The first digital issue of AFRICA.ROCKS Magazine goes on sale on 16 June through ZINIO and its thousands of digital partners.
The magazine is a product of AFRICA.ROCKS and the US-based Southern Soundclash Records, who now join us on this route through the African continent and beyond!
Joel Costa, editor of AFRICA.ROCKS, comments: “The first issue puts Kenya’s Chovu on the cover. Southern Soundclash Records are the label behind Ufalme Wa Mali, the band’s latest release, but the idea of giving Chovu this space started before the magazine partnership. It began with an interview I did with them for a Colombian magazine, where it became obvious to me that their shamanic black metal needed more space than a normal feature could give it. And that is what the digital magazine is for, to give us room to go deeper, use stronger visuals, and stay with the story for longer.”
Laremy Wade of Southern Soundclash Records adds: “Chovu, at first glance, is not your typical black metal band rooted in Norwegian origins. Instead, the band reflects a unique aspect of Indigenous shamanic lore, becoming part of a broader movement as ancient forces guide its members toward a new evolution through their engagement with outsiders and the raw force of their music, revealing the strong arm of primitive black metal.”
The African side of the issue also brings together Scarab, Primordial Black, Maddox Theory, Nawather and Nakaka Vibration. From Egyptian death metal to the qanûn woven into the Tunisian sound, the issue follows different countries, different stories and different ways of making music on the continent.
The issue also moves through other stories from Beyond Africa. Moonspell speak about Far From God, but also about the personal and historical links that Fernando Ribeiro sees between the band, Portugal and the African continent. Massacre look back on their first South African tour and Impureza appear as part of the first AFRICA.ROCKS compilation released in South Africa, bringing their mix of death metal, flamenco and Spanish historical memory into the same route.
No continent has given more to music. Now hear it roar.
