In the last two decades a bizarre and violent musical subculture called black metal has emerged in Norway. It's roots stem from a heady blend of horror films, extreme heavy metal music, Satanism, pagan mythology, and adolescent angst. In the early-mid 1990's, members of this extremist underground committed murder, burned down medieval wooden churches, and desecrated graveyards. What started as a 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.

I have spent the last 7 years photographing in this insulated and secretive community.


TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL
208 Page hardcover photography book
Release date: May 2008 (Vice Books)

Deluxe slip case edition with signed print and Black Metal logo poster available now in the store

View samples from the book here

"Offering rare images of the members of such black metal acts as Darkthrone, Mayhem, Emperor, Satryicon, Enslaved and Immortal, the book seeks to uncover more about this secretive, often violent world"
- PITCHFORK

"Peter Beste, a Houston photographer with a knack for penetrating popular music subcultures, shows a different side of the idyllic northern paradise"

- LA TIMES
"What makes True Norwegian Black Metal, a collection of essays and the work of American photographer Peter Beste intriguing is that it resists tabloid urges and lets the images and artists speak for themselves."

- PLAYBOY
"Peter Beste represents the next generation of documentary photographers. His images reflect passion, creativity, and technique. When I first saw his Norwegian Black Metal photographs I was totally blown away. It takes a special kind of photographer to go deep into uncharted lands and capture compelling images without fear. Peter is that person, and I am confident that he will continue to expose us to new and intriguing worlds as his career takes off. "
-JAMEL SHABAZZ