Zine Sacred Bones Records • Published Fri 27 Sep 2019

The Heavy Metal Photography of Peter Beste.

 

Defenders of the Faith: The Heavy Metal Photography of Peter Beste

Defenders of the Faithโ€ฏisย a collection of heavy metal photography by the artistย Peter Beste.ย These deluxe full color art books are all hardcover and embossed.

To celebrate the release we have limited editionย battle vest starter packsย as well as a small run ofย t-shirts.

***The limited-edition comes with a faux leather bound slipcase, a 7″ featuringย unreleased music from blackened thrashersย Aura Noirย and old-school heavy metallersย Black Magic,ย a Defenders of the Faith patch, and a two sided poster. Limited to 400 copies, only available direct from Sacred Bones.***

***The artist-edition comes withย all of the above and a battle vest starter pack consisting of 5 other exclusive patches including new designs for Aura Noir and Black Magic, and a hand-numbered and signed artist print photograph. Limited to 100 copies,ย only availableย direct from Sacred Bones.***

The religious ferocity of Heavy Metal fandom is one of the most fervent in the history of subculture. The display of this fervor has been channeled and distilled throughout time into one sacred object: the battle vest. Often referred to as theย Kuttenย (German for monkโ€™s robe), the battle vest serves a multitude of purposes: as a musical CV, a badge of authenticity, a creative practice of identity, and a fashion statement.ย Defenders of the Faithย documents the timeless and universal concept of fandom through the elevation of the battle vests, revering them beyond the sweaty bodies they adorn and theย moshย pits they live in, to the status of religious artifact.ย 

Photographerย Peter Besteย has been documenting subcultures for over 20 years. His first bookย True Norwegian Black Metalย (Vice Books) was a portrayal of the extreme end of the genre and the stunning photos contained within translated far beyond the niche fans of the music, selling tens of thousands of copies. His critically acclaimed follow up bookย Houston Rapย showed his breadth as a photographer andย Juxtapozย called it โ€œAn astonishing and important insight into a great American cultural narrative.โ€ย Defenders of the Faithย is Besteโ€™s fourth book that has been edited byย Boo-Hooray‘s Johanย Kugelburgย andย hisย photographic treatment of traditional heavy metal culture and dress code is similarly striking. Metal fans, fashion enthusiasts, and subculture geeks will come to the book naturally but the images have a gravity of humanity that speaks to universal expression of passion and devotion and make the book instantly relatable.ย ย 

Heavy Metal has survived and evolved through the decades, always maintaining a deep connection with its audience. The decorative armor of the battle vest serves as a visual history of the genre, memorializing the bands and also telling a personal story of each fan. This collaborative nature has always been at the heart of metal, elevating the individual and the communal beyond the dynamic of performer/audience.ย As Peter Beste put it himself,ย โ€œFor many, it shows how โ€œtrueโ€ one is by how authentic their patches are, which festivals they have attended, or which bands you got to see way back when. It is an object that gains in value as it deteriorates, and is pretty much never bought or sold. You have to create your own.โ€ย Recognizing these personalized artifacts as timeless and artistic expressions of the universal human experienceย ofย devotionย helps shed light on metalโ€™s placeย within ourย cultural history.ย 

The book contains a foreword byย Biff Byfordย ofย Saxon.ย 


What bands were on it?

Of the three vests I currently have: One has an Iron Maiden –ย Somewhere in Timeย back patch, another withย Manowarย ย Fighting The World, and one with the classicย Motorheadย logo back patch.

The other patches are a mix of different metal sub-genres with lots of bands like Heavy Load, Ashbury, Eternal Champion,ย Cirith Ungol, and some of my Norwegian friends, to name a few.

Metal Hammer/Louder Sound


Support the artists, improve your metal collection, buy records or merchandise of Defenders of the Faith: The Heavy Metal Photography of Peter Beste ๐Ÿ›’

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