Analysis of Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising album cover
2. I am analysing the cover of Amon Amarth’s album, Surtur Rising.
The first thing I notice when I look at it is the vast amount of fire
in the image, and this could be connected with Hell and the
Devil. The fire makes the cover very bright and it attracts a lot of
attention on the shelves in shops because of how much it stands
out. The key signifier is the person/devil in the middle who is
bigger than everyone else in the image.
Heavy/death metal music/albums are typically associated with
rebellion and the devil – this cover represents both, hereby
sticking to these conventions.
3. CULTURAL CODE
The album could be linked to the Cultural Code because of the
horns in the helmet which are a reference to the devil and
therefore suggest rebellion – going against religion and society.
RECEPTION THEORY
Preferred reading: People who listen to death metal music will
be used to this kind of edgy artwork and like it.
Negotiated reading: Some people may be unsure about what the
cover represents.
Oppositional reading: Religious people may be offended by the
cover because of the devil.
4. SYMBOLIC CODE
The key signifier is wearing a helmet with large horns on,
therefore he symbolises the devil. The red tones in the image
represent the devil as it is stereotypically a colour of danger.
As they are surrounded by fire, it suggests that it is set in hell.
The flame sword he wields implies he is symbolising the devil
because the hell is always represented as being consumed with
fire and the devil as being red and having horns
5. KEY SIGNIFIER
The key signifier is the person who is much larger than everyone
else in the image. This makes him look very powerful and
threatening. He also looks like he is about to attack what look like
soldiers, suggesting violence, war and anarchy. The people at the
bottom are all much smaller than him and less important
because they are smaller.