Kevin Stewart-Panko: The only thing that really comes to mind is the black album by Metallica. It was when I was still doing Doomhauled. I was the biggest Metallica freak. Kirk Hammett was the reason I started playing guitar. I bought Metallica interview picture discs. This is how much of a Metallica freak I was. Their first four records are my teenage years set to music. When I wrote the review, I didn’t even listen to it. I just said it was amazing because it was Metallica. Looking back at it now, there’s probably about half the record I like, so I probably got that one wrong.
As you’re reading a metal magazine, is there anything that drives you nuts or that you would change if you were in charge?
I can respect all kinds of opinions, because not everybody thinks the same. If a lot of bands understood that philosophy that not everybody is going to like you, there would be a lot less conflict in the music world. But what drives me nuts is when you read a review and somebody says, “this sucks just because it’s metalcore, or this sucks because it’s so and so.” It’s not even like the person took the time to listen to it to try and discover what goes on in that music and to see if there’s more to it. Every band has something that could be there waiting to be discovered.
But do metal magazines really need to review video games? I think they do it just so the editors can get free games.
That’s true, but at the same time if you approach it in a unique way it can work. Metal and hardcore kids are all nerds anyway. I’d be leery if they dedicated 10 pages to video games instead of one or two. There’s enough blood and gore in video games these days to match any Cannibal Corpse record.
Who do you think are the most overrated and underrated metal bands?
Overrated: Machine Head, Dethklok, Job For a Cowboy and ... I better stop now! Underrated: All the bands that I like that haven't sold nearly as much as Machine Head, Dethklok, Job For a Cowboy, etc.
What genres of metal are your most and least favorite?
I don't really have favorite bands. The same sort of goes for genres. Any band that's doing something decent deserves a listen, doesn't matter what genre they are. If they're pushing the boundaries of their genre, I'm more likely to check them out and be interested in what they're doing and how they're doing it. At the same time, I go through phases where I prefer listening to such-and-such over this-and-that. Lately, I've been loving grindcore, old school thrash/speed metal, anthemic punk rock (specifically, the new Paint It Black album) and metalgaze.
What advice to have for new and aspiring metal writers who want to get to the level where you are?
Wait until I retire so you don’t take any of my jobs. (laughs) You have to hone your skills first. You see certain people’s names all over the glossies, but we didn’t start there. I did a zine for 10 years before I got hooked up with Terrorizer. It’s not like we showed up one day and started writing for the bigger magazines. There’s a process to it. Like any job you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. Part of working your way up is practicing your writing and doing something different. You have to have something different in your writing than what’s already out there.
This is something you have to hustle at, too. You have to keep on top of what’s going on, your emails, pitching stories. I still have to pitch stories all the time. I do get editors asking me to do things, but usually I pick bands I want to write about and pitch them to editors. You have to have a good work ethic and some organizational skills.
