Arcane Archivist Zine

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Arcane Archivist Zine Black Metal Magazine dedicated to Mystical Dark Art and Vitriolic Text. Issue 7 available now…

• 𝕭𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝕾𝖎𝖓 (FRA) •Time for a bit of a pallet cleanser, though we are staying in France. Blessed in Sin was a black...
20/06/2025

• 𝕭𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝕾𝖎𝖓 (FRA) •
Time for a bit of a pallet cleanser, though we are staying in France. Blessed in Sin was a black metal band from the southeast of France, primarily helmed by two brothers. These days it seems the band may be more known for one of the brothers extramusical (that’s debatable given the era / genre) incidents which included some “grave tampering”. This is a shame in my opinion though, as Blessed in Sin have some absolutely classic releases in their discography that shouldn’t be ignored. They made a bunch of demos in the 90s, going all the way back to 1993, but their final demo “Odes Obscures” (1996), is by far their best. I have included a snippet of the incredible intro to that tape on slide 2, as the melody has stuck with me for years now. The band finally released their debut album “Melancholia” in 2000, but for some reason this album seems to be almost completely ignored. The album cover is pretty bland, so that could be a factor, but I personally think it’s a good album for the time, with a few great moments sprinkled throughout.
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All photos taken between 1993 and 2000.
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• 𝕬𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖍 (FRA) •Fair warning, today’s post falls more so in the “interesting obscurities” category and less so in my n...
18/06/2025

• 𝕬𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖍 (FRA) •
Fair warning, today’s post falls more so in the “interesting obscurities” category and less so in my normal “highly recommended listening” category. Like most people, I first heard the french black metal bands Astaarth on Velvet Music International’s monolithic 3 disk compilation “Encyclopedia Pestilentia”. I imagine that for most people this would also be their last encounter with the band, but for some reason I had the horrible idea to try and gather as many demos from bands on that comp as possible. When I finally procured Astaarth’s 1998 demo tape “History of Our Yesterday’s Pride”, I was equally horrified and charmed. Sloppy and simple, yet somehow interesting and almost transportive. Then I saw the photos in the tape inlay. Nifelheim will always be the king of the skullet, but this guy has gotta be up there on the podium with them and Hulk Hogan. No comment on the tophat guy. They did some albums in the 2000s, but any spark of interest from the demo had been lost, at least for my personal taste. I have included some live photos and video, show flyers and promo shots from between 1998 - 2000. If you are actually interested in hearing Astaarth, I have also included a snippet from the demo on the last slide. Now I am off to cleanse my palate with some Old Wainds.
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• 𝕭𝖊𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖙 (1991 - 1992) •Here is a small collection of photos featuring Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance of Beherit playing ...
17/06/2025

• 𝕭𝖊𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖙 (1991 - 1992) •
Here is a small collection of photos featuring Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance of Beherit playing his red Epiphone S-800, circa 1991 - 1992. NHV used a few guitars in the early 90s, but the three main ones seemed to be this red Epiphone, the white Ibanez and of course the leopard print Rhoads V. To me the Epiphone will always be the quintessential Beherit guitar, as it was played at the Day of Darkness festival as well as the infamous mall talent show footage. These days it seems that the guitar is on display at KVLT records in Finland (see last slide), but who knows, maybe NHV will break it out again for an upcoming Beherit gig.
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• 𝕸𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖆̈𝖙𝖚𝖘 (NOR) •While I unabashedly have a soft spot for some bombastic late 90s black metal, especially from Norway,...
13/06/2025

• 𝕸𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖆̈𝖙𝖚𝖘 (NOR) •
While I unabashedly have a soft spot for some bombastic late 90s black metal, especially from Norway, there were a couple bands of the era that truly seemed to speed-run their artistic decline. Mactätus is a great example of that, in my opinion. Apparently they were formed all the way back in 1989, but their first demo wouldn’t see the light of day until 1993 (it should be said that this demo has never surfaced online). The band wouldn’t gain any major traction until 1996 with the release of their second demo “Sorgvinter” (snippet on slide 2). A year later in 1997 they released their debut full length “Blot” on Embassy Productions. This second demo and debut album are the artistic high points of the band and while their synth heavy style may not be for everyone, it is well done, especially on the album. After that… they signed with Napalm… a curse that very few black metal bands could break. The rest of the discography is simply Dimmu Borgir apery. Not for me. “Blot” is a must own though and has been reissued many times, so it is easily accessible. An essential for any c tier Norwegian black metal playlist, alongside Enthral and Demonic.
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Promo photo scanned from Revenant ‘Zine, circa 1997.
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• 𝕭𝖊𝖍𝖊𝖝𝖊𝖓 (FIN) •Ever since the Behexen’s demo compilation “Beyond the Four Gates” was announced a couple months ago, I’...
11/06/2025

• 𝕭𝖊𝖍𝖊𝖝𝖊𝖓 (FIN) •
Ever since the Behexen’s demo compilation “Beyond the Four Gates” was announced a couple months ago, I’ve been consistently revisiting the bands early material. It’s not overly unique or ground breaking, but it is surprisingly well composed for the style and brimming with pestilence. In some ways, I actually prefer their 1998 demo “Blessed Be the Darkness” to their debut album “Rituale Satanum”. That’s not saying much though, as the band has never had a bad release. If you’re only familiar with their killer later albums, definitely check out the demos.
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Promo photo, demo advert and live video taken between 1997 - 1999.
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• 𝖂𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖂𝖆𝖗 •Here are some great photos from the Marseille, FRA date of Marduk and Enslaved’s “Winter War” tour, circa ...
09/06/2025

• 𝖂𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖂𝖆𝖗 •
Here are some great photos from the Marseille, FRA date of Marduk and Enslaved’s “Winter War” tour, circa 1995. From all accounts I’ve heard, this tour was absolutely killer, with both bands riding high on one of their many creative peaks. I just noticed that Maleficum Orgia supposedly opened this show, according to the flyer on the last slide. For those unaware, they were an early second wave black metal band from France that recorded an ultra archaic and pummeling demo in ‘92 called “Noixificurc Detrevni”. Recommend for fans of old Samael or Be***al Summoning.
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Yesterday afternoon, these incredible unseen Rotting Christ photos were unceremoniously published to Facebook by their o...
30/05/2025

Yesterday afternoon, these incredible unseen Rotting Christ photos were unceremoniously published to Facebook by their original source: Koito Fanzine. As the story goes, Koito visited greece in late 1994 to visit both Rotting Christ and Necromantia. They shot these photos at the legendary Storm studios, during the recording of RC’s second album “Non Servium”. The fourth photos is equally notable, showing members of RC, Necromantia and more at the Molon Lave record store in Athens. The last slide is a bonus photo that the Koito guys took at a RC gig in ‘93. Photos like these are absolutely priceless in my opinion. If I could only post stuff like this here, I would.
Hail Rotting Christ!
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All credit to KOITO FANZINE - Check them out on Facebook.
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Thank you to all who have purchased AA Zine issue 7 thus far🏆 All orders are on track to ship by the aforementioned post...
29/05/2025

Thank you to all who have purchased AA Zine issue 7 thus far🏆 All orders are on track to ship by the aforementioned postage date of May 30th, with half of them already being in the mail as we speak. We are down to our last 2 boxes, so I believe this issue will sell out very soon. No reprint planned at the moment. International distros should be receiving their stock in the next week or two. Hail Mystical Dark Art & Vitriolic Text!

13 years ago today Trondr Nefas departed this mortal coil, leaving behind an undeniable legacy and a seemingly endless c...
13/05/2025

13 years ago today Trondr Nefas departed this mortal coil, leaving behind an undeniable legacy and a seemingly endless catalog of music. For those that may be unfamiliar, Trondr was a Norwegian black metal musician who was behind projects such as Urgehal, Beastcraft, Kvist, Vulture Lord and many more. A great songwriter and a true black metal spirit! Pour one out and play some Urgehal riffs on your old Jackson guitar for Trondr tonight.
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• 𝕬𝖑𝖌𝖍𝖆𝖟𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖍 (FIN) •Here is a collection of photos from the early years of Finnish black metal horde Alghazanth, circa 1...
09/05/2025

• 𝕬𝖑𝖌𝖍𝖆𝖟𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖍 (FIN) •
Here is a collection of photos from the early years of Finnish black metal horde Alghazanth, circa 1995 - 2000. While some may find it blasphemous, I personally prefer Alghazanth’s mid - late work over their early demos and albums. Their demos are not bad, but I often find them to be a bit monotonous and slow. As for the early albums, they are a huge step up from the demos, but suffer a bit from their early 2000s digital production (and album covers). The two albums I find myself most often returning to in the Alghazanth catalog are “Wreath of Thevetat” (2008) and “The Three-Faced Pilgrim” (2013). Alghazanth were absolute masters at melody and all of their albums are worth a listen. The band called it a day in 2018 after 20+ years and 8 full length albums.
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Photos scanned from Bylec-Tum ‘Zine and Apocryphal ‘Zine.
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• 𝕲𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖔𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖍 (2001) •Here is a collection of photos and video footage from Gorgoroth’s 2001 “Satanic Crusade” tour in Col...
06/05/2025

• 𝕲𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖔𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖍 (2001) •
Here is a collection of photos and video footage from Gorgoroth’s 2001 “Satanic Crusade” tour in Colombia. Though it was billed as a “tour”, in reality it was just two shows, both opened by Colombian black metal bands Maleficarum and Witchtrap. The Gorgoroth lineup was in flux around this time, as was normal for the band, featuring Infernus on guitar, Gaahl on vocals, Frost on drums, King on bass and Tormentor on second guitar. In my opinion, Tormentor is an under-appreciated character in the story of Gorgoroth, contributing great songs to both Destroyer and Incipit Satan. His work in Orcustus is absolutely killer as well. I also noticed that in the photos on slides 4 - 5, all 4 members are wearing different Gorgoroth shirts. Never let anyone tell you can’t wear your own bands shirt. Anyone have memories from these gigs?
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• 𝕬𝖓𝖈𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖙 (NOR) •For me personally, the highlight of AA ‘Zine Issue 7 is the ten page interview I conducted with Grimm o...
02/05/2025

• 𝕬𝖓𝖈𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖙 (NOR) •
For me personally, the highlight of AA ‘Zine Issue 7 is the ten page interview I conducted with Grimm of Norwegian black metal band Ancient. Grimm was the original vocalist and drummer of Ancient from the band’s conception in 1992 until right before the release of The Cainian Chronicle (1996). In my opinion, he was the heart of the band on the demo, 7”, EP and of course the debut album - “Svartalheim”(1994). Grimm had a ton of interesting viewpoints on his time in the band and the Bergen black metal scene they sprouted from.
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The following is a small excerpt from our interview with Grimm in Arcane Archivist ‘Zine Issue 7, available now via arcane-archivist.myshopify.com 🏆
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“From an adult perspective the whole cover-work on Svartalvheim is a mess. As i mentioned i was away from town in late ‘94, so the artwork is on Aphazel and the label. For starters, the flame blowing photo was meant for promos only, but Listenable obviously used it. I can only guess that it could resemble the Immortal debut, but i don’t know. I never agreed to use it on the album.”
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