NOISE POLLUTION #1 - PILOT ISSUE
INTRODUCING THE PILOT ISSUE!!
(Originally published November 24, 2024)
NOISE POLLUTION is a print-formatted zine primarily posted on Instagram (@noisepollutionzine), with PDF and print versions available. To better digitize the zine, I am trying out Substack as a way to offer even more accessible reading for metalheads all over the internet. See table of contents below with navigational links, and DOWNLOADABLE PDF AT THE END!
INSIDE:
Click links to navigate individually published pages
1 (THIS PAGE)
6 REPORTING FROM THE 2024 AFTERSHOCK PIT by NICO
10 THAT ONE METALHEAD THAT'S TOO WOKE...
11 CLIFF BURTON — MOURNING A MEMORY
12 AAPI IN METAL — KIRK HAMMETT
13-14 I'M SORRY SF + BLAST TO THE PAST?
15 THE BIG CHOP
16 TAPE TRADE
LISTENING TO:
“Ride the Lightning” by Metallica
Picking a fav Metallica song is never easy, but RTL is definitely up in the top 5, maybe top 3 lately. Been learning to play faster solos on guitar with this one; I can say I’ve memorized the whole solo, now just have to get my fingers to play the notes right (impossible for me :’))
“Liberate” & “No Life” by Slipknot
After seeing Slipknot at Aftershock (pg. 5 for more on that!), I immediately picked up Slipknot on CD. Pre-Aftershock, I was familiar with 2/3 of the album, but didn’t know “Liberate”, and idk why but it’s been a go-to starter on my playlist since; probably something to do with the anger in the music. Same goes for “No Life”, with an even more political angle: “BREATHE, AMERI-CULT BREATHE!”
“Hang ‘Em High” by Havok
Heard this one on a political instagram post like a year ago, and it just hits. The lyrics refer directly to corporations that control US politics, with a chorus that calls out the tactics of scapegoating “outsiders” for the problems in our country that are directly symptoms of capitalism and imperialism. Havok’s wider discog. is still on my “to-listen” list, and their music + the way political lyrics are received by the metal community are definitely gonna be written about in future issues.
“Bonded by Blood” by Exodus
Being newly relocated to the Bay Area, I have to give props to the central band of the 80s thrash movement. According to the Bay Area metal book, Murder in the Front Row (pg. 7), Exodus was sort of the spirit of the culture, and Bonded by Blood is about the chaotic, and at times bloody, thrash metal scene. I’m hoping to see Exodus with Havok (pg. 17), and I’ll definitely dive into their discog. + their legacy in the area.
“Refuse/Resist” & “Territory” by Sepultura
I got into Sepultura earlier this year, and wow I’m glad I did. Brutal Brazilian thrash? ✔️ Heavy riffs and vocals? ✔️ Left-leaning politics, criticisms of conservatism, and anti-fascist statements? ✔️ There’s debate about the departure of the Cavalera brothers (pg. 8), and I missed their farewell tour that passed SF, but I’ll definitely be listening and writing more soon. Chaos A.D. is angry: “Refuse/Resist” is the perfect protest song as we see the police and gov. uphold the imperialist U.S. state and crack down on anti-genocide and working class movements; “Territory”’s music video from ‘93 directly depicts the Isr*eli settler state apartheid and oppression of Palestinians. FREE PALESTINE.
GET NOISE POLLUTION!!
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