The feature article photograph involves the band Metallica; straight away your eyes are drawn to the large, energetic photograph of the main singer. The sell “WE’RE STILL BREAKING THE DOORS DOWN” is above the masthead and there are no other plugs or puffs apart from “THE HEAVY METAL BIBLE” to promote the magazine on the front cover. This makes the photo the main vocal point of the front cover and it gives the impression that having Metallica featuring in the magazine is enough to persuade the public to buy it. The photo of Metallica also hides some of the masthead, this shows that the brand “Metal Hammer” is well known and popular enough to not have to show the entire masthead. It could also suggest that Metallica are too important and successful to have their picture covered, this gives the photo a three dimensional effect and fits in with the live theme the front cover has.
The colours used are mostly reds and blacks which are commonly used colours in music magazines and gives the connotation of danger. The bright, white colour of the cross draws attention to Metallica as he is standing next to it and it contrasts from the other dark colours they have used on the front cover. The eye catching bright white colour also lights up his face, to give the effect of his face glowing. This is ironic as white gives the connotation of purity and innocence; however his facial expression contradicts this. He appears to be screaming, this mise-en-scene gives the impression that he is half way through a song which again ties in with the live theme, it also fits in with the plug “WE’RE STILL BREAKING THE DOORS DOWN”, which gives quite a violent image and is therefore supported by his angry expression.
This angry image conveyed from the feature article photograph and the plug, is also supported by his appearance and choice of clothing. He seems to have bullets around his waist in substitute for his belt; this suggests violence and danger again. As bullets are associated with death it fits in with the dark background that surrounds him. He is also wearing all black so it contrasts with the white cross and makes him stand out.
The white cross not only draws attention to Metallica, it also ties in with the plug “THE HEAVY METAL BIBLE”, as a cross is religious symbol for Christianity. They have referred the magazine to a Bible which illustrates that it is the sacred book for heavy metal music; it also gives the impression that they consider their magazine to contain all the information people need on heavy metal and that they should read it religiously like people do with the Bible. A cross is also a current and fashionable symbol so is therefore keeping in trend.
The main theme of this edition of the Metal Hammer front cover portrays a live performance. There is smoke on the stage which is a very common special effect at concerts, this not only fits in extremely well with the theme but it also has connotations of danger and fire which closely associated words that relate back to rock music. This visual effect also illustrates that he is putting on an exceptional performance so therefore it is promoting the band in a positive light. Following on from this in the background you can see the crowd, they are holding out their arms to try to touch him this mise-en-scene shows that he is important and famous as people want to get closer. There are also lights in the background from people taking photos of the band, this gives the connotation that everyone wants to take photos and videos to record the memories as they are putting on a show for them. It also gives the reader a preview of what their film will be like, as the large red symbol in flush right is a sign for their new film. This creates an informative mode of address as they want to show the readers what their film will be like.
The masthead is bold and eye catching due to the dark red colour; it uses up a lot space and is very noticeable not just because of the size but also the uniqueness of the style. The “Metal” which is inside of the H is the only text that is at a jaunty angle compared to the other very straight blocky text, this makes it very recognisable and different to the other mastheads on other magazines.
Similarly they have used the same typography for “Metallica” which evokes that Metallica are just as important as the Metal Hammer magazine is. However the sell and the plug are written in a different font to mix it up and show that these things are less important. The text and the sign which are both in red further underlines their importance as the colour stands out from the other dull colours used.
The target audience for this cover are people who are interested in heavy rock music, I would assume that it is persuaded more towards the older generation as Metallica is an older rock band however because they are very well known it may also appeal to the younger generation. It would also appeal to fans of Metallica as only the fans would recognise the symbol used to promote their new movie. The house style is very vague as there is not a lot of text however it does come across as serious due to the sell “WE’RE BREAKING THE DOORS DOWN” which comes across as potent.
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