Balance--Van Halen | The Story Behind the Album Cover Art

Send us Fan Mail What does a medieval chess match with Death, a Bible verse about divine silence, and a pair of naked conjoined twins on a seesaw have to do with Van Halen? This album started life as The Seventh Seal—inspired by Bergman, Revelation, and Eddie Van Halen’s search for meaning—before becoming Balance, one of the band’s most unsettling and revealing statements. Glenn Wexler takes us inside the abandoned concepts, the androgynous child model, and the image that perfectly captured a band joined at the hip and pulling each other apart. Grab a copy and listen along with us. Questions, comments, recommendations? We’d love to hear from you at [email protected].