Lars Ulrich recently sat down with Maxim to (mostly) discuss Metallica's New Blackened whiskey, but he also addressed a few other topics, including the new music and movies that have inspired him throughout 2018, and his favorite Metallica album art. Asked if he has a favorite cover from his band's heralded catalog, the drummer responded, "I'm not much for favorites," before expounding upon a couple of pieces that are particularly high in his esteem. "The Load and Reload albums with the amazing pieces by Andres Serrano, they will always hold a special place in my heart," Ulrich says. "I love him as an artist. I love the imagery. I love the fact that we saw Serrano through as the cover art for those two records. Those are probably my two favorites."
It's an interesting choice considering that Metallica frontman James Hetfield has been outspoken in his distaste for those two album covers. The artwork for Load, originally called "Blood and Sperm III," was made from cow blood and ejaculate pressed between sheets of Plexiglass; Reload features the photo of "Piss and Blood," the composition of which is equally self-explanatory.
"I hated it, but it had to match," Hetfield said around the release of Reload. "It's matching hatred. I'm not a big fan of the man and his perversions. There's art and then there's just sick motherfuckers. And he's one of them." He laughed. "The thing is, they belong together. I don't care if the guy blows donkeys. The art had to match."
