Wave of Darkness
When thought about who to discuss the craft of fanzines with, the name Emil Rex Cruze came up as a self evident first choice due to many reasons. Actually one or two too many to mention here, but besides the personal ones it´s clear that Emil Rex Cruze and his work deserves to be acknowledged to a greater extent. Hinsides are therefore proud to present the story of one of the first Phillipean fanzines to cover extreme metal, namely; Wave of Darkness!
The many faces of Mr Balut.
Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Tell us the intriguing story of how you became a metal head and zinemaker?
- Well, it was your classic story where I had classmates who had older brothers and they were into glam rock. At the time I was a little jabroney into NES games like Castlevania or Contra, and they would bring tapes of Guns N Roses ”Appetite for Destruction” or Skid Row’s ”Slave to the Grind” in class and I remember being intrigued with the covers and the lyric sheets. Soon after they taped me those albums, and it wasn’t long until I discovered Metallica’s ”Ride the Lightning” which I hated at first; I remember asking my classmate, ”what the fuck is that?” never understanding the noise that was coming out of my shitty speakers. The more I listened to it, the more I learned to understand it. One of these mix tapes had Slayer’s ”Epidemic” and ”Raining Blood” added as filler, and as you can imagine, I was totally BLOWN AWAY of how fast and Satanic it was. From there, I just knew that this heavier shit was what I wanted. I believe a year or two later, Dismember”Like an Ever Flowing Stream” was released locally, which is technically the first death metal album I have heard. The rest, as they say, is history...
Trve Cvlt! (Or true cult as adults would put it.)
The decision to procreate a zine was easy because growing up I have always had a penchant for writing; this is something I got from my late Dad, who as a teenager would write poems and essays. It was buying one of the first local zines that inspired me; seeing flyers and going through reviews of demos made me decide I wanted to make my own. I first began toying with the names Mass Cremation, Dark Interment until I settled with Wave of Darkness – a name that was suggested to me by Mike Miniccuci of the mighty Blood-Shed zine out of the USA.
Did you have a clear vision of what you wanted to achieve with your publication and how did your initial expectations relate to the required work?
- Not really, but at the time, the zines that were around had border artwork and was cut-and-paste so I somehow had an idea how mine would turn out. I also had a computer and a printer which, I suppose worked towards my favor in comparison to the other zines that were floating at the time that were typewritten. All I could remember is the countless trips to the Xerox machine shops to have text resized to make it small/smaller or whatever the layout demanded. I would starve myself to death just to save lunch money for postage or buying IRC’s ”for sure reply.” There would be times I would buy a dollar at Money Changers instead of IRC’s as the main post office was very far from where I lived in the South. Fun times, indeed.
Were there any other zine in particular that got you inspired? Do you read any paper publications of today, and if so, which ones? Have you bought a lot of zines through the years and are there any ones that you value on a personal level more than others?
- That’s right, the first local zine to have inspired me to create my own was called Impetus, and just before that I bought another local zine called Unexpected Sufferings which really got me intrigued in checking out the underground. A year later I found another local rag called Warewolf. I never really bought a whole lot of zines but I bought the ones that were mandatory: Blood-Shed #5, Real Sickness (#3, #4), Petrified zine #3, Occult Grinder, Kill Yourself #5, Exstinctio Sensus #2, Isengrim #1, Davthvs, Hellish Massacre, the immortal Wheresmyskin zine (RIP to the half-Pinoy, Nuclear Blaash), Hell-Frost, Serenity, and a few others. These zines more or less helped shape the foundation of Wave of Darkness, added with my bitter outlook in life and in metal in general, summed up what is arguably, ”the best damn tabloid in the Philippines.”
I´ve stopped buying zines (as information is pretty much found online anyway) but the ”recent” ones that really stood out for me would be Death Execution (Sweden) and Cunt Paste (UK).
Emil and Erik of Watain
Are there any zines, besides WoD, that you think should’ve been more acknowledged? What is it that makes a good fanzine in your opinion?
- Locally you mean? Scrawlshop, that’s for sure. Granted, it’s a little more open-minded compared to what I feature/d in mine but just the amount of time that gets spent in creating those insane cut-and-paste layouts merit praise from yours balut truly. I never really made friends or contact with others within the scene so I really have no comment.
What makes a good zine you ask? For me, it needs to look really nice; I hate wasted white space! The questions need to be personal and not stock questions that get asked to every band that gets interviewed. For me, I make sure I get to know a band member, first – this makes my round of questioning easier and flow smoothly. I like my interviews having a ”live” feel, and sense of humor is paramount as well. I won’t say that Wave of Darkness is perfect; far from it, in fact. I don’t like dishonest zine editors praising bands just so they could become ”friends” in the scene – fuck that. It does not come as a surprise why there have been people that hated me, LOL.
If you were to write the biography of Wave of Darkness as if it would portray an actual person, what important happenings would you mention and how would you describe the development of the persona? Are you ready to write the obituary yet, or is there a possible resurrection to hope for?
- Oh geez, I’m afraid I will have to skip the first part of this question, as I am not sure how my zine could be played by some person (anu daw?). However, all I can say is that the editor is his zine; the reader must be able to get into the mind of the zine creator. I feel that I have accomplished this - at least that’s what my Mum and my ex-cat Hitler told me.
I don’t believe I’m ready to hang the gloves just yet. Actually, I have been trying to come up with a new issue since 2016 ever since I got blown away with Deströyer 666’s Wildfire. What a modern-day masterpiece that was! Anyway, I have tons of reviews (hand)written, old and new albums, lying around in my little room that need to come out in some way, shape or form. I have been in talks with my old accomplice, Micke Dick, in resurrecting our old zine called Bad Breath. It’s a zine for all you bad breathers out there. We managed to get a few interviews in, until we became lazy like the slackers that we are (and have always been). Actually, the story for Wave of Darkness is not any different. Don’t get me wrong, the urge is still strong, but then something gets in the way like some real-life shit that needs to be taken care of first, unfortunately. Now it seems like I am making excuses, but I am probably not the only one who’s had this dilemma, right? But yes, to answer the question, there will be a new Wave of Darkness, and it will be called ”Dinuguan.” It will be my ultimate tribute to Nuclear Blaash, whose nihilistic approach (and utter disdain for dolphins) to just about everything is surely missed.
Logo made by the one and only…
How ridiculously proud were you when you got Cristophe Szpajdel to do the WoD logo?
- I don’t remember how I felt really; I guess I was hoping for something to look a little bit like the Tsjuder or Horna logos with the trademark inverted crosses but I got one that’s pretty much unlike the rest he’s made so yeah, I suppose you could say I was satisfied overall. At the time, I made the request via snail-mail (that is, by writing somebody a letter – to all you clueless newbies who don’t know) and got my logo via snail-mail, too. It really helped that he did logos for free, the cheap bitch that I was (and still am). Nowadays, I cannot say I am a fan of the newer logos he’s made, as they seem to all have these twigs and roots that have nothing to do with the band’s concept, but it is what it is. I will, however, make an exemption with the EXCELLENT logo he did for the American black metal duo of Cultus Profano. Killer band on record, and live (Judging from the videos I’ve seen on YouTube when they defied the odds and played in some rough neighborhood in California to send a message of fuck you to Antifa). Looking forward to their new album this year via Debemur Morti. Now, did I just make a cheap plug?
Thinking back on the efforts you’ve put into WoD, what aspects has been most rewarding and what would you say are your most valuable learnings?
- One thing I’ve learned is that I have always been broke making zines. No seriously, I believe the most rewarding part is to see the final product in your hand; that’s the ultimate. Now, to figure out where to get the money to start sending the bands their copies, that’s the real problem right there, haha. With every issue I learned to come up with questions better, write audial insults better, and I suppose in a small way the layouts improved a bit with each issue. Can’t say I can look at the old issues without cringing, but I made it a point that during the creation of the last issue (the split with Scralwshop zine), I wanted to make sure I wrote an issue that had content and layout that would make me still want to look at it even in over a decade’s time, haha.
Could you describe the process of putting WoD together and how it developed through your active years?
- It always starts with finding the motivation to come up with one. I would then try and find some ancient notebook that’s been laying around so I can start scribbling, putting nonsense to paper. Key words, jokes, and other lame ideas. Not really sure I’ve ever developed but nowadays I can no longer write super long-ass reviews where all I do is bash or denigrate an album or demo. I can now convey the message with a few short lines instead.
How many ex did you print of each issue, and where did they go? Were there any places that you found to be more enthusiastic than others? (I guess you found a large part of your reading audience here in Sweden, right?)
- For the earlier issues, I couldn’t tell you as I only made copies when I needed them. But you’re right, most of the orders or trades went to Sweden, the best country in the world when it comes to any form of metal. I never sold my zine here in the Philippines, but gave copies to a few trusted and drunken amigos. That’s pretty much about it. Oh wait, I believe we made 100 copies of the Wave of Darkness / Scrawlshop split issue, which we all sold/given away for dinuguan when Impiety ravaged Manila in 2011. Printing is ridiculously expensive over here and I am not sure that the situation has changed in 2020. For the second issue, I sent a copy which got reviewed in the defunct Metal Maniacs which, from what I understand, got a favorable nod from that Finnish wannabe Marty Rytkonen. (Whose only complaint was that the zine wasn’t stapled).
Cover of WoD #5
It’s no secret that you got a thing for Swedish underground Metal and you´ve not been ashamed to feature tons of bands from here in WoD. What made you such a ”Swedophile” - is it something you could explain?
- From the moment that some Canadian maniac taped me Demo #2 1994 from Octinomos, there was no turning back. I could remember being blown away with the vocals of Mårten Björkman; those endless screams of his were for me really original. The atmosphere of the songs were great, with highlights being the first two songs – ”Still Those Stars Shine” and ”From the Sky”. Fredrik Söderlund, the genius behind this band, also had other projects like Parnassus or the mighty Puissance and both are/were great. My fanboyism for Octinomos reached un-reachable heights when I developed a good friendship with both members throughout the years, and in 2018 both flew from Singapore and Sweden respectively to be part of my wedding. Totally unreal if you ask me.
Other noteable Swedish demos/albums are as follows:
1. Setherial – För Dem Mitt Blod
2. Mithotyn – Promo 1996
3. Sorhin – I Det Glimrande Mörkrets Djup
4. The Black – The Priest of Satan
5. Blot Mine – Porphyrogenesis
6. Abyssos – Wherever the Witches../ Demo
7. Niden Div. 187 – Impergium
8. Nifelheim – Devil’s Force
9. Algaion – Oimai Algeiou
10. Funeral Mist – Devilry mini-CD
11. Thy Primordial – At the World of...
12. Kaamos – Kaamos EP
There is really no explanation to my being a Swedophile (I really chuckled when you coined me that); Sweden has the best and most diverse bands, period. Anyone who disagrees can fuck off!
So, how’s life as an underground metal freak in the Philippines? Are there any bands touring your area, and do you have any local bands worth mentioning? Is it difficult to find likeminded people and what´s the common view of metal enthusiasts where you live?
- I really kept to myself in the early to mid 90’s and hung out with a few set of friends and that was pretty much about it. I have never considered myself a ”scene person” if you know what I mean. I suppose life being a metal freak over here is nothing really special. Bands have been touring a lot in these areas lately that’s true; a far cry compared to the early days. Some of the bands that have played these shores include Angelcorpse, Legion of the Damned, Necrowretch, Archgoat, Power Trip and many others I forgot. The funny thing is I never got to see any of the bands I listed, due to personal reasons. What is even stranger is that I have been in contact with Sephiroth (ex-Bestial Summoning, Occult) and Vlad (Necrowretch) but missed the chance in meeting them finally in the flesh. There will be a next time, I guess. I travelled to Singapore March of last year to catch Watain, but bad luck would find its way as that gig got cancelled at the very last minute due to some petition by some Christian rat. It was at least cool to meet Erik finally, as we go a long way back. Even prior to the band recording its Drakkar debut, Rabid Death’s Curse.
While speaking of your native land, a good way to experience a country and its culture are through the traditions of what to eat or not, right? Since you’ve dedicated your part of the split-zine you did with Scrawlshop to the notorious Balut dish, that looks really disgusting by the way, I thought I had to give you the opportunity to explain why you did so? Are there some kind of story behind?
- The story behind it was easy; I have always been fascinated how foreigners seem to puke at the idea of eating a duck embryo, with its huge eyes looking back at you just as you are about to eat it whole. I am not kidding – it tastes just like hard boiled egg, so everyone needs to calm the fuck down. Even Mark of Impetigo, who lived in the Flips for several years, loves it (he describes the soup as ”salt water”). So, given the amount of disgust to such a harmful delicacy (which we inherited from the Chinese, mind you), I just knew that Balut would be fitting a title for my side of the split with Scrawlshop. Mårten Björkman (Algaion/Arditi) downed 4 baluts during his first visit to the Philippines in 2011, I believe. But that is not after having consumed lots of San Miguel beer during our shenanigans.ph tour. When the time comes, I would invite you to a balut feast, mister Emil. I hope you won’t turn my friendly gesture down? (Well, I guess there is no such thing as a veggie Balut, right? -Red )
So…what would you think Nostradamus would say about the future of fanzines? Are the heydays over for good, or what can we expect to happen?
- Nowadays, fanzines are dead, although I won’t be surprised if we once again see a resurrection like that in 2010-2012. Bardo Methology is probably the only good thing going these days, but I don’t own one and I find a huge percentage of the interviews boring (especially when he starts asking about fucking sleep paralysis for the hundredth time). I experience sleep paralysis almost every other night, so I am not sure what the fuss is all about. Anyway it is his zine, I am retired, and I of course mean well when I mentioned what I mentioned here.
You´ve just read an excerpt from a longer interview with Emil Rex Cruze made by Hinsides Magazine. The conversation as a whole is available on paper in the first issue of this Magazine together with a lot of other exclusive content.
Pre-Orders of the limited (200ex) edition are being made here: