Eight long and turbulent years after the release of #11, Norway’s IMHOTEP zine has finally come up with a follow-up issue. I guess it’s safe to say that editor Roy Kristensen still seems to be a very relaxed kinda guy, who definitely doesn’t give a shit about what the scene, or anyone else expects from him… and somehow I envy him for it. Instead of dealing with all the info that is connected to new releases every single day, his focus seems to be exclusively on bands that he personally really enjoys. That’s why you will only find seven interviews on the 112 pages… but those features are in-depth with a capital “I”: DEATHSPELL OMEGA (37 pages!!), DISSECTION (a 14-page long interview that was conducted via telephone back in 2005 by Bo Christiansen), WATAIN (a 13-page, three-part long feature, including a conversation with Ove Ringdal), MARE (11 pages), CULT NEVER DIES (10 pages), HEATHEN DEITY (5 pages by Dayal Patterson) and an old GROMTH feature (“From The Archives”, originally conducted in 2011 by Lennard Bertram, 9 pages). Well, ok… the previous issue only had features on WATAIN, ABIGOR and MAYHEM (on 86 pages), so this new one is already offering a bit more variety again (did I hear anyone shouting “Sellout!!”?). IMHOTEP is definitely not a zine that you can read when you’re in a hurry, because the whole content is very demanding (especially the way the DEATHSPELL OMEGA feature is presented). So, if you pick up zines to quickly soak up some info, it might be best to stop reading here. But if you want to delve a bit deeper into the featured bands, then IMHOTEP might be right up your alley. The printing quality is top-notch and the clean layout looks more like it is addressed to a more sophisticated type of reader (you won’t find any of the typical cut and paste skulls, demons, blood and gore in here). If you’re mainly interested in reviews, IMHOTEP probably isn’t the best choice for you either, as you’ll only find 24 reviews, spread among 6 pages in here this time. All written by Roy himself, and all brutally honest, which I really like. His opinion very often goes against the grain, since he doesn’t share typical underground opinions. If a record sucks, it sucks and gets an “Unapproved” vote from him (worthy releases get voted as… you guessed it already… “Approved”). There aren’t many ads in here and the cover picture of a statue and the backcover ad are both full colored and got printed on heavier paper, so the overall visual presentation definitely looks very professional. You can order a copy directly from the publisher Cult Never Dies. All additional questions, hate or praise mail you can send to Roy directly: roy.kristensen@gmail.com