Recently we got a bunch of real fanzines in our hands and instead of having them possibly get lost in the reviews section we decided to celebrate one of the things that to me is one of the coolest aspects of the underground hardcore scene... The DIY fanzine! In Effect Hardcore started off as a cut and paste style zine back in 1988 but before that I was mentored and brought into the zine world by Freddy Alva. Freddy and I along with Paul Oxblood put out the one and only issue of New Breed Zine before Freddy went on to put out the now classic and iconic New Breed Compilation Cassette. I'm proud to say that Freddy and I are still friends almost 30 years after meeting on the subway going to a show. I'm equally excited to have him be in on this as we both did some quick write ups on some recent zines we have gotten. Part 2 is in the works... if you have a zine that is current and would like to be included in a future Attack Of The Fanzines article get in touch!

ARTWORK BY: STEVE "PHECK" RITSUA

GET ORDERING INFORMATION FOR EACH ZINE BY CLICKING ON THEIR COVER

BRAIN WAVES ZINE Issue #1 (Released May 2015)

Brain Waves #1 has a nice back story to its inception and that is back in 2001 the dudes behind this zine interviewed NYHC guitar great Mike Dijan but it never saw the light of day. More recently while cleaning out his apartment Alfons (the editor) came across this interview in an old shoebox and got the idea to do some newer ones and pair them with the old '01 Dijan interview.

The Dijan piece leads off and is a real keeper with Mike giving a one of a kind interview as only he can. War stories from the road and studio include Skarhead writing/recording songs for a compilation AT the studio with the majority of the band tripping on acid. Breakdown's van breaking down on the way home from Boston in a snowstorm and ripping the part they needed to get them going off of another van, and Mike and Will Sheplar of Madball taking Hoya's dirty shorts and putting them into Ezec's pillow case while Ezec was not on the bus. Apparently he slept with this pillow case for the rest of the tour. Imagine being a fly on the wall for some of those encounters.

Next up is a nice interview with Justin Tripp from Angel Du$t and they touch on the future of Trapped Under Ice as well as Sai Nam (two bands not currently in action that Justice also sang for). BW #1 follows that up with more good interviews, next with Pantah from the Netherlands and Mizery from So-Cal (two good bands you may not have heard of yet). A Thailand Scene Report is also included. Record and demo reviews are in here as well as an old Dutch newspaper article about the Bad Brains. There are 32 pages in all but what is really fucking amazing about Brain Waves is the quality as this is done like a real magazine on glossy paper with some of the articles being in full color. Overall a great look as well as quality in the content as well. Could have been a bit longer but damn what a great start! -CW

brainwaveszine@gmail.com

HASHTAG HARDCORE  (Issue #4, Released June 2015)

Hashtag Hardcore is one of those zines that gets me all excited when it shows up in the mailbox from The Netherlands. Issues 1 through 3 reeled me in with the old school cut and paste layout, tons of sarcasm and a great blend of old and new school hardcore coverage. Issue 4 is upon us and the blueprint stays the same. The new one features interviews with Poland's Last Dayz, old Slapshot drummer Mark McKay, NYC Headhunters, a 1989 reprint/repost with Brotherhood from New Direction Zine #3, Cold World, Not Afraid, and another repost interview with Merauder from Detonator Zine #2 from way back in '91 among a few others. Hashtag is much like your mom's favorite antique shop in that if you look closely and go back to it time and time again you will find new stuff that you didn't see the first time around. A Bad Brains Bootleg Discography and a Back Ta Basics Records Top 10 list are nice thinking outside the box articles as well. Overall a real solid read from a zine that is not scared to say exactly what they're thinking giving this new issue 4 out of 5 stroopwafels. -CW

OUTSIDER MAGAZINE (Issue 29, Spring/Summer 2015)

Outsider is a free zine out of Newburgh NY who impressively just put out their 29th issue. I have only known about them for maybe their last 5 issues and in that time they have stayed true to their formula. Outsider 29 is FREE (like it costs nothing) in the Hudson Valley area (also if you email them and request one) and this issue is 24 big ass pages long. They print on newspaper print and the pages are really big and get a ton of content on each one. #29 has interviews with Sean Yseult of White Zombie, All Out War, Problem With Dragons, Moon Tooth and The Creepshow. Outsider is diverse in that they don't just stick to hardcore and punk. Everything has sort of a Westchester/Orange County (upstate NY) vibe as well with an obvious liking of most things tattoos. A feature on the Westchester County Tattoo Convention and another called the Tattooed World is proof of that. Their zine scene section is a great way for bands to get noticed as they do a short bio on various up and coming bands. The usual reviews and editorials are here with many short features or articles on topics that can range from pro wrestling to getting dissed backstage by Pantera. -CW

PEOPLE TALK (Issue #1, 2015)

People Talk is a cool zine out of Texas featuring interviews with current straight edge bands like United Races, Mob Mentality, Ancient Heads & True Head. There's also a great write up on the highly underrated demo only late '80s/early 90's NYHC band Show Of Force. Editor Mir previously did Look Beyond fanzine & I have him to thank for getting in touch with me about 7 years ago with questions about the New Breed Comp, said interview kicked off the reissue of the comp & it's ongoing online status, big ups for that buddy & also major props for incorporating Chaka Malik's classic "Stagedive" sticker drawing into the People Talk logo!  - Freddy Alva 

MASS MOVEMENT ZINE "NYHC, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE" Issue. (Released April 2015)

Ready for a complete overdose of everything old school NYHC? Then find out a way to get this massive 85 page zine from the UK into your grubby little hands. The intro at the start spells out why they decided to go with an all NYHC based interview lineup as things kick off with a 7 page interview with Agnostic Front's Roger Miret. After that basically buckle up kiddo cause this took the better part of two afternoons of on and off reading to get through this monster. The standout reads for me were with Chaka Malik of Burn/Orange 9mm, and with Paul Bearer of Sheer Terror. The rest of the lineup is: Awkward Thought, Underdog, Leeway, Revelation Records' Jordan Cooper, Tony Rettman (author), Freddy Alva (Wardance Records, ABC No Rio) Mike D. Lorenzo (Serpico, CR, Kill Your Idols, Sheer Terror and more , Gavin Van Vlack (Absolution, Burn, Die 116 and more), Andy West (Kill Your Idols), Ron Grimaldi (Deathcycle), Gary Bennett (Kill Your Idols, Black Anvil) and artist Sean Taggart (who when asked to introduce himself simply stated "My name is Sean and I have a 36D bust and my cock is 10" uncut. I like cling film and turpentine"...

Mass Movement is a full sized black and white style zine with a clean layout that is easy to read. This issue is just straight up interviews and Mass Movement used a template of sorts within the line of questions basically using some "core questions" that were asked to all or the majority of the people being interviewed. I guess the true value of a fanzine is when you find it hard to put down. Is it something that you can't wait to pick back up when your done with whatever else your day brings you? For me the answer was an overwhelming yes! I found this at the Dead City Records table at the Black N Blue Bowl in May and took some time before opening it up and jumping in but once I did it was a nice ride from start to finish. -CW

CHILLER THAN MOST (Issue #3- SOLD OUT)

Straight out of Hungary comes this action packed issue with current USHC bands Fury, Protester & the great Shrapnel from the UK. The editors are clearly influenced, layout wise, by the classic SXE fanzines from the late 80's & the cool ass cover by Chun One reinforces that mindset. There's an article by yours truly on the history of the severely overlooked NYHC band A-Bomb-A-Nation & a nice tribute to the defunct European band The First Step. Looking forward to the advertised interview for their next issue with Token Entry's Ernie Parada!  - Freddy Alva 

NOT LIKE YOU ZINE (Issue #4, Released June 2015)

Not Like You has quickly become a favorite zine of mine with their easy to read layout and diverse lineup of bands. The bands interviewed in issue #4 if put together on a show would make one helluva bill. Since We Were Kids who I never heard of before this give a nice interview and after reading this made me want to check out their music. A pre BNB Bowl Burn interview with guitarist Gavin Van Vlack was also a good read. Praise from Maryland and Backtrack from NY are the other "apetizers" before a Goliath like 12 page interview with Ian Mackaye which isn't even the entire interview. Look for part 2 in an upcoming issue which shouldn't take too long since NLY has fast tracked each of their follow up issues after the debut happened only about a year ago. On top of the zine NLY is also a label doing some nice things on vinyl from various bands. McRad and Point Blank (NY) just to mention a few. A gossip/news section, a short reviews section and a collectors corner page where editor Mike gives us his "must haves" for his vinyl collection. As in the past NLY asks good questions to the bands interviewed and that is always the base for a solid interview.

-CW

NOT LIKE YOU (Photo Issue, Released July 2015)

Mike who is the guy behind NLY and I have an ongoing joke where I kid him on how fast he puts new issues out. His last issue (#4) came out in June and here he is about a month later with the "photo issue" and as you may have guessed there are nothing but photos taking up this 40 pager. I counted well over 80 photos all taken by Mike. His better shots are full pagers but in most cases there are 2 or 3 photos per page. Most importantly in a photo issue is the fact that the photos (which are all in black & white) are all crystal clear on nice paper stock. They didn't skimp and it shows. This issue will probably have more of an impact on the reader maybe 10 years or more down the road when there is the chance that some or many of the bands featured won't be around anymore or have new members, or something different about them. Then you can look back and be all nostalgic. Band photos include (but are not limited to) Sheer Terror,  Sick Of It All, Kill Your Idols, Shai Halud, 7 Seconds, Killing Time, Fugazi, Negative Approach, Cro-Mags, Avail, The Business, Backtrack, Floorpunch, McRad, Mouthpiece and many more! -CW

ARTCORE (Issue #33, Spring/Summer 2015)

This zine has been continuously published since 1986 (!) & the depth of knowledge and dedication to the worldwide hardcore scene oozes from every page. Editor Welly does an amazing job each issue in covering worthwhile new bands as well as thoughtful analysis of some classic outfits and scenes from hardcore's golden days. He also managed to include some kind of audio release, be it a 7"/LP, and this time it's a good old fashioned tape compilation (my favorite format) of new UKHC bands that are tearing it up like Violent Reaction, Arms Race, Die etc... It also includes a free download code for all you non-cassette users. Incredible layout/content, professionally printed, comp tape...you just can't go wrong, pick it up!  -Freddy Alva 

ONE VOICE FANZINE (Issue #3,  Released 2015)

26 page full sized zine from parts unknown as there is no address attached but hints are it's from NY. Interviews with Criminal Instinct, Freedom, Hard Stripes, and a nice one with Rob Cullen from Everybody Gets Hurt. King Nine's guitarist's "top 5 death metal slams", TUI's and Angel Du$t's Justice Tripp with his top 12 songs to get an ass whopping to and No Voice's top 10 records of 2014. The mentioned features/interviews are 99% of the content with a short intro and playlist at the beginning. A true DIY-er that I ripped through in maybe 20 or so minutes. -CW

THE PIT FANZINE  (Issue #1 2015- Sold Out)

The Pit Fanzine... "Shit that rocks and nothing that sucks"... It says it right on the cover. PitZine1 brings us 36 pages of hardcore lovin' that does not have a whole lot in actual reading material but wow what a great lineup of condensed new and old school flyers featuring ones with really awesome artwork. For the most part there are 4 flyers to a page and they are categorized by artist and there are over 100 flyers shown (I counted for you). Ancient (and short interviews) with Social Decay AND Straight Ahead are really cool to be included but it doesn't tell us where they came from. (The intro to the Straight Ahead one mentions them as "a fairly new formed band"). They also took the insert to the first Carnivore album and made it into a big poster that they put right in the middle so you can take it out and hang it. As described earlier there isn't a whole lot to read here but I really like what they did with this debut. Nice old school DIY feel. -CW

TIDBIT PHOTOZINE (Spring 2015 issue)

I've known editor David Sine since the late '80's when he did this zine out of Southern California. He's since relocated to the East Coast & continues to put this out as a showcase for his amazing photographs. One minute you'll see a visceral shot of Chain Of Strength in 1989, next page it'll be a multilayered image of Coney Island in 2014. Time & space plus diverse musical genres seem to stand still, the common denominator being David's talent to capture the moment. There are killer shots of Joe Strummer, Rocket From The Crypt, Sticks & Stones, Headfirst, Sensefield, Econochrist etc plus stunning still frames of London/NY/NJ//California. For a digest zine of photos, the paper quality is really good, would love to see an eventual coffee table book of his photos throughout the past 2 decades.

–Freddy Alva 

WORD ON THE STREETS (Issue #2, March 2015)

WOTS is a zine put out by Martin Stewart, guitarist for Terror and this is his second issue which is 4 years in the making. In this issue we get 36 pages on a half sized black and white with a nice basic layout. Interviews with Dragged Into Sunlight, King Nine, Outsiders Code, God's Hate, Redemption Denied, and St Hood amongst others. That's a lot to pack into just 36 pages but they pull it off somehow and the interviews are for the most part good reads. Aside from the interviews we get a few reviews, a few shorts on straight edge from 2 different points of view and were done. No more 4 year waits till next issue please! -CW

PLEAD YOUR CASE (Issue #14, July, 2015)

I picked this up at the This Is Hardcore Fest at one of the tables there. Would have been more OG gangsta style if the guy was walking round hawking this by going up to each person at the show but I will take it! With all those merch tables that were there I was hoping to find more than just ONE printed fanzine so thanks to PYC for bringing these up from Florida and making a special “TIHC” edition. Issue #14 has 28 pages and is a half sized zine in black and white. Interviews with Homewrecker, Twitching Tongues, Foundation and SPM along with an old one from 1995 with Despise You. The interviews are good and usually have some fun at the end while asking bands to pick one band over another or your top 3 this or your 3 least favorite of that etc. There also was an article on their top 10 bands that they wish would have put out more material which included The Icemen and Alone In A Crowd. -CW

TO BE CONTINUED... SEND YOUR ZINE THIS WAY TO BE IN PART 2!