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Pets

Their guitars roar, but their pets purr: Metal musicians and their cats

Make no mistake: Metalheads love cats. As evidence, check out these images from “Metal Cats,” a new photography book by Alexandra Crockett that showcases the love heavy-metal musicians have for their furry feline friends.

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Cats are totally metal

By Laura T. Coffey, TODAY

Make no mistake: Metalheads love cats. As evidence, check out these images from “Metal Cats,” a new photography book by Alexandra Crockett that showcases the love heavy-metal musicians have for their furry feline friends.

Jason Roberts of Night Nurse, Burning Leather, Splatterhouse and Fall of the Bastards is pictured on the “Metal Cats” book cover with his cat, Oliver.

Alexandra Crockett

'Funny and weird'

Alexandra Crockett, 30, of Oakland, Calif., got the idea for the “Metal Cats” book back in 2010. “I had a bunch of photos of my guy friends in metal bands with their cats,” Crockett told TODAY.com. “My roommate at the time said, ‘You should make a book of these because they’re really funny and weird.’ I asked my metal friends what they thought, and they all said, ‘Yes, definitely!’”

Aub Driver of Jahai and Darkhorse Comics holds Freya the cat.

Alexandra Crockett

So many photos

Crockett, a longtime photographer, initially thought she would take about 50 photos for a fun “Metal Cats” project and share them in a low-key way. But when she created a Facebook page about the project, photo submissions began pouring in. The “Metal Cats” book wound up including 112 of Crockett’s photographs and about 70 of the 700 or so photos submitted from all over North America.

Biker Brandon Fosse of Night Shark spends some time with his cat.

Alexandra Crockett

'Humanity within heavy metal'

“The individuals in these photographs, all men, are part of a movement that is as compassionate as it is gender neutral,” the introduction to “Metal Cats” reads. “One of the ambitions of this book is to shed light on the humanity within heavy metal and to dispel the negative stereotypes associated with its participants.”

Chris Beug of Megaton Leviathan and Cascadian Winter gets some fresh air with a snuggly gray cat.

Alexandra Crockett

Darkness and light

The “Metal Cats” book, due out on May 6, 2014, is being published by powerHouse Books in Brooklyn, N.Y. In this image from the book, Black Metal Comedian is pictured with a sweet, snuggly kitty named Alair.

Alexandra Crockett

Snuggle time with Abigail

Brett Hanson of the band Evil Slime is pictured with his cat, Abigail.

Alexandra Crockett

'Just want to love'

“We love cats because they do everything society tells us we can’t,” the introduction to “Metal Cats” reads. “We also know that deep down, just like us, cats just want to love and be loved, even if they aren’t that good at showing it.”

Tony Stark is pictured here with a kitty on his head.

Alexandra Crockett

Fun with Fred

DJ Brooks Blackhawk of Atriarch is pictured with Fred the cat.

Alexandra Crockett

A quiet moment

Alexis Benitez of LxDxT enjoys some cuddle time with his cat.

Alexandra Crockett

Happy times

Eddie Pederson of the band Thou Shall Kill is pictured with Squirrel the cat.

Alexandra Crockett

Furry family member

Pete Jay of BlackQueen cuddles a cute orange kitty.

Alexandra Crockett

Meat is murder

Many metal musicians are such serious animal advocates that they spearhead relief work, fundraising and awareness-building about the importance of spaying and neutering.

Travis Ryan of the metal bands Cattle Decapitation and Murder Construct is pictured with his cat, Nico “The Neeks.” (Cattle Decapitation is a vegetarian band.)

Alexandra Crockett

Purr-purr

Kyle Hegg may look menacing, but his heart is full of love for his cat.

Alexandra Crockett

A lap full of love

Andrew Beattie of No Comment, Man is the Bastard, Low Threat Profile and Dead Language hangs out with Dakini the cat.

Alexandra Crockett

Kitty break

Adam Vick of Occult SS enjoys some quality time with Rubella the cat.

Alexandra Crockett

Smile for the camera

David DiSanto of Vektor is clearly enjoying his kitty time.

Alexandra Crockett

Countdown to snuggle time

Dav Tafoya of Countdown to Armageddon, Strap Straps and Crown Black Car hangs out with Ghidora the cat.

To see more amazing images from “Metal Cats,” visit the “MetalDudesCats” page on Facebook and check out this related "Roaring guitars, purring pets" story.

From “Metal Cats” by Alexandra Crockett
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