GRINDING HORROR #3

TITLE - GRINDING HORROR #3 

CREATED BY - A DIY MOSHER COLLECTIVE BASED IN SCOTLAND (HELL YEAH!)

GENRE - HORROR FILMS/DEATH METAL BANDS & MUSIC/GENERAL GORINESS 

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN - UNITED KINGDOM (BONNIE SCOTLAND, TO BE PRECISE)

A5/52 PAGES/PAMPHLET/FULL COLOUR/LIKE A FOOTIE MATCH PROGRAMME FROM HELL 

PRICE - £5.00 + SHIPPING FROM THE GRINDING HORROR STORE

"Grinding Horror" is a zine for horror film and death metal music fans alike, with issue 3 being a Scottish death metal horror movie special (!). It is a mix of features and band interviews, original art and folkiness.

Featuring a cadaverous yet lively bagpiper, with a passing resemblance to Iron Maiden's Eddie, on the cover, "Grinding Horror" issue 3 kicks off with a “Crash Course in Death Metal” which is a beginner’s guide to the Scottish scene. Longer interviews with bands are regular features in the zine, and here bands such as Penny Coffin, Brainbath and Rancid Cadaver are grilled. I’m not an expert on the kind of music they play, but they all sound like honest, decent people - a common trait in the scene. The metal world is doing a lot of good for diversity at the moment (see THE WULVER'S STANE). Bandcamp is your friend if you want to explore the featured bands further.

“The Infernal Corner of Lady Satanica” takes a look at old folk magic, spooky computer games and a vintage Italian horror tv show. Her Ladyship also offers a playlist “for when you straight up not having a good time”. Liam Toner explores Scottish horror cinema, featuring Caledonian chillers from “Dog Soldiers” to “Scooby Doo & The Loch Ness Monster” (in which the accents are the most horrific thing). And, yes, “The Wicker Man” is included, which Liam describes in a refreshingly non-gushing way. Okay, he gushes a bit, but most people become positively messianic about that film so an honest opinion is always welcome. New feature “HeX Files” is a field report from paranormal locations around Scotland, and gloriously gory original art, sometimes with a darkly comic edge and always awesome, decorates the zine.

“Grinding Horror” is evidently made with enthusiasm by people who really love the genre and know a lot about the music and the bands who create it. Here in Chateau Zeenscene it rarely gets heavier than Jethro Tull, but I enjoyed the zine's funny and unpretentious vibe a lot and if you’re a true mosher then you’ll love “Grinding Horror”.