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Convivial Hermit #9
STILL AVAILABLE!LA BREICHE (France) - DEHN SORA (France) - IESCHURE (Ukraine) - IGNI (New Zealand) - INFERNAL CURSE (Argentina) - KOSMOGYR (USA/China) - LISIEUX (France) - NELECC (Kenya) - OFFICIUM TRISTE (Netherlands) - OLD TOWER (Netherlands) - ORNAMENTOS DEL MIEDO (Spain) - PARAGON RECORDS (USA) - POLUVRAK (Bulgaria) - THE PRIMITIVE (USA) - PUTREFIED REMAINS (Malaysia) - SAINTE MARIE DES LOUPS (France) - SAÅAD (France) - SICKLE OF DUST (Russia) - SUNSHINE & LOLLIPOPS (Deutschland) - TYRANNY (China) - WIGRID (Deutschland) -YANN GOURDON (France)
The 9th issue was published in the Summer of Covid Love, 2020, with a raging pandemic worldwide that hit hardest in the United States where (let's face it) some of the dumbest people on earth live. Coming together slowly as all others, this issue, featuring what I think is the best cover in the 20 year existence of the magazine (thanks to Bertrand for capturing this remarkable, almost unreal image in central France), captured 22 conversations and a range of articles that could be considered controversial if anyone actually read the magazine, including an old Nationalism in Metal article I revived from 2001, an article on lovely North Korea and In Defense of Blasphemy which I feel particularly proud of. This magazine features an outstanding mixture of artists and personalities including La Breiche from France (side-project of Stille Volk), Dehn Sora, Sunshine & Lollipops, Ieschure, Wigrid (interviewed for the first time anywhere to my knowledge) and Paragon Records. It had some notable firsts like my first ever interview with a prisoner (Igni's Jacob Lowenstein), which I think came out really well, and an African band (Nelecc). I keenly remember securing an amazing deal for this issue with a new print company I found in Kensington, driving through the open drug markets to get it, and being highly impressed with their work, definitely the best looking issue so far, if I may not-so-humbly opine. Everything just went really smooth for this one with a nice ad campaign consisting of postcards and a special 11x17 poster (which is still available, by the way). Only regret is that none of my art or comics made it into the issue, I was experiencing some art-block at the time, but that was rectified to a degree with #10.
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Convivial Hermit #8
SOLD OUTABJECTION RITUAL (USA), ATHOR (TUR), BAL-SAGOTH (ENG), BETHLEHEM (GER), BLASPHERIAN (USA), DARKENHÖLD (FRA), DER BLUTHARSCH (AUS), DETERIORATE (USA), FALGAR (USA), GLIMMER ROOM (ENG), GODKILLER (FRA), HJARNIDAUDI (NOR), IMAGO MORTIS (ITA), KRYNITZA (RUS), LIFEBLOOD (JAP), MALPHAS (USA), MARE COGNITUM (USA), MELKOR (GER), NOLTEM (USA), PICTURE ANN (DEN), RUDE (USA), SANGRE DE MUERDAGO (SPA), SYRGÐR SKÓGR (GER), T.O.M.B. (USA), WAXEN (USA), WOMAN IS THE EARTH (USA), ZUD (USA) and ZURIAAKE (CHI)
The 8th issue was a monster that somehow blew up to 136 pages (144 if counting the added 8.1 booklet which is still part of the package), the largest in all of our history, and it was the first (and last, as of now) issue to include the fantasy writer, Owen Wears, from Meridian 9 Magazine and Exterus, who filled its pages with the short story The Apprentice, a number of reviews, and several concert reports from his native Colorado. It stands out as not only having the most content, but also the most concert reports with bands like Brighter Death Now, Robert Rich, Napalm Death and others. Of the eight articles I still find apposite the ode to Cherry Springs Park, the report from the Wolf Sanctuary of Lititz, Pennsylvania, the Eternal Black Screen of Death article and the special on Philly Metal, which I guess no other magazine in history ever cared to do up to this point in time. Both Deteriorate and T.O.M.B., having members in common, are important contributions from my side, no less the introduction of Zuriaake as the main feature (who have since blown it hard with a completely lame EP, but that's a story for another time!), while Bertrand brought the fatal blow with interviews with Godkiller, Noltem and Darkenhöld, to name just a few. I don't advertise it but this issue contained a comic called Year 2222 which was my ode to the old Marvel What If... comics I used to read in my teenage years.
SOLD OUT
Convivial Hermit #7
SOLD OUTANCESTORS BLOOD (FIN) ,ANGIZIA (AUS), ANNWFYN (NED), ASBAAR (SPA), CANAAN (ITA), CATAPLEXY (JAP), DPERD (ITA), DRACO HYPNALIS (CZE), ECTOVOID (USA), EMPYRIUM (GER), FAUNA (USA), FUNERAL MOTH (JAP), GOLDEN DAWN (AUS), HUMILIATION (MAL), ISVIND (NOR), KAWIR (GRE), MANES (NOR), MHÖNOS (FRA), NASHEIM (SWE), PAGAN BLOOD (FRA), RAFLUM (CHI), ROTTING CHRIST (GRE), SACRATUS (RUS), STENCH OF DECAY (FIN), SUMMONING (AUS), UNDERGANG (DEN), VELM (HUN), WANGELEN (CHI), WOODLAND CHOIR (HUN) and WORM OUROBOROS (USA)
The 7th issue was far from lucky, as I remember it being a pain to put together, expanding out to a nutso 132 pages with 30 (!) exclusive interviews when all was writen and done. Some of our favorite bands from the 90s managed to take part in it, including Summoning, Empyrium, Rotting Christ, Kawir and Angizia, an amazing line-up, if I do say so myself. I remember sending the questions to Rotting Christ one night, and getting the answers the next morning, Sakis telling me that he attacked my interview "like a shark". A variety of bands from the rotting death of Undergang and Ectovoid to the ambient, eclectic electronics and post-whatever of Asbaar, Worm Ouroboros and Manes took part, a line-up as vast as truly underground as fuck, with no compromises. Bertrand wrote the most articles including two travel itinararies which I unfortunately crippled by printing in a microscopic font size, the crowning achievement of all being an excellent overview of Holy Records whose early works from the 90s we both adore. Bertrand wrote as many if not more reviews than I did in this issue, assisting also in an absolutely epic 11-page zine review section. My own articles included a philosophical essay on the meaning of "nature" in Natural Reflections and a bizarre ode to the underground in the Underground Spectrum, far from my favorites and weirder than usual. Bertrand was really the star of this issue with his travel reports, great reviews and the provider of yet another glorious cover photo taken in France. If I would do this one again I'd increase the font sizes, not make the backgrounds so dark and choose a different, clearer printer... but what is done is done.