Between their face paint, battle axes, and spiked armbands, Norwegian metalheads have developed a distinctive look. But what sets Norway's black metal bands apart from, say, Kiss, is that the Scandinavians are deadly serious about their offstage mayhem. "Ask any little old lady in Norway about metal, and she'll start yelling at you about burned churches," explains photographer Peter Beste, who has spent the better part of the last eight years shooting members of the country's reclusive headbanger scene. Judge for yourself: Beste's book, True Norwegian Black Metal, goes on sale next week, and tonight a show of photos from the book opens at the Steven Kasher Gallery in New York City. Leave the earplugs at home: Beste assures us that the volume at the gallery will be set somewhere below 11.
True Norwegian Black Metal, through June 7 at Steven Kasher Gallery, 521 W. 21st St., 2nd Fl., New York, NY (212) 966-3978, stevenkasher.com