Metal Hammer Front Cover Anlysis

The front cover of metal hammer is mainly dominated by the image of the feature article that is in the magazine; however the text supporting the feature article is also quite large and dominates the bottom of the cover. The masthead of the magazine however is obstructed by the main image which could be because the audience knows what magazine it is and intent on buying it regardless; while the title is obstructed it is helped to stand out by the contrast of the colour of the background and the title itself. In relation to the main image the most obvious thing to the reader is that it is referencing a popular movie, ‘Sin City’, this could be referenced in relation to the magazine itself or the band and the style of music they play or even their own personalities. The image also seems to go against the culturally dominant ideology of happy bands, whereas this image attacks the CDI with its portrayal of band members wielding weapons. Also the font used for the information about the feature article is in the style of the films font. The movie itself is known for being very violent which is backed up by the image on the magazine’s cover with the band holding various weapons and wielding them in an aggressive manner. The expressions of the band also mimic this as they all have rather aggressive or ‘intimidating’ appearances. Again this is supported by the caption of the magazine which is a quote from the band ‘we’re here to intimidate you’. Another reference to the film is used in the bottom of the cover which includes fictional names (apart from that of the band starring in the ‘film’) of who produced and directed the ‘film’, there is even a licensing label in the bottom left hand corner. Yet another reference to the film is the artistic style and colours used in the image of the band, this is because the film is filmed almost solely in black and white with only a couple of colours being shown, there is also emphasis on the use of light which can be seen on this image. The colour of red on he image also connotes danger and violence, evidently backed up by the image itself of the band members wielding weapons.This cover of the magazine would most likely appeal to a male audience, this is because the film itself is aimed at a male audience and both the film and magazine cover feature implications of violence which relates to males than females. It would also appeal to more subcultural groups as rock magazines often target the niche audience of certain subcultures such as punks and emo's. However it can be said, by looking at Dick Hebdiges study of subcultures that since magazines are mainly mainstream it is absorbing the subculture and therefore popularizing it, just as the punk style was absorbed by the CDI and it became a fashion. In relation to the rest of articles featured in the magazine there seems to be no information about them as the top and bottom captions are devoid of any information on these other articles, this may be due to the magazine wanting to keep more in theme with a film cover rather than a music magazine, or it could be because it is an important or exclusive article that would grab the attention of a large audience. The barcode, like Kerrang, is out of the way in the right hand corner and printed small so the price cannot be seen very easily, again could be because the audience already know the price or are not bothered about it.