It dawned on me as I was editing the features, that to say the magazine is full of differing and wide-ranging opinions almost feels like downplaying just how broad a >>insert alternative buidling type here if ‘church’ bristles your beard<< Zero Tolerance is. (I went with ‘church’ btw, and for no reason other than it’s a universally understood term that doesn’t require a 2022 revision).
There are reviews that I agree and disagree with, opinions voiced, by writers and artists that I agree and disagree with – or have no deep thoughts about at all; artwork I don’t like, and others I could have tattoo’d on my forehead (if I liked tattoos – which I do on other people, sometimes, just not on me – hence I have none). I don’t mind that some writers – and bands – make the odd political comment; I don’t agree with them all and might do a bit of eye rolling as I read them. But, they are all ‘just’ opinions. And opinions, whether they’re deemed right or wrong, daft or genius, relevant or irrelevant, are quite possibly the last bastion of free thought, and more broadly, to me at least, it’s important for them to remain in place in speech, and in print. It got me thinking that the text from our disclaimer has maybe never been so poignant: “The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and interviewees and do not necessarily reflect those of Zero Tolerance…” Is it not so much a disclaimer these days as a statement of keeping a broad mind?
All said and done, ZT is not a platform for any political belief system and we don’t make any assumptions about who reads us, so if you want to simply enjoy thoughts that are directed to music – and interviews about it with the people who make it – then that’s exactly what we’re here for, with the odd curveball chucked in, as noted above. ZT’s ethos, right from its inception back in 2004, was to breathe a bit of life into extreme music coverage; to make it a bit warts and all – to not have to personally all love the cover artist we’re featuring for instance, nor to just print material that ticks only our personal tastes or ‘world view’ boxes. Nor to follow trends, or to over enthuse about bands or movements within the ‘scene’ to score points with those so-called guardians of good taste, whose tastes are, more often than not, pretty fickle; they move on to the next ‘in’ thing pretty sharpish. It’s this last point that is – in my opinion – the biggest reason why ZT has weathered every storm so far in its EIGHTEEN-year history. And believe me, the storms have been gale force at times; the rise of digital music and publishing, the economic crash in 2008, austerity, the (so-far incorrectly) predicted death of print, the steady decline of the high street over the years – everything inbetween – and most recently, the C-word.
By not trying too hard to be hip and in the process abandoning whole sections of extreme music to follow trends (fact: we’ve paid respect to a lot of bands on their way up, when they were considered too underground and minor for other mags), we’ve held onto our loyal readers, who haven’t felt the need to just move on to the next thing! Don’t get me wrong, we’re always trying to attract new readers, and transient ones – if it’s just an issue here or there for you, then thank you for the purchase! But we’ve always been here for the longhaul and will always keep our ‘frequent flyers’ firmly front of mind with every edition. And on that note, we hope issue 107 will be yet another that leaves you looking forward to the next one. Enjoy the rest of the summer.
Cheers!
Lisa Macey
editor
Issue 107 is also available digitally – complete with the covermount CD embedded, so you won’t miss out on the audio. Perfect for those unable to get to the shops, or for those who simply prefer to read their magazines in this newfangled and mysterious way. Visit www.flipsnack.com/zerotolerancemagazine to buy a single copy or to make a saving by subscribing for six issues.
CD covermount tracklist 15 tracks including new music from the likes of White Ward, Saor, Gaerea, The Lovecraft Sextet and more!
Propaganda News | Maze Of Torment crossword | Blind Guardian news interview and a ‘Take 5’ influential albums, this issue Soilwork’s Björn Strid shares his picks.
Cover Feature Arch Enemy – Michael Amott and Alissa White-Gluz speak about new post-Covid album Deceivers.
REGULAR FEATURES Mantar | Hulder | Imperial Triumphant | Hissing | Consumption | Tombs | White Ward | Oceans Of Slumber | Karl Sanders | Saor | Consecration | Krisiun | Ibaraki | Municipal Waste | Panzerfaust | Kreator
Altars Of Madness | Underground Death Metal
Origin | Deathbringer | Altars | Chaotian | Wormrot | Viande | Wachenfeldt | Entrails | Darkane
A Funeral Inquest | The Doom Repository
Temple Of Void | Besvärjelsen | Holyroller | Bongbongbeerwizards
Dark Entries | Experimental Sounds
Dalila Kayros | Den Sorte Død
Notes From Underground | Croatian Black Metal
Tenebrositas | Bezdan | Sitis
Rapid Fire | Short Sharp Shocks!
Wake | Black Altar | Atramentum | Ianai | Draugurinn | Allocer Wolfe | Frostmoon Eclipse | Raptore | Head First | Withering Soul | Sacrifizer | Come To Grief | Patristic | Black Void
Sentencing
Reviews & Release Of The Issue
More than 100 releases get the ZT review treatment
Moving Targets
Live reviews
Desert Fest, Meshuggah and more
Inside Information | Behind The Scenes
Call From The Grave Possessed
Possessed’s releases scrutinised by Alan ‘Nemtheanga’ Averill
Artist Profile Jerry Hionis | Wyrmwalk
Responsible for Iron Age, Morgul Blade and Flames album covers, the artist discusses his craft with Will Pinfold. Pictured below.
