Which Metallica album has cover art painted by Don Brautigam?

The Metallica album with cover art painted by Don Brautigam is Master of Puppets.

Released in 1986, Master of Puppets was Metallica’s third studio album and followed Ride the Lightning. The cover concept was developed by Metallica and manager Peter Mensch, while illustrator Don Brautigam painted the finished image. It shows rows of white crosses in a cemetery, tethered to strings and controlled by unseen hands beneath a dramatic red sky.

The artwork reflects the album’s recurring themes of manipulation, control, war, addiction, and political power. That symbolism is why the cover is sometimes mistakenly associated with other Metallica records, especially albums such as Ride the Lightning, whose cover depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning.

Master of Puppets became a landmark thrash-metal recording. Its songs include the title track, “Battery,” “Welcome Home (Sanitarium),” and the instrumental “Orion.” The album was also the last Metallica studio album to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who died during the band’s European tour in September 1986. Its cover and music have since become defining parts of the band’s identity.