The Grimoire of Exalted Deeds

#6 $3 (245 Lakeview Ave. #237 Clifton, NJ 07011)
by Scott Hefflon

Just from the disclaimer, I had the feeling I was going to enjoy this metal ‘zine. They claim, repeatedly, to not really take the music, the rules of death metal, nor much of anything, very seriously. How refreshing. They also reprint many of the very critical letters they receive in response to their rather brutal sense of humor. And they don’t even take the last word (or the final pot-shot, as the case may be). The interviews are like few others you’ll find, with both information and inanity interspersed in good measure. They give you the facts, their opinions, and plenty of the “boxers or briefs” questions that, while they don’t exactly educate, often entertain. Especially if the band doesn’t know what their getting into. Sure, a few of the reviewers appear to be under-sexed, racist, homophobic, chauvinists with a vocabulary of 100 assorted mumbles and grunts, but this is probably the first time I’ve ever seen a metal mag written by the people for the people exemplifying one of life’s most insidious truths: most metalheads are fucking stupid. How many metal reviews are written by “professional journalists” sitting in their cubicles, spilling spiked coffee on their out-of-style ties, who completely miss the passion of heavy music? Most of ’em. T.G.o.E.D. is at least honest in their juvenility.