CD cover analysis.

Slipknot. Genre: Heavy Metal

Typically, the front of a heavy metal cover is dominated by black. Generically, there is the name of the band on front in the noticeable style, which Slipknot always uses on their name making it recognisable for their audience. The image of the band on front is highly recognisable as Slipknot wear highly visually attracting masks. Also noticeable in the band is how many members it contains, 9 in total up until the death of a band member leaving them with just 8 members left. Not many bands contain this many members, having them all on the front cover is more appealing for the fans as they love images of their favourite band only increasing the star image of the group. Slipknot have a very dark/gothic look with all their masks which is why the red in this album colour works very well as it connotes blood, death or even anger since most of their music is very loud and screamed. This may be seen as a negative image for younger audiences due to the nature of their tracks on their albums and also in the way the band are represented in their music videos and on their album covers.

Paramore. Genre: Pop punk/Alternative Rock

This very simple cover is very recognisable by the dissected butterfly on it. If placed among albums its simplicity and the bright butterfly would stand out, as the butterfly is iconic of this album and has become a well-known symbol for the band. Paramore only have 3 albums out, none of which contain images of the band on the front. Meaning if their audience is looking for a Paramore CD they won’t look for the bands image but instead one of the symbols which have become part of Paramore. The font on the front is very simple and to one side keeping the over all appearance of the album neat. The title of the album is actually smaller and in a slightly fancy handwriting style above the name of the band, to keep with the simple style of the album and also as the name of the band is more important than the title of the CD as this is a bigger category when browsing for music. The name of the band is larger then the title size in case fans don’t recognise the album or if someone wants to get into Paramore they can choose this from the shelf. Paramore are a well-known band, most probably recognised by their RIOT! Album as the Riot style appeared on there merchandise. This image is associated with the band, like how the gothic masks are associated with Slipknot.

Aerosmith. Genre: Hard rock.

First forming in the 1970’s Aerosmith are a well Known band sometimes referred to as “The Bad Boy from Boston” and “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band”. This album cover is in the shape of a skull, however the Artwork on it is what makes it look like a skull. The children on the cover have large hair making it look like the eye sockets in a skull. The small figures they are playing with look like the teeth on the skull. I can’t see what exactly is making the shape of the nasal cavity. This album cover is art instead of an image of the band, keeping their star image as a heavy rock band by having an unusual but recognisable album cover. The cover is rather dark looking, with a gravestone on but also a microphone and mic-stand. The cover is designed to look like an old illustration from medieval times. Black and browns keep the cover mainly dark. However the skull is lit with an abstract like colouration of yellow, red, blue and some green, which spreads or glows onto its surroundings adding slight colour to the darkness of the album cover. The font used for the name of the album (Plus “The very best of”) is designed in a way, which makes it seem old, with all its sharp and jagged edge. The name of the band is somewhat out of place as its large, pink and flamboyant, the complete opposite of the rest of the cover making it stand out greatly. The style of which their name is presented will mean their album will stand out to their fans on a shelf with other CDs around it.

Back of an Album cover

The back of an album cover may contain the same style as the front of the cover such as this one. A kind of war ground is shown on the back to keep with the genre and image of the group. However it won’t contain an image of the band. As this CD is most likely a heavy metal one the colours are kept dark. Using black, grey and red (Red usually connotes blood or the emotion of anger) the cover is kept gothic looking, making it easier to print the font over the top of it in white making it stand out more and making it easier to read.

Primarily the back of a CD album will have the list of the songs and which order they are on the CD.  This is the main purpose of the back of a CD cover. The font will be the same as on the front to keep with the style of the CD. At the bottom you will find the barcode and the legal information and copyright claims like which company owns the rights to the bands music.

With a CD cover which contains a mixture of songs like this KERRANG! CD, the songs and artists are listed so you can have a look on the back of the CD cover before purchasing. The reason this is done is it provides the audience with a wider range of songs within the genre therefore making the CD more appealing as it does not contain songs from just one band.