The Tradition
Corpse paint is the dramatic black and white face make-up originally used by Northern European black metal bands and performers starting in the early 1980’s. While some claim the paint was just another outlet for these young musicians to express their adolescent angst, the early adapters and those who have embraced the corpse paint tradition have a far different opinion.
Like their music, the paint was intended to represent the dead. For some, the paint specifically paid homage to their pagan ancestors who were persecuted and murdered when the Christian church took over the Nordic nation’s centuries earlier. For others, the paint became a symbol of Satanism or rebellion itself.
The Mørket Book
The original collection of photos for the Mørket project were compiled in a limited edition art book. While the book's primary focus was displaying the portraiture and the paint itself, it also touched lightly on the overall history of black metal as well as the stories of the performers who created each style and how the books models responded to wearing the paint in public settings.
