Snakepit #18 (2008)

Snakepit #18 (2008)

112 pg, A4, pro-printed, English

Interview

Savage Grave, D.D.T., Kraken, H-Bomb, Artilerry, Sydney Product, Frigid Bitch, TNT, Juggernaut, Znowhite, Cyclone Temple, Charter, Chris Cronk, Hirax, Skullview, Fischel's Beast, Wehrmacht, Steel Assassin, Decapitator, Necropolis, Wargod, Morsure

My second issue, which I bought together with issue #17 from a local distro. Please bring more zines for sale!

Nothing much to add on the layout or the interview and other content of this magazine. If you like what you read and what you see in #17, you will definitely like this one. 

I have to agree with some people. This magazine is the magazine for the 80's. I hope all those seasoned metalheads bring out all the knowledge of the past and get them documented like what this magazine do before your life ends for the benefit of the scene and younger metalhead like me.

I think this is the time looking at the advertisement of Malaysia release in big magazine like this. It is Vulga - Mayhem With Mercy LP by Deathrash Armageddon. Yes, I know Deathrash is from Japan but somehow I am proud seeing Vulga in here.

The past issues are now reprinted with 7"EP. Now is your chance to get it before they are sold out again. You know where to get this.

Snakepit #17 (2008)

Snakepit #17 (2008)

112 pg, A4, pro-printed, English

Interview

Exciter, Beehler, Sortilege, Backwater, Assassin, Ruthless, Leviathan, Fatal Violence, Death (with Erik Meade), Burner, Trial, Commander, Bat Attack, Devastation, Overkill, Mayhem (US), Evil, Enforcer, Hammeron, Rainforest, Slayer (SA), Riot, Karion 

My first Snakepit. Been reading a lot of good words on this publication and now able to witness it myself. The editor  Laurent Ramadier and other writers such as Frank Stover, Eddy Vermeiren (Bel) and Malcolm MacMillan (UK) sure have lot of knowledge on the bands.

The layouts are very simple 3 columns per page. Pictures are very small too, sized just enough to fit in 1 column. There is table of content and the bands are arranged in alphabetical order, not by sequence of appearance in the magazine. Not much praised can be made on the layout. Very dull I must say. 

However if you look at the interview, they are very in-depth. The questions are quite detailed and very long. They cover anything music-related regarding the bands and its member. Sometimes answered by 2 or more band members and all of the answers are very detail and long too. Patience needed because not much graphic here just pure text madness which can put you to sleep. Reading the interview, it is amazing to find out that some 'bad blood' still prevails after 20 years or more. Whatever happens back then surely left a big and deep 'scar' in some people heart. The interviews often ended with discography at the end of the interview.

The reviews are rated out of 10 with 10 is the highest (Hirax EP got 10). The reviews covers audio/music formats and they are clearly identified and grouped together (Album & EP, Re-release and Demos).

If not mistaken this is printed by NWN and also comes with a 7"EP. I think its true looking at the quality of the printing, etc.

Contact

c/o Laurent Ramadier

La Calloterie

72210 Voivres Les Le Mans

France

E-mail

snakepit2(a)free(.)fr

Web

truemetal.org/snakepit

R'Lyeh #10

R'Lyeh #10
116 pg, A4, pro-printed, Polish

Interview
Morbosidad, Wehrmacht, Bulldozer, Widmo, Nuclear Death, Deadthorn, Cut-Throat, Conquest Icon, Moloch Letalis, Blackhorned Saga, Absence Of The Sacred, Bloodthirst, Tank, Neolith, Opera IX, Vader, Morbid Angel, Eric Daniels, Pyscho, Unseen Terror, Test Fobii Kreon, Haemorrhage, Afterlife Prod, Dragon Incantation, Prophecy Of Doom, Inquisition, Markiz De Sade, Exumer, Cryfemal, Plutonium, Negura Bunget

Thanks to Afterlife Prod for bringing some copies for sale. After reading some good reviews about this zine, now I have my chance to view it myself. I can only comment on the layout because everything is in Polish. The editor must have spent a lot of time in translating those interviews to Polish.

Not many zine in cut n paste format are printed professionally but if they can make one, I am sure the result will be as good as R'Lyeh. R'Lyeh has this very old school look using typewriter font type with border artwork. 2 columns per page or some 3 columns. Not entirely in cut n paste or they also use plain MS Office layout like Morbid Angel. They don’t have any specific style or consistency in the layout but they are all look great. Cryfemal layout/graphic is a bit different but nice. No page number and no table of content though. Some obscene pictures here and there which of course I like them a lot too.

The zine starts with gig report: Extinguished Party, Impiety and small news section. There also some gig report in between the interviews. About the interviews, there are lots of bands here. I might miss out some bands in the list above. Looks like interesting chat including with the owner of Afterlife Prod.

Reviews are rated including the zine review which I rarely see. All audio formats are combined in one section. There are also movie reviews.

Other than this you can also read about African scene report and one section featuring short articles by zine editors.

The editor, Adrian also plays in some bands. You might know this because I think this zine/magazine is quite well-known in Polish metal scene.

Contact
c/o Adrian
P.O.Box 20,
02-919 Warszawa 76,
Poland

E-mail
hellishband(a)o2(.)pl

Imhotep #7

Imhotep #7

72pg, A4, pro-printed, English

Interview
Katatonia, Enslaved, Malevolence, Soledad, Nile, Rebaelliun, Agathodaimon, Rhapsody, Opera IX, The Black League

This is a quite well-known in the underground. Roy Kristensen, the editor and with co-editor Sauli Vuoti and 3 contributors made this issue possible. I remembered having flyers of one of Imhotep issue in the 90's. But back then I don’t have money to buy a copy. I also remembered in some reviews I read, about the small font size. This issue is called "Invitation". This is my first Imhotep, very sad to say that.

Before start reading the zine, I thought I'm going to fall asleep reading a zine with lots of small text, less graphic or not in cut and paste. Unfortunately, no. The questions are quite elaborated and the answers are quite interesting and very long too. Some interview supposed to be featured in Slayer Mag but somehow it did not materialize and was printed here.

The layout, beside the small fonts, they are in 2 columns per page in normal desktop publishing layout. Not anything fancy. The pages are numbered and have table of content. Rhapsody poster in centerfold and in full color.

The review covers demo (rated out of 5), Album (alphabetically arranged, rated out of 7 or 5 or in percentage), zine review (alphabetically arranged and also rated) and also reviews on Live show and on books.

I guess I am a bit lucky in having this old issue. Looking from their website, looks like instead of retiring, like they evolved into a webzine project and having some digital issues available.

Web
www.imhotep.no

Domain #7 (2012)

Domain #7 (2012)
76pg, A4, xerox, English

Interview
Zygoatsis, Envenom, Battlestorm, Thorns of Hate, Nightwolf, Remains, Vault, Gempita Records, Lobotomy, Recrucify, Perversor, Goat Semen, Metalucifer

Article
Serial Killer: Mona Fandey

Good to see another issue of Domain. To date for me, this is best issue so far in terms of layout. Layout-wise, they are using frame/border artwork and Alan Corpse did a great job! As for the content, I have nothing to complain. Good selection of bands and the questions are interesting. I think this is the first time I read an interview with Gempita Records. For those who don't know, Gempita Records is Malaysian label which release some great vinyl title like the LP version of Sil Khannaz 1st album.

When you have Metalucifer, then you must have Neal Tanaka. Full page of him in inside the front cover and in the back cover.

The editor continues the tradition of having article on serial killer. I am not a fan of such article, but you rarely find any zine writes about Mona Fandey. You must read this. She's a witch and her victims probably killed for her black magic ritual.

Other 'tradition' is no table of content and the pages are not numbered. There is zine review and they are not rated and not alphabetically arranged.

My copy is hand-numbered #195 out of 400. This issue is already sold-out from the editor. I got this by trade with member of Goatlusting Chaos. After 6 month or more I finally got the zine. As for you, I found some distro in Germany that have some copies. Get this now!

Exh Goetie #1 (2008)

Exh Goetie #1 (2008)

8pg, A5, xerox, English/French

I hope the artwork portray what it supposed to portray because I think the goat's face looks funny.

This is a newsletter, made in cut n paste layout style. Consist of info on the releases of Exh Goetie and their mailorder list and it also presented some reviews of their releases taken from other zine. The is also a gig report in French. Very rare to see this kind of publication these day.

I sent an email asking for their latest distro list (I got their distro flyers before I got this newsletter) but they didn't reply. I don't remember who sent this newsletter but thanks for giving me one.

Contact
c/o David Lafaye
7 Ch. De La Saudiere
69380 Lissieu
France

E-mail
goetiedistro at aol dot com

Sarawak Metal Force #7 (Dec 2011)

Sarawak Metal Force #7 (Dec 2011)

24pg, A5, xerox, English

Interview
Ungodly Death

Bio
Unholy Sin, Deadshot, Vermean, Kambing Sakti, Kherow, Rottuary, Foxhole, Keruntuk, Sebayan, Kremation

This is a good effort in promoting Sarawak (a state in East Malaysia) metal scene. I wish every state can have their own publication like this. Few things I am unsure the frequency of this newsletter being released or whether it is released whenever Sarawak Metal Force gig is scheduled. I also don’t quite understand why it is stated 'published with permission from Sarawak Metal Force'.

In this issue you can read some info or history of this newsletter which last issue (#6) was released in 2003. The aim, as stated by them, is to encourage bands to write their own material and produce quality songs. Why long delay in releasing this issue and was the previous one not made by Mad3Sign? I also have no clue on this.

This can be your introduction to the present Sarawak Metal scene. Interview is only with one band. But you can read the news on Shadow, Unholy Sin, Saktism, Voltan, Shamanic Rites, Demon War, Immolate, Chakwan Syndrome, Line Haul, Dark Throttle, Kherow, Curse Of Gods beside bio of bands listed above. There are also ads at the bottom of the page (from distro to studio).

Layout is good, not your conventional MS Word or cut n paste. This newsletter show you the right way of using black/dark background and the text is still readable in both black and white font color. If it is printed in laser printer, it will be a lot better (print them this way for the next issue please!).

This issue comes with free CD-R sampler. I found some old issues at some local distro. Hope can get a copy of those as well.

Web
sarawakmetalforce.blogspot.com

E-mail
mad3sign at gmail dot com