Visual content analysis of alternative rock and metal album covers of the year 2021

Abstract

The present work analyzes the visual identity of alternative rock and metal album covers of the year 2021 to establish the main similarities and differences between the two genres. To do this, we used a visual content analysis methodology that provides quantitative data that can later be interpreted in a qualitative way by the researcher. To complement the research, we also created a Google Forms-based questionnaire to know whether people can easily recognize a musical genre and which album artworks they are most attracted to. The results show that despite a large number of visual similarities between the two musical styles, people can mostly distinguish tell them apart.