Review : People Ruin Everything # 1 (Fanzine)

First issue of this cut and paste fanzine from John Vista who runs Vista Fanzine and the frontman of the infamous Orange County Hardcore band, Inner Dam. People Ruin Everything is a zine that compiles disturbing, hilarious and weird newspaper articles. Topics range from cremation, deer meat, false teeth, and fast-food joints to cockfighting, deranged hunters, LeBron James, serial killers, snowballs, and witches.

http://vistafanzine.blogspot.com

v_love_845@yahoo.com

Review : Worlds ‘Give Me Shelter’ (7”)

Worlds is a five-piece hardcore band from the state of New Jersey that was formed during the first quarter of 2009. Their first demo – Demo MMIX was released in the spring of 09 and the second demo – Demo II around fall. Musically, I can compare this band to Burst Of Silence, Edgewise, Strain, and Trial. The vocal style is harsh and relentless, which defies the aggressiveness of this band.  ‘Give Me Shelter’ has four heavy songs that deal with arrogance, disdain, emotional disorder, and self-will. Record comes in a coke bottle clear vinyl. 

http://worlds.bandcamp.com

http://worldshc.tumblr.com

http://myspace.com/worldshc

Interview : Integrity

Integrity Members are located in different parts of the globe, how do you guys come up with a material? 

Dwid : Rob writes most of the music. After he records each song, he transfers the recording files over to my computer and I then add vocals and any other sound nuances. Once everything is on place I then mix everything together.

How often does Integrity rehearse?   

Dwid : Almost never, there is no need for us to rehearse.

When and how did it all started? 

Dwid : 1988.  I was not content with the music that was available at the time. So I created Integrity.

What does it mean to you?

Dwid : Standing up for what I believe in, no matter what the rest of the world thinks.

You have an upcoming full-length CD/LP called “The Blackest Curse”, Deathwish Inc. is going to put it out, right? 

Dwid : Yes, the recording will be released through Deathwish.

What should we expect in this new full-length? 

Dwid : 11 new songs.

How would you compare it to your recent materials (split with Creepout)?   

Dwid : I would not compare the records as they are their own entity. 

You are welcome to listen to two of the songs from The Blackest Curse on our Myspace page. 

Regarding the fundamental teachings and insights of Charles Manson, Robert De Grimston, and Anton La Vey, how do you apply them in your daily living? 

Dwid : Insidiously 

How was the recent Integrity / Vegas / Creepout Japan tour? 

Dwid : Incredible

Any plans of touring other parts of Asia sometime soon?

Dwid : No plans at this time.

Top 5 favorite albums of all time…

Dwid : 

GISM (all)

Septic Death (all)

Samhain (all)

Boyd Rice/ИОИ (all)

Les Legions Noire (all)

Top 5 favorite movies of all time…

Dwid :

Bedazzled (1967)

Begotten (1990)

Dr Mabuse, der Spieler  (1922)

Nosferatu (1922)

GISM 'subj and egos chopped' (1995)

You also sing for Roses Never Fade should we expect some new songs soon? 

Dwid : RNF is working on a split record with Rot In Hell (UK).

Also, do you have new Psywarfare materials?

Dwid : Nothing new.

Thank you so much for your time Dwid! Last words… 

Dwid : Download our music for free at Holy Terror.

Never purchase our music from Itunes.

Interview : Withdrawal

1. Hello Adam! How are you doing? How’s Withdrawal?

Adam : I'm doing pretty ok. Aside from Withdrawal I work an office job at a financial So between them all I'm stretched pretty thin and don't have much time to sit back and enjoy what little there is to enjoy in life. But Withdrawal is good, we're a few weeks away from a eastern Canadian tour and we played what amounted to be the craziest show we've ever played the other day. So things are good I suppose.

2. Whose idea was it to form this Holy Terror band?

Adam :  Me and my brother Joel have been active in bands since we were around 16. We're 24 now. We've been in a couple of bands seperate from one another, and we knew the other guys for a while. Eventually all our other bands kind of just ran their course and died, and we all respected one another personally and musically so we decided we wanted to do something together and work hard with it. And here we are about half a year later and we have already toured and recorded a demo.

3. Do you still remember your first band rehearsal? What’s it like?

Adam : I actually wasn't at the first practice! We had another drummer at first, but he didn't have any commitment so we started playing with Jeff which worked out amazingly. This band would have turned out totally different without his involvement, he is a phenominal drummer. The first practice I sang at was pretty intimidating, but I remember that the first song we wrote was "To The Wolves".

4. Withdrawal’s demo – "Promised Heaven, Given Hell", has been receiving positive feedbacks lately. How do you guys come up with a song? Who writes the lyrics?

Adam : I'm glad people have enjoyed our demo, it means alot. The writing process for Withdrawal is very much a collective effort. Often Joel or Ross will have the skeleton of a song ready for when we go to practice, and sometimes the song will be completely different than what was originally intended by the time we're finished. Seperately we write at a moderate pace, but together we're quite prolific. We have a few songs that didn't stand the test of time though, but we have more than enough songs written otherwise to make up for them. The lyrics are generally the last things to get done, and I write about 98% of them. Sometimes the other members help out with some vocal patterns.

5. Most of your songs deal with cataclysm, death, false beliefs, and hopelessness; who or what inspires you to write these thought provoking lyrics?

Adam : I think one would be hard pressed to not find inspiration everywhere they look in life. I've always been a pesemist, and our songs are a negative reflection of that. We live in a society that's pretty bloated with excess. Obsessed with sex, violence, vice, commerce, social status, body image. A bunch of bullshit that has been directly responsible, at least in my eyes, to the steady decline in humanity and society. And I write about that, if only because were I to try and talk to someone about it they would ignore me. Music to me has always been cathartic, and lyrically I can express a bit of the anger and sadness that I feel being a confused and ultimately frightened young man. As far as influences of the past, I would look to H.P Lovecraft, religious text, comic books... standard stuff. Contemporary lyricists that I enjoy are Chris Collohan from Cursed, Ian Curtis of Joy Division, Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost and in my opinion, the best songwriter of the last 25 years Martin L. Gore of Depeche Mode.

6. How essential is the works of Holy Terrorism to you Adam? As an individual, how would you convey the insights of Robert de Grimston Moor and MaryAnne MacLean in your day to day living?

Adam : The Holy Terror bands past and present are just on a whole other level musically and artistically than any other hardcore band out there. Bands like Gehenna have a certain lore that surrounds their violence, or with Integrity how throughout their discography they've always evolved with each release. So Holy Terror bands, past and present, I find are immensely inspiring in that sense. They don't just play a song, they live their art. Similarly I find Grimston's work to be inspiring as well; you can identify with what he says because even if you don't entirely believe what he says deep inside you wish you could "release the fiend" and take out your misery on this world. At least that's how I feel.

7. What’s your stand on religion?

Adam : It's something that is impossible to ignore in white, middle class, north america. It's everywhere. I'm lucky to have parents who were smart enought to be atheists. I think that alot of Christians were born into their belief system and fed lies at such an early age that they grow up not knowing any better. I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors but I think that God's got a sick sense of humor. I just don't believe in God and I get more tired and more annoyed with how much influence religion has in society as I grow older.

8. How’s the current hardcore-punk scene in Winnipeg? How often do you held shows in your area?

Adam : Winnipeg's scene is very very vibrant lately. Alot of great bands like Born Bad, Under Pressure, Mind Control, Hollow Ground, First Strike. Shows have been getting really good and there are alot of newer kids coming out and starting new bands. The shows are also getting more violent and less tolerant of "posers" which I full endorse. There are a few part time HC kids in Winnipeg but they're generally too scared to come to any real shows. I put on shows out here and I really can't stand poser kids who don't go to local shows. Drives me nuts.We generally have a show about once or twice a month. Bands tour through here ocasionally and I hope that more come through because things are picking up.

9. Withdrawal is currently recording new songs, how would you compare your new materials from your previous ones. When should we expect the new EP?

Adam : We are actually about 85% done recording it. Only a few things left before it's done. I would say it is noticably more agressive and darker than our early songs. We're letting our metal influences shine through a bit more, but we also made a concious effort to make sure the production was a bit more hardcore so it makes for a really corrosive sound. I realized that lyrically our earlier songs were depressing but you could tell there was a desire for hope or change in there, a beacon of light shrouded in darkness, but on these songs we just full on embrace misery, sorrow and anger. One song in particular "Pray as Lamb; Lamb as Prey" I think is the best song we've ever written. I'm sure you will enjoy it. We are talking to a few labels right now in North America, and hopefully we can work with someone out here who will work as hard as we do. And we'll be glad to work with you once it's ready, of course.

10. Thank you so much for taking some time in answering these questions Adam. Stay in touch.

Adam : Thank you very much Led, your friendship and interest is very much appreciated and I hope to see and hear from you soon. Take care.

Check out Withdrawal's latest 7", 'Faith Flesh & Blood' under A389 Records.

www.myspace.com/withdrawal13

http://withdrawal.bandcamp.com 

Making Sense of Nothing

Making Sense of Nothing
by Clifton Kump

Hello, everyone!!! My friend Walid has asked me to do a regular column in his magazine. Well, this is the inaugural installment and I hope you like it!!! In my column I will, of course, be talking about Straightedge. I will also be talking about how it affects my life and hopefully you, the reader, can take something out of it and apply it to your daily life and maybe make some choices that will benefit your life.

I am 35 years old, have not had a drink since 1993 and have called myself Straightedge since 1994. I hail from Reno, Nevada, USA.

Straightedge for me, is more about who I am and not about what I am about. I live the lifestyle. I try to hold myself to a higher standard and live each day like I took the oath yesterday. Although I do not wear my commitment on my sleeve, I don't need to; it is buried deep inside of my and is part of me. It is truly in my blood. Straightedge is not infallible; it will not continue without the few committed followers who choose to take it on as their life. I have always believed that if you have taken the oath, it should be for personal reasons and not for outside acceptance. It should be strictly because it fits with who you are and where you see yourself going in this life. Straightedge is an ideal that will outcast you from most of the factions of everyday society as the commoner knows it; it is the true rebellion. Rebellion AGAINST rebellion. We live the sober lifestyle. We live it not because some story tells us to, we live it because we know that it is the right thing to do. It is engrained inside.

Living the is a choice that will make you different. Being a strong, disciplined and steadfast person are the traits that are needed in a Straightedge adherent. You will need the strength to fight for your beliefs, whether it be verbally or physically. You will be challenged. You will be challenged by people who are threatened by the very choice that you have made. They will seek to confront you. They will find you. You will have to stand up for yourself. What you choose to do in this situation will shape and mold you for the rest of your life. This is not an easy path to continue on for the rest of your life; you will struggle with the fact that you will be outcast from everyday society. You will see your friends sell out and lose interest in you yourself as a friend. You will see yourself become a member of something, that on a local scale, could be as small as JUST YOURSELF as a member.

This path that you choose, the path of Straightedge, could be the very choice that makes you a success. There is one caveat; seeing the world for exactly what it is, will require some deep soul-searching and an analytical thought process. People think that Straightedge people are closed minded; we are, in fact, some of the most open. You will need it. I PROMISE.

Good luck on your journey, if you choose this path………...

XXX

Major Malfunction

"What is your major malfunction, numbnuts? Didn't Mommy and Daddy show you enough attention when you were a child?" - Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (Full Metal Jacket)

Yup, those are Hartman's last few words before he got shot by Private Gomer Pyle in the 1987 Stanley Kubrick film, Full Metal Jacket. A Vietnam War movie that focuses on how recruits are being trained at the USMC boot-camp before being sent to Nam to deal with booby traps, cover-ups, late night patrols, and snipers. Epic. 

Around the first quarter of 2004, during a lazy Saturday morning...I decided to work on a hardcore-punk fanzine. Spent the whole day typing and cutting art papers, comic books and clippings for the layout. I already have artworks, band interviews, columns, and reviews, the last thing I need is a name for this zine. That's when I remember one of the most striking scene in Full Metal Jacket, and of course Hartman's harsh phrase. So I flipped through old newspapers and magazines to cut out different letters to form the following words:

Major 
Malfunction 
Fanzine

From 2004-2008, I was able to work work on 7 issues. Here are the details:

# 1 - Outbreak, Second Chance (NL), Fuktifino, Intruder, & Threat of Riot

# 2 – SBV, AFM, & Holier Than Thou?

# 3 – Icepick, Names for Graves, Gut Reaction, & Mental

# 4 - Countdown, xLooking Forwardx, & Play

# 5 - Struggle Against, Revelation Records, xLa Familiax, & Isvarah

# 6 - Slumlords & Woof

# 7 – Die Young (TX), Divided We Fall, Fumbles In Life, & Show No Mercy

Plus: columns, poems, reviews, artworks, and more...

I also started a CD/Vinyl/Zine distro under the same name, and soon it became a hardcore-punk label. I was able to release 6 titles namely: 

MMR 01 - New Names For Old Desires 4 - Way Split (CD)
Nuclear Punishment / Isvarah / Prayer of Endurance / Forgiveness Denied  

MMR 02 - Bystorm / Pulling Teeth Split (CD)

MMR 03 - FxPxOx - 2003 - 2007 Recordings (CD)

MMR 04 - Conquest For Death - Beyond Armageddon (CD)

MMR 05 - Second Combat / Motivation Split (CD)

MMR 06 - Half The Battle - What We Have (CD)

I will continue Major Malfunction Distro/Records/Fanzine through this blog. If you want your ads, artworks, columns, and reviews to be published in this blog, or if you want your music/fanzine to be reviewed, just send me an e-mail: xmajormalfunctionx@yahoo.com

"A world community can exist only with world communication, which means something more than extensive short-wave facilities scattered; about the globe. It means common understanding, a common tradition, common ideas, and common ideals." - Robert M. Hutchins

Thanks a lot for your interest and support.