DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH

The heavy metal vest functions as a form of personal archive. Built over time through patches, pins, and modifications, it records musical allegiance, social affiliation, and individual history within metal culture.

Defenders of the Faith documents metal fans through their vests, treating them as objects shaped by repetition, devotion, and labor. Removed from performance spaces and bodies in motion, the vests are presented as accumulated artifacts—bearing traces of identity, belief, and long-term participation within a global subculture.

A monograph was published in 2019 by Sacred Bones.