On August 1, the Spanish-language book Vampire Zine: The Dark Voice of Underground, the brainchild of Christian Ortiz Olivera, was celebrated at the Norwegian Embassy in Santiago, Chile. Shortly afterward, on August 5, a similar ceremony was held for Vampire Zine at Chile’s Finnish Embassy. Incredibly, a third event transpired on August 7 at the Danish Embassy, where the inclusion of national treasure King Diamond within the publication was greatly appreciated. The Swedish Embassy then hosted a glorious reprise on August 8. The literary achievement in question contains five magazines that were published in the ’90s, providing invaluable insight into the history of metal.
This formidable offering places particular emphasis on black metal, an international phenomenon that has been dubbed “Norway’s biggest export” due to the plethora of influential bands, from Manes to Skitliv, that have come from the country. Meanwhile, Finland’s role in extreme music remains no less important: Finland is widely regarded as “the metal capital of the world,” having spawned many of the highest quality acts:
the bestselling powerhouse Satanic Warmaster, the “Death Ambiance” pioneer Cold Prophet, Clandestine Blaze, and so forth. Sweden has similarly gifted humans with top outfits, be they Bathory, Dissection, Shining, or Lifelover. Of course, the festivities in Chile mark an important moment for the dark musical arts, which have been gaining more and more official recognition in recent years.
Vampire Zine: The Dark Voice of Underground features a stunning cover and other contributions by the revered Stan Dark Art, or Stanislav Krawczyk. This Ukrainian-born, LA-based exhibited visual artist has earned quite a large following for his sublime creations, which have even been displayed beside original H.R. Giger pieces and appear in Playboy Ukraine. Stan has become especially beloved within the metal community and has collaborated with some of its greatest innovators:
For example, he teamed up with the legendary Xasthur for Inevitably Dark and the record’s accompanying artbook as well as Finland’s mighty Beherit for Bardo Exist. It is no surprise that Stan has been named “one of the most important artists of our time” by figures such as Chet Zar. Stan’s book Sketches of Pain is a must-have.
The other contemporary talents represented within the 244-page Vampire Zine: The Dark Voice of Underground, which was completed with the assistance of Sebastián Bruna, include the prolific Christopher Szpajdel, Néstor Ávalos, Pera Cuadra, and a leading photographer that we have featured here — NecrosHorns, who just presented and discussed his epic accomplishments at the famous Czech festival Brutal Assault.
Right after participating in Israel’s first-ever black metal festival, NecrosHorns made quite a splash in 2023 by taking what has been referred to as “the most dangerous photo shoot in the history of the genre.” In other words, with outstanding frontman Wraath of Darvaza as his subject and partner in blasphemy, NecrosHorns snapped a series of thought-provoking images known as “The Omen…” that have since become iconic and hang from walls across the globe.
The setting was none other than the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus took en route to the crucifixion, and the devilish deed was executed the day before the violence erupted in Israel. NecrosHorns’ all too relevant shots stand as the perfect symbols both of spiritual freedom in combination with the genre’s unbelievable and, at its best, inexplicable power.
Again, the glorious showing of Vampire Zine: The Dark Voice of Underground at the Norwegian Embassy serves as a beautiful sign of the increasing public awareness of the significance of black metal. The movement has likewise been honored by the Royal Norwegian Consulate in New York, the Nordic Embassies in Berlin, the National Library of Norway, the Munch Museum, etc. After all, as Finn Håkon Rødland — top black metal curator, author, and eternal menace behind all that is good in the scene — always states, the titans of black metal deserve their place in history beside the likes of Munch and Grieg.
