PETER BESTE

INTERVIEW BY MATTHEW HUTCHISON

When Peter Beste graduated from college, he embarked on a trip to Norway. With no funding or publishing deal, he was intent on documenting the notorious black metal scene there. That trip, and the resulting book True Norwegian Black Metal, was the beginning of a storied photography career. Beste has since documented Houston’s gangster rap scene with Houston Rap, and returned to the metal world for his most recent book, Defenders of the Faith: The Heavy Metal Photography of Peter Beste, in which he turns his focus to the ‘battle vests’ worn by metal fans.

Beste’s curiosity about subculture ties his work together, and his roots in photography circle back to that same idea. As a teenager living outside Houston in the mid ’90s, he frequented local punk and hardcore shows, and started borrowing his mom’s camera to take pictures.

“The instinct came to me in those early days in high school, before I had any instruction or knew the names of any other photographers,” Beste says. “I always did it for memory and documentary’s sake.”

True Norwegian Black Metal, his first major project, took root after he in- troduced the idea to members of En- slaved and Gorgoroth after a show in the United States. They offered him time and introductions if he made it out to Norway. There, what’s often seen as a reclusive and mysterious scene opened up to Beste.

“I always had a sort of punk rock ap- proach to it,” he says. “These are just guys like anybody else, and at the end of the day, they probably want to promote their music. At least most of them. So, it’s not like I’m wedging my way into something that there’s no benefit for them.”

Beste’s documentary work is almost obsessive, and he commits years at a time to passion projects. He took close to a dozen trips over eight years when working on True Norwe- gian Black Metal. This investment gives him a notable ability to dig beyond the commonly known exteriors of the communities he documents. “I have a real sensitive feel for when it’s too much, in any situation,” he ex- plains. “They’re ultimately trusting me, revealing their world to me, and let- ting me show it to the outside world.” Beste’s latest project, Defenders of the Faith, sees his focus turn away from the people, at least initially, to focus on their artifacts - specifical- ly their patch-covered ‘battle-vests.’ Released last year by Sacred Bones Records, Defenders of the Faith cap- tures the almost religious intensity of metal fandom, showing the vests, the people they belong to, and fea- turing stories alongside those pho- tos. Limited editions feature bat- tle-vest starter kits and 7” records featuring music from Aura Noir and Black Magic.

As for what’s next, Beste is currently planning an expanded edition of Houston Rap for release later in 2020. He is also going through his ’90s photo collection and considering publish- ing his work from that era, in which he saw acts like Earth Crisis, Texas is the Reason, and a host of vegan hard- core bands. Ultimately, his inspiration is the same as what first drew him to

Norway’s black metal scene. “It’s a fascinating world, and I thought it should be documented,” Beste says. “That’s my main motivation when choosing these things, if it’s worthy of being remembered.” �� �� ��