TOUGH RIFFS MAGAZINE
Issue # 6
(64 pages, A4, printed, in English)

I got introduced to this great zine directly through editor Dima Andreyuk, who contacted me a while ago, asking about the possibility to re-use some of my interviews in TOUGH RIFFS MAGAZINE. Since a lot of those interviews are only available online so far, I accepted his offer right away. Surprisingly it didn’t take very long until his latest issue (#6) reached my mailbox and I was totally blown away by it! Even though this zine is still rather new and printed in top quality, the visual side of it is totally rooted in the very early days of fanzine making with a typical cut and paste type, old school layout and typewriter font. A great cover artwork (courtesy of MFAXII) and logo (by Mark Riddick) complete the very good first impression already. And when it comes to the content, it gets even better! Apart from the interviews that Dima decided to use from our website (EXMORTIS and ATHEIST), you’ll get highly interesting chats with SADISTIC INTENT, BROKEN HOPE, ENTOMBED, MERCILESS, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, GOD MACABRE and ROTTREVORE. But that’s not all of course, because what really makes this zine stand out are several unique specials. First of all there’s "Extremity Retained – Notes From The Death Metal Underground"… To some of you the title might already sound familiar, since it’s also the title of a book, that was published by Jason Netherton of MISERY INDEX back in 2014. Jason is also responsible for this section in TOUGH RIFFS MAGAZINE, where he compiles previously unreleased outtakes that didn’t make it into his book because he had to keep it under 500 pages. So, you get nice little anecdotes from interviews he had conducted with Anders Schultz (UNLEASHED), Seth Van De Loo (SEVERE TORTURE, CENTURION), Scott Hull (PIG DESTROYER, ex – ANAL CUNT), Leon Del Muerte (NAUSEA, TERRORIZER L.A.), Paul Speckmann (MASTER), Chris Barnes (SIX FEET UNDER), Carl Fulli (EPIDEMIC), Danny Nelson (MALIGNANCY), Takaaki Ohkuma (NECROPHILE), Chris Pervelis (INTERNAL BLEEDING), Terry Butler (OBITUARY), Ola Lindgren (GRAVE) and Rob Barrett (CANNIBAL CORPSE). Next up is a big SLAYER special, including a highly interesting story, that was written by no other than Rick Cortez of SADISTIC INTENT about how he got introduced to the band very early on and a "South Of Heaven" track by track listeners guide by Jeff Tandy. "Seven Inches Of Death" is a section that Andy Koettel is responsible for. He’s presenting lots of old 7" EPs from his own collection here, while "Good Guys Go Grind" (as the title already reveals), is totally dedicated to Grindcore stuff. Alexander Bilous, who also runs a website and zine of the same name, reviews a lot of stuff here. The zine ends with a section that is entitled "News From Beyond", where news get supplied by the bands themselves, which I think, is a pretty cool, unique idea for sure. Dima kindly included some back issues for me in his package as well, which are all equally impressive. So, in case they should still be available (don’t hesitate to ask him about it!), here’s a little rundown what you get (but please note that this is just a small selection of bands, there’s even more in each issue). Issue # 5: SUFFOCATION, GORGUTS, PUNGENT STENCH, BRUTALITY, BLOOD INCANTATION, INTERNAL BLEEDING, DERANGED and PROTECTOR. Issue # 4: AUTOPSY, IMMOLATION, OBITUARY, UNDERGANG, SKELETAL REMAINS, WOMBBATH, ACROSTICHON, CEREMONY and RUDE. Issue # 3: MONSTROSITY, SINISTER, MALEVOLENT CREATION, HOLY TERROR, MORPHEUS DESCENDS, GORGASM, MERCYLESS, CRYPTOPSY, DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, MORBIUS and ROTTEN SOUND. So, if you miss the good old days of underground zines, make sure to order TOUGH RIFFS MAGAZINE! It is available here or through one of these mailorders. More info at www.facebook.com/toughriffs or http://toughriffs.weebly.com

Frank Stöver

Frank Stöver

Related reviews / interviews:
TOUGH RIFFS MAGAZINE - Issue # 7 (Frank Stöver)
TOUGH RIFFS MAGAZINE - Issue # 8 (Frank Stöver)
TOUGH RIFFS MAGAZINE - Issue # 4 (Anders Peter Jørgensen)
TOUGH RIFFS MAGAZINE - Issue # 3 (Anders Peter Jørgensen)

Leave a Reply