About

The Beginning

Black Metal Zine is a small but growing black metal web zine. We focus on reviews and interviews within the BM scene. It doesn’t matter whether you are a new band or a veteran in the genre. We try to cover them all.

This website is made by members of the BMP discord community, we first ran with the same name as the YouTube channel, but after a few months we decided to pick a different name to keep those things separated; hence Black Metal Zine was born.

The YouTube channel Black Metal Promotion started in the year 2015, the primary goal of the channel was and is to give black metal bands a platform to share their creations with a larger audience. So, we started uploading albums with the permission of bands and record labels to help bands spread the word about their new album or EP. As the years went by, the channel grew larger and larger and currently has over 400,000 members on YouTube.

So, in short, we are partnered with Black Metal Promotion, but the YouTube channel is its own entity we are not the owner.

The BMZ Team

Roberto La Rana; the owner and creator of the website. He has been listening to black metal for 30 years now and his love for it is ever so strong. Writes reviews, tinkers on the website while listening to black metal.

Boenna; editor, sometimes reviewer and interviewer. Vocalist in Ulvhedner. Give me black coffee and blacker riffs, and I’m all smiles.

KingGorthaur; A young and passionate black metal lover, particularly fond of groovy riffs and fast pace. An eager festival and concert-goer that writes reviews and takes photographs for the website.

Contributors

Crown of Rebellion; In-depth interviews and reviews.

MyrkAlv; Up-and-coming music journalist.

Lxv; Musician and music reviewer.

Talvipaivanseisaus; Representing Finland with in depth reviews.

…and many more that have been active in making this a true voice for the black metal underground.

Note: We all have our personal Instagram accounts, Facebook pages, threads, you name it. Opinions posted by individual members on their accounts are their own and are not the opinions of BMZ and BMP.

Ratings

We use a rating system. Below you will find an explanation about the grades and what a grade tells you about the album. But remember that these ratings are subjective and can vary depending on personal taste and preferences. The ratings given to an album are the interpretation of the author and doesn’t mean that every staff member thinks the same way about the album.

1 – Terrible: This album really misses the mark. It’s tough to find anything enjoyable here, and you might find it either un-listenable or simply boring.

2 – Very Bad: This album falls short of what it could have been. You’ll notice glaring flaws like weak songwriting, poor production quality, or lacklustre performances.

3 – Bad: While there are a few decent elements, overall, this album struggles with significant issues that detract from its quality. It’s inconsistent and fails to pull together as a cohesive piece.

4 – Below Average: There are a couple of good tracks, but as a whole, the album doesn’t make a lasting impact. It lacks freshness and originality.

5 – Average: It’s a middle-of-the-road effort. This album mixes some good with the mediocre, without standing out in any particular area.

6 – Above Average: This album shows promise with several standout moments. It shines in places, either through memorable tracks or other unique aspects like vocals, drums etc.

7 – Good: A solid and enjoyable album overall. It boasts strong songwriting and performance quality, delivering a cohesive and satisfying listen.

8 – Very Good: An impressive album that rises above many others. It features innovative ideas, captivating lyrics, or excellent musicianship that makes it stand out.

9 – Excellent: This is a standout album with superb talent and creativity. It’s impactful, memorable, and likely to be celebrated within the black metal genre.

10 – Masterpiece: A flawless and groundbreaking work. This album redefines its genre with unmatched creativity and excellence. It’s a classic, influential, and timeless masterpiece.

Each review will get a scoring and a visual to guide the final grade. The visual guide;

A review with a grade of 7 would get 7 burning churches. Before you get your panties in a bunch, we do not condone the real life burning of churches. It is all in good fun.

BMP Video Premieres

New videos will be premiered daily on BMP’s YouTube channel (when available, of course) at 15:00 CET and 18:30 CET. The videos that are premiered are cataloged in playlists, which are also featured on this website. You can find those by clicking on the links below.

Playlists:

Social presence

To spread the word, we also use several social platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and since 2022 we also have this website.

BMZ:

BMP: