ZINE REVIEWS

Komamaut

Komamaut (Malaysia) Issue 2, 2000
This zine is too messy and not well-edited. The interviews are boring. The copy I got is not even stapled properly. 72 A4 pages, badly Xeroxed, written in Malay/English. Some interviews are with Infernal Poetry, Mintras, Entrails, Soulless Divine and some more bands/projects and mostly are from oversea. The way they asked the questions looked like they are asking for free promo. Also included are reviews, articles, lyrics, and news and band bios. They have to work more on the layout and the interviews and use other xerox shop.
Ahmad Izanni Zainuddin, 508 Taman Sri Semantan 3B, 28000 Temerloh, Pahang.
hail_kill66@hotmail.com sickness_maut@hotmail.com
2/5
Komamaut Komamaut (Malaysia) Issue 3, 2001
This issue shows some improvement and glad to see they have changed. Still 74 A4 pages (this time stapled!), not so good xerox quality (a bit better than before). Written in Malay/English. The layout has been improved and so does the interviews. Interviews are with Exhumate, The Forgotten, Nathias, Cenotaph, Steel Madness, God and few more. They still need to improve the layout and the xerox quality.
Ahmad Izanni Zainuddin, 508 Taman Sri Semantan 3B, 28000 Temerloh, Pahang.
hail_kill66@hotmail.com sickness_maut@hotmail.com
2.5/5
Mangkat (Malaysia) Issue 1, 2001
80+ pages, A4 size, xerox, handwritten in Malay. This kid is a bit left behind since others used computer or at least a typewriter. You bet this zine is messy and Ikhwan’s handwriting is not interesting to be looked at. I can’t even differentiate which one is the question and which one is the answer. But I like the way he arrange the interviews and some interviews are quite interesting. Page number and table of content included. If Ikhwan follow the right step, he can make Mangkat a lot better than other zine in the scene.
Ikhwan, No. 12-A, Kampung Serkat Laut, 82030 Pontian, Johor.
2.5/5
The Medium Medium, The (USA) Issue 1
16 pages in newsprint format with no graphic except for the zine’s logo on the front page. Beside interviews (8 of them, with some book author and some metal projects including Holycaust Records), Cameron include some terrifying info either about the music scene or other non-music related things. Examples of the info are how Christian (church) in USA got their fund, how corporate suck money from the artist and get more money than the artist and how sick and these corporate bastards are. This zine is freely distributed. If you buy this from someone, then fuck him/her off. The next issue will feature more interviews, reviews (which are not available in this issue) and also some graphics as eye pleaser.
Cameron Dominick, 304 West Circular St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, USA
vermin@altereduniverse.com
3/5
Neftaraku Neftaraku Newsletter (Malaysia) Issue 1, 2001
Komamaut’s editor made this newsletter. 32 pages, A4 size, 90% written in Malay. Why made a newsletter when the content is just like Komamaut or better said in zine format. There are news, interviews, reviews, band bios, etc. The layout here is a bit better than Komamaut 2nd issue. I only spot 2 differences between his two projects. First is he made page numbering (but no table of content), which you will not find in Komamaut and interviews are with zine/label/non-band related projects.
Ahmad Izanni Zainuddin, 508 Taman Sri Semantan 3B, 28000 Temerloh, Pahang.
hail_kill66@hotmail.com sickness_maut@hotmail.com
2/5
Sarang Maut Sarang Maut (Malaysia) Issue 6, 2000
I have read couples of issues and this is the first one he made using computer and it is a bit neat compare with the previous issues. According to Carcass Satanic (only now I know his name is Khairul Anuar), Sarang Maut stop at issue #5. This issue is a collection of the best interview he made in 1996-1998 and adds some new interviews he never publishes before. To make this a complete issue, reviews and lots of SEAsian metal news have been added too. Cool concept. Interviews (all translated into Malay): Samartary, Bloodstorm, Dead Meat, Sermon, Paradigma, Meleschech, Lividity, Pessimist, Kratornas, Warloghe, Immanis, Witch-Hunt, Bunuh, Ritual Orchestra, Scepter and few more. If I want to make this kind of special issue, it will be very special indeed. As for this one, just an ordinary release but a bit better then Sarang Maut previous issue layout-wise. Khairul should write a bit more for the introduction of the interview for example telling which issue is that interview is taken from, some latest info about the band and why he choose that interview. There are few more things that are not done correctly in my point of view but that does not matter since this is the last issue. Khairul also plays in band called SAMARTARY and I think that is one of the reasons why he quit this zine.
Khairul Anuar, Box 2736, Kg. Nako, 06300 Kuala Nerang, Kedah.
3/5
Sonic Splendour Sonic Splendour (Turkey) Issue 2, 2001
I didn’t know that Turkey has a professional metal magazine. 40 A4 pages in newsprint format. 10 interesting interviews and among them are Callenish Circle, Dying Fetus, Dusk (Pakistan), Sapik Kinek (Turkey). Neat layout and they also include cartoon. The only thing that spoils this magazine is no page numbering and table of content. The page with the interview is simply label as “Chapter 1” until it reaches all 10 interviews. Lots of Turkish stuffs reviewed and that’s great! It will be greater if the background on the reviews page use pictures naked women instead of women with bikini.
Utku Usta, P.K.4, ODTU, 06531 Ankara, Turkey.
zakk_the_loser@yahoo.com
Can Baskent, P.K.14, Odtu, 06351 Ankara, Turkey.
canbaskent@yahoo.com
3/5
Todark Todark (Malaysia) Issue 1, 2000
They design a neat flyer, which I rarely see in the local scene. I thought they are good in layout, typo so I put high expectation on this zine. But it doesn’t look like the flyers. 84 A4 pages xeroxed publication. The interviews are divided into couple of sections. “Utusan Kemenyan” features interview with Herriot, Arkhaytulmayt, Mortuary Ancestor, Psychotic Sufferance, and Tasyim. “Keranda Berdarah” featured Abattoir (Singapore, now Abattory), Auld Hornie, Cryptic Malediction, Medieval and Psychic Scream Ent. Lastly “Wasiat Berasap” with Visitant, Kremation, Hayagriva, and Sakramoth. The reason of the editor doing that is not mention. On each section, there is some info about the bands interviewed. The interview questions are too ordinary and not really informative. Guitar tab local metal songs also available. The things that have to be done for the next issue is improve the interviews, the layout and the photocopy quality.
M. Shahrizad, No 14, Jalan Muhibbah, Taman Nirwana Indah, 45300 Sg. Besar, Selangor.
mussuffer@mailcity.com or shahjehanbanjabar@yahoo.com
2.5/5

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