WTF Wednesday: The Return of Black Metal

Let's face it; death metal is nasty. A subgenre where half its name is about ending human existence? You can't really blame mummy if she wants little Ricky to listen to Gershwin instead of Gorgoroth, can you?

But nasty doesn't mean it can't be nice. Or at least great to look at. And so while the music continues to hover underground, JUNK spotlights three aspects of black metal that go beyond the headless goats, inverted crosses and spiky shoulder pads. They are just as essential as growls and Earth-scorching, thank you very much.

The band logos
Christophe Szpajdel's name alone could be a black metal band. But no, the 37 year old Belgian (surname pronounced "shpydel") is the creator of over 7,000 logos for bands like Emperor, Moonspell and Enthroned. He's even invented his own art style, Depressiv’Moderne. And he's a forestry engineer. Further proof that mummy shouldn't force little Ricky to go for maths tuition if little Ricky wants to play with the chainsaw instead.

To read more, click here.

The band photos

There certainly are a ton of annoying wannabe black metal bands out there. But the real deal is way cooler, and photographer Peter Beste visits their dungeons and caverns in his new book True Norwegian Black Metal (available for order on Amazon). Except that in his shots, he unveils some noticeably greener surroundings in which these titans of turmoil concoct their shredfests. That's right, rolling hills and cool winter air are the inspiration for those morbid melodies. Oh look, little Ricky just bought a rose garden.

To read more, click here. (via BoingBoing)

The ringtones

What, you profess to be a dark lord but don't have a 30-second Mayhem snippet when one of your minions calls you? Fret no longer, oh sinister one. Let Tones of Death unite your technology with your festering soul, and let your mates gorge over vibrating strains of Rob Zombie and Behemoth squealing forth from your 3cm speakers. You rawk, you devil you. Like little Ricky.

To download, go to tonesofdeath.com.