zines!

[Diabolik]

so I have been in zine kick as of late....picked up a few issues of Chips & Beer, Snakepit and Iron Fist. Asides that I also love Steel for an Age.

any other zines out there worth talking about??

sure some of the info is out of date but it is a great way as a time capsule to have some of this stuff. Plus it is great pooping reading and reading on the train to work.

 

[DMR]

My favorite zines are Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Isten, and METAL. (Do the legions of Chris Black fans know about his zine?) They had more than just reviews and interviews, they had critical essays about metal that are still relevant years later. Isten is the only one still around, although they haven't done many issues in the past ten years. They're working on a book with all of the old issues, like Slayer Mag did, but it's a slow process.

Sentinel Steel was great too. Reading it gives you a picture of the traditional metal scene in the mid-'90s.

Snakepit is a cool idea for a zine, but I don't like any of the bands they feature and I hate the editor.

 

[dcowboys311]

Chips & Beer is a great mag. I look forward to every issue.

Some high-quality zines from the past few years, all highly recommended:
Call from the Grave
Kaleidoscope
Vatra I Sumpor
Haruspex
Horrible Eyes
The Sinister Flame

 

[Jasonic]

I have always loved zines as well.
Can't say I have purchased one since Metal Maniacs was still around though.

i have seen a recent issue of Iron Fist and it looked VERY sweet!!!

I always liked them mostly for the ads to see what was out and how to order.

 

[Element_man]

I subscribed to Metal Maniacs when I was first getting into metal. Good balance of mainstream/underground coverage I thought. I've got a few issues of Sentinel Steel kicking around too which have been fun reads. I also have the english issues of "On the March" zine, a Greek zine focused on Epic metal. Not the best zine, but the enthusiasm makes up for the bastardized English and goofy writing style.

Currently my favorite is Chips & Beer. Love it. The only zines that I've read completely cover to cover. I've been meaning to check out Iron Fist and Snakepit as well.

 

[Diabolik]

I subscribed to Metal Maniacs when I was first getting into metal. Good balance of mainstream/underground coverage I thought. I've got a few issues of Sentinel Steel kicking around too which have been fun reads. I also have the english issues of "On the March" zine, a Greek zine focused on Epic metal. Not the best zine, but the enthusiasm makes up for the bastardized English and goofy writing style.

Currently my favorite is Chips & Beer. Love it. The only zines that I've read completely cover to cover. I've been meaning to check out Iron Fist and Snakepit as well.

I highly recommend Steel for An Age as well.

 

[Jasonic]

I highly recommend Steel for An Age as well.

Just to be a jerk, I will say this:
You slam cassettes but praise magazines, in the year 2013.........
Just sayin..........

 

[Diabolik]

Just to be a jerk, I will say this:
You slam cassettes but praise magazines, in the year 2013.........
Just sayin..........

completely different media dummy. Cassettes are a format that is out of date and was never good to begin with. The magazines we are talking about are timeless....they discuss bands of this era and past.....talk about past and current records. It isnt like an issue of Metal Maniacs where it was all about what was coming out that month. Totally different style of zine.

for example...Steel for an Age had a 8 page retrospective on Manilla Road. How is that a dead format? or outdated? Even the reviews for albums / cd's are relevant since it is about the release and the band itself....


Again...nice try, but as always...FAIL!

 

[dcowboys311]

Cassettes/CDs/vinyl/mp3s etc are all ALMOST the same thing, just different format. Obviously they have their differences.

You can't even begin to compare a zine to a website...

 

[Master_Yoda77]

The Heretic's Torch is the only zine I've read. Mainly because it's run by a faggot friend of mine, but he's also one of the most insightful and best metal writer.

 

[Jasonic]

Cassettes are a format that is out of date and was never good to begin with.

This is where debates with you always hit a brick wall...

All you ever bring in is personal opinion.

As I said, I was playing devil's advocate. I myself like Zines and see their value.

One can argue that, while maybe not preferred by all, the same information from a zine can be had online. That's all.

Cassettes, while having their flaws, were the only portable medium for a very long time. You yourself owned them for the same reason.

Anyhow, carry on.

 

[DMR]

One can argue that, while maybe not preferred by all, the same information from a zine can be had online. That's all.

One can make that argument, but they'd be wrong. There must be a million factoids in every Snakepit interview that aren't common knowledge. Maybe new zines make PDFs available, but you're not going to find an old zine that way unless someone takes the time to scan it page by page and upload it.

 

[Jasonic]

One can make that argument, but they'd be wrong. There must be a million factoids in every Snakepit interview that aren't common knowledge. Maybe new zines make PDFs available, but you're not going to find an old zine that way unless someone takes the time to scan it page by page and upload it.

WTF?? Don't get this at all my friend.
Content is content.
If someone was to do an in depth interview with some cult band today, the same factoid would be put in the article, be it online or not.

You are arguing that an old zine that is out of print may NOT have been scanned into PDF format. That's the same thing as an old LP that hasn't been reissued on digital format.

That's a completely different issue than what we are speaking of.

 

[Diabolik]

a zine is a great timecapsule. I wish I still had my old ones from the 80s still just to dig through and see what bands I didnt like then I do now. They are great ways to see what is going on in the current times years from now.

Not sure if you have read any of the ones listed Jason but they are not anything like Metal maniacs which seemed to focus on the "now" so to say. The ones being discussed are very well written and are packed with info. Not just stuff like the old ones would have about the new album or what the band is currently doing. Lots of them go back deep into the bands history and stuff.

I love to read them on the train going to work or when I poop so having them is a win win for me.

Trying to compare them to a music format is basically just trying to start an arguement. It is pointless.

 

[Jasonic]

It comes down to personal perference.

I said from the get go that I myself DO like zines.
They are a lot more comfortable to read than a lengthy article online.

Apparently the buying public in general though prefers the online content, as these zines are not obtaining the advertising and subscription revenue to stay afloat.

The whole cassette comment was me just ribbing you as you consider them a "thing of the past" where someone who gets ALL their news online could say the same thing about a zine.

 

[Diabolik]

It comes down to personal perference.

I said from the get go that I myself DO like zines.
They are a lot more comfortable to read than a lengthy article online.

Apparently the buying public in general though prefers the online content, as these zines are not obtaining the advertising and subscription revenue to stay afloat.

The whole cassette comment was me just ribbing you as you consider them a "thing of the past" where someone who gets ALL their news online could say the same thing about a zine.

but I am not reading zines for news. Just reading them for info / history stuff. totally different.

 

[Jasonic]

but I am not reading zines for news. Just reading them for info / history stuff. totally different.

I get it. but you can't find out the history about a band online???

If you can't, Simon Mounsey is in a huge fuckin heap of trouble!!!!!!

 

[modernwizardry]

The Iron Fist magazine is really well done. The actual product is full color nice paper. The articles are great and I've read it about halfway through...even read articles about bands I didn't really know. They have some newer bands that are featured that don't even have a facebook and are not on metal archives. There are plenty of ads for labels like High Roller and No Remorse. High recommended...this issue has Satan, Pagan Altar, In Solitude, Virtue, Medieval Steel and High Spirits among others.

I do not see it as a dead format. The masses are just settling for cheaper, "blurb" style news and wikipedia.

 

[nomisofsiman]

I get it. but you can't find out the history about a band online???

If you can't, Simon Mounsey is in a huge fuckin heap of trouble!!!!!!

Oh you're using my full name now? Why did I get roped into this? Haha.

 

[DMR]

WTF?? Don't get this at all my friend.
Content is content.
If someone was to do an in depth interview with some cult band today, the same factoid would be put in the article, be it online or not.

You are arguing that an old zine that is out of print may NOT have been scanned into PDF format. That's the same thing as an old LP that hasn't been reissued on digital format.

That's a completely different issue than what we are speaking of.

First of all, Snakepit is a current magazine, not an old one.

"Content is content" is exactly my point. You can find reviews of the same album in both zines and online, but they won't be the same review. Someone who writes a zine won't have the same opinions or writing style as someone on Metal Archives. I guess most people don't care about that and they just want to find out about what's new. But asking "Why read Isten when you can get metal news online?" is like asking "Why buy that Eternal Champion tape when you can listen to Judas Priest?"