An in depth analysis into rock album covers.

1. ROCK ALBUM COVER ANALYSIS
By Kelly Alexander

2. 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 the
front in the noticeable style, which the band Slipknot always
uses for their band name, therefore making it recognisable
for their audience. The image of the band on front is also
highly recognisable for their audience as Slipknot wear
highly visually attracting masks unlike other bands in this
genre. Also noticeable about the album cover is the number
of band members, 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 enjoy
images of their favourite band only increasing the star image
of the group. Slipknot have a very dark/gothic look about
them with all their masks which is why the red in this album
colour works very well as it highlights the masks. Red also
connotes blood, death or even anger which fits with the
loud angry styles within the songs and even the lyrics. 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.

3. 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
do not 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.

4. 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
micstand. 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.

5. BACK COVER OF A ROCK ALBUM
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 as this album’s genre is one
of hard rock. The colours are kept dark using a palette of black, grey and
red (red usually connotes blood or the emotion of anger) and therefore,
the cover is kept gothic looking, and this causes the medieval-like white
font to stand out.
Primarily the back of a CD will have the list of the songs and which
order they appear on the CD and 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 and to not look too over the top and tacky. At the
bottom you will find the barcode and the legal information and copyright
claims such as 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 the audience 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.