Lately I have been listening to Immortal's third album 'Battles in the North' (1995). The thing I love about Immortal is their band photos. They look so serious in their insane outfits! Their album 'At the Heart of Winter' had about five photos of the band in various poses, looking completely straight-faced.
Back in the early nineties, the Norweygian Black metal scene was prety scary, with a number of black metal bands being arrested for church-burnings, then you had Varg Vikernes being jailed for killing Euronymous and Faust from Emperor being jailed for an homophobic murder. Those crazy times are long gone, with the Norweygian black metal scene being firmly focused on the music.
Black metal bands may wear daft make-up and leather costumes, but most of them are pretty ordinary people. Most of them have regular day-jobs and few of them indulge in the drink and drugs excess of other music scenes. I dare say that like other people in Norway, black metal artists remove their shoes at the door of their homes.
I am sure that despite the make-up and silly poses, Immortal are no exception and no doubt go shoeless at home. You certainly would not want to find out what might happen to anyone who brought wet snow into the home of a Norweygian black metaller!
