Burning Northshore #3

Burning Northshore information booklet, volume 3 (autumn 1996)
Article on Bloodsword, some reviews, addresses and info on editor's other projects

Mega

Ok, today we're doing another of these newsletter posts and this is the third volume of the Burning Northshore information booklet, which translates to a six-page newsletter, plus covers. I haven't seen the other volumes and this one too got passed to me from a trader I think... or did I get it from somewhere with an order of something or other? Not sure, but it was anyways one of those random things people used to add besides flyers, biosheets, logo stickers and whathaveyou.

The content here deals pretty exclusively with the editor's stuff; Den, Superior, Bloodsword, Galdrastafur 305 and The Meniscus Plains. As far as I've understood, it's mostly odinistic ambient sort of music, except for Superior whose '96 demo was recently... well, not very long ago, re-released and who sound very much like old Polish black metal. I heard a sample of Den somewhere and it was quite interesting too, I believe at least some of that material was going to be released again as well. Or has been, I haven't checked. Must do so after I'm done here. Right, let's wrap this up: it's curious stuff and probably not of interest to many, but maybe it will have some audience.

Various Newsletters ('95 - '00)

Clavelline newsletter, issue 6 (21st March 2000)
Article:
Faerie folk, part one
+ contact addresses, reviews

Divine Blackness newsletter, issue 6 (1996)
Interview:
Countess
+ news, reviews, Denial of God bio/newsletter March '95

Underground Scene Report newsletter, issue 14 (February 1995)
Lots of reviews

Mega

Remember when I said I'd make the next post "proper" last time? Well, I lied. I noticed I had scanned a bunch of small newsletters and put them in the same folder, then as usual forgot them lying on a corner of my desktop. I thought I might as well make a post of the three now. So here we have in alphabetical order and incidentally from the least pages to the most:
- Clavelline issue 6
An extremely minimalistic newsletter of two pages made by Radek "Jelly" Vicherek who probably did something else too but I can't remember what anymore. Nowadays seems to be a web developer, fun trivia. First page is basically a listing of addresses with short descriptions and a nude pic, second one has three (3) reviews which are pretty good and the article Faerie Folk (part one) which seems to be an alphabetic listing with brief descriptions of various fae creatures. I'm pretty sure I had another issue of Clavelline somewhere and it probably was similar to this but can't seem to find it. Might be imagining it. Perhaps someone else has other examples?
 - Divine Blackness issue 6
This was Impure Creations' (later Velvet Music) newsletter and I'm certain I had more issues but possibly forwarded them all. I also seem to recall it was called something else initially... Scarlet something? Anyways, they sent these to people they were in contact with and this has more interesting content. Four pages, first has a brief news section followed by short but interesting (mainly black metal) reviews, almost all are demos. Then two pages for a Countess interview made after the release of second album, decent if nothing that special and last page contains Denial of God's combined biography/newsletter dating to early '95. I suppose it's informative too.
- Underground Scene Report issue 14
Kind of a shame I didn't get more copies of this, wonder why not since it was practically free too. Made by a Dutch fellow Paul V.D. Burght this particular issue has six pages crammed full of reviews (of reasonable length) with separate sections for 'zines and compilations, plus a little Dark Records special and some ads. Plenty of logos here too. I'd like to see more issues if someone has kept them.

So there. Let's see what sort of an anomaly I can dig up next.

Riding Hellwards: Volume 1 (1999)

Various Artists - Riding Hellwards: Volume 1 compilation tape 1999
1) Moonsorrow - Taistelu Pohjolasta
2) Thorax Serpenti - Hatred Souls (rehearsal)
3) Pandemia - Created Again
4) Nazgul - Celtic Lands
5) Shadowbreed - Path in the Dark
6) Baphomet - Crucifixion
7) Thoronath - Kristet blod
8) Katassamalass - Masticated Human Flesh
9) Svartkrist - Into the Abyss (live)
10) Atavism - Cemetary Cannibalism
11) Impuro - Orgia
12) Diamatregon - Throne to Eternity
13) Bilskirnir - For the Return of Paganism (rehearsal)
14) Demon Realm - Hammer of Hate
15) Unholy Archangel - Foronis
16) Prejudice - Perpetual Pain
17) Grimoria - A Great Sacrifice
18) Gorewinter - Buried by Night
19) Baxaxa - Thorn of Steel

Depositfiles / Rusfolder

I haven't done compilation tapes for a while and since master Sorvali's contributions included these too, I decided to upload this Belgian one today. Thanks to Henri again for the rip and scans! I don't know if more volumes of Riding Hellwards were released, but this one here came with an A4 newsletter and includes almost 90 minutes of mostly black metal bands. To my delight, it also includes a number of domestic bands besides the international cast.

The newsletter is a single A4 sheet, with print on both sides so I suppose I should say two pages. It contains interviews with Black Witchery, Funeral Rites and Moonsorrow, these are all quite short, especially Funeral Rites which is also pretty thin on the information side too. The other two are a better read. As for the main dish, the compilation itself, the sound is good and quite consistent, no extremely drastic volume leaps here. Music ranges from the epic heathen metal of Moonsorrow to raw and fast material like Baphomet to brutal death metal of Katassamalass and bestial blasting of Unholy Archangel. Prejudice's distrubingly modern metal sounding track also stands out like a sort thumb. Quite a varied selection of tracks despite having a black metal focus and several first time listens too. I'm going to need another listen and take some notes, there are a few bands I must inspect further.

Resplendence newsletter #3

Resplendence newsletter, issue 3 (September-November 1996)
Interviews:
In-Quest
Ironsword
+ reviews

Yandex

Friday night filler. Yeah, I'm not going to pretend this'd be really much more. But hey I told you I'd do these every now and then when I posted the two Syphilis ones, right? Resplendence was the name of both a 'zine/newsletter and an underground label, both run by Bart Marescaux, vocalist of Rhymes Of Destruction and his comrade Frederic Caure, former R.O.D. bass player and also a member of Serpentcult. The first two Resplendence issues were in full A5 'zine format, haven't seen 'em but they're listed to have 44 and 52 pages and at this third issue they switched to newsletter. No idea how many issues they did after this one. As for the content, there's 8 A5 pages, last though filled with a list of their releases. Interviews are a little so-and-so but at least Ironsword gives quite long answers. I don't really agree with the editors' attitude either but that's my issue. It's an ok quick read, have a look.

Oops, I had accidentally deleted the text when I meant to delete a misspelled comment! Restored now. Kids, don't drink and inter net.

Syphilis Newsletter #2 & #3

Syphilis newsletter, issue 2 (late 1994?)
Interview:
Sigh
Articles:
Ancient
Drogheda
"The Italian Assault" scene report 1994
+ (old) news, reviews

Syphilis newsletter, issue 3 (November 1995)
Interview:
Thy Serpent
Articles:
Crystal Age
Mortal Agony
Callenish Circle
+ more old news, reviews

Yandex

Let's do something different for today. Ok, not that different really. Here's two issues of Finnish Syphilis newsletter which I came across while looking for some 'zine or another and decided to scan them along with some proper 'zines. "Uncle, what are newsletters?" are the younger readers probably asking now. Well, they were like little 'zines, ranging between 1 to 10 pages, most typically in the 2-6 pages range I think, supposed to be released more often or quicker than 'zines and usually contained news, that to be frank tended to be getting old even back then, some reviews and interview(s) or article(s) or both. You see, back then not everyone and their mother had high speed internet access so things like these were at least somewhat valid sources of (mis)information and news. These ones are four pages for #2 and six for #3.

I never actually had any issues of the Syphilis 'zine, sadly, and am not sure how I got these newsletters. Probably ordered them from him after seeing a flyer or something, you could typically get these with a return stamp or something like that back then. Or people might add these to whatever they were sending you in the first place, like flyers. I got some like that. As for the content, the articles are ok, mostly expanded bios really. The scene report is made by Max of Eternal Rest Promotion and is death metal oriented, giving some details of a bunch of bands while just name dropping some more (including several which really seemed worth more attention to me). Reviews and interviews are ok if not highest peaks of journalism. But I've written enough, read 'em for yourself if you're interested. And I wouldn't mind scans of the actual Syphilis 'zine.