Internal politics in metal magazines

[TheRuts]

http://www.bardomethodology.com/articles/2019/03/27/louise-brown-interview/?fbclid=IwAR3pWDKNgUWwjP85iqRUKdA-RCUkIRMdsNyMPceIApNQZ7tXae5pA7Acy4M

Very interesting interview with Louise Brown, former editor of Terrorizer and Iron Fist.

FWIW, I thought Terrorizer took a dramatic nosedive when she took over as editor. It stopped catering towards the esoteric (one of the first issues I bought had Diamanda Galas on the cover for fuck's sake) and became a slightly more highbrow Metal Hammer.

Also interesting given this recent FB post from Ian Glasper:

I've been too pissed off about it to post until now, but I'm equal parts gutted and disgusted by how Terrorizer magazine went down. After writing for them since 1993, and contributing to every issue since # 3, you would expect at least one reply to countless emails asking for an update, but nothing... I'm not so bothered by the hundreds of £££ they owe me as the complete lack of respect for myself and all the other contributors and subscribers they strung along for over a year. So I console myself with the memories of Terrorizer's 'Nineties' glory years and must try to forget the clusterfuck of the last eighteen months.

[Eoin McLove]

Terrorizer went to shit as you mentioned.  A glossy glimpse at the underground between a rotating cast of bigger bands who hardly needed to appear in the mag twice a year.  It became almost predictable.

Iron Fist was interesting for five minutes but its retro- centric style (modern interview with classic photos) and endless love for modern bands pretending it is the 70s or 80s got stale very quickly. 

The reason ZT endures,  in my opinion,  is that it covers everything and maintains an underground ethic,  without snubbing bands that become popular. The balance is spot on. That said,  one or two of the new recruits have an awful tendency to write in a Metal Hammer style... hopefully not a sign of things to come!

[Scáthach]

Never really enjoyed Terrorizer, too many identikit "brutal" dm bands. Defo agree with Eoin about iron fist, last time I looked it had Jethro Tull FFS. And yeah, I'm getting sick of ZT. Every issue these days feels rushed, plus they got a bunch of ex-Terrorizer and Iron Fist writers that are useless. Under Lisa Macy quality is going down, I enjoyed it more with Nathan Birk at the helm. The Louise Brown article was interesting though, for a peek inside the biz. Also interesting was the article with the metal forces guy. For me, No Clean Singing and Bardo are my faves these days.

[DaveG]

I was living in London and living fast. A bit of dough from the Fist, a part-time job at an art gallery and a few DJ slots and freelance writing gigs afforded me just enough to make rent and eat. Drinks were free, drugs were free, shows were free; it was wild. But that lack of structure fucks with you and the people you surround yourself with fuck with you. It becomes an extremely toxic co-dependency.

Sounds like she was having a great old time of it and isn't best pleased that came to an end.