This album cover shows a man holding a gas mask, looking up towards the sky. The high-angle shot used makes the viewer feel as if there is something important looming over-head and also gives you a feeling of power and superiority and gives you a sense of sympathy for the man. The man is holding a gas mask and is surrounded by the shadows of people in a 'T' shape, these people could represent the casualties from a war or gas attack. He could be the sole survivor... This could represent the end of the world, a theme which runs throughout the album in the music.
This apocalyptic theme is seen in the music video for Time Is Running Out, the third track on the album. In this video, you see what you assume to be various military leaders at a meeting, they then proceed to dance around the room like puppets as muse play... This could be showing how the military are just like puppets of the government... The lyrics of the song seem to be about the government trying to cover up some sort of secret, which could be the cause of the Earth's demise...
The theme of world destruction is also seen in the video for Sing For Absolution, in which you see a futuristic city that they have to leave in a spaceship, possibly because of the end of the world...
The colours used on the album cover are neutral, so as to give a baron feel to the landscape. The fact that the band name is larger than the title of the album ensures that it is the first thing you read, followed by the album title.
Good Jos. I feel you could say a little more about the band's name and album title and how it is not necessarily the most important feature of the cover.
ReplyDeleteWhite text has been used for the band's name and album title which, on light background such as the one used, mean it is less noticeable and in-your-face than it would be if a contrasting colour was used.
ReplyDeleteThis means that it is almost the last thing you see when you first look at the album cover. This shows that the band's image is less important to them than their music. They want the music to be the main element to their album, not their name in big letters across the cover.