BECOMING THE FOREST IV

TITLE - BECOMING THE FOREST IV

EDITED BY - UNA HAMILTON HELLE & LOTTE BROWN 

GENRE -  BLACK METAL | NORSE MYTHOLOGY | NATURE | PLACE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN - NORWAY (SHIPPED FROM THE UK)

8" X 5"/128 PAGES/BLACK & WHITE WITH SOME COLOUR/PERFECT-BOUND 

PRICE - £15.00 + SHIPPING FROM BECOMING THE FOREST

“Treading the arboreal pathway through the backwoods of black metal”.

“Becoming the Forest”, edited by Una Hamilton Helle & Lotte Brown, is a zine who’s aim, to quote the disclaimer, is to “pose questions around place, nature, spirituality and nature”. The fourth issue has just been released, to a fair amount of acclaim, which speaks to the high regard in which the title is held.

Any discussion of black metal, sadly, has to encompass the ideology of the far-right which has co-opted much of the genre’s themes, namely nationalism, cultural identity, racial purity etc. The creators state that the zine distances itself entirely from this, as do the artists featured: the black metal scene is currently one of the most progressive musical genres. “Becoming the Forest” is a safe-space for learning and growth. As with many other folklore zines at the moment, there is a strong shamanistic vibe running though “Becoming the Forest”, voicing a clarion call for re-wilding and reconnection with the land and nature.

The zine is primarily made up of long-form interviews with artists, creatives and various black metal bands, such as Feral Season and Necrofier, and musicians in other genres including the “darkfolk” artist By The Spirits, whom I enjoyed listening to on Bandcamp. The longest interview is with artist Rune Hjarno Rasmussen, creator of the Nordic Animism project which aims to rediscover the polytheistic roots of the Nordic countries. The article is richly Illustrated with the art of Edvard Munch, and is a very deep-dive into the themes of lost knowledge and culture.

Helge Kaasin’s perceptive article “Through the Dark and Evil Forest” explores how the roots of Norwegian black metal are grounded in the country’s history. This piece is steeped in Norse mythology, as much a history of Norway as it is an analysis of the musical influences of black metal bands, with footnotes, song lyrics and art, and is a hallmark of the quality of the writing that is normal for this zine.

“Becoming the Forest” is a zine that requires and demands close study. Black metal has never been my thing, but when it’s discussed in such an intelligent way I can’t help but be captivated by the subject and the artists who create it. I am unfamiliar with the bands featured but the people involved are all extremely intelligent and it is very interesting to read what they have to say.

Lush production values make “Becoming the Forest” so much more than a zine: its a scholarly journal with erudite and fully annotated articles, full credits for the artwork used, photographs and engaging original content. It is a really wonderful, tactile object to hold, with a soft cover and beautifully printed pages. Students of Norse mythology will get a lot out of it, as will fans of black metal. It is more expensive than most zines of its kind, but when you read it, you will know where that extra money went.