Some of the candid shots could be deemed unnerving, such as the photo of Nattefrost, apparently drunk/passed out in the bathtub, but the photos do represent the human condition.

Some of the shots are very striking, the sparse, but effective use of colour contrasting well with the predominantly black and white corpse-paint. The shots of people in corpse-paint in urban settings, provide a visually arresting contrast to the mundane surroundings. It seems that Gaahl of Gorgoroth for example lives in what could be best described as a shack or cabin in the middle of nowhere, just like a hermit.

Many of the shots in and around the homes of the fans and musicians show how spartan their lifestyles are. There are quite a few nature shots, which might seem surprising at first, but these photos truly serve to capture the stark environment which many of these artists drew inspiration, both spiritually and lyrically. There are shots of live gigs, pre and post gig shots, and there are several shots of fans as well. The time-line is a very detailed, 3-page fold out which captures all of the key points, significant events, dates and so on.īeste’s work covers a wide range of subjects. The intro and overview are written, as mentioned, by Kristiansen, founder of the legendary Slayer fanzine.

It doesn’t really flow in my opinion but that is the ONLY complaint I have about this magnificent collection. There are some photos, some quotes then an introduction by Peter and Jon Kristiansen, then more photos, then a written two- pages overview of the genre, a time-line, more photos etc. The book has a quite unique layout in the sense that there is no real linear composition or sequencing. This mammoth project was eight years in the making and documents in painstaking photo-journalistic detail, many aspects of the genre we know and love, and love to hate. At about 185 pages, each page is a giant, glossy plate on high quality paper, documenting Beste’s photo-study of the genre. Hard bound and oversized, this monster collection is probably the largest book in my library. TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL is an enormous coffee table book featuring photos of…well, I’m sure you can figure it out. When I say photo books, I mean primarily art, album covers, and/or photography collected in book form. This is one of my favorite Metal related photo books of the dozen or so photo books in my collection. The definitive illustrated photo guide of Norwegian Black Metal.

Peter beste black metal book