Issue #13 of Norway’s IMHOTEP is finally here, and it was released exactly on the 30th anniversary of the zine’s first issue. Congratulations on that! Running a print zine for thirty years is quite a challenge in my book, especially in digital times like these, but editor Roy Kristensen still seems to have enough motivation to pull it off in a pretty impressive way. In order not to repeat myself too much, I checked out my review of the previous issue, which you’ll also find on this site, and noticed that I could basically copy and paste most of what I wrote back then here again. The only difference is the content, of course, but that once again demands a lot of attention anyway, since it is by no means typical underground fanzine fast food that you can easily consume between your early morning toast and the following toilet visit. To really enjoy the zine, it is definitely helpful if you are already familiar with the bands that are featured. Otherwise, you might skip a lot of pages, since the interviews are always very in-depth and deal with many details. And if you haven’t heard a single note by the bands involved, you might run into a bit of trouble here and there. I know what I’m talking about, because I never found the time to listen to SLAGMAUR or DJEVEL before, and I also never checked out the IHSAHN albums, which was probably a big mistake. But you simply can’t listen to everything that gets released. It has been far too much to handle for many years already. Anyway, the features on the three bands just mentioned alone already cover approximately 80 pages of this new issue. The DJEVEL part (also featured on the cover) consists of 15 (!!) interviews with the band’s members Ciekals (R.I.P.), Faust, Kvitrim and Izare, conducted between 2016 and 2025, while the 10-page SLAGMAUR feature is comprised of three interviews from 2009 to 2025. A band like HEILUNG never appealed to me, but hey, they are featured here with six pages, so there must be something about them that I just don’t get. Also very interesting is the idea of dedicating nine pages to old BURZUM interviews (from 2010 and 2012, respectively), and doing so in the same issue that includes a fresh interview with Dani of CRADLE OF FILTH (four pages). That’s what I call controversial variety. By the way, it was actually a very interesting read to see what Mr. Vikernes had to say about certain topics – completely unbiased and far removed from the approach of mainstream magazines. The issue is rounded off by interviews with photographer NECROSHORNS, the label THE SINISTER INITIATIVE (run by SHINING’s Niklas Kvarforth), Black Metallers ACHATHRAS and the only Death Metal band featured, BLOOD INCANTATION. In good old tradition, there is once again only a handful of brutally honest reviews included (22, to be exact), all of which were chosen and written for this issue by Roy – not because they just have arrived from a promo agency. So, if you’re looking for an intense reading experience and your preferred musical genre is Black Metal, this issue could be a worthwhile investment. You can order a copy directly from the publisher Cult Never Dies or you contact Mr. Kristensen for possible other options: roy.kristensen@gmail.com