Musicians and fans of the heavy metal music community often get a bad rap because of their dark, gruff and tattooed looks. The adorable photo series published in Metal Cats by Alexandra Crockett sets out to change all that by getting famous musicians to pose with their adorable kittens and show off their softer sides.

The people posing in these photos represent famous bands with names that are anything but cuddly – Napalm Death, Cattle Decapitation, Murder Construct, Skeletonwitch and Lightning Swords Of Death. But despite these fearsome band names and their black leather, spikes, tattoos, and muscles, it’s clear that they share a close relationship with their cute cats just like the rest of us.

I love metal, I often dress in all black, and I love kittens! Metalheads contain multitudes, dude. ( )

This is the best book you can buy right now. ( )