Chad: Double-Page Spread Analysis: Metal Hammer

Issue 212

The double page spread uses a simple three-colour print. This consists of of black, white and blood red which suits the dark grungey, metal genre which the magazine mainly is.
The spread is a picture led article with a staged photo of a man wearing makeup and looking 'a bit scary', which covers the entire left page. He is very stereotypically 'metal', as he is wearing black leather, black lipstick, and black runny mascara. The photo has been manipulated using an image manipulation application so that there is less colour (it's been desaturated), more contrast (which could have been manipulated using levels/curves/contrast), which, again fits the genre. The image is a photo of a seemingly oldish, chubbyish man - eating what looks like a mangled human brain. This is obviously a disturbing picture, though disturbing images seem to be a normal style for the metal genre, which is a genre based around rebelling from the norm and being controversial.

On the right hand page is the article. At the top of the page is a headline in a large red typeface. The text has then been edited and had graphics/artwork added to make it look like it was made from blood, fitting with the 'scary/disturbedness' of the image. Below this is a black strap line with the stand first in red uppercase - which adds emphasis. The reccurring black and red colour scheme fits the metal scene as explained before.

Below this is the start of an article. It has a leading cap in a large red typeface, which draws your eyes to the start of the article. The article has a formal mode of address with an extended vocabulary, which to assume the readers are somewhat educated. All the text in the double page spread is in a sans-serif typeface which makes the magazine seem more modern.
There is a byline above the article, which could be because the magazine believes the writer and photographer for the article are very important - more important even than the content. There is also a pull quote in a really big red typeface at the bottom of the page, and a humorous caption next to the picture - which makes it seem less serious.