Here it is, the official debut of Maelstrom, the underground music magazine. We have followed up our first, trial issue with the one you are reading right now. We have already tripled our review and interview sections. We have also expanded to include a live concert review and a "From the Vault" section. In this last one, each writer is invited to open up his personal archive, pull out, and talk about one of his favorite albums from years past. We think that just because an album isn't new doesn't mean it shouldn't be talked about. We also hope that the From the Vault section will be a source of knowledge for those newer to the genres of music we cover.

In this issue, in addition to reviewing 50 albums, we also present you with interviews with Aeturnus, one of Norway's most impressive and underrated metal bands, Eric Friesen, of cult duo Windham Hell, and Transgressor, a Japanese death metal band with deep roots in that country's scene. These are in addition to live reviews of the Electric Wizard/Warhorse and Dying Fetus/Gorguts/Skinless tours. We hope you enjoy this issue, and welcome any comments you may have. Please expect even better things from Maelstrom in issues to come!

We're trying to get our subscribe box up and running, but are running into some difficulties. If you'd like the convenience of having Maelstrom delivered to your box as issues come out, every month or so, please email (Roberto) at the address provided in the "about us" section. This system will do while we get a better one in place shortly.

If you'd care to send us any material you have, we'd be happy to review it. Of course, please send us contact info. The address is:

Roberto Martinelli
1573Dolores St.
San Francisco, CA 94110 USA

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