Every genre of metal/hardcore/rock has it's own style, as with everything, it becomes its own subculture. Such as Blink-182 and the pop punk style, Korn and the nu-metal style that came with that band, and throughout time more and more aesthetics develop and evolve with the genres. Pop punk now looks a lot different than it used to, because of social changes. This goes with any genre, even some becoming more obsolete. Nu-metal was big in the 80s-90s, but now doesn't have such a large following as it once did with bands such as Korn, Deftones, Incubus and Limp Bizkit paving the way.
This magazine includes all genres of heavy bands, but takes it's own stance on the aesthetic it will take forward. A main source of inspiration is the bands Counterparts and Code Orange, because of their album art/merch style choices. Being a heavy band such as those, some may expect a very harsh and rustic style as you may see with a band such as Trapped Under Ice or Converge, however, these bands I have noticed have rethought this and modernised the hardcore aesthetic through image and typeface choice, bringing a contemporary feel to the band.
In Code Orange's records Forever and I Am King, the use of a sans serif (likely to be helvetica), positioned over the top of the image is a popular trend in hardcore music/merch/artwork, as seen on other bands such as Weekend Nachos (which literally looks the same as this). The disturbing gory imagery brings the context right back alongside the vivid colours of the typeface, connoting volumn through colour and capitalisation.
Counterparts use a series of aesthetically beautiful images for their album The Difference Between Hell and Home, which again contrasts with the style of music they produce. I like how covers such as this can look unassuming instead of stereotypical, with soft colours and settings.
Another record which in particularly inspires me is Thy Art is Murder's Holy War artwork:
The reason for this is the contemporary, professional looking photography combined with the dynamic logotype for their band. This juxtaposition between clean composition and chaotic elements is something that I feel could really work with the publication, to set the scene but not succumb fully to already existing stylistic choices in metal publications, and put a unique stance on it.
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