EP Review: ANTZAAT The Black Hand Of The Father (mmortal Frost Productions) by Loki Astaroth

ANTZAAT

The Black Hand Of The Father

Immortal Frost Productions (Belgium)

Place of origin: Heist-op-den-Berg, Antwerp Province, Belgium

Genre: Black metal

Release date: September 25, 2017

Limited to 500 copies

Available for streaming at Immortal Frost Productions’ Bandcamp

Antzaat are a band from Belgium that plays a traditional form of black metal and this is a review of their 2018 ep "The Black Hand Of The Father" which was released by Immortal Frost Productions.

A very fast and raw sound starts off the ep along with a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats while the vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams along with some melodic guitar leads also being used at times and the riffs also bring in a great amount of melody.

All of the musical instruments on the recording have a very powerful sound to them while the music brings in a great amount of 90's influences but also giving them more of a modern style along with the songs also bringing in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the music always remains heavy.

Antzaat plays a style of black metal that is very raw, heavy melodic and traditional sounding, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover Occultism and Dystopian themes.

In my opinion Antzaat are a very great sounding traditional black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Rite Of The New Dawn" and "The Black Hand of The Father". 8 out of 10. -Loki Astaroth

Band lineup:

Ronarg: Vocals, lead guitars, composition

Nihil: Rhythm guitars

Isaroth: Bass

Eenzaat: Drums

Track list:

1. Disciples Of The Concrete Temple

2. Rite Of The New Dawn

3. Circle Of Leeches

4. Hierachy Of The Battered

5. The Black Hand Of The Father

This review is also posted at Occult Black Metal Zine. -DW

Full Length Review: NEON INSECT Glitches (Independent) by Dave Wolff

NEON INSECT

Glitches

Independent

Place of origin: Berlin, Germany

Genre: Experimental electro-industrial

Release date: February 16, 2018

Glitches is the fifth official release from Neon Insect since 2017, and the second released as a full length. Despite my limited experience with full on electro-industrial I have a feeling this project offers more than most others of this genre. Germany has consistently spawned original and memorable industrial such as KMFDM, Die Krupps, Atari Teenage Riot and Rammstein to name a handful. As influential as those bands were, Neon Insect strives to transcend what they have done, heading into new theatrical heights with greater similarity to movie soundtracks. The eight tracks by Nils Sinatsch sound as if they were composed to enhance the mood of futuristic noir movies; Dark City, The Thirteenth Floor and the time tested Blade Runner. As a conceptual album, Glitches takes darker turns and draw comparisons to contemporary issues. Thoughtcrimes with its imposing vocals, spoken word samples, synthesizers and organic drums is directly inspired by Orwell’s antiutopian novel 1984, warning that free speech and expression are not to be taken for granted. The full length progresses from there with each piece being designed to speak to a different part of the listener’s psyche, exploring everything to industrial metal to synthpop to hip hop in one of the tracks (To The Moon And Back) and a myriad of new and untested sounds brought in. To The Moon And Back is among my favorites as the electro/rap crossover is not compulsory or preachy about diversifying. Rather it builds on the resources Sinatsch has at his disposal, shaping its influences into more of a cohesive body. The track has more in common with Celtic Frost’s experimentation with hip hop in One In Their Pride and One In Their Pride (Porthole Mix). Grey Hat does something similar, though in this track the theme is darker and more ambient and leans toward horror, without any vocals. Those songs, both versions of the track Sneaky and even the songs relying on repetition (LLTQ, IDC) leave it to the listener’s imagination to decide what the movie is. Glitches is compiled from the work of many session musicians who pooled their resources with Sinatsch; you can see a full list at the official Bandcamp link of this recording. -Dave Wolff

Lineup:
Nils Sinatsch: Composer
Various instrumentalists and musicians

Track list:
1. Thoughtcrimes
2. LLTQ (f. Leaether Strip)
3. Sneaky
4. The Council (Enlia Remix)
5. To The Moon And Back (f. Twill Distilled)
6. Grey Hat
7. IDC
8. Sneaky (Ambient)

Article: 'Suicide Epidemic' by M Teresa Clayton

Suicide Epidemic

Article by M Teresa Clayton, Sunday, 6 August 2017

Reposted with permission from her Facebook profile 

A friend asked the question - why are there so many suicides these days (paraphrasing). Here is my answer:

I have a theory on this very subject. My first degree was in Sociology with a minor in Psychology. I've always been thankful for that education because it helps me to understand the world, in all its incarnations, over the years.

Each generation deals with its own demons. Mine was actually post Timothy Leary era and the Haight - “turn on, tune in, drop out”. Many protested and there was plenty to protest against. We were a force to be reckoned with. We felt we were changing things for the better. We felt a purpose in our lives that was a passion that fed on itself.

I was confused when the war ended in Vietnam and people began to return to being the worker ants they had always been. It was if someone had come in and turned the light off and I was surrounded by darkness. I wasn't depressed, but many were. These older friends of mine finally relented, got jobs, got married, had children (not necessarily in that order) and life went on. When you have a family to consider - you lose touch with what is going on in the world outside your door. You begin to live in a world you have created for yourself - your own reality.

My parents grew up in times of poverty and wars - Korea and Vietnam. Their parents grew up with WWII. There was a feeling of emergency, of inevitability, of our own mortality. Churches began to fill with people looking for an answer or salvation. However, the generation of our parents did have their decadence - Playboy was rising in popularity and so were Key Parties. There was plenty going on behind closed doors or closed parties. Children were allowed to roam the streets from sunup to sundown. We went unnoticed for the most part, unless we were in trouble. Those kids with heavily religious upbringings answered to very strict parenting. I was in the group left to my own devices. Though I loved my upbringing, I did not learn discipline in the sense of the working world. I also had an opposition to authority that made working difficult. I was terribly displaced and feeling it more and more with each year.

I had children out of wedlock and they were my incentive to earn a living. I think I did pretty good, considering I was one of those falling into deep despair and suicidal in my early 20's. I didn’t fit in anywhere. I was lost and in pain.

In addition, wars were coming into our homes nightly in black and white and then in living color! - we now allow our children to kill at will in games they hold on their laps, without ever looking up and seeing other people, real people, hear their words, feel their emotions, etc. I fear that we have reached a time when killing in games is no longer enough - so we kill for real. To the shooter, it is a game - not real, not humans, not like them. THEY NEED TO FEEL. WE ARE LOSING OUR ABILITY TO FEEL and with that we are losing our EMPATHY and COMPASSION for everyone else.

I raised my children in an era of no spanking and allowing them to become... well, bratty and spoiled. I spanked and I was a strict parent. My two girls understood the need for education and I made sure they saw what poverty really looked like by driving them through poor neighborhoods and lecturing them with visual proof of what a lack of education and work would reward them with...

My children were not drug addicts or alcoholics (not that I'm saying that others who had other types of upbringings were as a result). I feel successful in producing two beautiful and successful young ladies who can speak up for themselves and others and were never occupying that darkness I once knew.

My grandchildren are not so fortunate. Between my kids graduating from University and their children being born - drug use has become a horror. Meth made in kitchen sinks with ingredients that astound me. Heroin epidemics everywhere. It touches all families in one way or another. Children are not disciplined and THEY know they can make a call if they are. What does a parent do with a child who knows they can play that game? The child begins to make decisions they should never make and are taken in by their new families - their peers.

It doesn't take long to become an addict. Death. It doesn't take long for kids to form their "families" (clicks) and literally destroy the minds of less aggressive children. Those who feel they have nowhere to go for help (and the schools really do look the other way in spite of rules typed out at the start of the year.) and if a child could be singled out - it became sport to totally destroy them. How does a young person, never taught how to deal with such a thing, find their way through experiences like these? The mind can believe anything if exposed to something long enough. These children do not believe life will ever be any better and they really don't want to go on in a world with this kind of emotional abuse.

Hell, many adults cannot do it either.

When the pain of waking up is greater than the pain one goes to sleep with - you find suicides escalating.

Also, many are not suicide - it is drug overdose, it is death by ignorance and no real understanding of love and support. Parents are addicted and have no interest in children. The drug becomes their god.

Where do these vulnerable children go? They go to their deaths in a variety of ways, including death by cop.

These children often do not trust the words "love, good enough, worthy, support, success, future...."

Our society is in ruins right now and a greater nation could come in right now and knock us to our knees. Our judicial system has become a "for profit" legal system that, once you enter, you never can escape. Alcohol has become the drug of choice for many adults with no sense of survival. Promiscuity is rampant and young kids are engaging in sex with no ability to handle the rejection that usually follows. I could go on and on.

Each generation has its own horrors. Ours has now become one of staying alive and seeing to it that our young ones stay alive. This means we need to be aware and present at all times and teach each of our children how to deflect the insults without becoming the bully.

I often post a recital of Black Sheep by Karen Finely. It resonates as much now as it did when she wrote it near the early 90's or late 80's when AIDS was the horror.

There are a couple of lines that really scream out to me in my experience: My sister says I don't understand you !

But I have hundreds of sisters with me tonight.

My brother says I don't want you !

But I have hundreds of brothers with me here tonight !

My mother says I don't know how to love someone like you !

You're so different from the rest !

But I have hundreds of mamas with me here tonight !

My father says I don't know how to hold you !

But I have hundreds of daddies with me here tonight !

We're related to people we love who can't say -

I love you Black Sheep daughter

I love you Black Sheep son -

I love you outcast, I love you outsider

I am at my loneliest when I have

something to celebrate and try

to share it with those I love but

who don't love me back.

There's always silence at the end

of the phone -

There's always silence at the end

of the phone -

Sister - Congratulate me !

NO I CAN'T YOU'RE TOO LOUD -

GRANDMA LOVE ME

NO I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE

SOMEONE LIKE YOU.

Sometimes, some sheep are chosen to be sick

to finally have average, flat, boring

people say I love you.

Sometimes, Black Sheep are chosen to be sick

so families can finally come together

and say I love you.

Sometimes, some Black Sheep are chosen to die

so loved ones, families, countries

and cultures

can finally say

Your life was worth living !

Your life meant something to me !

I loved you all along !

Black Sheep can be family to strangers

We can love each other like MOTHER

FATHER SISTER BROTHER CHILD

We understand universal love

We understand unconditional love.

We feel a unique responsibility

a human responsibility for feelings for others

We can be all things to all people -

We are there at 3.30AM when you call

We are here tonight cause I just can't

go to sleep. I have nowhere else to go -

I'm a creature of the night -

I travel in your dreams

I feel your nightmares

We are your holding hand -

We are your pillow, your receiver,

your cuddly toy.

I feel your pain.

I wish I could relieve you of your suffering.

I wish I could relieve you of your pain.

I wish I could relieve you of your death.

Silence at the end of the phone.

Silence at the end of the phone.

Silence at the end of the phone.

You see, today - we no longer know to receive love though we feel the pain of the absence of love - so we are able to give love, but those who need it most rely on it to justify the love they get. They are not looking to be saved. They are looking to be loved - even if it means dying to win it.

Video Review: HEAVY HOUR Come To Me by Dave Wolff

HEAVY HOUR

Come To Me

Place of origin: Montenegro

Genre: Heavy metal

Release date: November 20, 2017

Being that Heavy Hour is a new band, the only information I could find on them is that they started in Montenegro in 2015. I’m assuming Come To Me is their debut video, released to give us a small sample of what’s to come. My initial research on the metal underground in Montenegro turned up only a handful of bands so far. For all I know it may be larger, but the scene appears to have a diverse range of thrash, prog, pagan, black, death, doom and gothic, and equally diverse subject matter from Cthulhu mythos to occultism to Serbian history to Slavic mythology. The country itself is said to be in a state of political and economic transition; it was communist until 1992 and in 2006 declared independence from the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. I imagine these political changes account for a metal scene that has slowly but gradually increased since the 2000s. Heavy Hour reflects on this with their concept of a centuries old prophecy finally fulfilled. An ancient deity reawakened by ritual, leading a legion of minions and calling the world to follow him. This is actually the second version of the band’s promotional clip, the first being a Croatian version released in May 2017, Vrati Se. I listened to both versions and the languages in which it’s sung offer different perspectives on its theme and musicianship. The song is decent crunch-laden mid paced metal with melodic vocals and impressive lead guitar. The chorus reminded me of Judas Priest’s A Touch Of Evil, as the diction is similar to the chorus of Priest’s track. What most held my attention was the imagery in the video. Some settings chosen for the story had me thinking of the opening sequence of The Exorcist, when Father Lancaster Merrin is symbolically confronted by Pazuzu. The camera angles and slightly grainy production captured the song’s conceptual theme aptly. That they’re able to convey lyrics through imagery shows the storytelling potential Heavy Hour has for a band that just started a few years ago.. -Dave Wolff

Article: '10 Great Musicians Who Could Be Assholes' by Tony Sokol

10 Great Musicians Who Could Be Assholes

Article by Tony Sokol

Musicians are people too, most of them, and have problems like everyone else. Sometimes it's their troubles that make them turn to music in the first place. Other times it's the music that's the problem. Every genre has its masters, monsters and scoundrels. No matter what instrument they play, no matter how many instruments they play, once you take the axe out of their hands, there's no telling what they'll do.

Witty Beatle couldn't take a joke

The Beatles changed rock's foundation. Their wit highlighted press conferences and feature films. John Lennon's cut deepest, but not both ways. DJ Bob Wooler made a crack about a rumored affair Lennon had with manager Brian Epstein during Paul McCartney's 21st birthday party. Lennon responded by beating Wooler and had to stop himself before he killed him.

A Todd Rundgren comment during Lennon's "Lost Weekend" period turned ugly. Lennon responded to "Turd Runtgreen's howl of hate" with a scathing letter in Melody Maker but concluded "however much you hurt me darling; I'll always love you." Rundgren told Punk Globe "before it got too far we were on the phone and defused the whole thing."

Tony Hendra scored a satirical dig using Lennon's own words for National Lampoon Radio Hour. Hendra told Den of Geek while "promoting Radio Dinner" at "around the same time" Lennon "was promoting an album," someone at KRLA radio played "Magical Misery Tour" for the ex-Beatle, who "turned white" and "walked out of the studio."

The songwriter's greatest hits made vinyl. Lennon "Maxwell-Silver-Hammered" Paul McCartney and skewered Allen Klein, who made Bobby Darin his first million and took The Rolling Stones catalog out of petty cash, in A minor.

Lennon confessed he "used to be cruel to my woman. I beat her" in a song. Cynthia Lennon told ABC News the jealous guy saw her "dancing with a friend of his" and "smacked me, but that was the only time."

Eric Clapton handed out slow blues

Eric Clapton infected America with British blues but inflicted his pain on fellow musicians. Yardbirds' drummer Jim McCarty recalled being relieved when the blues purist quit the band after balking at the impure hit "For Your Love." The "moody" guitarist woodshedded on tour, "sitting in the van not talking to anyone."

The graffiti in London read "Eric Clapton is god," but he was a wrathful god. Clapton broke up the Cream because of one bad review in Rolling Stone that noted Slowhand's blues clichés. Clapton buried his blues with heroin, and hooked socialite Alice Ormsby-Gore with him. "It never crossed my mind that it was wrong," Clapton confessed, Ormsby-Gore later died of an overdose.

Clapton fell in love with Pattie Boyd, the wife of his best friend, Beatle George Harrison, penning the driving devotional heart-wrenchers "Bell Bottom Blues" and his signature "Layla" to win her. He'd tried to get close by dating Pattie's younger sister Paula but when she heard "Layla" for the first time, "she packed her bags and left my home in great distress. Because she realized it was about Patti and that I'd been using her," Eric later recalled to biographer Ray Coleman.

Ultimately, the shy Beatle moved out of the way and Pattie married Eric. According to Pattie Boyd's book Wonderful Tonight, Clapton didn't let her take money from Harrison as a matter of pride, and left her in financial straits after his lawyer took a lead.

Chuck Berry's tastes ran too sweet and not 16 enough

Chuck Berry invented rock and roll and taught it on the road. He toured with a guitar and a briefcase for money and threw local bands onstage to back him on short notice. His songs were three-chord classics most groups thrilled to squeeze through their fingers. That is, when they weren't being harangued for bending a string. Not even Keith Richards got away with that.

While every musician knows the backing, not many people hear the flip side. The man who wrote "Sweet Little 16" had troubled teens. In 1944, Berry was arrested for driving along in an automobile he carjacked at gunpoint after robbing three stores in Kansas City.

At the start of the 60s, Elvis was in the army, Jerry Lee Lewis was blackballed for marrying his young cousin, and Berry was in jail. Arrested for transporting a 14-year-old girl across state lines for "immoral purposes," Berry was charged under the Mann Act. The guitarist said he had a real job for her. An all-male, all-white jury found Berry guilty and sentenced him to five years. Berry was convicted again on retrial and served two years.

Suspecting Berry of hiding a huge coke stash, police raided Berry's home and found pot, guns, cash and pornography in the 80s. Berry sued the prosecutor, and cut a no-jail plea deal. Spin's allegation that Berry's secretly filmed women in bathrooms never got to trial. Berry settled the class-action suit for $830,000.

Not all James Brown's moments were proud

James Brown put together the tightest funk band in soul, but if the musicians missed a beat they'd also miss their pay. The "Godfather of Soul," who kept Boston peaceful in a live broadcast the night Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, wasn't just cheap with his musicians. He had to pay $40,000 for wrongfully dismissing Lisa Agbalaya after she resisted the sex machine's advances. The ex-employee wanted damages to the tune of six times her yearly salary. Brown's mouthpiece told the jury she deserved no more than a week's pay.

A Chicago woman suffering from Graves' disease said she got it after Brown sexually assaulted her at gunpoint in South Carolina in 1988. The case was tagged "rag sheet fodder" and dismissed as frivolous. Brown was arrested for assaulting his ex-wife Adrienne Rodriguez and, according to the memoir Cold Sweat by Brown's daughter Yamma, also beat his second wife, Dee Dee.

Brown was electrifying at classic shows like Live at the Apollo, but his stagecraft was nothing compared to his moves on the street. In 1988, the man who taught the moves to Mick Jagger led cops on high-speed car chase from Georgia to South Carolina on tire rims. While he was acquitted of an assault with intent to kill charge, it took an Aiken County jury a little over three hours to find Brown guilty of two counts of aggravated assault and eluding police. Brown admitted he probably should have just pulled over.

John Phillips turned California Dreams into nightmares

The Mamas and The Papas' John Phillips practically invented rock festival shows. The Monterey Pop Festival was his baby. Phillips scored Nicholas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth even though David Bowie already delivered demos deemed perfect for the atmospheric parable of alienation. While this alone could land Phillips on a terrible person list, remember we wouldn't have the album Low.

But Phillips got even lower. In her 2009 memoir High on Arrival, his daughter, the actress Mackenzie Phillips, recounts a long-term affair of "consensual sex," and remembered waking up "from a blackout to find myself having sex with my own father" on the night before her first wedding."

The author of "California Dreamin'" even put it on tape, recording the song "She's Just 14" in New York with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger in 1977. Mackenzie's admission divided the family. Michelle Phillips admitted to Vanity Fair that "John was a bad parent, and a drug addict." Michelle was already on record saying John physically abused her, but all she would say about it was that "it was serious. I ended up in the hospital." She rejected her step-daughter's allegations because Mackenzie "had a needle stuck up her arm for 35 years."

John was the first to pass the syringe, having gotten Mackenzie started on drugs when she was 11. On July 31, 1980, Phillips was arrested in Manhattan for trading stolen prescription drugs to dealers in exchange for cocaine.

DMX had street cred to burn

DMX isn't bragging when he claims he's lived a hard knock life. An unstoppable force in hip hop, he partied his way up to movies like Romeo Must Dieand his own BET show. But then there was X.

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, found out about a Denver fugitive-from-justice warrant while appearing in court for an assault charge in Yonkers. DMX said he was justified in the Yonkers assault because he was defending his wife, and had "no reason to run" from the concert stabbing and shooting incident in the Rockies.

After a tip DMX was running dogfights, deputies from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office raided his home and seized 12 pit bulls and hit him with seven misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. The police found no evidence of dogfighting but authorities said some of the dogs hadn't been fed. DMX faced similar charges in Teaneck, N.J. in 1999. They were dismissed after he agreed to record a PSA for an animal rights group.

The gangsta rap artist truly earned his street cred when he was charged for impersonating a Federal Agent for yelling "I'm with the FBI" at Kennedy Airport. He'd just crashed a sport-utility vehicle, complete with lights and sirens, through a parking lot gate. To make things more cinematic, he pulled blue privilege and told another driver he was requisitioning his car. DMX was also accused of sexual assault by a woman who was arrested for stealing his $30G watch.

Bing Crosby wrapped black and blue Christmases

Bing Crosby is the best-selling singer of all time. It takes an Elvis, four Beatles and the rhythm section of the Rolling Stones to equal one Bing. "White Christmas" alone dwarfs the British Invasions and the decade of grunge. And beloved? Some books claim Bob Hope detested his cash cow on-screen partner but at least they were friendly enough off-screen to get arrested together for illegal gambling. Hope even quipped about Crosby's penchant for picking bad horses. The feds thought Crosby was too beloved by mobsters, as singers often are, as well.

As loved as Bing was on stage, film, radio, and every other Christmas special made for over a half century, he didn't show much love at home. His son Nathaniel never even heard the word. Crosby didn't want his kids to grow up Hollywood brats. He put them to work, pulling 14-hour shifts baling alfalfa and vaccinating cattle on his ranches. In his memoir, his son Gary claims the crooner whipped him bloody if he had gained weight, and he ate every day. His sister Lindsay backed his story, but his brother Phillip called Gary a whining crybaby. Phillip's twin, Dennis agreed Gary was singled out for punishment.

The kids lived on an allowance from blind trust funds they couldn't touch until they were 65. Crosby's son Dennis was found dead in his home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Lindsay shot himself to death after his inheritance ran out.

It's all a larf for Keith Moon til it costs an ear

Keith Moon may not have been the tidiest of drummers in early rock, but he was the busiest. He brought tension, dynamics and theatricality to the Who, and enough party favors for anyone in any room. Until he trashed it, tossing everything at hand or underfoot out windows without warning. Hilton Hotel staff still complain of post-traumatic stress flashbacks.

As dangerous on a surfboard as was at hotels, Moon the Loon was lethal behind the wheel. He drove his car into a swimming pool, his wife to distraction, and John Entwistle occasionally to the dentist. Moon killed his chauffeur, Cornelius Boland, by running him over with his Bentley while dodging a rock-throwing skinhead mob. Moon pled guilty to drunk driving, driving without a license and driving without insurance, but the court wiped out the charges.

The clown prince of the British Invasion also, ultimately, deafened lead guitarist Pete Townshend when he put a pinch too much gunpowder in his drum for an appearance on The Smothers Brothers Show. Townshend would complain about it for years, surrounding himself in a sound-proof cage during tours. He may even have considered it for a rock opera.

But Keith Moon's final collateral damage was himself, and his band. The Who were on the verge of several major releases in both music and film. Keith mixed the drugs he was taking to keep him off booze with alcohol.

Miles Davis spun hits into jealousy

Miles Davis was the king of cool, but lost it if you asked him about any other musician. Maybe he didn't chase critics with guns like in the recent biopic, it sometimes appeared nobody could do anything right by the man who went off on everyone in the jazz industry and media, one at a time.

Miles told Downbeat he could always tell an Eric Dolphy song because "nobody else could sound that bad" and asked critics to admit they had nothing to listen to when they brought up Cecil Taylor. In 1986, when Miles was modernizing his sound, he feuded with Wynton Marsalis. Things came to a head at the first Vancouver Jazz Festival. Marsalis came up on stage during Miles' set ready to blow nasty lip service to recent putdowns with his horn, but the band gave him nothing but dead air.

Miles also blew an ill wind at home. The trumpeter learned to slap his girlfriends by watching jazz great Billy Eckstine prove what a tough guy he was. In Miles: The Autobiography from 1989, Miles says he hit his first wife, Frances, before he realized what happened, and passed it off to jealousy. Frances categorized it differently, telling The New York Times she "actually left running for my life—more than once." Miles also admits he beat his second wife, Cicely Tyson. While the actress and activist played it off as artistic growth, the jazz legend didn't cut her much slack in his book.

Real Phil Spector mystery is why it took so long

In spite of being a soundboard legend, Phil Spector is iconic as the industry burnout with the wild hair on trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson. But the First Tycoon of Teen was already legendary for his lone gun approach to landing hits.

The man who invented the Wagnerian "Wall of Sound" imprisoned his wife Ronnie Specter in a fortress of fame, locking her in their mansion for safe-keeping. He showed his mother-in-law the glass coffin her daughter would lie in if she tried to leave. Phil also took Ronnie's voice. He forced the former lead singer of The Ronettes to stop singing. By the last year of their marriage, Ronnie said she didn't talk at all.

Spector, who committed the musical sin of putting strings on the Beatles' "Long and Winding Road," terrorized talent regardless of their power. He played mind games with John Lennon, calling about Watergate Tapes while holding the ex-Beatle's master tapes hostage. Producer Mark Hudson recalled a time when "Spector pulled out a large gun and started chasing John through the hallways" of A&M studios.

During 1977 recording sessions Spector pointed a gun at Leonard Cohen's chest and told him he loved him. "I hope so, Phil," Cohen measuredly responded. Marky Ramone downplayed the myth about how Phil kept the Ramones at bay in the recording studio, saying, "he did pull out guns on different people, but not at us."

Zine Editor Interview: creep of HELLS ENVOY MAGAZINE by Dave Wolff

Interview with creep of HELLS ENVOY MAGAZINE

Hells Envoy Magazine features heavy metal-oriented stories collected from fans. What gave you the idea for this kind of zine and how has publishing gone?

The idea came from a culmination of ideas, really. Being a heavy metal fan and just noticing that everyone into metal, including mates and myself, has stories that are about first getting into heavy metal, how good heavy metal is and random stories somehow involving metal. Also watching a couple of Australian metal documentaries and hearing bands telling stories. Also my cousin who encouraged me to write. Family and friends were a big part in support, help, encouragement and process. Everything just clicked into place early on in terms of ideas, and within a year we had our first volume in print which was released in January of this year. It is still in his early days yet but there are a few issues kicking around, mainly in Australia but some overseas as well. Hopefully it will be well received and hopefully some stories will come from people reading it and we can continue on with further volumes.

Are there a lot of magazines dedicated to real life stories related to metal, or would you say Hells Envoy is among the first of its kind?

I’m not sure what else is there regarding zines with real life-related stories. I’m hoping Hells Envoy is original and one of a kind. We never had other projects in mind when we conceived of Hells Envoy; we just thought it would be good to get a broad representation of the metal community and present experiences anonymously through a zine, in essence giving heavy metal culture a voice.

Why is the zine named Hells Envoy? How does the name relate to the subject matter?

An envoy is a messenger, usually a religious messenger, and Hells Envoy just seemed appropriate. You could interpret it as being a heavy metal messenger I suppose, passing on heavy metal messages/stories. It seemed to fit the idea quite well and we ran with it

Do you read underground magazines dedicated to fiction or perhaps to horror?

I’m more of a nonfiction reader. Not a real horror fan either, though I’m a long time reader of Stephen King novels. I read a lot of books and nonfiction about serial killers, law enforcement, mafia, bikers, military, history, autobiographies and biographies especially music related, classic poetry and literary criticism (not a fan of modern poetry). I have a fair to good collection of books on these subjects plus more. Fiction includes Stephen King, Bret Easton Ellis, Cormac McCarthy, John O’Brien, Tolkien, Irvine Welsh, Chuck Palahniuk and various others, but mainly nonfiction provides my reading material.

In what ways do the authors you cited speak to you as a fiction reader?

Fiction for me is escapism and the ability to go where the author’s imagination takes you. So it is usually the story itself that speaks to me, but sometimes it could be a particular author’s writing that intrigues me. And the way in which they express their ideas holds my attention.

Do you think about publishing a fiction zine or a traditional zine with interviews and reviews etc? Is this something you would pursue at some point?

I don’t think about other publishing projects. Publishing a zine is hard work and I think I will be fully committed to Hells Envoy in the foreseeable future.

In which of the documentaries you watched have you heard memorable stories? How many of the submissions for your magazine do you find accurate and exaggerated?

The documentaries are Metal Down Under and Tasmanian Metal. There wasn’t any particular story in either; I just noticed they all had stories, some even similar to my own. Hopefully all the stories we receive are truthful accounts. I have no doubts about any of them. They are usually personal experiences and memories so we take them at their word. A lot of people think when we ask for a heavy metal story that we are after some way-out story involving the devil, sex and drugs (which of course we do want) but one of my favourites is a simple story of an American dude who, as a teenager, had a group of friends. One of his mate’s younger brothers got leukemia and died, and they buried him with his favourite Iron Maiden record. They all got Iron Maiden patches and put his details on the back of the patch before sewing onto their battle jackets. He still has the jacket over thirty years later.

How much information does Metal Down Under and Tasmanian Metal offer about their respective scenes?

The documentaries are great for anyone unfamiliar with the Australian metal scene. Metal Down Under gives a broad overall look at the Aussie scene, the bands and people, past and present. Tasmanian Metal is also a killer documentary about the Tassie scene and all that is happening with it. Tasmania has a great little scene happening.

What Australian and Tasmanian bands were interviewed for Metal Down Under and Tasmanian Metal?

The Aussie documentary was released in 2014, the Tassie doc in 2016. Some of the bands interviewed in Metal Down Under include Abramelin, Mortal Sin, Hobbs’ Angel of Death, Sadistik Exekution, Allegiance, Blood Duster, Damaged, Psycroptic, Destroyer 666, Frankenbok and King Parrot. More quality Australian metal bands everyone should get into include Misery, Armoured Angel, Bestial Warlust, Grenade, Hellbringer, Goatblood, As Flesh Decays, Beyond Mortal Dreams, Laceration Mantra, Cryptivore, The Plague, Face Grinder, Sedulous Rouse, Intercranial Tremors and King.

I’ve interviewed fans from Australia, and I am somewhat familiar with the underground there. But I haven’t heard as much about the Tasmanian underground.

Tasmanian Metal includes interviews with M.S.I., Psycroptic, Intense Hammer Rage, Striborg, Mephistopheles, Dreadnaught, Tyrant, Taberah and others. Tasmania is isolated somewhat, in that it’s an island. This makes it harder for bands to tour, especially overseas bands. But some bands to tour there recently include Venom Inc, Napalm Death, D.R.I. and Mayhem. A lot of metal bands from mainland Australia try to tour too, but having to cross the Bass Strait between Australia and Tasmania (a 12 hour ferry ride or plane ride) can be daunting in terms of costs. Besides the bands mentioned before, there is a thriving local scene with GAPE, Ruins, Pure, Permafog, Vrag, Lacerta, Lab A, Mountains Of Madness, Ironhawk, Ultra Martian and more around capital Hobart. Other bands further north in Launceston are Atra Vetosus, Plague Of Sickness and Zero Degrees Freedom. There are a couple of annual festivals running with the Summer and Winter solstices that have attracted overseas bands. The two festivals, Mofo (Summer) and Dark Mofo (Winter), have so much happening, not just metal. People have to look them up to understand how good they are. Alternative is all I will divulge, and not to be missed. Southern Extremeties Productions has been monumental getting bands to tour Tasmania. All in all Tassie has more tours happening with international and national bands, and more local bands recording and touring. It is only getting better.

Why do you think the Australian and Tasmanian scenes aren’t noticed as much as the scenes in other countries?

At a guess, isolation. It’s not lack of talent, that’s for sure! Aussie metal can mix it up with the best of anyone from anywhere and has been able to for a long time. But yeah, it’s probably something to do with not being to be able to easily tour overseas with costs and such. Touring gets your name out there. Hopefully more Australian bands will get overseas recognition. With music so easily accessible on the net nowadays (Bandcamp, Big Cartel selling band merch, Spotify or YouTube) and bands being accessible via social networks (most bands have a Facebook page; just look them up, message them and ask about buying their stuff) all one needs do is find bands and buy their CDs. Hopefully that will change it up but touring will always be a factor, so we’ll have to wait and see. ,

Where can Metal Down Under and Tasmanian Metal be purchased online?

eBay has Metal Down Under available to purchase and it is on YouTube to watch. I am not sure about Tasmanian Metal. I think the physical copies may be sold out. Dawnlessstudios.com may have a digital copy to view.

When compiling the first issue, did you advertise for submissions on social media? How many submissions did you receive? Did you go through a process of choosing stories for publication?

It was Facebook on social media and T-Shirt Slayer on the internet. The users on both those sites provided massive story contributions, especially overseas. We can’t thank these people enough for their support. We are always looking at new avenues to pursue in gathering stories. We have 64 pages at well over 100 stories in the first volume. We used pretty much all the stories we chased down or were sent. We tried to just not double up on stories like those about one’s Dad/brother/mate/next door neighbour, or one of the same variant of what got a reader into metal/ I hope the readers appreciate all the stories shared.

What is T-Shirt Slayer and how can you advertise zines and merchandise there?

T Shirt Slayer is a website dedicated to heavy metal merchandise; mainly shirts, battle jackets and patches. There is a sale and trade option available. I created a chat forum there telling of my idea and asking for stories. T Shirt Slayer members rule! T Shirt Slayer rules! A few sales came from this site and quite a few stories were contributed via the heavy metal stories forum I created. If you’re into metal, you no doubt already know of this site and how excellent it is.

How many copies of issue 1 of Hells Envoy are available? Is it available through mail order, or do you also distribute it at local shows?

There are 1000 hand numbered copies available. Hells Envoy is available through eBay, the Hells Envoy Facebook page, email hellsenvoy666@gmail.com, mail order through Nuke The Moon Productions at P.O Box 458 Glenorchy Tasmania 7010 Australia and distributed also by Black Bird Yellow Eye, NGM Records and Screen Printing and Tommy Gun Records. Wholesale rates available also. I’m always looking for overseas distribution too.

How did you handle the cost of printing the first issue? Did its limited run help you break even? If finances allowed would you release more copies of the next issues?

The costs came from art, logos, graphic design and some incidental costs, as well as getting it printed. But it was feasible and I was determined to get it done. Luckily I had good people around me that could do the jobs, and more, I asked of them. Feanors Scribe (feanors.scribe@gmail.com) designed the Hells Envoy logo, submitted art and was the graphic designer. Hannah Noel, an unknown young talented artist submitted art. These two, as well as fellow story consultants Ursa, Carnage and Gravedigger helped make it all possible. So overall costs weren’t too excessive and we have tried to limit costs for the zine as much as possible ($5 Aus/P&H).

We went with 1000 copies as I read in Slayer Mag Diaries that Metalion had that many print figures for Slayer Mag. No more rhyme or reason than that really. Metalion is a legend. Slayer Mag Diaries is my bible.

Being only three months since publication we have had only limited sales and are still in the process of trying to get eyes on our product, so we are far from even at the tick. A fair few copies have been sent out to promote to favourite bands, labels, shops and various people nationally and internationally. So postage is a bit of a killer in regards towards costs. But Hells Envoy isn’t about making money. I of course like to break even and would love to make anything. For me it is a creative outlet and I want to keep it going if possible. We have Volume 1 At The Altar Of Metal available now and we are currently trying to gather enough stories to release a second volume, From The Serpents Tongue. So stories, not money, are the life blood of Hells Envoy. If we don’t have stories we don’t have anything. As soon as we get enough stories, 100-200, we hope to release more volumes.

Were you in contact with Feanors Scribe and Hannah Noel before you founded Hells Envoy? Have they worked for local bands besides the magazine?

I met Feanors Scribe a couple of months before Hells Envoy’s conception through trading with him on the Facebook local buy and sell page. I had some two inch spikes to trade and he had some metal shirts to trade.

After trading, chatting and running into each other at gigs I learned about his artistic background and such. Feanors Scribe has been amongst the metal scene since the early to mid-90s whether he was in bands such as Portal, Carbon and Permafog, designing tour posters for local events or for international headlining acts such as Cannibal Corpse, Carcass and others, designing logos for bands such as Ruins, having his hand in putting out an Australian extreme metal zine in the early 2000’s called Sentinel, or being just a massive fan of metal in general. He designed our Hells Envoy logo, submitted art (Borders, Bones and Baphomet) and designed the layout getting it set for print. Being able to work with Feanors Scribe, and the experience he provided, on our Hells Envoy project I feel truly lucky and very grateful I was able to work with him one on one with my ideas. Not only was he good at his job; I couldn’t have asked for better; he knew exactly where I was coming from with different things being a fellow metal head and all, even coming up with a couple of ideas which were incorporated. Good dude.

Hannah Noel I knew through a friend a little while before conceiving of Hells Envoy. Young, not long finished schooling, she is just naturally gifted with drawing and supplied art for our back cover and at the start of each eight chapters. We gave her our ideas written, and somewhat drawn out, on eight different bits of paper and some pictures to look at and she came back with our chapter art. Same with the back cover. This was, as far as I know, Hannah’s first public appearance as an artist. Hannah also has a dance background and is musically gifted. Unfortunately she is also not into metal nor in the metal scene. I am unsure of her artistic pursuits at the moment but we are very grateful to have been able to work with her. It was also great to be able to release a new artist with our project and that is something we could continue if possible.

How many submissions did Ursa, Carnage and Gravedigger examine as story consultants? How often were you on the same page as far as the stories you approved?

Mainly I and Ursa were the two to go through all the stories working out what’s what. Carnage and Gravedigger were more in a supply of stories capacity, but equally invaluable. In terms of final say I had a clear, concise conception of what Hells Envoy was going to be from early on. Not that I wasn’t open to suggestions or an exchange of ideas, just that I knew what I wanted Hells Envoy to be. An anonymous heavy metal stories zine in which the stories are not about the people telling them but the stories themselves, and inclusive of everyone in the scene from the band to the fan and everyone in between. Everyone in the metal scene has stories and the idea of the story consultant is that we are actively trying to get people’s stories. This could be people we may know, at gigs or asking bands or just noticing someone in the street with a metal shirt on and asking them if they have any stories. We now have I (Creep) and Carnage covering Hobart and Gravedigger over Melbourne and Orphan up in New South Wales trying to chase stories (Ursa and Hells Envoy have now parted ways and we wish her all the best). This was the idea behind the story consultants and the examination, approval and final output is down to me.

Are you looking to expand your staff as you receive more submissions, or are you satisfied with the people you work with at present?

Staff expansion would always be considered and more international reach would be ideal. Hells Envoy is no more than what each person brings to it, so if nobody gets any stories there is no more Hells Envoy. The idea of the story consultant, story chasers, the Hells Envoy Facebook page and even the Hells Envoy zine itself is all geared towards trying to get stories. The people I work with, both presently and in the past, have been and continue to be vital components. But new members are always going to be considered if what they bring makes Hells Envoy better.

How many Facebook surfers are on your community page? Do any of them order Hells Envoy there?

There are almost a couple hundred Hells Envoy followers on Facebook at the moment, but we have only been active for under a year, so it’s going slowly. Patience and perseverance. The idea was to release stories and hopefully people would read them and think ‘I have a story like that’ and share their stories, which has happened. Now the page has a product to sell as well as still trying to get stories for further volumes. Most of our sales, at this stage, have probably come through the Hells Envoy Facebook page.

How did you hook up with the companies you mentioned? Do those companies also help with advertising?

NGM Records and Screen Printing came through Facebook, Tommy Gun Records is the local shop to get metal in Hobart, I met Black Bird Yellow Eye through a mate; it is advertised as a Grotesquery of Unpleasant & Blasphemic Art Prints. They sell locally at various select events and online blackbirdyelloweye.com.au. Nuke The Moon Productions is a mail order company and the publisher of Hells Envoy. It’s advertised as showcasing select dark, subversive and misanthropic art and artists. Each has Facebook pages and has Hells Envoy for sale, but I am not exactly sure what advertising is happening. I’m happy to have a few more copies out there available for people to get is my thinking.

Describe some the stories published in the first issue and explain how they resonate with you.

I really liked that American dude’s story I mentioned about his mate’s brother dying and the Iron Maiden patches. I thought it was a very personal story to share and meaningful to the person telling it. I also like asking people how they first got into metal (Chapter 1: Initiations), hearing their stories and being able to easily relate to a lot of them. They may have initially liked a certain band or something and I will be like ‘yeah I get that’. There is a story about a dude, after seeing the Deicide show, seeing Glen Benton outside the gig, chatting with him and finding him to be just a normal musician, happy to hang out and sign stuff and not the confrontational, evil person he was hyped up to be. I find most metal musicians are happy to chat and are usually good dudes. There is another story of a fella going to a Black Sabbath concert, seeing some video cameras recording in the car park, going off and getting himself on the Black Sabbath DVD. Not that I have gotten on any bands’ DVDs (nor want to); I can just understand his excitement. Also a lot of the bands mentioned in the stories; Morbid Angel, Venom, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Sepultura, Kreator, Bathory, Motörhead, Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Darkthrone, Mayhem and others; are some of my favourites, so I always like stories that somehow involve them. Not that all stories are extreme metal, we try to cover as many metal genres and time periods as possible, but generally speaking most stories involve bands of that era. So when I ask someone if they have a story and they start reeling off bands like those mentioned I am much happier than if their stories started off with Limp Biskit or Poison.

Are most of the stories published in the first issue from fans in Australia and Tasmania, or are there stories from fans in other countries?

Most stories have come from people around Australia but there are a few stories from overseas. One German dude sent us a couple of stories via Facebook voice message and it took a couple of listens to decipher his story through his thick accent. With the internet having worldwide reach, this has enabled some international access that would have been seriously limited if it was unavailable. The Hells Envoy Facebook page and the T Shirt Slayer internet site have been from where the most international stories have come from. A couple of random international emails have been received too, but I am not sure where they heard of Hells Envoy from, probably one of the two aforementioned. Always looking towards more local reach, more national reach, more international reach, more stories.

Are you considering interviewing bands, club owners, or label owners for future issues?

Bands, club owners, bar staff, people on the door at events, sound technicians, roadies, label owners, promoters, shop owners and anyone else who may have some sort of direct or indirect involvement within the industry. Hell, even if they don’t like metal, have nothing to do with metal but have an opinion on metal we want to know. Chapter 7 is entitled Heavy Metal Is Just Rah Rah Rah and is about the critics and the people who aren’t metal and their opinions plus just general opinions within metal and also stories of being hassled because of heavy metal. So we’re always trying to look to new avenues. As long as heavy metal is central to the story we want it no matter who is doing the telling.

Do you think publishing online or doing a companion profile on Youtube would help Hells Envoy reach more readers?

I should look into these two ideas, and will research more into it as that is exactly what we are wanting, more reach to more people. We are slowly learning as we go along at the moment and it is all still a new process to us. Any sort of expansion towards gaining a wider audience is always being pursued and we are always trying to think of new and inventive ways to reach more people’s attention.

Internet radio is another resource for zine editors to spread word. Are there net shows in Australia or Tasmania you would consider advertising through?

I am not sure of internet radio and such, and haven’t looked at net shows. It would be something to look toward. Any sort of advertising we will be all over because for more eyes on product.

If the magazine earned more revenue would you consider improving the printing quality? Do you prefer standard print, newsprint or glossy print?

I reckon we will stay with newsprint, regardless of cost. Hells Envoy has always been envisioned as being on the 55 gsm paper, not glossy, no hard cover, no colour and no photographs of bands and such. Maybe some more advertising that fits with the concept would be considered for future volumes. I like any zine format whether glossy or not. The bands represented in each product is what draws my attention. I do prefer a zine I can hold to a web zine, much as I prefer a CD to streaming or downloading.

Do you see the print zine industry remaining consistent in the age of webzines and ezines? Will print zines retain their popularity in the future?

One would hope print zines will always be around, but who knows in this day and age. Printing is a dying trade as everything becomes more digital. For example physical newspaper readership is down as more people switch to reading online, and as iPads and such are the medium newspapers and the like will become less. But in saying that people like physical copies of things, not just on a screen, so who knows what the future holds. Hopefully there will be a resurgence.

Would you consider running stories involving other genres like punk, hardcore, goth, and other genres besides metal?

It will just be metal, metal and more metal. Not that I don’t like other genres of music; it’s just that metal is the way to go. There are enough sub genres enough in metal to hopefully give it variety.

For what do you most want Hells Envoy to be remembered?

It’s a bit corny but heavy metal has given me so much over my life. I have never picked up an instrument or anything and given back, so for me personally, if Hells Envoy could be remembered as having any impact on the metal genre and furthering it in any way, then maybe I could feel I have given back to something which has given me so much.

Hells Envoy on Facebook

-Dave Wolff