Apparently some people liked what we did while others didn't. There's no accounting for taste.
I have included every review that
I have ever received. Decide for yourself!
Scripture 1
Metal Maniacs Vol. 14, No.5, December 1997
The Crusader is a scant half pager that is another torchbearer for the true Metal cause, although in South Africa "true metal" must have a slightly different meaning, as editor Ryan (a/k/a Lunatic) seems mostly interested in brutal aggression rather than galloping double-bass and wailing vocalists. There are some mini-bios on a few bands, some reviews on bands like Groinchurn, November Grief and Voice of Destruction, and some contact info. That’s about it...but it’s free for all "Metalheads" who write (if you’re not a Metalhead, I guess you need to inquire for pricing), so I expect he’ll get a lot of letters from both the curious and from prisoners.
ULA GEHRET
ula@centurymedia.com
Psy-War Newsletter #1 May 1998
THE CRUSADER Scripture #1 (20 Half Pages) Well this is so much of a short issue! There are Bio’s and updates on bands like Aragorn, Delayed Action Bomb, Groinchurn, November Grief, Golgotha, and some more!!! Plus the usual reviews of Quality Metal CD’s and Demo’s make this whole issue. Neat but I want more pages!!!
Scripture 2
Metal Maniacs Vol. 15, No.3, June 1998
The Crusader #2 is one bull-headed, opinionated mutha of a ‘zine. If ‘zines could have Napoleon Complexes, The Crusader’s got one bad. The editors proudly proclaim, "We will review any material that is sent to us, we just won’t promise a favourable review...We do not give a fuck about any politics, fashions, religions or causes. Metal is life!!!" That about says it all, and you can almost choke on the dedication to Metal that emanates from these pages. As The Crusader originates from South Africa, there’s heavy coverage of the region’s bands, evidenced by interviews with Gutted Remains (change the name!), Metalmorphosis (change the name!), Prayer (touring soon with Slayer!), and sick, semi-legendary underground stalwarts Groinchurn. The requisite album/demo review sections are here, with album/tape covers helpfully accompanying each review. All reviews are quite up to date, though why they’re just getting round to reviewing Bathory’s Blood On Ice is perplexing. This is a ‘zine chock full of passion, highly informed writing, and a humorous bent that’ll keep you delighted until you’ve reached the end of its 48-page b&w crusade. True Metalheads only need apply. And how could you not? It’s freakin’ free, though it’d sure be nice of you to include a buck or two for postage (my recommendation, not theirs).
JEFF WAGNER
Blissful
Bloodshower : 1 November 1997
http://www.azstarnet.com/~zscene/deathmetal.htm
The Crusader #2 The Crusader is a new digest sized zine out of South Africa that covers death metal and grind. This issue has interviews with Gutted Remains, Metalmorphosis, Groinchurn, Prayer, 19 CD reviews, 18 demo reviews and a metal report on Chaos Symphony and Regurgitation. Only there 2nd issue and The Crusader is looking very nice. Reports are that the 3rd issue will be A4 and will be $2 ppd. or trade. Worth checking into. 48 pgs. [c/o Ryan, PO Box 39550, Garsfontein, Pretoria, South Africa, 0060] Email: lunatic@smartnet.co.za 1-9-98
JOHN RIDGE
The Crass
Menagerie...issue #63
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/Crass_Menagerie
THE CRUSADER
Scripture 2
'Zine
Lots o' Pages
Review by: Tim Foster
Fans of Metal should take note. THE CRUSADER is packed with reviews and interviews from Metal bands. Metal, Metal, and more Metal. It's good Metal information; an enjoyable read all about Metal. Did I mention that this 'zine had a lot of Metal in it? (c/o Dark Ages, P.O.Box 39550, Garsfontein, Pretoria, South Africa, 0060)
Leather Knights #2
This is a cool half-size 'zine that is the independent and informal expression of the opinions of two absolutely narrow minded Metalheads {their self description, not mine} from South Africa. Scripture 2 {2nd issue} has interviews with: Gutted Remains, Metalmorphosis, Groinchurn, and Prayer. Also Album/Demo reviews and more. Seems to focus more on death/grind/black Metal than true power metal, but I really like the writing style. A third issue is in the works, however this 2nd issue is free, at least that's what the flyers say, but I would include a dollar or two to help cover postage.
Endemoniada
#11/12 (Mega-issue)
A cool little zine supporting METAL! Their interviews are good
but they should add more information. But I love the force &
eagerness behind this zine to support Metal! There are interviews
with South African Metal band Gutted Remains, Metalmorphosis,
Groinchurn & Prayer. Plenty of articles & music reviews
about the scene in South Africa. Excellent layout! Very
informative & very supportive!
Scripture 3
Nightshade
Magazine: 9 June 1998
http://www.nightshade-magazine.de/Zine-Zone/Crusader.htm
- 9 Jun 98
Ryan Kriste (Lunatic) and JG Mocke - who together constitute Dark Ages - the producers of this rather entertaining printed Metal fanzine based in Pretoria, South Africa, are the kind of Metal fans who lay their cards on the table right from the word go. "Metal IS long hair, freedom, breaking away from society and generally living wild," they affirm in one of their reviews. Gotcha ! And it is these attributes - the retro qualities of true, manly Heavy Metal - that our axe-wielding duo seek in the complex labyrinth that is contemporary Metal. There is a lot of "Death to false Metal' ringing in the air and a strong bias towards more traditional styles of Metal. Hence HAMMERFALL's "Glory to the Brave", SCEPTER's "Metal Supremacy", ORDAINED's "Let Us Prey" and WICKED ANGEL's "Heads Will Roll" all score "10 Fucking Battle Axes" in The Crusader rating system. There is, however, also lots of Black Metal, Death, Doom and Grindcore covered by this 'Zine. But please don't, whatever you do, mention keyboards around the grim and cold-hearted domain that is Dark Ages - it is akin to showing off pornographic pictures at a vicar's tea party. Keyboards, we learn, are out (although they do go easy on BURZUM's latest synth-driven release probably because old habits, erm, die hard). Metal is all about screaming guitars, goes the philosophy at The Crusader. METALLICA are given short shrift - "Load" and "Reload" both score a resounding "0" . . . seems like The Crusader does not suffer fools gladly. Reviews are short and to the point (there are lots of them - 60- plus, including the demos). Starting a lot of the reviews with Haaaaiiiiiiiil ! ! ! ! does lose its impact after a while and The Crusader reviewers should think up more original introductions to their otherwise solid pieces. There are some excellent interviews in issue three : HAMMERFALL, KRABATHOR and CRADLE OF FILTH are compelling reads, while there are also scene-developing chats with local bands. I was spellbound by the interview with RETALIATION, all of whose members are in jail, some for murder. RETALIATION play . . . you guessed it : Death Metal! I like the Victorian-style "penny dreadful" illustrations that accompany this interview. Layout is neat (great cover, too) and reader friendly although the reproduction process gives the illustrations a hazy quality. The Crusader is well worth checking out. Haaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiil ! ! ! ! ! !
PAUL DROSDZOL - Nightshade Magazine
The Crass
Menagerie #69
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/Crass_Menagerie
The Crusader
Issue #3
Laser Print
Tons o' pages
8 ½ x 11
Review by: Jeb
This may be metal's most dedicated and diehard publication. The two publishers, Lunatic Ryan and J.G. are admittedly close minded on the subject of music. They love metal and only metal and this is reflected in their zine. There is very little tolerance in these pages for anything but their one and only musical passion. Now before you get it into your head that this is some sort of indictment, let me state for the record that Ryan is a great guy and if you are into metal in any way, shape or form you are going to find something in these pages that appeals to you. Both Ryan and J.G. call it as they see it and they are unwavering in their dedication to pure metal. That is why they call them "fan"zines folks. This is great. Interviews with NILE, HAMMERFALL, CRADLE OF FILTH, and OMEN (not the real OMEN, a new band with using the name) plus there are tons of reviews and a ten "battle axe" review scale.
Underground Zine Scene #11
John Ridge
316 E. Main St.
Sebewaing
MI 48759
USA
This is the 3rd issue I’ve seen from this
group and this issue is the best one to date. They’ve moved
from digest to full sized and expanded their features a bit. This
issue has interviews with the great Hammerfall, Nile,
Retaliation, Krabathor, Cradle of Filth, Metal Orison & Omen
(not the Metal Blade Omen) plus there’s 43 CD reviews and 18
demo reviews that are rated the same way S.O.D. does
theirs, with 1 to 10 battle axes. Overall damn good
interviews and the layout’s pretty nice to. The scanner
needs some work and some of the photos came out dark but those
are just minor problems. I’d highly recommend this zine to
all Metalheads. 46 pgs. [c/o Ryan, PO Box 39550, Garsfontein,
Pretoria 0060, South Africa email:
lunatic@smartnet.co.za
Chaotic Critiques #10
The Crusader (c/o Ryan, P.O. Box 39550,
Garsfontein, Pretoria, 0060, South Africa)
Good interview questions and honest reviews. Off to a good
start and benefiting from a staff that are obviously devoted
Metalheads.
tbengtso@junction.net
Evil
Music
http://www.anus.com/metal/
P.O. Box 940115
Houston
TX 77094
U.S.A
Fanatical warriors of metal forge this magazine
from pure wood pulp with the blood of their enemies as ink. It is
rare for a zine to recognize the real culture of metal alongside
the music and the excesses, and these guys do it with flair and
passion. Highly recommended!
prozak@anus.com
Eternal
Frost Webzine #6
http://surf.to/eternalfrost
The Crusader
Fanzine #3
This is a decent 48-page ‘zine from South
Africa. Damn good if you take into account most of the metal
underground probably does not speak any language from South
Africa. I’m not a big fan of album rating systems, but the
editors of this ‘zine use "Battle Axes" instead of
the usual stars or skulls. The reviews are informational and the
interviews are interesting. This issue has Nile, Cradle of Filth,
Krabathor, Hammerfall, Retaliation and others. As with any
‘zine, this one is worth checking out.
Sang Frais #4
The Crusader Fanzine
#3
(Anglais, 46 Pages, 3$ US)
Dessin d'un guerrier au dos musclé avec épée et hache à
double tranchant sur le cover. Entrevues avec Nile, Hammerfall,
Groinchurn, Krabathor, Cradle of Filth, et plus. Chaque album
cité a sa pochette pour l'accompagner. Attention: Si vous n'
êtes pas un Metal Head, vous allez mourrir!!!
Satan's Candy Basket #4
The Crusader #3
(48 Pages)
Interviews with NILE, HAMMERFALL, RETALIATION, KRABATHOR, CRADLE
OF FILTH & lots more. This is the first 'zine I have ever
received from South Africa. It's great to see that Metal rules
all over the world. This magazine is totally professional looking
and has an excellent layout through the whole issue. There's tons
of killer reviews of music, photo's, ads & contact addresses.
This is a great fucking zine!
Metal Rules #5
The Crusader Fanzine
#3
Oh yeah! My first fanzine, or mail for that matter
from South Africa and it's a winner! This issue came to me in a
wooden crate along with a monkey and an elephant tusk. I
know....very funny Jeff! Ha ha! Actually, I've heard a lot about
this zine and was anxious to check it out. It's quite refreshing
to see how popular and united the Metal community is worldwide.
Inside there are chats with HAMMERFALL (yeah), NILE,
RETALIATION, KRABATHOR, CRADLE OF FILTH, METAL ORISON and OMEN
(Africa). CD and demo reviews sections are separate and in an
original order. They have a rating scale of 0-10 Battle Axes with
of course 10 being the highest, or Bo Derek. Well, they start
with 10 Battle Axes and they work their way down to the sucky 0
Battle Axes. Once again, and thank God, the editor and writers
are not afraid to write what they really think. A decent zine
that only suffers from poor photo quality (which that problem is
shared with about 90% of other zines). Crusader is available for
only $3 worldwide and they have a distro as well, so, you
shouldn't hesitate to contact them immediately.
Meathooked #2
The Crusader Fanzine
#3
Glory to the Metal! Repeating constantly the worst
(or the best, your choice) Manowar-clichés, South African The
Crusader fanzine makes itself look rather naive. There are only a
few interviews and most of them are pretty mediocre. Only the
interviews with Nile and Cradle of Filth rise above the standard
fanzine inties. But to be fair it must be said that the CoF intie
is really ingenious and well done. Otherwise The Crusader offers
your usual demo and CD reviews (almost full points for about any
band that play trad. Metal) and that's it. Pretty dull and
uninventive fanzine. 2/5. Kalle.
Leather n' Spikes #3
Cool Fanzine covering different Metal styles, a great read. In depths and interesting. Interviews include: Hammerfall, Nile, Retaliation, Krabathor, Cradle of Filth, Metal Orison and Omen. You'll get a lot of info about these bands. Reviews are also very informative & detailed. Other articles include live reports, contacts, ads... The layout is excellent and professional.
BAST Music
Magazine #6
http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/frontrow/7759/
Being a zine reviewer is sometimes really cool. I get to check out such great reads as The Crusader from South Africa. This is one of the best of the batch, focusing strictly on Metal, and giving it's readers an overview of the South African scene. I feel rather ignorant that I didn't even know there was one! Pardon my illiteracy! Well, now I'm educated, and I'll keep reading The Crusader as long as they continue giving us their brutal vision of the underground. Bands featured include: Nile, Hammerfall, and Cradle of Filth, along with lots of reviews. - L
Hell Razor #21
This time a zine from South Africa with only 5 too long interviews and some old record stuff review! Yes, 48 pages/A4 of black & death Metal! Nothing new so if you want a copy of it, order it for $3 from Lunatic.
Intellektual
Spew #5
http://members.xoom.com/IntSpew/
Great zine here from my first contact in South Africa. A Metal zine through and through here, and what makes this zine is its attitude and love for the underground. Well written reviews with reference to the band's lyrics in every review. Great looking 'zine and well worth getting in touch with Lunatic to check this zine out. (Bart)
Metal Mafia
#8
http://maxpages.com/metalmafia
This is a nicely put together zine. The cover work is really good, better than most I have seen. Lots of ads and art work in the issue. There are a lot of reviews and most, if not all of them either have the cover art for the demo or CD, or a logo with the review. Printed on white A4 paper.
Scripture 4
The Crass
Menagerie #79
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/Crass_Menagerie
THE CRUSADER Issue #4
Review by: Brad
When Jeb gave this to me he told me it was one of his favourite
metal zines (both the email and the print version) and I gotta
admit that after seeing the last couple issues it is now one of
mine as well. Yeah it is totally opinionated and has no tolerance
for anything other than what it decides is real metal but I gotta
tell you that I think if more zines were this honest then more
zines would be worth reading. This issue has TONS of metal
reviews and interviews. I think this is the last print version of
this zine so get it now before it goes totally online. Great
stuff!! (POB 39550 Garsfontein, Pretoria South Africa 0060 or http://members.smartnet.co.za/~lunatic
}
Comando Santa
Brigida 'zine #04
comando_zine@hotmail.com
Desda Pretoria nos ilega esta groso fanzine que hace el amigo Ryan "Lunatic". Contiene notas a WICKED ANGEL, GUTTED REMAINS, ORDAINED, GROINCHURN, STRYDER, ACHERON, MESSE NOIR, HATRED, ARCANA (de Sudafrica), INVERTED y a la siempre apetecible GREAT "loca comu tu madre" KAT; ademas de una extensa review de CD's, Prod. Ind., demos y videos. Son 64 pags. de muy buena calidad, con prolija diagramacion, fotos; como para darse cuenta que no todo tiena que venir necesariamenta de USA o Europa, sino que en Sudafrica el METAL tambien existe - Vitiko
Sang Frais #7
(Anglais A4, 64 Pages $3.00)
Il y a meme des poils en Afrique du Sud! Yeah! Ce 'zine est tres
propre de sa personne et contient un tonne de critiques d'albums.
Des entrevues avec Ordained, Wicked Angel, The Great Kat, Acheron
et plus. Section pour les reviews de demos et de 7".
Leather
Knights #4
Crusading against all that isn't "Metal". The Crusader
in the future will shift concentration from a print 'zine to a
web 'zine. But #4 here is still on paper. Covering a variety of
power metal, thrash, death and black metal bands. With emphasis
on their South African scene of course. Their "Metal or
Death" attitude is what really makes this 'zine as enjoyable
as it is. You can expect the usual interviews and reviews. Also
there is: an interesting articleon Moshing from a woman's point
of view; fanzine listing, and label contact addresses. My only
complaint besides the spelling mistakes is that the album reviews
could have been put in alphabetical order. It should be noted
that "The Crusader is a totally independent, informal,
expression of the opinion of one absolutely narrow minded
Metalhead".
==================================================
IN THE NAME OF METAL
DARK AGES
Scripture 1 | Scripture 2 | Scripture 3 | Scripture 4 | Scripture 5