REVIEW of Peter Beste's Norwegian Black Metal books

“Photography consists of making things become what we want them to be.”

George Lepp, redactor Outdoor Photographer

For more than 7 years the name of Peter Beste has became the equivalent of excellence in black metal photography and maybe the most searched artist on Google regarding black metal stuff. One of the most titrated photographers in the world of darken metal (here I’d like to mention Lorenzo Mariani, a talented artist awarded with different distinctions in his field of work), traveled in Norway, capturing memorable images for magazines, online publications, sites and not least, for album’s cover artwork.

The target of the book: photographic portraits of Satanists: a pure evil bond between the 90s’ black metal generation and the more avant-garde one of the XXIst century; viking bloodlust, hatred for christianity and general misanthropy characterize the Norwegian Black Metal scene.

The roots of this scene can be traced back to the 1980s where, for the most part, purely theatrical horror film aesthetics of earlier Black Metal music groups were imitated by youths who took their horror seriously. Out of this youthful rebellion morphed an ideology which included a strong identification with a Viking past as part of a quest to reclaim the elements of Norwegian culture that the Christian missionaries took centuries ago.

The subjects of these photographs are trying to reclaim the Norwegian land from what they see as the fantasy past that Christianity imposed on it. They are trying to get back to something more material. Documenting this dark-culture, unique to a country that has one of the darkest winters, Peter Beste shows us how becoming part of a horrifying fantasy may be a necessary tool to actually get closer to real life.

Peter Beste says:

“There's very little differentiation between church and state in Norway, so if you want to rebel, you're rebelling against the church.”

“If you're rebelling, you're partly rebelling against religion, because it signifies authority there. Black Metal fans are also tapping into an very important, pre-Christian part of the Scandinavian psyche. It's like they're following an older religion. They're interested in the pagan and Viking myths, which I found fascinating.”

”For many in Norway, the worst offense occurred when Fantoft stave church, a centuries-old, wooden structure, was burned to the ground … a horrible tragedy that infuriated people; the news got around the world."

"The original intention might have been to eliminate Christianity from Norway … which is a ridiculous goal. Instead they brought people closer together. One church would burn down and two would go up. They didn't end up scaring anybody."

The roots of project:

“As a kid I grew up with metal, so I found the scene very interesting. But in the US heavy metal isn't taken seriously anymore; it's seen as a phenomenon of the 1980s and 90s. From what I read, it was a very intense scene in Norway, where people took it for real. I knew I'd get some amazing images with such strong characters in such a dramatic landscape.”

“I first started going in 2002 and I've made 13 trips in total. The first time I went I stayed for a month, without knowing anyone. Gradually, just by hanging out, I got to know people. It was a long process. It helped when I went back the second time as I was able to show them photographs.”

"I saw Gorgoroth in Milwaukee in 2002, [shot the band] and Gaahl thought I captured his essence, so I went to Norway for five weeks with no agenda. . . . They were very suspicious people. Norwegians tend to be private. But there was never ever fear, once I realized that these guys are [more] educated and nicer than the everyday people in New York. It also helped that I wasn't a long-haired dude."

As a personal remark, I think this project is a pact beyond any devilish aspect: the subjects have received a more than deserved publicity , and Peter knew how to financially stipulate the Norwegian black metal hysteria, just look at the prices listed on http://www.peterbeste.com/store.html

(P.S. We also paid a great deal of money, but we are not sorry about this, we just expected a different approach on Norwegian black metal. 45% of the published pictures are stupid, not because of the photographer, but because of the subject.)

The project … includes 2 books.

His first photography book on Norwegian Black Metal was published in Japan in 2005 in limited edition of 3000 copies. It was published to coincide with exhibition at gallery Speak For from Tokyo and Osaka. Preface is written by Aaron Aites, director of “Until the light takes us”. The English version of the preface is written on black paper and the Japanese version – on tracing paper with black letters.

The book is comprised of 36 pages of photographs of the following: Frost, Infernus, Gaahl, Kvitrafn, Nocturno Culto, Fenriz, Deathanie, Nattefrost, Abbath, Maniac, King ov Hell, Hoest, Enslaved, Mayhem, Snorre Ruch, Samoth, Bard Faust Eithun, Ravn, Valfar.

The second True Norwegian Black Metal book is a visual testimonial to this dark-culture. Peter Beste and editor Johan Kugelberg have created a unique photographic narration that explores black metal from a truly visceral perspective and offers a confrontational live performance photographs of a savage subculture set alongside the stark beauty and natural allure of a landscape often shrouded in darkness. With extensive contributions from the personal archive of Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen, publisher of the original Norwegian 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.

The second book is comprised of: 160 Pages of photographs of the following bands/individuals: Nocturno Culto and Fenriz, Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, Blasphemer, Maniac, Samoth, Frost, Enslaved, Abbath, Gaahl, Infernus, King, Kvitrafn, Nattefrost, 1349, Dimmu Borgir, Ildjarn, Aura Noir, and many more - interviews/quotes from Frost, Abbath, Fenriz ,Gaahl and essay by authors and Jon 'Metalion' Kristiansen publisher of the original Norwegian black metal publication Slayer Magazine, including 32 pages of original artifacts, photographs, ephemera, and personal accounts by black metal's key figures from Krisiansen's personal archive.

Beste shot on a variety of cameras over the years, including a Canon EOS A2 (better-known in the UK as the Canon EOS 5), a Mamiya 645 and, for the last couple of years, a Canon EOS 5D. On the early trips he shot more than 100 rolls of film each time, all of which he was unable to see until he got home. “ It made it more of an adventure … It made the trip more fun, and meant I could hang out with the guys in the evening instead of going onto my computer and going through them all. Digital is more work because you have to download and retouch everything.”

Beste shot in both colour and black-and-white, and used Photoshop to make some alterations to the images, but never altered them to the point that they could be considered manipulated. “I was less worried about capturing the objective truth than about what felt right,” he says.

The second book includes images of Norway's gorgeous landscapes.

"The whole country is a photographer's dream come true “.

Then there are photos of musicians with spiked wristbands and black-and-white corpse paint on their faces, often embellished with fake blood. These two striking subjects sometimes meet: A long-haired musician, his belly hanging over the brim of his leather pants, corpse paint covering his face, takes a stroll through a forest or fjord. Other photos find musicians crossing paths with other Norwegians en route to said fjord.

In one particularly memorable photograph, a musician known as Kvitrafn, from the band Wardruna, stands on a city sidewalk as an elderly woman passes by. Her mouth is open, her expression seemingly a mix of fear and disdain.

“Explaining and defending Gorgoroth is a thing you get used to doing when you choose to playing a band like this. People will always have a strong opinion on what we do and how we do it. It’s really quite easy: Gorgoroth is an extreme form of art. When it comes to the music many people can relate to it until they hear the high-pitch screaming vocals. It’s like opera , either you get it and relate to that way of expressing moods and atmospheres, or you don’t get it and see it as noisy screaming. The visual part with make up and spikes is a way to enhance the musical expression. We put faces to the music. All artists and musicians have own way of expressing mood and atmosphere.”

Kvitrafn

The portrait "Gaahl of Gorgoroth" (2003) exemplifies the way in which the Norwegian Black Metal lifestyle goes into and beyond the horror exterior.

“I see murder as mercy in a way. My ideea is to teach, so for me to murder is not the right thing to do. Instead a more effective way would be for me to chop off person’s arms which is a worse punishment, the way I see it. If I am attacked or if someone enters my borders to disturb me ; and does so with full intention, then I must teach him. Basically , the attack against you is not significant, it is the idea that you have been attacked that is. You have to go to the mind that has attacked, enter it and correct it. I don’t think an eye for an eye is effective. It breeds equality , and I don’t think people are equal. That idea is disrespectful to people and disrespectful to all that is holy. The idea of an eye for an eye breeds ignorance and breeds acceptance for the one that crossed the border. That is all I can say about my trail of violence. I justify it. I don’t practice violence if there is no need.”

Gaahl

As a conclusion, photography has always been a matter of art and handicraft, of understanding the tools of the trade and how to use them, as it is of skills and ability to capture an image that will attract the viewer’s attention and be able to send a message. His success in reflecting so well the terrifying image of Norwegian black metal is also a result of making the subjects feel relaxed, in their element, as long as the lens was pointed at them. A good photography always assumes a correct recognition and answer towards the subject.