288 page hardcover-book with black hot foil printing on cover, spine and back. Size: 24 x 32 cm
Fanzines were of pivotal importance to the rise and development of the global Death and Black Metal underground scenes during the 1980s and ’90s. With no internet to rely on, publications like Slayer, Voices from the Darkside, Petrified, and countless others played a crucial role—providing fans with valuable information, introducing them to new bands, sharing the latest news, and offering a platform for underground acts to present themselves.
One such fanzine was Finland’s Hammer of Damnation. Founded in 1991 and run solely by one passionate enthusiast, Niko Sirkiä, the zine published five issues during its five-year existence. Niko, also known as the vocalist of Funeral Doom pioneers Thergothon, was from the very beginning committed to featuring some of the most fascinating and obscure bands the underground had to offer. Mayhem, Burzum, Blasphemy, Emperor, Impaled Nazarene, Necromantia, Beherit (one of the band’s very first interviews), Samael, Autopsy, Unholy, and many lesser-known bands—you name it—they all appeared in one form or another within the handmade pages of Hammer of Damnation.
Unbound by scenes or external expectations, and guided solely by his own instincts and interests, Niko shifted the focus of the zine in later issues. While the first three issues were devoted predominantly to Death Metal, Black Metal, and Grindcore, issue four marked a turn toward electronic and industrial sounds, featuring acts like Brighter Death Now, Mortiis, and Blood Axis.
Always intent on delivering nothing but the highest quality, we spared no expense in ensuring that the five legendary issues of Hammer of Damnation receive the treatment they deserve. Each issue is prefaced with new, in-depth personal reflections written by Niko specifically for this re-release—offering insight into the context and spirit in which each was created.
For the very first time, the unfinished sixth issue is also included, finally available to readers. As if that weren’t enough, this reissue offers a glimpse into Niko’s earliest steps as a fanzine editor, along with a trove of newsletters and flyers from 1992 to 1997.
This hefty tome, comprising nearly 300 pages, serves as a peephole into an era before the internet—long buried by time and dust. Yet sitting down with it, soaking in its atmosphere while spinning a classic album, one can still catch the scent of all the Blood, Fire, and Death that once ruled supreme. |
