Becoming the Forest Issue V
Traversing the subterranean passages of the caverns of black metal

Becoming the Forest is a serial publication about ecology and music edited by Úna Hamilton Helle and Lotte Brown. It is part of a long-running art project by Úna Hamilton Helle, inspired by how the dense spruce forests of Norway defined the aesthetic and philosophical outlook of the musical subculture of black metal. Ever since its inception, black metal has been intimately entangled with its surrounding topography, a relationship which forms the starting point for the publication’s approach. Interviews with bands are mixed in with essays and poems about a host of wide-ranging topics, such as music, myth, philosophy, biology, popular culture and history.

For this issue we delve into the depths of the subterranean, covering topics from old Norwegian stone customs to the underground topographies of Tabletop Roleplaying.