Did you read Heaven's Metal or HM magazine in print?

I'm thinking of publishing a print magazine and was just curious.

I read the print version back in the 90s while it was still Heaven's Metal and then some as it switched to HM.  I lost interest after that.

Early 90s for me I would also purchase copies of the radio show Tempered Steel wish I still had them

I read it in the 90's. Pretty much nixed my subscription after the reviewer said Antestor "Return of the Black Death" was "scary".

...not because of his opinion, his opinion was fine and probably what most "normal" people have and that's the reason - it really only covered all the "normal" hard music.

Extreme metal reviews/interviews were lucky to be 5% of the content and that's what I was into.

80s and 90s

My neighbor had a subscription to it back in the late 80s! Just barely after it began! I read his - and then subscribed to my own!!! I had it from 1988 - to about 95 or so. Lost interest when it turned to HM. Just didn't cover my music anymore.

Yep 90's. Used to buy them from the local Christian bookstore.

00s, I was born in 2000 so yea, but my parents did have a subscription through the 90s and until it became digital only.

I still read them and I have tons of HMs lying around, and some original Heavens Metal ones.

Actually above my computer is the July/August 97' issue with Living Sacrifice on the cover.

Yip and since there was no internet it was the only option. I do miss getting my copy though, although it strayed from the the good stuff into almost pop stuff yuk.

Read it when it was heavens metal...lost interest when it changed to HM...
Wasnt the old issues suppose to be issued in electronic form?

Couldn't select my choice. By all means I wasn't too young.... I never knew it existed! I only knew of these and read them all the time:

 





Cool win a phone call from Jani Lane! 

I was a regular subscriber of Heaven's Metal/HM until the end of print. That being said, however for the last couple years of it's existence I enjoyed the Heaven's Metal fanzine over regular HM. The metal scene changed, and a lot of what was out there didn't capture my interest.

Let me say this however. I think you are going to have a tough go of it putting together a print mag. Things went bad for HM not because Doug didn't know how to put together a magazine, he did. It went bad because of changes in how people gather their info on music, changes in the print industry, lack of advertiser support etc.

People learn about their music differently now. Take for example Chaotic Resemblance. Somebody posted a link to a new song of theirs here, I watched the video courtesy of YouTube. Bam! I've been exposed to their music, no magazine required.

Read every issue that was ever done, digital or print, up until the very last recent ones.  I miss it!

I think I also got it when it was relaunched I think it was a gift subscription but cannot completely remember

Subscribed in the 80's & 90's. Dropped it not long after the name change to HM. Collecting a few back issues currently. Hope the electronic version see the light of day.

bjorn agin wrote:I was a regular subscriber of Heaven's Metal/HM until the end of print. That being said, however for the last couple years of it's existence I enjoyed the Heaven's Metal fanzine over regular HM. The metal scene changed, and a lot of what was out there didn't capture my interest.

Let me say this however. I think you are going to have a tough go of it putting together a print mag. Things went bad for HM not because Doug didn't know how to put together a magazine, he did. It went bad because of changes in how people gather their info on music, changes in the print industry, lack of advertiser support etc.

People learn about their music differently now. Take for example Chaotic Resemblance. Somebody posted a link to a new song of theirs here, I watched the video courtesy of YouTube. Bam! I've been exposed to their music, no magazine required.

Yep, look at the 3 mags I mentioned above. As far as I know they are GONE...

CREEM: 1969 - 1989
Hit Parader: 1942 - 2008... 1942?!?
Metal Edge: 1985 - 2009

R.I.P. mags.....

I always thought Hit Parader was a metal magazine. I guess you can't get much more metal and Elvis or Lucy! LOL!!

bjorn agin wrote:I was a regular subscriber of Heaven's Metal/HM until the end of print. That being said, however for the last couple years of it's existence I enjoyed the Heaven's Metal fanzine over regular HM. The metal scene changed, and a lot of what was out there didn't capture my interest.

Let me say this however. I think you are going to have a tough go of it putting together a print mag. Things went bad for HM not because Doug didn't know how to put together a magazine, he did. It went bad because of changes in how people gather their info on music, changes in the print industry, lack of advertiser support etc.

People learn about their music differently now. Take for example Chaotic Resemblance. Somebody posted a link to a new song of theirs here, I watched the video courtesy of YouTube. Bam! I've been exposed to their music, no magazine required.

Oh yeah, no delusions here about that.  I wouldn't do it to make money.  I already have a successful business for that.  I still love and read print magazines personally to get my info, but I know most people don't.  I use the internet too but more after I've read about something in a print mag.  Otherwise it's just too much work scouring a million places online.  Busy people don't have time for that.  I like to have all the info in one easy-to-digest place like a print mag that I can read over a meal or two. 

Magazines like Heaven's Metal were extremely important just from an encouragement and community standpoint as well as news.  I don't even know if I'd still be a Christian if it wasn't for xian metal and the magazines binding the scene together back then, speaking gospel in my language.  Honestly, even thought I ate it up I do think Heaven's Metal was done poorly from an adult standpoint; most of the reviews and interviews were written at like a 9th grade level.  Which is fine since most of us were in high school anyway.  How much more could a professionally-done and more adult magazine do?  There's a void, now that nobody is doing it.  I would do it more as a hobby and mission because I think it's important that such a thing exist.  Even if it only encouraged a small handful of people to keep going in the faith, it would be worth the disposable income I'd throw at it.  More than anything else I could do with my money, if done well.  It could also provide jobs to a few people, which is another good thing. 

But you know, I'm just mulling it over and praying about it as a possibility.  If I pursue it, I'll see if God opens or closes doors for it.  Once I've done my best, it's really up to him if something like that is fruitful or barren.