The back cover of Space Metal by UFO continues the surreal, science fiction-inspired theme of the front. The landscape features an expansive ocean stretching toward the horizon, where the water meets a soft, cloud-filled sky. The sand in the foreground appears smooth, undisturbed, and bathed in a muted light, enhancing the dreamlike quality of the scene.
The most striking element is a massive, metallic capsule-like structure, partially submerged in the ocean. Its surface is adorned with a grid-like pattern, resembling reinforced plating or stitched-together panels, and its rounded form suggests an escape pod, spacecraft fragment, or mysterious object from another world. The way it tilts as it emerges from or sinks into the waves adds to the eerie, enigmatic nature of the artwork.
In the upper-left corner, the album's tracklist is presented in a clean, legible font, detailing the contents across four sides of this double LP. Handwritten blue numbers, "50.27" and "39.39," appear next to the text, possibly indicating total playtime or cataloging information. The upper-right corner contains a yellow sticker with classification codes and the catalog number 6.28363 DT, signifying that this is a two-LP release.
At the bottom left, the Nova label logo is displayed, along with small-print credits noting that the recordings were originally released by Beacon Records in the UK and later compiled by Uwe Tessnow. The text also confirms that the tracks on this release are sourced from UFO's albums UFO 1, Flying, and UFO Live, solidifying its status as a compilation.
Overall, the back cover of Space Metal complements the front artwork perfectly, reinforcing the album’s themes of mystery, isolation, and interstellar exploration.
