first on the list — they were fascinating and very helpful in providing authentic vintage artifacts that we were kindly invited to photograph as elements for the album. Then, of course, came The Voodoo Queen.

Always enthused to develop new visual directions for the band’s fan base — having already levitated an emaciated octogenarian in his prison cell — and our Northumbrian charwoman, hanging infants out to dry on her clothesline in the moors ­— I was surprised (and, I confess, disappointed) when I received a call from Dave at the 11th hour, telling me he wanted to re-title the album and take the artwork into a different direction (!)

This giclée was produced by Eastern Engineering Fine Art Division on a Canon PROGRAF PRO-6000 60-inch printer for Professional Photo and Fine Art printing.

It prints with 13 LUCIA PRO archival pigment inks and a Chroma Optimizer. The inks are created to last 90+ years under normal display conditions (not in direct sunlight). The paper is Premium Archival Matte Paper, museum grade and acid-free for high-quality fine art reproductions.

All prints are signed by Hugh Syme and will include a certificate of authenticity.