RANDOM (Malaysia) Issue #4, 2001 Mre than a year, comes the new issue and brings you interview with Aeturnus, Impaled Nazarene, Garden Of Shadows, Doxomedon, Thy Serpent, The Great Kat, Orodo Draconis, Nomicon, The Kuntaucult, God Dethroned, Impending Doom, SSS Production and Tasyim. Shahrizwan's way of doing his interview is one of the things that make me looking forward to have this issue although it took 1 and a half year. The wait is finally over and again, contains interesting interview and lots of improvements. The layout has been changed (much more professional this time), clear xerox, new staffs (assisting anything except writing) and the cover is glossy printed. The review (audio stuffs only) is now using rating system. I can't find any flaw in this zine except for the pictures is not printed clearly (that's the problem enlarging small size graphic file and maybe they also printing using low resolution file?) and I think background image is not suitable for a xerox zine. Let me tell you something, from all the zines in Malaysian underground scene there are only few zine that really worth the support and RANDOM is one of them, beside NATHIAS, ULTIMATE DARKNESS (maybe 1 or two more) and some pro-printed 'commercial' metal magazines. Other than these, you are just wasting your time buying/contacting. New zine (and also to zines which already released lots of issue) buy this and learn! Shahrizwan complained about lack of support from local bands and labels. My personal opinion is most of local labels (and the bands under their label) only care about promotion abroad because all their releases is easily available in the cassette shop and the news spread pretty fast in the local scene. And some labels don't care enough about promotion abroad as well. What matter is they can sell their stuffs locally and get the money they needed and that's it (pity the bands under this label). The thing that matters is boasting their sales and has their name known in some pro-printed magazine abroad. They don't think that zine like us who have their zine distributed by underground distro worldwide and most of the readers/buyers (from the distro) do not bother reading magazine like Terrorizer. They (the readers which consist of editors, other distro, bands, etc) are much more supportive and dedicated to obscure scene like Malaysia. And demo bands do not bother sending promos because they are afraid of honest review from the editor like Shahrizwan and prefer sending them to their friend for good reviews. I also face the same thing in making this zine. I sometimes think I am wasting my time doing South East Asia Metal Force due to this kind of attitude. Fuck them all! But RANDOM as the definite English written Malaysian zine? We are now in the scene man. Don't be so sure about that. Hehehe. c/o Shahrizwan Shamsuddin, 224, Jln. Abd. Rahman, Kaw. Per. Melayu, Kg. Baru, 28700 Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia. besteel@hotmail.com 4.5/5