WHO WE ARE

Ave Noctum is a brand new webzine set up in Jan 2012 by the creative forces behind long-running publications metalteamuk.net and live4metal.com, with the intent of becoming a reliable source for fans of extreme music and film alike, and with a strong focus on covering stuff that is dark, atmospheric and extreme. Unlike a number of ‘zines out there, we take pride in producing content that is of a consistently high quality in terms of being well-written and well-researched. The internet brings a great opportunity to offer a real alternative to the mainstream press, and this website is aimed at the reader who wants to read content that is more in-depth than what is currently available.

 

HOW DO I CONTACT YOU?

If you want to write for us, work with us, trade links, advertise, get sponsorship for your event, send us a CD or DVD to review then please read the FAQs page before contacting us.

To send us promo CDs, use the following address:

Pete Woods, 6 Kingston House, 232-234 Imperial Drive, Harrow, HA2 7HJ

For all other enquiries please e-mail [email protected] .

 

OUR COVERAGE CRITERIA

The focus of Ave Noctum is very much towards music and film that is dark, atmospheric and extreme – musical styles we will definitely cover include; black metal, death metal, doom, gothic metal and rock, industrial, ambient, proper punk, anarchist punk, crust, thrash, speed, heavy and power metal…as well as anything dark and weird that has not been mentioned.

Please be aware that we are not a “rock” website, and while we do have a couple of resident wrinkly-rockers on board to cover the occasional big-hitting hard rock classic, the editors reserve the right to reject 99% of releases in this category.

We are currently building up the film section of this site and are interested in working with anyone dealing with film releases within the underground/independent horror and extreme cinema genres. Do not expect to find reviews of the latest Hollywood blockbusters on these pages!

 

STUFF WE DO NOT COVER

Generic pop, mainstream dance, soulless R&B, emo, pop punk, student rock, bland indie music – any of this stuff will be fed to the bin (or the junk folder).

Unobservant PR folk please note that while we are NOT going to review Jason Donovan or The Strokes, you are welcome to keep wasting your time e-mailing us – they always provide a chuckle here at AN HQ!

NO Bringmethehairdresserfloppyfringecleanvocalcore! We are not strictly a ‘metal zine’ just because your band plays metal does not mean it will necessarily be included. We all really dislike that modern metal sound with clean harmonies and floppy fringes polluting it. Please do not send us this sort of stuff. If you are unsure it is best you ask!

NO GUITAR WIDDLY-WANKERY MALMSTEEN COPYCAT LOOK-AT-ME-I-CAN-REALLY-PLAY MUSIC – Please, please, PLEASE do not send us this stuff! At best you will get an overly facetious ranting review about how pointlessly self-indulgent/self-congratulatory the whole genre is so our advice is that you go elsewhere for your ego-feeding.

NO NAZIS – Okay, we’re partial to a bit of Burzum even if Varg is a right old silly-billy. Everyone is entitled to their own political views, but if your album is covered in swastikas and every song is about killing N*****s and preserving Aryan purity then we’ll pass.

NO CHRISTIAN BLACK METAL – Okay, you play metalcore and you go to church, fine – but when your music sounds like an unholy racket saluting the horned one it just really loses all meaning and effect when deep down the message is praise the lord and love thy neighbour. Thou shalt not preach!

NO BANDCAMP LINKS. We consider ourselves professional and if you think you can throw bandcamp links at us with minimum effort they will be ignored. It is not just the music that is important but the overall presentation of it too. If you are not prepared to put work into it to present your music properly we are afraid we are going to decline spending ours covering it!

 

OTHER FAQ’S

 

I am in an unsigned band. Will you review our album/demo/gig?

We get loads of requests from bands to review their stuff, and we do try our best to make sure that everything gets covered so long as it fits into our musical criteria (see about us page). Under our previous guise of MTUK we championed a number of unsigned bands who have gone on to achieve big things, and we are always happy to put our support behind any young band where we recognise genuine talent and potential combined with the right attitude. We believe in an honest approach, which gives us credibility and believe that constructive criticism is more helpful to bands than fawning praise.

Please note that we are still very much anti-downloading for various reasons, and we reserve the right to reject self-released albums or demos where a physical copy has not been received. We judge demos and self-released efforts as a whole package, not solely on the music, and thus we cannot accept submissions in MP3 format. As long as there are bands putting time and effort into making professional releases, these are the ones that will get priority.

Obviously we can’t go to every gig out there and it is highly unlikely we will come and see you play at your local pub if we haven’t heard your demo. If we’ve previously given you a good review however feel free to get in touch – you might get lucky 😉

I am a journalist/photographer and would like to work for Ave Noctum. How do I apply?

We get quite a few photographers get in touch asking if we can publish photographs on our website, and the simple answer is no. We are first and foremost a writing-based webzine, and the photo-galleries you see are always accompanied by a review of the same concert.

We are currently seeking new writers to join our team. Experience is preferred, although not essential. We are looking for people who are passionate and knowledgeable about music, and who have the confidence to put their own honest thoughts and opinions on an album or concert into words. While no formal qualifications are required, an excellent grasp of written English is essential, as is the ability to meet deadlines. Please contact [email protected], giving a brief outline of your musical tastes along with at least two review samples.

We are not currently looking for any film journalists, however feel free to drop us a line if you are interested in contributing to this area and we will keep your details on file.

Will you sponsor my event?

We are likely to be interested in sponsoring your event if it fits in with the general aesthetic of Ave Noctum and is likely to be of mutual interest to our core readers. We would offer you a free advertising space on our website, an event preview write-up in the build up to your event and plug on our Facebook in the days running up to the event, or if this does not suit then we will work something else out. In return we would ask that our logo be placed on all advertising materials for the event and that Ave Noctum flyers be handed out at the event. This is typically open to events in the UK that are either music or film related, however European events will be considered if it is likely to be of significant interest to people living in the UK.

Can we have a link/advertise on your website?

We have a limited number of advertising slots available on the website, so get in touch with [email protected] to arrange something. We vet the companies who want to advertise to ensure that adverts are in keeping with the look of the site, and that it is a product that is likely to appeal to our core readers. This may be related to music, film, alternative fashion, lifestyle, art, photography, or anything else along these lines.

We do have a links page and will be happy to put a link to your website on there. We do ask that you link us first before contacting us.