One of the sickest things about being a child of the 80’s hardcore scene was witnessing the explosion of fanzines that was taking place all around the world. This was during a time when there was no Internet or cell phones, so these fanzines acted as life lines that contacted scenes from all over the world. By being able to connect with other like-minded weirdos, you were able to realize that you were not alone. It was so radical, back then I would get new fanzines like Flipside or Maxium Rock & Roll, & read them until the paper wore out! I loved reading about scenes from different parts of the world, then I would go out & find the music from the bands that opened my mind to other cultures! When I first started getting into speed metal, I would get these zines that had Venom, OZ, Raven, Voivod & Exciter interviews that made me say to myself, unholy shit! these dudes are gnarly! Well, in 1985, a Norwegian guy named Jon “Metalion” Kristiansen gave a face to the underground metal scene that was taking place around him. He started a zine called SLAYER – this publication would go on to document the ups & downs of Norwegian black metal. It must be understood that Jon started this zine from the passion he had for the music & the people that created it. It was a truly a labor of honesty, because he would cut & paste for hours to complete an issue. I’m not sure if he understood it or not, but he was a keeper of history, and because all of his hard work, we have documents from this era that we can actually look at & touch. Today is a celebration, because Jon “Metalion” Kristiansen has complied every issue he has produced from 1985 to 2010 into one huge book that we all can purchase (this is what I want my wife to buy for my next b-day hint hint). So after the jump, check out some up-close detailed pictures, ordering details & hear from some of metal’s finest on what SLAYER meant to them!
“Metalion and his Slayer Mag are responsible for me (and a lot of other Swedes) getting into the death metal underground… I clearly remember how proud I was when Grotesque got a mention in the classic mag—this meant more to me than anything else at the time!”—Tomas Lindberg, Grotesque/At the Gates/Disfear
“For countless metalheads, the zine Slayer was a lifeline to a global scene. Founder Jon Kristiansen was deep into the scene in Norway, and is, to this day, one of the best primary sources for facts and stories about Mayhem, Varg, and what really happened back in the day.”—The Onion AV Club
“Not only a chronicle of death and black metal at their births but also a personal coming-of-age story”—Chicago Reader
“The legendary Slayer zine gets its long overdue anthology”—Decibel
“The extreme metal fanzine…[744] pages of rabid frankness…”—The New York Times
“Presiding over the birth of extreme metal from its Scandinavian heartland, the first issue of the legendary Slayer fanzine was cranked out in 1985 and over the years shifted its coverage to provide an insider view of Swedish death metal and Norwegian black metal through their formative and most controversial years.”—Terrorizer
“Best idea since sliced bread.”—Fenriz
Deluxe 744pp hardcover w/ 720pp b/w pages (over 600 reproductions from every issue of Slayer Mag), 100+ rare historical images, plus 8pp color insert from Slayer Mag Archives, plus 16pp color gallery of portraits by Jon Kristiansen
Dimensions: 8.5″ x 11″ x 2″; 5.5 lbs (2.5kg)
Forewords by Ian Christe, Tomas Lindberg, Chris Reifert, Fenriz, Stephen O’Malley, Erik Danielsson, and Tara G. Warrior
Source Bazillion Points
María Isabel
September 8, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Another great book from Bazillion!
Greetings from Ecuador.
Chris Noir
August 30, 2011 at 10:34 pm
I ordered my copy right away, what an amazing book. It tells you more about the Norwegian Black Metal scene than ten of those so called scientific books about this topic.