Textual Analysis - Front Cover 2

On this Kerrang magazine, Biffy Clyro are being represented in a thug like manner. They look like this due to the fact that the lead singer who is stood at the front has his hood up with a tattoo on his hands which is generally stereotyped as being 'thug like'. His face is also partially in shadow which could suggest he is hiding due to the fact that the background is black as well. The other two people that are set further back are both wearing black which tells the audience they are not as important as the lead singer but are still part of the band.

Kerrang are representing them in this way due to the type of music that Kerrang contains within its magazine. It is a heavy metal, rock magazine which is shown to us through the colour on the front cover of the magazine as well as the title which connotates violence which still reflects back to heavy metal and rock. The title reflects violence as it appears as if it has been slashed with a knife or a sharp object showing more of the black background through a white title. Each of these features all relate back to being rebellious and violent which is what rock and heavy metal is seen as.

The costumes that are worn in the main image are fairly plain and as said before, the lead singer has his hood up which gives of the idea of hiding along with the dark background. Which all relate back to the main cover line which says 'Biffy Clyro, unfold the puzzle of life' which connotates to us that the story is going to uncover certain things to do with them which we people didn't know or that Biffy Clyro kept from their audiences. As well as the costume, the setting also assists the main cover line as it is in a dark place where you can't see anything but Biffy Clyro giving off the idea of secrecy and hiding.

The main, dominant image is Biffy Clyro which makes sense as the main cover line is to do with them. There are also two sub images of two other bands with a cover line saying how the two sub images on the cover are available as posters in the magazine. There is also a small image of the singer Hayley out of the rock band Paramore which is accompanied by a cover line which is in red like the cover line explaining about the posters. The coverlines that accompany the sub images are prodominantly in red which connotates violence, blood, and excitement which like mentioned previously relates back to the idea of violence in the title with it looking like aknife has slashed it.

The camera is used in a straight medium shot which makes the audience feel involved with the band making it more personal to them as if they are the only people that are finding out about this band even though they know they are not.

By looking at this magazine front cover I would personally say that it is aimed at a target audience of late teens and even maybe early adults due to the fact that the image is quite dark which would also appeal to the people stereotyped as emo's, goths and moshers.