the metal world needs more webzines dedicated to the REAL underground only

[Demonspell]

I wonder how much traffic an online zine of this nature would actually get. As great as this could be, I'm not holding my breath. Add in that it's hard enough to find reviewers that describe music well or that you can at least figure out whether or not you'd enjoy the music based on their opinions, and this zine becomes even more unlikely.

I have to agree that this would better be served as a webpage or blog with a similar format to the recommendation threads (with or without the mp3s, offsite links such as myspace would be a better option here) than a full-fledged zine...just put "no promos or CD-Rs accepted" in small print.

 

[swizzlenuts]

I was going to mention Hellride. It's were I found out about Horrors Of The Black Museum.

 

[Demilich]

I would say 80% of my new finds over the last few years have emerged from this forum alone.

I'd definitely say the same. Maybe less now, but for a while it was probably 100% in my case. I've started scouring various distros, archive sites, etc., anything with samples, descriptions, links... Hence I end up wanting more and more cds every week and I can never afford any.

 

[J.]

this is why i miss LARM. i can't count how many bands that zine turned me onto. too many.

Black Metal UK, Field of the Dark Seed, Hyperblast, and Martwy Zmierzch are some of the ones I use for underground (mostlyBM) reviews

and yeah, you guys come in handy every once in a while. too much doom and trad bs though.

 

[dill_the_devil]

I've pitched this in the Staff Forum, and I think it's gonna go ahead - wondered what you guys thought of the idea.

In essence, what I'd like to do is a monthly feature which would combine the original Ultimate Metal ethos of covering the best underground and unsigned metal bands, Demonspell's old 'Songs To Watch' feature, the Unsigned Spotlight interviews and demo/EP/self-released album reviews. Basically, I'd trawl around MySpace each month, looking for unsigned bands with Metal in their description. I'd pick out three bands that stood out as worthy of further attention, and send those bands a standardised, Unsigned Spotlight-esque set of interview questions and a request for something to review. Then, I'd write it all up as a single feature article, with links to the bands' MySpace sites and official sites, and possibly some impromptu bonus stuff as well (whether that be a somewhat related rant, a more jokey look at a particularly awful band, whatever).

First band that have caught my ear while scouting for worthy subjects:

http://www.myspace.com/donotresucitate

And the second:

http://www.myspace.com/sweetsorrowslo

What do you reckon then?

 

[JayKeeley]

I've pitched this in the Staff Forum, and I think it's gonna go ahead - wondered what you guys thought of the idea.

In essence, what I'd like to do is a monthly feature which would combine the original Ultimate Metal ethos of covering the best underground and unsigned metal bands, Demonspell's old 'Songs To Watch' feature, the Unsigned Spotlight interviews and demo/EP/self-released album reviews. Basically, I'd trawl around MySpace each month, looking for unsigned bands with Metal in their description. I'd pick out three bands that stood out as worthy of further attention, and send those bands a standardised, Unsigned Spotlight-esque set of interview questions and a request for something to review. Then, I'd write it all up as a single feature article, with links to the bands' MySpace sites and official sites, and possibly some impromptu bonus stuff as well (whether that be a somewhat related rant, a more jokey look at a particularly awful band, whatever).

First band that have caught my ear while scouting for worthy subjects:

http://www.myspace.com/donotresucitate

And the second:

http://www.myspace.com/sweetsorrowslo

What do you reckon then?

All I can say is:

Good on you.

I also read today that Jim over at LotFP had previously asked labels to send them all the demos they receive from bands wanting to get signed. He's probably got boxes filled with CD-Rs by now, and he's going to pick out the select few worthy of mention. I applaud that too.

I wish I could contribute more but I'm glad you folks have got an eye on the underground.

Believe me, Century Media and the like do not need that kind of support. They are making money hand over fist compared to the smaller labels, the self-releasing artists, the true independents. I never understood why I was paying to host a website to advertise major label products. That's like me hosting a website to advertise Coke or McDonalds.

Oh yeah, make sure you do a feature on Killingsworth (and throw in a reference to Doomcifer while you're at it.)

 

[dill_the_devil]

Yeah, Killingsworth are definitely worth including, I think! I know what you mean about the labels too - the whole impetus for me suggesting this on the staff forum was the fact that I was getting bored of doing reviews of 10-15 really mediocre german metalcore bands or whatever, struggling to find 200 words to essentially say 'this is average' time and time again. I was actually gonna quit UM altogether, but Russell suggested I do a column kinda thing instead, and this thread came to mind, which gave me the idea. So, in essence, cheers Jay - you saved my UM writing career!

 

[JayKeeley]

Cool.

Likewise, if any of us discover new and unsigned cool artists, perhaps we can pass them to you if you think they deserve some spotlight attention.

 

[dill_the_devil]

Please do - between full-time work (no longer at the nappy factory, thank Goat), attempting to write my own music and trying to maintain some semblance of a social life, I'll need all the help I can get trawling through the thousands of bands on Myspace, seperating the wheat from the chaff!

 

[circus_brimstone]

I wish I could contribute more but I'm glad you folks have got an eye on the underground.

I wish you could, too. I mean, rather than complaining about a lack of underground coverage, why not fill the gap yourself by resurrecting RC or starting something new?

Believe me, Century Media and the like do not need that kind of support. They are making money hand over fist compared to the smaller labels, the self-releasing artists, the true independents. I never understood why I was paying to host a website to advertise major label products. That's like me hosting a website to advertise Coke or McDonalds.

What about the handful of bands on labels such as Century Media that deserve support, providing you like some of them? I'm sure there's a band on a major metal label you like - Amon Amarth on Metal Blade come to mind. Should the whole label be ignored? From my standpoint, shitting on a whole label screws over a few good bands. Also, are not many underground bands working towards getting signed to fairly big labels?

 

[JayKeeley]

I wish you could, too. I mean, rather than complaining about a lack of underground coverage, why not fill the gap yourself by resurrecting RC or starting something new?

Not that it's any of your business, but I have more responsibility in my personal life now, so I can't. I think I've paid my dues anyway. Maybe when the kids are older I'll get back in the game (in some shape or form). Also, don't interpret what I'm suggesting here as "complaining" since only good can come out of doing what Dill's going to do.

What about the handful of bands on labels such as Century Media that deserve support, providing you like some of them? I'm sure there's a band on a major metal label you like - Amon Amarth on Metal Blade come to mind. Should the whole label be ignored? From my standpoint, shitting on a whole label screws over a few good bands.

No, obviously not. But then there are oodles and gajillions of websites covering that sort of thing. I'm just suggesting that we [collectively] try to level the playing field somewhat.

Also, are not many underground bands working towards getting signed to fairly big labels?

Until they do, they deserve some attention. Once they've hit the major leagues, they're on their own. If you want to review an Iced Earth CD, knock yourself out, but it's not like there aren't already 3000 reviews covering that artist. Opeth really needed all those self-financed webzine reviews for "Ghost Reveries" I'm sure.

 

[dill_the_devil]

What about the handful of bands on labels such as Century Media that deserve support, providing you like some of them? I'm sure there's a band on a major metal label you like - Amon Amarth on Metal Blade come to mind. Should the whole label be ignored? From my standpoint, shitting on a whole label screws over a few good bands. Also, are not many underground bands working towards getting signed to fairly big labels?

I think Jay's point is more that there are already plenty of print magazines and other webzines dedicated to covering and promoting bands that are on labels such as Nuclear Blast, Century Media, Earache, Relapse and the like - what there doesn't seem to be much of are sites that are dedicated to covering bands who haven't yet reached that stage but deserve to, and possibly could, given more exposure.

Amon Amarth aren't going to see a massive dent in their record sales of Ultimate Metal stop covering them, for instance - but a band on the same relative level as Killingsworth might get a few new listeners and possibly sell a few more self-distributed EPs or whatever through a similar level of coverage. Not that I'm suggesting UM stop covering bands that have releases on labels like those mentioned above, by the way - just using that as an example to illustrate my point.

 

[JayKeeley]

By the way, Dill, I just did a search for "Rudra" on your reviews page and found one (written by you in 2002). So I bumped it. Man, you were way ahead of the curve....little did you know that Rudra would play at Heathen Crusade almost 5 years later.

By the way, Rudra are currently unsigned. I'm trying to help turn that around.

 

[Mr_Haze]

My free issue of LotFP that arrived in the mail today has reviews for:

After All, Against Nature, Antiquus, Ascension Theory, Assaulter, Battlewitch, Black Steel, Blinded Colony, Blood Seal, Chaos Creation, Chaos Theory, Dantesco, Dawnbringer, Decadence, Doomraiser, Dusk, Fierce, Formicide, aaaand.. 19 other bands.

Looks promising, havn't had time to read it yet.

 

[JayKeeley]

Maybe my copy will arrive tomorrow.....actually probably not. I don't think Jim's sent out the latest copy to his US based readers yet.

(I just noticed you listed Dantesco. That's another Doomcifer discovery around these parts if I remember right).

 

[Reign in Acai]

 

[JayKeeley]

Haha, that's what Century Media will do to Roadrunner for being bought out by Warner Bros first.

 

[dill_the_devil]

I'm pretty sure I reviewed something by Blinded Colony a few years back...

EDIT: Yep, back in 2003:

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/...d-colony-divine.html?highlight=Blinded+Colony

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

Rudra are currently unsigned.

how? that doesnt even make sense.

I was a fan of Rudra before HC, but seeing them live made me shit my pants at the awesomeness!

 

[circus_brimstone]

Not that it's any of your business, but I have more responsibility in my personal life now, so I can't. I think I've paid my dues anyway. Maybe when the kids are older I'll get back in the game (in some shape or form). Also, don't interpret what I'm suggesting here as "complaining" since only good can come out of doing what Dill's going to do.

Yeah, I wasn't actually looking for a direct answer to that question; it was more along the lines of a rhetorical one.

Until they do, they deserve some attention. Once they've hit the major leagues, they're on their own. If you want to review an Iced Earth CD, knock yourself out, but it's not like there aren't already 3000 reviews covering that artist. Opeth really needed all those self-financed webzine reviews for "Ghost Reveries" I'm sure.

Part of it depends on the readership and what they want to read, too, which largely depends on the stated purpose of the publication - needless to say.