Metal History Through Fanzines

Onslaught (UK)

Blackthorn #2 (Denmark) Aug-Sept 1985

Blackthorn #2 (Denmark) Aug-Sept 1985. Editors: “Henk Leviathan” and “Esben Slot Sørensen”

Second issue of this cult Danish fanzine. Highlights include King Diamond interview discussing his departure from Mercyful Fate and a brief Carnivore chat with the whole band, plus interviews and/or features with Bathory, Voivod, Slayer, Sodom, At War, Monolith, Bulldozer, Kim Sixx, Onslaught (UK and US), Mayhem (GER), Poison (GER), Siren, Sons of Satan, Overkill (GER), Ghostrider, Blacktask, Vicious Barreka, and more….[Thanks to Tawfik from Zombi Danz for the contribution]

 

November 22, 2014 | Categories: Artillery (DEN), At War (US), Bathory (SWE), Bulldozer (IT), Carnivore (US), Danish Scene Report, King Diamond (DEN), Mercyful Fate (DK), News, Onslaught (UK), Playlists, Poison (GER), Reviews, Siren (US), Slayer (US), Sodom (GER), Uncategorized, Voivod (CAN) | 3 Comments

Battlefield #6 (GER) 1986 (auf Deutsch)

Battlefield #6 (GER) 1986. Editors: “Armin Nolzen” and “Bernd Backhaus” (auf Deutsch)

Speed/thrash/crossover classic zine from Germany, a mid-80s DIY beast with interviews and write-ups on many great bands in their demo-days/first album-era – including Detente, Death, Onslaught, Heresy, Concrete Sox, Holy Terror, Lethal Aggression, Assassin, Poison (Ger), Excel, Desexult, Kreator/Destruction/Rage live review, Negazione, Sacrifice, Schizo, Voivod, Heathen, Raw Power and more (THX B.B.!).

September 26, 2013 | Categories: Assassin (GER), Battlefield (GER), Death (US), Desexult (DEN), Destruction (GER), Detente (US), Excel (US), Holy Terror (US), Kreator (GER), Lethal Aggression (US), Live Reviews, Negazione (IT), Onslaught (UK), Poison (GER), Rage (GER), Raw Power (IT), Reviews, Sacrifice (CAN), Schizo (IT), Thanatos (NL), Voivod (CAN), Wehrmacht (US) | 2 Comments

Metal Forces #21 (UK) 1986

Metal Forces #21 (UK) 1986. Editor: “Bernard Doe”

[Once more, it’s a given that Metal Forces was certainly not a fanzine, yet it still deserves archival status. As previously stated, the importance of the magazine for the development of the global underground and all ’extreme’ genres can not be understated – they covered many notable bands before any other press did, and were a reliable go-to source for news in the pre-internet era.]

Here I have issue #21, all 47 pages- it’s a good mix of speed and thrash (heavily on the rise at the time), along with the token glam rock sprinkled throughout (posers!!!??)…I wonder why they even bothered with the glam rock then, because if you check out the “Readers Album Chart”- its all thrash and speed?! Lots of cool reviews though with the essential “Demolition” demo review section (Nuclear Death!), pen-pal and fanzine addresses etc. One thing I question however is the “78” review for Fates Warning’s Awaken the Guardian …come on!? And Zebra gets a 91? Anyways, reader mail, plus killer live reviews of Deathrow (plus intie), Overkill, Whiplash, Metallica, Voivod, Possessed and more, as well as features on Anthrax, English Dogs, Attacker, Crumbsuckers, Dark Angel, Helstar, Steeler, Voivod (again) etc.

July 27, 2013 | Categories: Adverts, Anthrax (US), Atomkraft (UK), Dark Angel (US), Deathrow (GER), Demo Reviews, Dream Records, English Dogs (UK), G.B.H. (UK), Helloween (GER), Live Reviews, Metal Forces (UK), Metallica (US), News, Noise Records (GER), Nuclear Death (US), Onslaught (UK), Overkill (US), Playlists, Possessed (US), Readers Poll, Reviews, The Crumbsuckers (US), UK Scene Report, Uncategorized, US Metal Records, Venom (UK), Voivod (CAN), Whiplash (US), Zine Reviews | Leave a comment

Thrash Metal #2 (Spain) 1988 (En español)

Thrash Metal #2 (Spain) 1988. Editor: “Mariscal Romero” (En español)

Certainly not to be confused with other mags/zines with the same name, this was a pro-published magazine out of Spain from the late 80’s. The publisher was a company called “MC Editions” that had several publications, selling magazines like this and others in bookstores at the time. For the most part,  there was nothing really ‘underground’ in it, but as a historical/cultural artifact its pretty killer – features and interviews with Agnostic Front, Anthrax, Coroner, Death, Flotsam and Jetsam, Kreator, Leeway, Sabbat, Rage, Nuclear Assault, Slayer, Onslaught, Sodom, Suicidal Tendencies, Testament, Toranaga and Risk; plus additional focus on Spanish bands Fuck Off, Crom and Leviatan.

December 17, 2012 | Categories: Agnostic Front (US), Anthrax (US), Coroner (SWZ), Crom (SP), Death (US), Flotsam and Jetsam (US), Fuck Off (SP), Kreator (GER), Leeway (US), Leviatan (SP), Nuclear Assault (US), Onslaught (UK), Rage (GER), Risk (GER), Sabbat (UK), Slayer (US), Sodom (GER), Suicidal Tendencies (US), Testament (US), Thrash Metal (SP), Toranaga (UK) | Leave a comment