Worm Gear

It has been a long time coming friends and supporters! Worm Gear has returned after 2+ years of hibernation. I have to admit… I needed the break. My wife and I had a son. Work got busier. Bindrune Recordings has gotten busier. There were things that needed attending to and honestly, WG slid down my list of priorities as I have struggled to feel alright with a changing music business and where an independent publication fits into it. The thought of just letting it all go has entered my mind over the years on more than one occasion, even though I have greatly missed writing about the music I love and sharing my thoughts with whoever wanted to stay a moment and read them. Gone was another writing outlet that I greatly respected and enjoyed contributing to (Metal Maniacs) and really, I just felt rather empty to everything that had to do with metal “journalism”.

The events leading up to the rebirth of WG happened quickly, inspired by the arrival of Jim Clifton and his family to Traverse City, MI. We became fast friends and I greatly respect the mans passion for this music. As we discussed a way to work together on some project that reflected our mutual interests, the subject of Worm Gear came up in the conversation and we both realized that he could be a great asset and coconspirator/editor in reviving this medium of opinionated expression. I’ve never felt great about losing the print side of Worm Gear, or how we left it to just kind of rot on the Net, but his ideas and excitement towards the written word and appreciation for what Scott and I had nurtured since 1995, breathed much needed inspiration into my sails. So here we are. The plan is for more frequent updates. More reviews and interviews. There are other “what if” plans that we would like to put into action, but first we must see if you’re still out there. Do you still care? If so… share the news of our return. Take time to comment and be a part of this blog/interactive medium. We would like feedback and to hear from you. If we can get this off the ground again, who knows where Worm Gear will end up…
Before I turn this over to Jim for his introduction, some of you will be asking, “Where’s Scott?” He too grew tired of the struggle to present Worm Gear to the masses, both in the writing end and the technical end as he also was the guy to do all the website stuff. He worked his ass off to see this thing survive and it was often a lot of tedious/time consuming work with little reward. My eternal thanks, love and respect go out to him for this and his friendship. Even though he’s not as vocal and involved as he used to be, he’s still here lurking and will be contributing pieces when the spirit moves him.
OK friends… there is a pulse… It is with great honor and respect that I introduce you to Worm Gear’s new co-editor, Jim Clifton! -Marty

Marty Rytkonen Playlist:
Bethlehem – Suizid and Mein Weg
Forefather – Last of the Line and Steadfast
Fates Warning – Night on Brocken
ICS Vortex – Storm Seeker
Borknagar – Urd
Weapon – Embers and Revelations
Arch/Matheos – Sympathetic Resonance
Satyricon – The Shadowthrone
Vektor – Outer Isolation
Hades – Again Shall Be

“I got up and told my idols, then still the most extreme metal group on earth, that we too were a band and that we were going to be more extreme than them. Venom reacted condescendingly to us big-mouthed little nobodies. Cronos simply replied with a bemused: ‘Oh yeah?’”

-Thomas Gabriel Fischer, “Only Death Is Real: An Illustrated History of Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost”

Those that come after are often compelled to outdo those that have gone before. I, however, am no Thomas Gabriel Fischer with decades of highly-influential riffage eventually justifying his youthful exuberance. Think of me, rather, as a ripening metal devotee that has, for most of his 38 years, shoved all things Metal into his dark heart and considers himself ready to discuss what great music lies churning beneath the waters of Acheron. I won’t try to mimic or presume to match the level of contributions made by Worm Gear Zine’s forebears (most notably of course, Scott Candey, Worm Gear Zine co-creator and Marty’s lifelong friend); any attempt to do so would serve only to diminish a history I am quite proud to continue. Instead, with my own voice and humor, I’ll carve a new niche while never taking an eye off of Worm Gear’s yesterday, wherein reviews and rants were kept honest, relevant, and informative, and have continued to be (sans the hiatus) since 1995. With gratitude and humility, I thank Mr. Rytkonen for granting me the title of co-editor. And I, if given the opportunity by all of you, will through words provide the credibility necessary for this role, as we all row forward together in a blood-stained skiff, bent on the deliberate and considered examination of extreme music. Trust that Marty and I have god-size plans for this much-heralded, newly-unearthed Worm Gear Zine, and with your participation, praise, and yes, criticism, you can be a part of this new Beast and its return.

Welcome to Hell. -Jim

Jim Clifton Playlist:
Agalloch – Faustian Echoes
Aura Noir – Out to Die
Azaghal – Teraphim
Bathory – Blood On Ice
Deströyer 666 – Phoenix Rising
Evilfeast/Marblebog – Isenheim/Abyss Calls … (split)
Ildjarn/Nidhogg – s/t (split)
Panopticon – Kentucky
Pig Destroyer – Prowler In The Yard
Vinterriket – Lichtscheier

~ by martyworm on September 30, 2012.

Posted in ALL REVIEWS, PLAYLIST
Tags: Marty Rytkonen