Face-to-face with the titans of Norwegian Black Metal
- Text by Alex King
- Photography by Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum Photos
Black Metal succeeded where Nobel Peace prizes, fjords, oil exports, and even chess player Magnus Carlsen failed: putting Norway firmly on the map.
Few people know much about this cold, sparsely-populated country, a stone’s throw from the North Pole, but the bloodcurdlingly intense Black Metal scene has produced some of Norway’s best-known cultural exports.
Jonas Nordli from Imaginator
Erik Unsgaard from Sarkom
“I’ve met people in tiny villages from Bangladesh to Venezuela who almost self-ignite with excitement the moment I mention Norway,” explains Norwegian Magnum photographer Jonas Bendiksen, who was struck by the recognition and impact of Black Metal as he travelled the globe on assignments.
In tribute to his homeland’s most well-known cultural export, Jonas set out to document the scene, getting up close and personal with metal titans like Gorgoroth, Burzum and Darkthrone, as well as up and coming new challengers for the Black Metal crown.
Kaahrl Ødemark from The 3rd Attempt
Jimmy “Ofu Khan” Ivan Bergsten from Red Harvest and Waklevören
“In the early 1990s, Norwegian Black Metal made its shocking entry on to the world stage with church burnings, homicides, stagecraft, with an intensity few had seen before,” Jonas explains. “The growling vocals and intense riffs of metal music made in Norway somehow hit a primal dissonant note all over the planet. I wanted to photograph the music with the same directness and intensity. I took a flash and photographed Norwegian singers singing, head on.”
His photo series Singing Norwegian Singers, commissioned by Leica, does exactly what it says on the tin – putting viewers face to face with the icons of Norway’s Black Metal scene, so close that you can see the demonic redness of the camera flash in their eyes and almost feel the flecks of saliva hitting your face.
Øyvind Rasmussen from Skrømt
Sigurd Dybing from Grand Alchemist
Jonas Bendiksen’s Singing Norwegian Singers goes on display at Leica Gallery Mayfair from 17 – 27 October 2016.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
The suave style and subtle codes of gay San Francisco in the ’70s
Seminal Works — Hal Fischer’s new photobook explores the photographer’s archive, in which he documented the street fashion and culture of the city post-Gay Liberation, and pre-AIDS pandemic.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The Strokes condemn US imperialism in Coachella set
Oblivius — The band finished their performance at the festival’s second weekend with a montage of bombings in Gaza and Iran, along with images of world leaders that the CIA has been accused of overthrowing over the past century.
Written by: Noah Petersons
The stripped, DIY experimentalism of SHOOT zine
Zine Scene — Conceived by photographer Paul Mpagi Sepuya in the ’00s, the publication’s photos injected vulnerability into gay portraiture, and provided a window into the characters of the Brooklyn arts scene. A new photobook collates work made across its seven issues.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The heady bliss of Glastonbury Festival after the music
Not Done Yet — While the weekend’s headliners and stacked line-ups usually draws the majority of the attention, much of its magic occurs after the music stops. Mischa Haller’s new photobook captures the euphoria and endless possibilities of Glasto’s “in between” moments.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Confronting America’s history of violence against student protest
Through A Mirror, Darkly — In May 1970, two separate massacres at American college campuses saw deaths at the hands of the state. Naeem Mohaiemen’s new three-channel film memorialises the brutality.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The cathartic roar of Vietnam’s hardcore punk scene
Going hardcore in Saigon — In a country that has gradually opened up in recent decades, a burgeoning youth movement is creating an outlet for youth frustration and anxiety. Frank L’Opez reports from the country’s biggest city’s underground.
Written by: Frank L’Opez
