- Metal Hammer is a UK-based magazine that focuses on heavy metal music and bands. It currently has higher circulation than similar magazines. - The masthead features Gothic font and implies the artists have a demonic, immortal quality, fitting the magazine's audience of metal fans. - In photos of the band Dimmu Borgir, the lead singer Shagrath is central, larger than others, asserting his dominance as the leader in both imagery and the band's hierarchy.

1. By Shannon Horton

2. • Metal hammer is a UK based magazine. It mainly
adheres to the heavy metal genre, and
represents heavy metal bands.
• It is currently outselling “Kerrang!” and “NME”
• It is published weekly, with a circulation of 49,143
copies sold.
• The genre is wide regarding metal (where all
types of metal are covered) yet does not really
consider other genres of rock.

3. • The masthead “Demons at
the Gate” implies that the
artists are actual demons and
that they have an air of
immortality within them. This
demonic imagery is
indicative to the magazine
and the image that the band
“Dimmu Borgir” want to
create (also shown by the
gothic sans writing). This
shows the magazine is for a
specific “Metalhead”
audience. This is also shown
by the large font of the
quotation “If you can’t
gamble you can’t win”. The
effect of this statement adds
to the image of non-
conformity and the
stereotype of rocker being
“reckless”. The gambling
semantics could also show
an image of rebelling against
the law.
• The colour of the masthead
fades from a blue to a
white, indicating a softness.
This makes the writing stand
out behind the darkness of
what appears to be a desert
in night-time, conforming to

4. • The main theme is light
and dark shades of grey
with shades of black and
white. This is indicative
with the desert theme that
the picture wants to
create. These colours
evoke the sense of a
higher power, and support
the bands’ god-demon
image. Combined with the
text and the gothic
text, they oppose each
other with the common
rock persona because
light colours do not fit
with the image of anarchy
and metal. This is
strangely matched by the
member of the bands as
they match the colour
scheme/the scheme
matches them, further
creating the sense he is

5. • The composition of the
shot informs the reader of
the status of the members.
It also shows the
dominance of Shagrath as
he will constantly dominate
the shot (he will be
central). Shagrath (the
lead singer) is in the
middle, facing the front.
His largeness compared to
the others shows his
authority and asserts his
power as “leader”. Silenoz
(the figure on the left) is
slightly larger than the
figure on the back
(whatever his name is,
probably something like
Infectious, or something
really over the top) which
also indicates his highness
over other members. This
conforms to the ideas of a

6. The gothic
typography
is
synonymou
s with the
demon
imagery.
Also, the
grey-blue
scale of the
writing
indicates
the cold
nature of
the band.
This
implies the
nature of
metal
music and
the
necessity
to conform