True Norwegian Black Metal

I bought this book on a whim with a couple other metal-related books I've been meaning to get my hands on when I saw it in the Amazon suggestions, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed.The book itself is gorgeous, and while I don't know how much it goes for in traditional stores, I can say that I think the selling price on here is great for the value. Physically, the book is pretty massive, with a few hundred pages' worth of full-color and black-and-white photos on very nice quality paper bound in hardcover that has almost as much surface area as my own torso (granted, I'm pretty small, but that's still quite impressive). If you're planning to stick this on a shelf somewhere, make sure you have the space to put it sideways, because that's the only way it's going to fit.The contents of the book are mostly photographs, with a few pages of writing scattered throughout to provide a brief overview of the black metal scene, a very nice fold-out timeline of the scene's evolution and its influences, and some dramatic quotes to open and close. The photographs themselves span a pretty large cast of characters, which is nice, though there is the requisite amount of attention paid to the usual suspects (I think Fenriz has the most pictures out of anyone in the book, though it's nothing overwhelming.) Then there's an index, which I'll get to in a minute, followed by a good number of pages dedicated to everyone's favorite early-90s media circus and its key players, which incorporates a pretty good selection of different features - there are a few pages of photographs featuring Dead/Euronymous/Varg/Faust, followed by letters, flyers, and a selection of articles from 'zines of the time (most, if not all, from Slayer mag, though I don't have the book with me right now to check) as well as from more mainstream magazines (mostly focusing on Varg). All in all, some pretty impressive content.Now back to the index, and the only complaint I have about this book. Other reviewers have already mentioned this, but it truly is the only drawback I can find, and while I don't think it's worth knocking off an entire star for, I'd probably give the book a 4.5 rating for this if I could, because there's really no point in an ineffective index (or a photobook without an index, honestly). The index lists every photograph in the book with a page number, followed by the subject, their band, and sometimes a location. This would be incredibly helpful if the pages had numbers, which they don't. Aesthetically, I appreciate that, because the photographs aren't ruined by some editor slapping a page number on top of them, but functionally...well, it's a bit useless. As a minor side note, I would also like to point out that as I was flipping through the book with one finger on the index to keep my place, I found that there's a misprint near the end, where a photo of Mayhem's Necrobutcher is indexed as appearing a few pages earlier than it actually does. Irrelevant and a bit nitpicky, but hey, I noticed it.All in all, this is an impressive book in more than one way, and a definite conversation piece if you, like me, just have nowhere to put the thing and thus leave it lying around for whatever vaguely disturbed houseguest notices it to ask about (and possibly question your sanity...oh well). It's a very nicely put-together collector's item for anyone with any interest in the black metal subgenre, even if that interest is purely aesthetic, and a definite recommendation if you have the money...and the shelf space.

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.

I've heard about Peter Beste and this book from a long time ago, I was always curious about it but I have never decided to purchase it until I found a really great offer here in Amazon.First of all, the book is really huge, with pages and hardcover made of materials of the greatest quality.The book itself contains a high load of photographs from lots of characters from the norwegian black metal scene, here you can find live photos of typical corpse painted bands or individuals, but you can also see Samoth (Emperor and Zyklon member) playing with his doughter, Nattefrost (Carpathian Forest) smoking heroine in his kitchen(!), Fenriz (Darkthrone) headbanging in his room, members from Immortal walking in the woods or Ghaal (Gorgoroth) standing in front of his cabin atop of the mountain.The photos are all of them nicely done, looks like Mr. Beste knows something about photography! Seriously, Peter Beste have done here a great job, he's a very skilled guy.Apart from photographs, the book also contains an introduction written by Metalion, founder of Slayer Magazine; a three page norwegian black metal timeline that goes from the christianization of Norway in 995 A.D. to the denial of parole to Varg Vikernes in 2006, very detailed; some scanned fanzine interviews to people like Euronymus, Dead or Emperor; and some old photos from the church burnings or the infamous kerrang interview to Varg.If you are into black metal and into bands like Carpathian Forest, Emperor, Taake, Enslaved, Windir or 1349, get yourself a copy, it is worth the money!

This book is ICONIC an a MUST HAVE for any black metal heads out there !

De las muchas subculturas de posguerra, el black metal es uno de los más extraordinarios. Surgido a finales de los 80 como reacción al éxito inflado del heavy metal convencional, el underground del black metal buscó crear una música y cultura que fuera inequívocamente satánica, transgresora y violenta.Aunque se pueden encontrar escenas de black metal en todo el mundo, Noruega sigue siendo su patria espiritual, el lugar donde está más desarrollada y notoria. El black metal tal como se desarrolló en los años 80 y 90 representaba un rechazo de todo lo que era la Noruega contemporánea.Este mundo a menudo extraño está muy bien capturado en la colección de fotografías de Peter Beste de miembros de la escena del black metal noruego. Durante más de 13 visitas al país, este fotógrafo estadounidense se sumergio en la escena y su familiaridad con las principales personalidades del black metal ha producido algunos retratos fascinantes.Algunos pueden encontrar tal material aterrador y desconcertante, otros pueden encontrarlo mítico y poderoso, incluso otros lo verán como ridículo. Es para crédito de Beste que evita todas estas tentaciones a favor de desarrollar un cuerpo de imágenes que destapen las ambigüedades de la escena del black metal noruego.Lo mismo puede decirse de las muchas imágenes tomadas de los black metallers en el campo noruego: en el bosque, en las montañas y en la nieve, muchos de los sujetos parecen pequeños e insignificantes (o simplemente fríos). Las contradiccion inherente a la celebración simultanea del black metal junto a la naturaleza y la humanidad indómita se revelan en la insignificancia del black metaller junto a la potencia de la naturaleza.Espero que esta humilde reseña te haya servido... ¡saludos metaleros!

O livro é lindo, indispensável para quem amo o verdadeiro Black Metal Norueguês.

Livro de tirar o fôlego. Para amantes da arte negra, item essencial para todos os apreciadores do black metal nórdico.

La lente del fotógrafo Peter Beste es testigo de la escena del Black Metal en Noruega, fotografiando a algunas de las bandas más influyentes y algunos de los protagonistas más conocidos de la escena undeground de aquel país, en su estado más puro; durante sus presentaciones, detrás de escena o simplemente en su vida cotidiana, dándole una nueva dimensión a la cruda estética que característica a este subgénero y presentando todo un testimonio visual documental del Black Metal Noruego a través de sus ya icónicas fotografías, donde destacan bandas como 1349, Gorgoroth, Immortal, Mayhem y personajes como Gaahl, Hoest, Natterfrost, Nocturno Culto, Fenriz y Samoth, entre otros.Este libro, es sin duda todo un imprescindible en la biblioteca de cualquier fan del Black Metal, no solo por ser un compendio de algunas de las imágenes más icónicas que circulan en la web (las cuales no le hacen justicia a las fotografías), sino como uno de los más completos testimonios visuales de la música extrema que se hayan producido hasta la fecha. La calidad del producto es excepcional, los materiales, el tamaño y las fotografías mismas lo hacen ser in imperdible en la historia de la música contemporánea en imágenes.Solo tengo una pequeña queja respecto al empacado de amazon.mx el cual deja mucho que desear, espero mejoren para futuros envíos.