It seems that Metalion's 'Slayer Mag Diaries' has prompted a lot of people to focus on underground printed publications again. Even if the book itself has nothing to do with certain people's decision to release a fanzine, it surely has to do with the fact that there is now at least a handfull of nostalgic assholes like myself with renewed interest in reading about music on a printed paper than the fucking computer screen.
Two zines were those that attracted me in the past couple of months. One is new, the other is old.
Chips and Beer magazine comes from the Left Hand Path team and is intended to be more of a magazine than a fanzine. In a relatively short period of time it has already its second issue out. So far I have only read the first one and it is hands down the best metal magazine you can find today, focusing on all things metal. From the lengthy Manilla Road extravaganza to the imaginative Eerie Von interview that is presented as a comic, from classic and contemporary great bands like Pentagram, Negative Plane and Vanhelgd to underground metal related artists like Putrid and B.A. Vierling, this extremely well written magazine is essential for everyone that is interested in the heavy metal subculture.
Isten fanzine has been going on and off since 1984. This double edition is the newest work of Miko Mattila and it is two 16 pages pamphlets that are being read in one breath. And the next day they challenge you to read them again. Featuring Superchrist, High Spirits, Dawnbringer, Primordial, Forced Kill, Negative Plane, Spiritus Mortis, Lord Vicar, Züül, and Quicksand Dream,a 'split 7'' interview' of Sólstafir and The Wounded Kings plus a couple of other short and clever features it is obviously a fanzine dedicated to the whole metal spectrum and as always highly recommended.
Hopefully Chips and Beer and Isten could turn some people on well written printed journalism. It would be a pity if one more generation would musically grow up with the Terrorizers of this world.
The Tape
There has been a bunch of very interesting death metal bands coming from germany those last couple of years. Deathronation, Obscure Infinity and Venenum has offered proper dark death metal that honours the genre's tradition. There is one specific band though whose aura has challenged me to focus much more and that would be Alchemyst. The average downloader will find absolutely nothing on the net. A couple of tracks on the band's pages but nothing to download. When the beggars are away the ones those who are truly willing to investigate further will be rewarded by Alchemyst's sulfurous occult death metal. I have recently heard their Blood and Ember tape which is basically a compilation of the demo of the same name plus four other tracks. The tape was out last year by Iron Bonehead and it is a fucking cassette that oozes darkness from the first second til the last. Heavy, dark and cavernous, oppressive as fuck this is one of the best death metal bands you will find around. Soon they will have their debut (titled Necromanteion) released and they seem ready to take the world by storm. The ones that will be not ready will be doomed. You have been warned.
Poison...
Alchemyst - Blood and Ember
Diocletian - Demo 2005
Pilgrim - Misery Wizard
Züül - Out of Time
Shub Niggurath - A Deadly Call from the Stars
Alchemyst - Blood and Ember
