In the last two decades, a bizarre and violent musical subculture called "Black Metal" has emerged in Norway. Its roots stem from a heady blend of horror movies, heavy metal music, Satanism, Paganism, and adolescent angst. In the early-mid 1990s, members of this extremist underground committed murder, burned down medieval wooden churches, and desecrated graveyards. What started as juvenile frenzy came to symbolize the start of a war against Christianity, a return to the worship of the ancient Norse gods, and the complete rejection of mainstream society.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
American documentary photographer Peter Beste has spent the last eight years working in the milieu of this insulated and secretive community. Beste's access and insight has been absolutely without precedent, resulting in an amazing photographic journey.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By Corpsie
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
First off, what a deal Amazon has on this. Pretty much half off what a person would pay in the store.
Anyway, like the other reviews here, this book is no slouch. It's meant for the coffee table and if you don't have a coffee table then it garners an extra seat on the couch. When people visit they have to sit next to the large front cover of Nattefrost holding up his inverted crucifix. It's definitely a conversation starter.
I've been a fan of this sub-genre of metal for a while now. I'm not going to lie and say that I've liked it or even knew about the "second wave" when it was happening. I was happily listening to my death, thrash, and classic metal albums at the time. But, when I finally did discover it, I found a new form of extreme music that paralleled my tastes at the time (around 1996).
Pros: Peter Beste's True Norwegian Black Metal captures some of the most memorable photos of the scene throughout the years. My favorites are in here and it's nice to have them on hand and just sit and look at the various photos in detail. There is additional information and old reviews/interviews with the Norwegian black metal alumni near the back as well as a tribute to ex-Mayhem vocalist "Dead". I was expecting to see Dead's body (Dawn of the Black Hearts) but alas, it was nowhere to be found. I'm neither disappointed or elated.
Cons: There is an index with page numbers and names of individuals and/or bands, but a lot of good the page numbers do when the pages have no numbers printed on them! That's probably my only gripe.
Objectively, looking on the scene then and now, my opinion remains slightly mixed on the scene's ideals, chest thumping, and rebellion. On one hand, some of the pictures such as Kvitrafn of Wardruna standing in Bergen is one of the most sociological telling pictures of the 20th century. The look on the woman's face passing on the left side is priceless next to Kvitrafn's grim countenance. The lone pictures of single individuals amidst forested backgrounds, vast plains, or in front of large mountain ranges hints at an even more darker, and to a certain extent, the lonely place where these musicians dwell in their minds and hearts. Cut off from the world and insignificant when compared with the majesty of nature, they emit a feeling of solitude which only the strong-willed are able to withstand.
In other parts of the book though, we see the less majestic to the point of the absurd and just plain sad. Nattefrost seems evil and armored for battle in most of his photos. But in one (almost candid?) shot we see him lying in his bathtub, shirtless, grasping a bottle of booze, yet still trying to ham it up for the camera even though his persona has been whittled down to little than a drunken buffoon. Unfortunately I have to say that as much as I love Immortal, Abbath hams it up for the camera even more. I'd much rather see Abbath in a more grim mode ala Pure Holocaust than say...At the Heart of Winter (which is an awesome album, but the band photos...meh).
That's about it. I love this book. Frontwards and back. I'm looking forward to sharing it with my metal buds who I know will appreciate it as much as I do.
Keep those horns raised high.
Anyway, like the other reviews here, this book is no slouch. It's meant for the coffee table and if you don't have a coffee table then it garners an extra seat on the couch. When people visit they have to sit next to the large front cover of Nattefrost holding up his inverted crucifix. It's definitely a conversation starter.
I've been a fan of this sub-genre of metal for a while now. I'm not going to lie and say that I've liked it or even knew about the "second wave" when it was happening. I was happily listening to my death, thrash, and classic metal albums at the time. But, when I finally did discover it, I found a new form of extreme music that paralleled my tastes at the time (around 1996).
Pros: Peter Beste's True Norwegian Black Metal captures some of the most memorable photos of the scene throughout the years. My favorites are in here and it's nice to have them on hand and just sit and look at the various photos in detail. There is additional information and old reviews/interviews with the Norwegian black metal alumni near the back as well as a tribute to ex-Mayhem vocalist "Dead". I was expecting to see Dead's body (Dawn of the Black Hearts) but alas, it was nowhere to be found. I'm neither disappointed or elated.
Cons: There is an index with page numbers and names of individuals and/or bands, but a lot of good the page numbers do when the pages have no numbers printed on them! That's probably my only gripe.
Objectively, looking on the scene then and now, my opinion remains slightly mixed on the scene's ideals, chest thumping, and rebellion. On one hand, some of the pictures such as Kvitrafn of Wardruna standing in Bergen is one of the most sociological telling pictures of the 20th century. The look on the woman's face passing on the left side is priceless next to Kvitrafn's grim countenance. The lone pictures of single individuals amidst forested backgrounds, vast plains, or in front of large mountain ranges hints at an even more darker, and to a certain extent, the lonely place where these musicians dwell in their minds and hearts. Cut off from the world and insignificant when compared with the majesty of nature, they emit a feeling of solitude which only the strong-willed are able to withstand.
In other parts of the book though, we see the less majestic to the point of the absurd and just plain sad. Nattefrost seems evil and armored for battle in most of his photos. But in one (almost candid?) shot we see him lying in his bathtub, shirtless, grasping a bottle of booze, yet still trying to ham it up for the camera even though his persona has been whittled down to little than a drunken buffoon. Unfortunately I have to say that as much as I love Immortal, Abbath hams it up for the camera even more. I'd much rather see Abbath in a more grim mode ala Pure Holocaust than say...At the Heart of Winter (which is an awesome album, but the band photos...meh).
That's about it. I love this book. Frontwards and back. I'm looking forward to sharing it with my metal buds who I know will appreciate it as much as I do.
Keep those horns raised high.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By J. Wright
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm sure most black metal fans are familiar with Peter Beste's True Norwegian Black Metal. We've seen the selections that are online, and maybe you've been lucky enough to attend one of the shows. I haven't.
Just got the book today after preordering it. It's amazing. The book itself is quite large and impressive. The quality of the paper and binding is good in my opinion. There are many more photographs here than what you may have seen online, and as a whole they are really impressive from a aesthetic perspective. I like the choice of quotations to go along with the work. Also includes some older photos, letters and articles documenting the Mayhem story as well.
You owe it to yourself to buy this. It's definitely a nice thing to have in your collection for anyone interesting in Norwegian BM. $40 bucks well spent!
Just got the book today after preordering it. It's amazing. The book itself is quite large and impressive. The quality of the paper and binding is good in my opinion. There are many more photographs here than what you may have seen online, and as a whole they are really impressive from a aesthetic perspective. I like the choice of quotations to go along with the work. Also includes some older photos, letters and articles documenting the Mayhem story as well.
You owe it to yourself to buy this. It's definitely a nice thing to have in your collection for anyone interesting in Norwegian BM. $40 bucks well spent!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Singslinger
Format:Hardcover
I found this book to contain fascinating images of the black metal scene in Norway, a rich country that oddly, has more than its fair share of disenchanted and rebellious youth. As the author points out in the intro, if you were to rely solely on welfare in Norway, you'd still get around US$35,000 a year - not too shabby for doing nothing and being unemployed. And yet the country has a burgeoning death/black metal(it's the same to me) scene, full of unhappy, angst-riddled people who have completely rejected mainstream society and religion. Hard to understand but fascinating nonetheless.
My only gripe is that the photos are described at the end of the book numerically but the numbers don't appear on each page, thus making it difficult to figure out what or who is in the individual photos. But overall, a worthwhile buy for anyone interested in this genre of music.
My only gripe is that the photos are described at the end of the book numerically but the numbers don't appear on each page, thus making it difficult to figure out what or who is in the individual photos. But overall, a worthwhile buy for anyone interested in this genre of music.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
peter beste,,
its beyond expectations,,,realy,,,,thanx a million.the photos are so great cant stop looking at it,,so .mucho cheers from Holland,,till next time
Published 2 months ago by Geert Pleijsier
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have!
A beautiful portrait of Norwegian black metal. I loved the timeline linking writers and movies which inspired the music and the Slayer Mag especial. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Andreia Amaro
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for BM fans
This book is a must-have for all black metal fans out there. Words are not enough to describe it, the photographs speak by themselves. You won't regret at all.
Published 13 months ago by Itzcoátl_666
4.0 out of 5 stars
Essential reading for the Black Metal historian
Black Metal, as a musical genre (within its second wave) can be defined between the early to mid 1990's, originating in the unassuming Germanic country of Norway. Read more
Published 15 months ago by TC Lynn
5.0 out of 5 stars
amazing book
this is by far one of the best norwegian black metal books out there. i have read many but they dont compare to this book.
Published 16 months ago by metalwifey129
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bad ass book to have
I got this book because Im a big fan of Norwegian Black metal. This book was an excelent source of info as well as entertainment. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Kayleah
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long live Black Metal!
Wow the images in this book are a joy to see!! It gives a fantastic view into the Black Metal world! Even if your not a fan of the music (even though I can't believe you arn't). Read more
Published on January 1, 2011 by O. Zarantonello
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brutally Beste
Peter Beste's pictures in this book are amazing. The book is epic-huge, standing approximately 15 inches tall and 10 inches wide (-guess). Read more
Published on November 2, 2010 by Yly
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true Masterpiece
A luxurius print with all Black Metal pictures feelings from the old times until now.Not only pictures,but the atmosphere this music has with detailed info about... Read more
Published on October 11, 2010 by eyaggelos
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best deal so far
This was so far my favorite deal i have gotten on amazon. Usually this bok gose for over 50. i was able to find a used copy for 17. Read more
Published on June 16, 2010 by William Cate
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