Vincebus Eruptum No. 17: The Freak Flag Still Flies
No doubt about it, Vincebus Eruptum has its thing and does it well. The Italian fanzine continues to keep me enamored with issue no. 17 (which actually came out in February but was somewhat delayed in getting to me owing to US post office silliness), redoubling my passion for underground print media with its own. Editor Davide “Davidew” Pansolin has assembled another round of interviews with new and established bands, and in addition to as ever supporting the hell out of his native Italian scene, he’s reached across borders and continents in the reviews section to once again tantalize with a variety of heavy wares. I think I say this every time I get an issue, but I never come out of
reading Vincebus Eruptum without wanting to spend money on records.
I’d understand if that actually turned some people off from reading — last thing any of us need to be shelling out a more significant portion of income, I’m sure — but the fact is that even if you don’t immediately take to label sites, Bandcamp pages or whatever other outlets (physical stores, maybe?) and pony up, Vincebus Eruptum remains a good way to stay informed. Especially for somebody like me, who’s a nerd for Euro heavy psych but lives across a particularly large body of water, it’s a cool way to stay in the loop. Not that the ‘zine just sticks to European bands, though. This time around, an interview with San Francisco’s Wild Eyes SF caught my eye as a cool read after reviewing their Get Into It! vinyl, and chats with Icelandic rockers The Vintage Caravan, The Oscillation and Alice Tambourine Lovers followed suit. I hadn’t heard of Minneapolis’ The Lone Crows, so mark that a win as well.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Vincebus Eruptum if Italy wasn’t strongly represented. By my count, 17 of the 38 reviews are either bands of Italian origin or on an Italian label, and that includes such heavy-hitters as Void Generator‘s new album and Fatso Jetson‘s limited 7″ on Go Down Records, so everything included well earns its place. Two releases by Swedish rockers The Movements are covered, and takes on Deamon’s Child and Earthless once again assure Vincebus Eruptum‘s commitment to all things heavy, regardless of where they might call home. Now a licensed cultural association
(fiscal code 92100050092) and a sponsor of the Desertfest in Berlin with new label releases from Organic is Orgasmic and Sendelica — the latter are coincidentally interviewed in issue no. 17 — through Vincebus Eruptum Recordings, it seems like the ‘zine has never been going stronger.
That’s all the more impressive in an age of such rampant internet dominance, proving that if you offer a unique, well-curated experience and understand your audience, it’s still possible to make a print model work. Easier said than done, of course, but flipping the pages once again of Vincebus Eruptum, they make it seem so natural, so easy, that one can only hope they keep it going into perpetuity. It’s a joy when the next issue shows up.
