Norwegian Black Metal Photo Book Announced

On May 14, Vice Books will release True Norwegian Black Metal, a 160-page book of photography featuring some of the top names in black metal, including Gorgoroth, Immortal, Enslaved, Darkthrone, Emperor and many others.

American documentary photographer Peter Beste has spent the last eight years working in the milieu of black metal’s insulated and secretive community. Beste's access and insight has been without precedent, resulting in an amazing photographic journey. Beste has earned the respect and trust of this impenetrable, suspicious and often elitist community. With each visit Beste saw more, photographed more and eventually accumulated enough material for this book. True Norwegian Black Metal is a visual testimonial to this subculture. Peter Beste and editor Johan Kugelberg have created a unique photographic narrative that explores black metal from a truly visceral perspective.

With extensive contributions from the personal archive of Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen, publisher of the original Norwegian black metal publication Slayer Magazine, a unique opportunity is here presented to see original artifacts and ephemera from this secluded rock community, and to read accounts of these events in the words of the people who were actually there at the time.

True Norwegian Black Metal offers confrontational live performance photographs of a savage subculture set alongside the stark beauty and natural allure of a landscape often shrouded in darkness.

The book is comprised of:

160 Pages of photographs of the following bands/individuals: Nocturno Culto and Fenriz of Darkthrone, Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, Blasphemer, and Maniac of Mayhem, Samoth of Emperor, Frost of Satryicon, Enslaved, Abbath of Immortal, Gaahl, Infernus, King, and Kvitrafn of Gorgoroth, Nattefrost of Carpathian Forest, 1349, Dimmu Borgir, Ildjarn, Aura Noir and many more.

Interviews/Quotes from Frost (1349), Abbath (Immortal), Fenriz (Darkthrone), Gaahl (Gorgoroth)

Essay by authors and Jon “Metalion” Kristiansen, publisher of the original Norwegian black metal publication Slayer Magazine.

  • 32 Pages from the personal archive of Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen,
  • including original artifacts, photographs, ephemera and personal accounts by black metal's key figures.

For more information, visit peterbeste.com.

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