Cheating Death #1 & #2
There’s a reason why I hate to write reviews and stuff like these Cheating Death zines are a good example. That’s probably coming across more harsh than intended. So let me explain.
It’s easy to write a raving review. It might not be a good review, but if you really love something reviews usually write itself. Because you want to tell people about how great it is. The same goes for stuff you think is horrible. But the thing is, there’s a lot of stuff out there, that is middle of the road. Not great, not terrible. Just okay. You know somebody put their heart and soul into it and it just doesn’t do anything for you. Have fun writing about that.
And most of the time it’s pretty subjective. Like with these Cheating Death zines. Maybe, if I would have been into most bands interviewed, I might have liked them a bit more, but since the interviews are pretty short you don’t really get a chance to get to know the bands or persons. Most interviews are below 10 questions and use up just a single page. That’s a bit too short for my taste. The lay-out is also really minimal. Which is not a bad at all, if done right (I love the way Apple does it). Here it’s black text on a white background, with a photo here and there. Total computer style. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t look bad, and it reads great. It’s just kinda.. bland…
It’s not all bad of course. The lengthy (8 pages on a 9 day trip) Wolf X Down tour diary in #2 is an exception to the short stuff I mentioned above, probably not a band I would listen to at home, but it’s a pretty personal write up of their tour. And I totally share the dude’s feelings about tour food, but I always feel like a dick when I skip on the food. I’m a terrible eater, I know. Anyway, aside from that it’s always a pleasure to read interviews with Daniel (Green Menace Records) & Pat (Carry The Weight Records and a zillion bands). And I like that he not only interviewed bands & labels, but also gave some artists / designers the opportunity to show their work.
All in all, they’re not bad, but it’s no Law & Order or Just Say Yo! or something either. They’re okay. Maybe I’m spoiled by reading some great zines lately, but that’s all I can make of it. Aside from that, it’s always good to see new printed zines pop-up, and props to people who still put the work in to get one done. Maybe I’ll be more into #3?
Cheating Death #1 is a A4 sized page featuring Crows, Demonwomb, Planks, Runes, Sundowning, Kokomo, Wayfarer, Carry The Weight Records and artists Jss and xdudeofdeathx.
Cheating Death #2 is A4 sized page featuring Avalanche, Hungry Lungs, Evenworse, Hammers, Red Apollo, Lavotchkin, Goldust, Deathrite, Green Menace Records, Wolf X Down tourdiary and artist Written In Black.
You can contact Lukas (Austria) at cheating.death@gmx.at
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