BLACK HOLE MAGAZINE - Interview with Fernando Camacho - Music - http://maxpages.com/aeazine/BLACK_HOLE

How well has the current issue of Black Hole Mag been received by the underground as a whole since its release? What bands are featured in the issue?
Well, I don’t think that all of your readers know that Black Hole exists since 1985 and it was put on ice on 1990 for some personal reasons, so it came back late April when I released the “come back issue” number #9. So the response is extremely excellent, all the people that’s getting the mag really went crazy due I guess the true support Black Hole Mag tries to spread around the world, the care I have in every detail as responding email/letter till the art work. I always try to do my best in all the ways and the scene as a whole is understanding it. This last issue (number 9) has great interviews with: Flesh Grinder, Incantation, Impaled, Murder Corporation, Impetigo, Novembers Doom, Gorgoroth, Lividity, Gurkkhas, The Chasm, Leukorrhea, Cinerary, Apocalyptic Raids, Malevolent Creation, Agaures, Disinter, Horfixion, Desdominus, Insanity and Absorbed. It also comes with a free comp CD called “Black Hole Compilation Vol. 1” which contains 21 extreme tracks.

When was the first edition of Black Hole unleashed in the world of subversive music? How did it compare to subsequent issues? In what ways do you believe the magazine has improved since the beginning?
As I told before Black Hole started spreading the disease since 1985 when two friends and I release the first issue, all in photocopy and that time here in Brazil were hard to find imported mags so we translate some articles from mags we got trying to show to the people in our city the new bands that are appearing on the scene, so right after we started getting in contact with Brazilian bands and giving more space for our own reviews. We kept walking and that two friends went out and I decided to release the mag by myself. On the issue 6 it was released written in English because I felt a good way to spread the name of the Brazilian bands outside Brazil and also the way I found to reach other part of the world. All the issues released were better from the previous one, so Black Hole is always going up... that’s my goal, to release an issue better then the last one and I thought that I’m reaching it. The last issue from “the old times” was all done without a computer, just a typewriter, glue, scissors and a Xerox machine and this “comeback issue” was done the professional way with a color cover, black/white inlay plus a free comp. CD. A great improvement isn’t it?

How wide a distribution does the magazine enjoy these days? In what parts of the world does it receive the largest response?
The distribution reaches all the continents in this fuckin' world like: Brazil, Argentina, Peru and other countries from South America, USA, Canada, most of countries in Europe, South Africa, Australia and Asia. The response is pretty good from every part of the world, there isn’t a massive response from a right place to mention.

What bands have you interviewed for past issues you consider offered the most information about themselves?
I have in mind to give space more to the underground bands who are needing a little more promotion to get their names know by the whole scene. Some bands that were interviewed on Black Hole “on the old time” were: Sepultura, Dark Angel, Blasphemer, Broken Bones, Candlemass, Coroner, Mutilator, Insaniac, Taurus, Deceased, Necromantia, Autopsy, Soothsayer, Necromancer, Mutilated, Messiah Death, Oblivion, Morbid Angel, Sindrome, Genocidio, Warhate, Vulcano, Dorsal Atlantica, Mayhem, Tankard, Zyklon-B, Revenant, Tribulation, War, Slashing Death, Deathrage, Wreckage, Ripping Corpse, Holocausto, Cremains, Desaster just to mention.

Do you find you've done a greater amount of interviews with more prominent underground bands or the more obscure ones? Do you generally interview bands or have you done the occasional interview with fanzine editors? Which interviews do you prefer doing?
I try to give space more for the underground ones but the space is there for the real ones that are really working to keep the scene going stronger and those ones deserves my support. On my last issue you will find interviews with bands like Malevolent Creation, Incantation that just put their name on the metal scene and others like Agaures, Leukorrhea who are new bands on the scene who I felt that really need some kind of support...but the space for each issue is limited so I cannot support all the bands that I want just in one issue, so this is a continuous work that I am trying to do, supporting all kind of bands, known or unknown. No I don’t do interview with zine editors, for me is a little weird I prefer to interview bands but maybe in the future I will do some zine editors’ interviews. I don’t try to generally interviews, I tried to cover all the styles but sometimes a style gets more bands interviewed then others.

Describe the various underground scenes in Brazil where Black Hole is based, such as the punk, hardcore and metal scenes. What style of music is currently the most popular lately? Do people into different styles of underground music get along well? Does this coincide with the music you most greatly enjoy listening to? What Brazilian bands and fanzines or magazines would you recommend and for what reasons?
Brazil has all the styles that you can think. Each one has its popularity, I saw the Brazilian scene very well distribute but right now I think Black Metal is bigger then Death or Grind, but some years ago Death Metal ruled down here but maybe this a international wave in this global world. About the people in different styles, sure they all get along most of time promoting concerts together and stuffs but when you see the whole thing, its very separated each style from another. As a mag edition I “must” have an open mind, trying to understand where the bands are trying to reach with their music, I mostly listen to all kinds of metal but I’m don’t like that melodic wave of bands like Rhapsody, Helloween etc...Here in Brazil talking about mags and zine we have two or three big mags that cover bands like Megadeth, Nevermore, Metallica, Stratovarius and those kind of bands and on the other level there are mags like Black Hole, Deusdemoteme which are professionally printed and other like Psychosis Death, Dark Gates that are made in a photocopy way. But most of the mags and zines are written in Portuguese language and being that way cannot be distributed in other countries just a bad thing I felt, so that’s one of the reasons I do Black Hole in English.

Which bands have you not interviewed yet that you would most like to in a future issue?
I don’t know. I would like to give space for everyone that stands working to let the underground more stronger but as I said before, my space on each issue is limited. Sometimes I heard from people that get the mag “Why are you getting this bunch of unknown bands this kind of space, Black Hole need to feature big bands....” and I always answer that the main reason for me to do the mag is to give space that the other mags don’t do for unknown bands... that's the real reason that Black Hole is alive, to be a true and strong underground supporter.

What is the complete number of demos and promotional CD's you receive for review on a regular basis? Are the majority of these enjoyable in your opinion? Any of these promos you've received for review you didn't appreciate as much?
For Black Hole #9 were reviewed about 100 material like CD's, demos, EPs etc...and mostly of bands were totally into what I said. But it’s only my opinion, maybe in some part of the world will be some that disagree and it’s normal I thought. All the material that I have received are appreciated some are better then the others but I try to see the whole picture, sometimes a band didn’t have the money to release the CD the way the expected and you must have that on your mind when you are writing a review, seeing all the effort that bands had to but this material out.

How often do you keep up with the underground in different parts of the world to complete Black Hole's news section? Is this generally an easy or a difficult task?
The news section is the one I left for the last time. Because you have to had fresh news and as a printed mag released in two or three months is difficult to release a mag with fresh news. So one week or so before sending the mag to be pressed I ask all the people to send me their news and I edit the ones I think are the important ones for that moment.

Do you currently have or would you like to build a website for Black Hole? In what ways do you believe has the advent of webzines affected the underground, for better or worse?
Last year before I came up with this printed edition I did site for Black Hole. Get in contact with people and ask for material for a review. The reviews were put on air as well some interviews but after I released the printed version. the site now is more there to give the support for the printed issue but if you visit the site right now at http://blackholemag.com you will find some exclusive wallpapers and mp3 for downloading, things that you wont get with the printed version!!! Overall I see the internet a faster way to get in contact and know info about everything. Today is more easier then 10 years ago when I stopped doing the zine. You had to have to wait for an interview for weeks because the only way we had to do that was thru the mail. Hard times.

Describe the CD compilation you released with the current edition of Black Hole. How long have you been releasing these and what was the inspiration to start? How do you go about including songs from contributing bands on these compilations? Which tracks on the new CD are your personal favorites?
I wanted to do a great “come back” issue, so the mag coming with a free CD was a dreaming that came true with a hard working from my side, looking for bands interested in that way to promote its name. That was not easy to set up all that kind of bands getting their music, going to prepare the master, sending to the factory plant and so one.
The final result was very, very good. You can hear so many styles and they are all together in a single CD which is so powerful and extreme. The comp. CD is always open to bands that really saw it as a good way to promote their sound and are accepting to pay a rate to put a track on it. I don’t have a favorite song, I always see the entire CD as a unique piece and believe me all the 19 bands on that are really good.

Is there anything new or different you'd consider featuring in the fanzine?
Right now I don’t know, maybe in the future something comes to my mind.

How prominent would you like to see Black Hole become?
I just want to see every copy from an issue of Black Hole reaching someone really interested to support the real and true underground, and if that person buy one copy from the mag I think he has it on mind and that’s for me is my goal. For this come back issue I didn’t expected that kind of reaction from some bands and readers saying that was one of the best things that they have read in years, others compared this issue to mags like Terrorizer, SOD etc. that are on the scene since Black Hole was put on ice and now I came back and they compared me to those ones which for me is a good thing.
You can check some true words about Black Hole visiting this page: http://blackholemag.com/opinions.htm

Anything you'd like to summarize to wrap up the interview?
Thanks for the space and are with people like you that this underground scene is being strong for all this years. Keep the good work my friend.

Black Hole Magazine
c/o Fernando Camacho
Caixa Postal 1181
Curitiba - PR
CEP 80.011-970
BRAZIL

http://blackholemag.com
mail@blackholemag.com

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Page Updated Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:40pm EDT