2022.05.09
One of my favorite neofolk bands, Stein, has agreed to an interview for issue #10! Also Сергей Андриевских of Without Dreams and two dozen other bands, the Rogga Johanssen of Russia, has agreed to an interview despite tough times. Just a few more interviews are planned before I start putting things together. (Yes, I know it's taking ridiculously long, but that's unfortunately how I work). Finally, the third and last page of my Amish black metal comic is in progress, it should be done this month.

2022.05.03
The Holy and Infallible Constitution of the United States says nothing about abortion rights, just as it says nothing about defecating in elevators or dropping pianos on kittens. It's reasonable then to allow states to decide, right? We are living in mad times. Read here.

2022.04.19
For our readers in France, Necrocosm Productions will soon be stocking Convivial Hermit #9. Likewise, Moribund Records in the USA will soon be doing a restock of the same issue. Thanks to both labels for their support!

2022.04.16
Received excellent responses back from Orplid and Coffin Mulch in recent days, huge thanks to both for their contributions!

My other big announcement this weekend is that Dan Goldsworthy has agreed to an interview for the next issue! This guy is as good as Dan Seagrave who I've interviewed in issue #4, maybe even better! Maybe I need to move to UK and change my name to Dan to paint like this? Will that be a start? Very excited, hopefully I survive long enough now to publish all of this stuff! Look forward to it!

2022.04.10
Best Ukrainian Metal albums list compiled and can be read here.

2022.04.09
Sit And Spin Records in South Philadelphia are now stocking Convivial Hermit #9. Gratitude and respect to Colin for his support. Check out this store next time you are in the area stocking tons of vinyl and CDs from metal, punk and other genres!

More news: Voiceless Void from Moscow have responded and new interviews and art are in progress. Sales section has been updated.

2022.04.03
Probably a thousand other people are doing it but I will be putting together my list of favorite Ukrainian bands soon. Except for Crypt of Silence and Vin de Mia Trix I never thought there was much good Ukrainian doom, the death scene I never cared for, electronic and ambient scenes not very interesting (even Belarus had a few more prominent bands like Dalina which I've interviewed), but they've long had a KILLER black metal output, some of the best in the world and definitely worth discussing.

Orplid interview is almost done... and first page of my Amish metal comic is about done (will probably be 3 or 4 pages total).

2022.03.31
Some exciting news: Bertrand has released the first issue of yet another new magazine called Urgewalten. A massive 172 page undertaking! I've ordered my copy and have not yet received it; am excited to get my hands on it, as should you!

In other great news more closer to home, the Ruble has rebounded, painting a nice large middle finger in the face of Uncle Sam. Keep it up.

2022.03.26
If anyone is interested in reading my worthless thoughts on the Russian invasion click on this link. I will just add that in the words of Navalny, "Putin is not Russia" and neither will Putin be leader forever. Cruel days ahead. For now, at least we can dream...

2022.03.18
In another sign of life's cruelty, hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia turns out to be the fear of long words.

Some more news to readers: one of my favorite bands for twenty years, Orplid, have agreed to an interview. This will take some time to put together but I'm very happy that Uwe has agreed! Orplid lebt!

2022.03.16
There are a bunch of schizotypal personality tests online. This one rendered me outside of the range, while I scored 18 on this schizotypal personality test, I suppose 18 out of 100? And then it told me I need to visit a psychiatrist anyway, haha. It probably does so if you have a score anywhere above zero. Psychiatrists are really struggling right now with customers, right? Where do you stand?

2022.03.15
Good news: check out this band from the Adirondacks USA, easily some of the best BM I heard so far this year: Black Braid. Also Convulse and Holyarrow interviews are completed and sent.

Bad news: I was very disheartened to find out today that Solitude Productions has decided to suspend operations. I'm going to try to reach Sergey who I met in person once many years ago in a Moscow cafe. Solitude is and was one of the most important doom labels in the world and had no political agenda and worked with Ukrainians and Russians alike, just as I have, and will. I refuse to believe that it has just ended. I've been so fucking pissed and disgusted at all of this that I can hardly express myself with words... or rather I can try. I've started an article that I am debating to publish here on this site to whoever cares, or I'll just do it for myself out of therapy to help me survive this mass psychosis.

2022.03.11
Support the reduction of human life/misery on earth with a donation today:
Planned Parenthood.

2022.03.10
Sinistrari Records from Arlington, Virginia are now stocking issues of Convivial Hermit 8 and 9! Check them out!

2022.03.07
Darkness Shall Rise Productions in Deutschland will soon be stocking issues of Convivial Hermit #9. Vielen dank an Denny für seine Unterstützung!

2022.03.06
I've started putting together questions for Convulse so I think I've broken a bit out of my rut in the last few weeks. It's not a happy time and I think the only solution for now is to shut down all of the fucking media (especially social media) and just concentrate on living and the things that matter in life.

I was very excited to find out that Tyranny 帝辛 have a new album coming out! I contacted Jim from Coldwoods today so hopefully I can hear it soon, definitely one of my fave bands today.

Also, for those who love David Cronenberg's films as I do you probably will not want to miss this compilation: The Body of Horror.

2022.03.03
I haven't been working so much on the zine lately since I've been in so much shock over current events. I'm not going to get deep into my thoughts and theories here, but to anyone reading this, understand that two savage wars are being waged now, and if you consider yourselves in any way "moral" or a champion of peace and democracy, you will be opposed to both. Otherwise, you are a fucking hypocrite.

2022.02.24
What a dark day in Europe! I stand in opposition to this war in Ukraine as much as I stand in awe at the dementia and hypocrisy of the West which is now reeling in outrage over "invasion of a sovereign state" and "bullying." Where was that outrage when the USA invaded Iraq and tore that country to pieces? Where were the sanctions? And who benefits, and loses, from these sanctions that the US is now imposing on Russia? I'm pretty confident it won't be Putin.

On a brighter note: I'm happy to say that Deng of Dopamine/Pest has also agreed to be part of the Russia-China pact for issue #10 together with Holyarrow. Let this be a peaceful cooperation... in full compliance of all UN charters and international treaties.

2022.02.23
Lengthy review of Rotten Ways To Misery completed. The very cool Holyarrow from Fujian Province, China, has agreed to an interview. Check out this EP and other material from them on their bandcamp page.

2022.02.20
"Reasoning will never make a man correct an ill opinion which by reasoning he never acquired." - Jonathan Swift

I've been thinking a lot lately about the quote above and what Neil deGrasse Tyson recently said about the existence of advanced technological species: for billions of years this planet has teemed with life in a state of relative stasis but it's only in this tiny sliver of the last century when our knowledge and technology have advanced to modify our environment on a global scale that we already find ourselves in crisis - this just in several decades . The corollary then becomes that perhaps we aren't seeing other civilizations in our corner of the galaxy because technology, and intelligence itself, is in the long term antithetical to life?

2022.02.16
Sinistrari Records from Virginia has sent an amazing promo package to me and will soon be carrying copies of Convivial Hermit, keep a lookout for it!

In other good news Rami of Convulse (Finland) has agreed to an interview. Like them or hate them, Convulse are one of the oldest Finnish death metal bands in existence. Exciting stuff!

2022.02.14
I had the Wolves Among Sheep book on my radar for months as something I need to read from a historical perspective, though I despise and want to throw up all over NS politics and its pointy headed, knuckle-dragging SIJW representatives, but now it is sold out of the few distros I've seen it in. I've waited too long. If it's as long and editorially unfocused as the Finnish Death metal book maybe it's for the best. I am almost done reading Makkonen and Strömsholm's ridiculously long Rotting Ways To Misery slog... (review coming)

2022.02.13
By far the best record I heard this year is Whispering Gallery's debut from 2000, Like A Dream of Never-ending Beauty... Love Never Dies, released on the long dead Killer Whale label. This record was made at the very tail end of the 90s and has that beautiful analog depth to it highlighting the heavy riffs with some classical motifs and great performances from three different vocalists (Reinier Vreeswijk in particular!). Excellent album from the Dutch doom/death scene! About time I heard it...

No other big news to report for now... still working on questions for Voiceless Void from Khimki. Reached out to several other bands and waiting.

2022.02.06
Today I was browsing some sites when I came across this: Eighth Tower Magazine. I don't know whether this is active or not but I was blown away by the fact that someone would charge someone to read an underground music magazine online. This apparently is also a label with streams which one can access by paying up to $51 a month but what I feel is truly shameless is charging even a penny to read words on a screen, especially when it can cost just a few dollars a year to host a website today. Absolutely disgusting corporatist shit - boy, how the internet has changed over the years...

In more positive news, my first comic strip is completed for the next issue. Sketches and basic ideas are down for the second one.

2022.02.04
Sale section has been updated.

2022.01.30
It's been a little while since the last update but I haven't been twiddling my thumbs... I've been twiddling all fingers drawing a brand new 2-page comic strip for the next issue. It will be called Brad's Brutal Blunder and is based loosely on the Cannibal Corpse O'Brien debacle. That's all I'll reveal for now. I hope to complete it this week. I also have other ideas but they're just ideas now; still have to draw the thumbnails. I did have the thumbnails down for a Popeye vs Abbath comic but apparently I am unable to publish any drawings of the character until 2024 when he goes into the public domain. Shiver me timbers!

Since my last update there has been a lot of "attention" shown to Russia and its people and culture from Western media and news outlet (both conservative and liberal, but especially liberal are pretty wild about it), so I also want to join the party by announcing that one of my new articles will talk about the Russian metal scene which I've been following since the mid-90s, including what I think are some of the best doom bands on earth today. An interview with Voiceless Void from my city, Moscow, is likewise planned.

2022.01.11
With the very low quality of music coming out these days I am making a policy to be extremely selective with most promos I am receiving, especially music from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, and the USA which have the most over-saturated and boring scenes in the world today. Of course there are always exceptions, but I generally think these countries need to be put on pause for a few years... where is the pause button? Enough is enough of this generic wave upon wave of predictable and boring music... I can't take it anymore!

2022.01.08
Hope everyone had a pleasant start to 2022.

Just a reminder that copies of issue 9 are still available to order directly from Cult Never Dies in the UK if you happen to live there! Otherwise Bleeding Heart Nihilist Productions in Germany appear to still have copies for those outside of the USA. For those who are unfortunate enough to live in the USA, zines can be ordered direct from me, just go to the Latest Issue page.

2022.01.01
Happy new year, good health and success to all readers in 2022! My new year's resolution is, besides investing more time in listening to quality music, to complete Convivial Hermit #10 and it is well on its way... First new interview started yesterday, my 11th article/feature completed today (I'll probably have to pick all of these apart for the best) and plenty of zine reviews already written. Should be an exciting jubilee issue. Now to just survive to publication amidst this madness!