British Steel

Judas Priest released the album “British Steel” in April of 1980. This album is considered by many as the album that helped to launch Judas Priest’s popularity. The album cover for “British Steel” is one of the most iconic in the history of metal music. Despite the simplistic nature of the cover, there are many interpretations that can be drawn from it.
The cover of “British Steel” features a realistic depiction of a man’s hand from the wrist up holding a razor blade over a black background. One of the more subtle details of this picture is the fact that there is a studded leather cuff on the man’s hand. This cuff is very significant. Judas Priest was the first metal band to begin wearing leather and studded metal pieces such as this one. This became not only a mainstay in the fashion of Judas Priest, but of the genre of metal music to this day. The studded leather apparel has come to symbolize the hardened attitude that is associated with metal. Another detail of the album cover is that it is dark and shadowy. This mirrors that tone and demeanor of the songs contained within this album.
The focal point of the album cover is the oversized razor blade the man is seen holding. Many conclusions can be drawn from the imagery of this razor blade. A noticeable part of the razor blade is that it bear’s the album’s title, “British Steel”, on it. The title “British Steel” can be interpreted two different ways. First, the band Judas Priest is from Birmingham, England, a once thriving town whose economy was based off of the steel industry. Second, steel is a type of metal, and Judas Priest is often thought of as the first true metal band. Another conclusion that can be drawn from the razor blade is that it is obviously sharp. This is directly related to the genre of metal music. Metal music is often described as having an edge about it, and the razor blade signifies that edge. A final conclusion that can be drawn from the razor blade is the fact that is very oversized, or in other words, larger than life. This is important because Judas Priest are often considered to be “Metal Gods”, and seemed in fact to be larger than life.
Many conclusions can be drawn from a simple picture. Various factors impact how one interprets a certain image. These factors can range from color and tone all the way to subject matter. However, the beauty in interpreting an image is that each of us has the power to draw our own conclusions.