Quagmire Magazine (2024)

07/06/2024

Quest Master will play live for the first time in Brisbane on June the 13th, with special guests and . Taking place with free entry - this will indeed be a true spectacle not to be missed!

I had the pleasure of interviewing over the phone a month or so ago with my friend from , the results of which will appear in the forthcoming issue of Quagmire.

was a very friendly engaging bloke and it was fantastic to have on board contributing, as he can obviously relate very well due to his own experience with his incredible DS project .

Issue 3 of Quagmire will be out in the not too distant future!

21/05/2024

Issue 3 will be with you very soon!
Follow the pages for updates🔽

www.quagmiremagazine.bandcamp.com
www.orkoproductions.com
www.orkoproductions.bandcamp.com

Links in bio

08/05/2024

Review of Blood Tower’s “Clock Dreams” from sold out Quagmire Issue 1.

Re-print with all new cover art soon!

Purchase Blood Tower “Clock Dreams” and heaps of other awesome music from cult ds label Moonworshipper Records!

moonworshipper.bandcamp.com

18/04/2024

A review of Normanpex’ classic dungeon synth album “The City of Normanpex”, from Quagmire Issue one.

A reprint of the sold out first issue featuring different cover art will be out in the not too distant future.

There is also an interview with The Aniseed Shroud (Ashley Oliver from Normanpex) in Issue 4.

normanpex.bandcamp.com

theaniseedshroud.bandcamp.com

17/04/2024

I took a photo of the fireplace last week. If you look closely you can see the image of a skull in the top right of the flames. Must be a visit from the dead.

15/04/2024

Here is a review of Fogweaver’s incredible album “Spellwind” from Quagmire #1.

For those of you who missed out on the first issue and want one don’t worry we will be releasing it again in the not too distant future with completely new cover art!

There will also be a very in-depth interview with Fogweaver in Quagmire Issue 3 out midyear!

10/04/2024

*IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT*

Due to very large interview sizes and several other contributing factors, we have decided to release two magazines this year!

Quagmire Issue 3 is in a way a tribute to Dungeon Synth pioneer Erang, and will be released midyear 2024 featuring interviews with the following artists/labels;

Erang
Quest Master
Fogweaver
Out of Season
Peter Beste
Ancient Meadow Records (RIP)
Sombre Arcane
Nahadoth
Chaucerian Myth
Gondolin Records
Illusionment
Silvana Massa
Arcana Liturgia
Erang Appendix (art, stories and poems from the land of the Five Seasons)

Every other artist previously mentioned, but not appearing above, will now feature in Quagmire Issue 4 - which will in fact be a bit of a tribute to Mortiis and released at the end of the year (2024)!

Both will (as previously) be 210 professionally printed colour pages, accompanied by a cassette by Orko Productions featuring all artists interviewed.

Apologises to everyone for any confusion and remember to keep following us on Facebook and Instagram for any updates!

02/04/2024

I was lucky enough to interview Mortiis after his sound check on Simos Boat Cruise on Sydney Harbour on 21/3/24.
Being my first live interview I was obviously nervous, but Håvard went out of his way to make me feel comfortable and turned out to be one of the nicest blokes you could hope to meet.

We discussed Fodt til å Herske in detail, his debut album which he performed live in its entirety later on that night.

I was also lucky enough to be joined by my good mate Peter M Bursky from Brilliant Emperor Records who contributed to what turned out to be a really engaging interview.

Big thanks of course to Håvard and Peter and more details regarding the interview to come soon.

Pictured above is Mortiis , Oytun Bektas (Tir/Orko Productions) and myself, thanks to Melike for the terrific photo!

15/03/2024

Though we may be concentrating on dark dungeon music / dungeon synth next issue we will also be making at least one issue 100% totally focusing on black/death metal not too far off down the track!

Here is a review of Kommodus from sold out Issue 1.
If you missed it no wazzas we are reprinting it with totally new cover art/inner back cover art/ updated adds / minor errors fixed etc in the not too distant future.

kommodus.bandcamp.com

22/02/2024

Quagmire Magazine is very proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Northeast Dungeon Siege!

During the Siege, one lucky individual shall receive this incredible AO sized poster of Erang (captured perfectly by the illustrious Silvana Massa) - as well as a copy of the previous sold out issue of the Quagmire #2 book/cassette- as a giveaway! This poster is massive- to put it properly in perspective the pictured flyer in the front right is A5 - the same size as the magazine.

Issue 3 of Quagmire is set for release midyear! This issue we will focus on exploring and archiving the ancient mystical realm(s) of Dungeon Synth- except a massive Erang interview celebrating his 10th year anniversary- including art, stories and poems from the Land of the Five Seasons!

09/02/2024

Very excited that Tir will be supporting the original maestro Mortiis himself in Sydney along with Rev Kriss Hades (ex Sadistik Exekution) and Striborg! On a cruise! What a wonderful show this is going to be!

I’m even lucky enough to be flying up to Sydney to see it and hopefully will get some good pictures for the magazine and the forthcoming Mortiis interview.

Tir (Oytun Bektas) is a best mate of mine and a big contributor to the magazine plus his label Orko Productions is putting together the cassette for the next issue of Quagmire.
Anyone who hasn’t got tickets to Mortiis already - now is the time to do it!

07/02/2024

Although Orko Productions is producing the accompanying cassette for the next issue of the magazine, I will never forget what Sydney’s incredible Brilliant Emperor has done for Quagmire.

I would go so far as to say that Quagmire probably wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the support of the amazing Peter M Bursky, one of the true pioneers of Australian underground metal and dungeon synth music!

I would also like to encourage you all to support the incredible Dungeon Synth project Lurid Orb, who in collaboration with Brilliant Emperor, is currently hosting a vinyl pressing campaign on Kickstarter for his incredible debut album “Folded Visions”!

Follow the link below to pledge – (I’m very happy to see they are very close to achieving their goal);

www.kickstarter.com/projects/brilliantemperor/lurid-orb-folded-visions-12-vinyl-pressing-campaign

Also if you are lucky enough to live in QLD, Lurid Ord is supporting Mortiis with Rev Kriss Hades ( ex-Sadistik Exekution) in Brisbane on Wednesday 20th March- what an amazing show that is gonna be!

05/02/2024

Very happy in the knowledge that the impeccable Orko Productions from Sydney will be mastering and producing the accompanying cassette for Issue 3 of Quagmire!
In fact, Orko has just released three new Steller tapes a few days ago (the Ortnit Box Set is already sold out I believe) so don’t miss out – go and support this amazing label now!
Plus if you don’t already follow them on Instagram and facebook!
orkoproductions.com
orkoproductions.bandcamp.com

Ortnit ~ Burgwela ~ Ruins Of Xibalba

26/01/2024

Excited to announce the third issue of Quagmire – Australian Dark Mystic Music Magazine!
This issue we will focus mainly on exploring and archiving the ancient mystical realm(s) of Dungeon Synth.

Featuring in-depth interviews with Erang (Fra), Arcana Liturgia (Italy), Mortiis (Nor), Doomed and Disgusting (Aus), Akerius (Reunion Island), Haryon (Ger), Ræv Jäger (Russia), Gondolin Records (Denmark), Sombre Arcane (US), Gryphon’s Talon (Aus), Nahadoth (US), Chaucerian Myth (US/China), The Aniseed Shroud (Aus), Illusionment (US), Fogweaver (US), Out of Season (US), Quest Master (Aus), Silvana Massa (Chile) and Ancient Meadow Records (RIP) (US).

210 professionally printed colour pages limited to 100 copies, the magazine will come with a cassette compilation featuring tracks from every artist interviewed (many of them unreleased), this time through Sydney’s incredible Orko Productions!

Featuring exclusive cover art depicting Erang by the incredible Silvana Massa!
Expect a massive Erang interview celebrating his 10th year anniversary - including art, stories and poems from the Land of The Five Seasons!
Stay tuned for the release date most probably mid 2024!

27/04/2023

Quagmire Issue Two is now SOLD OUT but if you are luckily living in the US you can now get distro copies from the almighty Ancient Meadow Records!
210 professionally printed colour pages with an accompanying cassette featuring tracks from all artists interviewed including Jim Kirkwood, Diplodocus and Midnight Odyssey - the compilation even includes exclusive unreleased tracks from Diplodocus, Midnight Odyssey, Mindspawn and Brown Spirits!
Ancient Meadow has also just released a Depressive Silence - Deluxe Edition Picture Vinyl Discography Box Set which looks bloody amazing! Do ya self a favour and visit their webstore now, limited to 100 copies worldwide the magazine will NEVER be released again with the same incredible original hand drawn art by Callum Macleod
ancientmeadow.com

20/04/2023

I’m going to start sharing random past reviews from Quagmire. This first one is an absolute classic and favourite album of mine which I reviewed in Issue One. You can still purchase a copy of the CD of this masterpiece from drapedinshadows.bandcamp.com. Do ya self a favour and support this incredible artist now!

13/04/2023

Tir has just released his fifth album entitled “Awaiting The Dawn” and It is truly a work of magnificent splendour - true to heart - pouring straight from nature’s ever bountiful beauty like the serene waterfall which adorns its cover. Consisting of mainly neo-folk in the vein of early Ulver and Empyrium, the album even features the remarkable vocals of Thomas Helm (Empyrium) on most tracks and was mixed and mastered by Markus Stock (Empyrium) in Germany. As many readers would already know my friend Oytun Bektas from Tir is also a big part of Quagmire so I implore you to purchase a copy of this absolute gem and support this incredibly gifted musician!
You can purchase the cassette/compact disc or digital album now through orkoproductions.bandcamp.com or
you can purchase the Vinyl LP through brilliantemperor.bigcartel.com

05/04/2023

Quagmire Issue 2 is now SOLD OUT!
Special thanks to everyone involved especially Oytun Bektas and Peter M Bursky for all of their input, help and support.
If you are in Europe you can still purchase copies through Forsaken Relics or Hammer of Exile - plus If you are in the US you can still get copies from Ancient Meadow Records - but don’t mess round these won’t last long! Issue 2 is strictly limited to 100 copies and will never be reprinted featuring the exclusive, original, hand-drawn cover art by Callum Macleod!

to order a copy in Europe go to forsakenrelics.com or hammerofexile.8merch.com

to order a copy in the US go to ancientmeadow.com

02/03/2023

Quagmire Magazine is now available to purchase in Europe for the first time through Forsaken Relics!
Special thanks to Danny Kreutzfeldt of Gondolin Records
If you are situated in Europe head over to www.forsakenrelics.com to grab a copy now!

27/01/2023

Hails!
In our last issue, we talked to Jim Kirkwood about his history with all the details.
Don't miss it!
Link in bio.

03/01/2023

Graves of Eden…
Magical sounds from the deep!
Order the magazine now for a detailed interview.

01/01/2023

Detailed Sumeru interview in our last issue.
Do not miss out 👊

23/12/2022

Those crooked souls cast into the Bog of Eternal Stench (dark mystic music reviews) this issue are Akerius, Anfortas, Blood Incantation, Dialectic Darkness, Doldrum, Erreth-Akbe, Gloom Wanderer, Gryphon’s Talon, हारूल विनय / Harul Vinay, IDOL OF FEAR, Mausoleum Wanderer, Nahadoth, Olympus Mons, Phosphorus Moat, Ræv Jäger, Sorgnatt, Stormkeep, Taagebue, The Spirit of luvenium and Urdol Ur.

Reviews by Oytun Bektas, Jon Dexter, Sean Francis, Gloom, Andrew Oliver, Evergreen Rupe and Gabriel Tamaș.

210 colour pages professionally printed (limited to 100), each copy comes with a cassette featuring all artists interviewed – grab your copy now before they are gone for good – they will never be reprinted with the original cover art by Callum Macleod!

brilliantemperorrecs.com
quagmiremagazine.bandcamp.com

17/11/2022

The second issue of Quagmire Magazine features a massive 44 page interview with electronic music legend Jim Kirkwood! Here is a brief excerpt;

Your latest project is called Tenebrae, why did you choose this title for it? This is the name of the city you have created and the story/theme behind the project. Can you tell us a bit about this city?

I wanted to create my own storyline from which I could draw inspiration for the music. It isn't really a new idea for me, I was already exploring this idea on some of my early albums, especially Foxhalt Edge, Canterbury Black and Corvis Christi. The city, modelled on a Victorian London and expanded into thousands of square miles, is the place where this story takes place. I would describe the story as a theological novel. Tenebrae, a Latin word which has the meaning of "darkness" is the name of the city. It is a fictional place obviously, but created as a kind of purgatory for fictional characters. It is not the traditional Catholic purgatory or a place of punishment. In fact all the characters in the storyline are souls of fictional characters from different books who have no memory of the past when they arrive. A similar idea can be seen in the tv series Lost. And such films like Dark City with Keither Sutherland. Or maybe The Trueman Show. I should also mention the BBC TV series Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes starring John Simm, a funny and dark take on purgatory. Bringing various fictional characters together isn't a new idea. Check out The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which was originally a very interesting graphic novel. Despite the fact that my characters are souls, they are not nebulous spirits as such, but are capable of experiencing life in the city not so different from our own experience. Perhaps it might be explained as a kind of experiential holographic reality, except they do not age but remain the age they are when they arrive. They do not know that they have died but have to come to that knowledge and make their choices. Tenebrae is a place of Grace, a city of second chances, where things are worked out toward good or evil. Once they make their choice they move on to one of two destinations. Bear in mind I am still working the story out so some of the ideas are a little unusual perhaps even heretical. Haha.

Issue Two of Quagmire Magazine also features in-depth interviews with Midnight Odyssey (Aus), Mindspawn (US), Order of Orias (Aus), Graves of Eden (Aus), Striborg (Aus), Brown Spirits (Aus), Diplodocus (US), Ruins Of Xibalba (Aus) and Sumeru (Aus), plus heaps of dark mystic music reviews i.e. Black/Death Metal, Dark Ambient/Dungeon Synth etc

210 colour pages professionally printed, the magazine has been released with a cassette compilation (and digital compilation both only available through purchasing the magazine) through Brilliant Emperor Records featuring tracks from all artists involved, including exclusive/unreleased tracks from Midnight Odyssey, Mindspawn, Graves of Eden, Brown Spirits and Diplodocus!
The magazine also features original cover art by Callum Macleod, who drew it by hand in pencil and ink!

Grab your copy now before they all go from;
brilliantemperorrecs.com
quagmiremagazine.bandcamp.com

14/11/2022

Here is a little bit of the Sumeru interview from Issue Two of Quagmire Magazine OUT NOW!

“Summon Destroyer” your last LP has some very dark eerie mystical guitar work weaved throughout it - one prime example being in the opening track “The Temple”. How do you go about writing stuff like this – do you feel like you need to ‘tune’ into a certain wavelength – maybe tap into the ‘other side’ - where do your riffs come from?

At the time I was writing a lot of that stuff I was listening to a ton of black metal, but more riffier stuff like Taake where the harmony is a bit more interesting and non-diatonic and free. One other album that hugely influenced me at the time was Nidingr’s “The High Heat Licks Against Heaven”, and so I was exploring that sorta sound over our usual sludge base. We had also traded out much of the bluesy type riffs for semitonal minor chord harmonies, which I guess is that traditional BM thing coming through again. I had also started to write without the usual concern for being in certain keys or whatever. Anything went in terms of where the harmony could go. Not sure where the riffs come from actually, but all good riffs are channelled.

210 colour pages professionally printed limited to 100 copies - comes with a cassette featuring all artists interviewed through Brilliant Emperor records – grab your copy now;

brilliantemperorrecs.com
quagmiremagazine.bandcamp.com

04/11/2022

It’s Bandcamp Friday and Quagmire Magazine is on sale for the duration - $30 (AUD) instead of $35!

Featuring in-depth interviews with Midnight Odyssey (Aus), Jim Kirkwood (UK), Mindspawn (US), Order of Orias (Aus), Graves of Eden (Aus), Striborg (Aus), Brown Spirits (Aus), Diplodocus (US), Ruins Of Xibalba (Aus) and Sumeru (Aus).

210 colour pages professionally printed limited to 100 copies with original hand drawn artwork, the magazine comes with a cassette compilation featuring tracks from all of the artists involved - including exclusive/unreleased tracks from Midnight Odyssey Mindspawn, Graves of Eden, Brown Spirits and Diplodocus!

Grab your discounted copy now!

quagmiremagazine.bandcamp.com

01/11/2022

Issue 2 of Quagmire Magazine features an interview with Sydney’s black/death metal maniacs Sumeru! I caught up with guitarist Peter M Bursky to discuss their latest iconoclastic ep Blood Ordinance, which has really engrossed me with its sheer raw power / intensive crushing riffs and underlying dark mystical malevolence.

210 colour pages professionally printed with a compilation cassette featuring all artists - limited to 100 copies - grab yours now;
brilliantemperorrecs.com
quagmiremagazine.bandcamp.com

25/10/2022

Here is a little bit of the interview with dark ambient mystic Ruins Of Xibalba in Issue Two of Quagmire Magazine OUT NOW;

The Maya believed that the underworld had nine different levels and represented this idea through their gigantic stone pyramids which they built as tombs for their kings and these pyramids hence often possessed nine tiers. Your debut ep “Essence” pictures one of these on the cover, correct? Have you ever been lucky enough to see these pyramids in real life, and if not do you wish to visit them one day?

I would like to point out that the Mayans were a mysterious civilization, in the true sense of the word. The temples, the symbols and images inside the temples, the relations of those symbols with mathematics and astronomy, and the correspondence of these relations with scientific equivalents today is an extraordinary situation. Industry and the barbaric systems that came with it greatly set back our understanding of the universe. In the times when people were more innocent and intertwined with nature, the ‘speed’ of understanding philosophy and life was much better than it is now. Monumental written evidence of this proves the case. The Mayans are one of the most important of all of these examples from ancient cultures! The temple of El Castillo in the Essence ep also contains the details you specified. In addition, this pyramid is an important bridge between the world of reality and the transition to darkness. In regard to visiting these temples it is one of my top goals and I’m planning this for the very near future.

Get a copy of the magazine with the full interview and heaps more by following one of the links below - 210 full colour pages professionally printed accompanied by a cassette through Brilliant Emperor Records featuring all artists interviewed! Limited to 100 copies and selling fast!

Brilliantemperorrecs.com
Quagmiremagazine.bandcamp.com

20/10/2022

Issue Two contains an interview with the enigmatic dark ambient force Ruins Of Xibalba – the creation of Oytun Bektas - whom many of you would be already familiar with through his epic project Tir.
Ruins of Xibalba's debut album “Göbeklitepe” explores thematically the first known remains of humankind – Gobekli Tepe – a Neolithic archaeological site in Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey. Oytun attempts to bring the deep traces of this ancient history to us here in modern times through his atmospheric compositions, utilising his unique musical intuition which has been heavily influenced through his extensive research into the mysteries of our past.

210 professionally printed colour pages (accompanied by a cassette featuring all artists interviewed) limited to 100 copies – grab your copy now;

brilliantemperorrecs.com
quagmiremagazine.bandcamp.com

15/10/2022

Issue Two of Quagmire Magazine features an interview with the great beast itself Diplodocus! – here is a tiny bit of the interview;

Can you please give us a kind of ‘storyline’ walkthrough each of the ten tracks from “Slow and Heavy” and tell us what you were imagining when you composed them (and maybe explain what some of the words mean haha)?

Prowl of the Concavenator ~ The opening track. This one is really meant to fossilize the signature dino synth sound - it is obviously heavy in dungeon synth influence, with a slow brooding timpani to symbolize the lumbering steps of an ancient beast. A Concavenator simply being a cool dinosaur I looked up!

Encased in Amber ~ Sort of a cheesy reference to the Jurassic Park pseudo science. The idea that a dinosaur’s DNA lies dormant for millions of years in an armour of amber, perhaps to one day be awakened and terrorize the globe once more.

Grazing Antarctopelta ~ This dinosaur’s name means “Antarctic shield” and was discovered off the Antarctic peninsula. The song is intended to paint a portrait of a solemn wandering creature among the tundra. A true blizzard beast, if you will.

Diplodocus even contributed an exclusive unreleased track to the Quagmire compilation entitled “Battle of Ages” - what a bloody legend!

Limited to 100 copies – 210 colour pages professionally printed (accompanied by a cassette from Brilliant Emperor Records featuring all artists involved) don’t stuff round - grab your copy now - these are gonna fly out the door quicker than a Pterodactyl!

brilliantemperorrecs.com
quagmiremagazine.bandcamp.com

Quagmire Magazine