Maximum Ego Produced Magazines

 

1985 Nocturne
Free A5 sized xerox Goth 'zine featuring dark poetry and art, plus a few album reviews. Circulated around record stores and DKD Cafe in Auckland only.

 

1987 Written in Blood - Issue no.1
A5 sized / xeroxed booklet of NZ dark poetry, short stories and a few pieces of art. 50 copies were produced.

 

1988 Written in Blood - Issue no.2
Both issues were re-issued with extra pages and given out at the dark arts/Gothic festival held in the Auckland Domain in 1989.

 

1991 Visual Uproar - Issue no.1
Featured Jonestown Olympics, Rumblefish, The Warners, Waxtrax, Cease to Exist, East, Deadflowers, plus heaps more.

 

1991 Visual Uproar - Issue no. 2
Featured Fatal Jelly Space, Honeylove, Leper Asylum, Voodoo Love, Plastersaints, Braintree, Otis Mace.

 

1992 Visual Uproar - Issue no.3
Featured Hallelujah Picassos, Second Child, Australian band Leadleg, an Industrial update, No Lys, Strangeways, One, Hieronymus Bosch

 

1992 Intravene Magazine - Issue 1
Featured Gnasher, Fatal Jelly Space, Bone Dry Bubble, Sindrome, Ethiopian Lard Farmers, Nefarious, Psychic TV, Flood, Froithead and Lungfeast.

 

1992 Intravene Magazine - Issue 2
7 Dials, Dirtbox, The Screaming Beatniks, Consolidated, an introduction to The Temple Ov Psychik Youth, Lungfeast.

 

1993 Intravene Magazine - Issue 3
Lung, Honeylove, Suns of Arqa, Froithead, Cicada, The Thrill Kill Kult, and Swamp Goblin

 

1993 Intravene Magazine - Issue 4
Belly, Cicada, Crash, an Industrial overview, music and dance of the Borrieo Pagans.

 

1994 Intravene Magazine - Issue 5
Bailterspace, Loves Ugly Children, Lushburger, Tall Dwarfs.

 

1994 Intravene Magazine - Issue 6
Pungent Stench, Chris Knox, Warp Spasm, Bizarre beats.

 

1994 Intravene Magazine - Issue 7
3Ds, DOA, Babes in Toyland, No Means No, All, Braintree

 

1994 Intravene Magazine - Issue 8
Insekt, Thorazine Shuffle, Primus, Urban Disturbance, Fuedant, Lovegang, You Am I, Dog Machine, Hoodlum Priest.

 

1994 Intravene Magazine - Issue 9
Wendyhouse, Thinktank, Crash, Teen Shag Superstar, Blair Jollands, Future Stupid, Pansy Division, Shinjuku Thief.

 

1995 Intravene Magazine - Issue 10
Shihad, Pumpkinhead, Figure 60, Kim Blackburn, Extreme records history.

 

1995 Intravene Magazine - Issue 11
Evilis, Jungle Fungus, Sudersuk, Killer Ray, Skinny puppy.

 

 

Maximum Ego Productions Video Releases
Hieronymus Bosch - The Videos. 4 song video DELETED
-Screwface
-Suckman - Live at Arcadia '92
-Father of Lies
-Needlepark 1990

Technohell 1 - Documenting the annual Cyber/Industrial event - featured Hieronymus bosch, Froithead, Lungfeast, Nazi Disco, Love & Violence and Sawchain.
DELETED

 
Technohell 2 - A celebration of synthesis.
Compulsory Joy, Two Thieves and a Liar, Fruit, Winge, Love & Violence, Hieronymus Bosch, Affliction addiction.
DELETED

Technohell 3 - Terrorvision.
Hieronymus Bosch, Affliction Addiction, Compulsory Joy, Fruit, Debase, Modulator, Reject Twin.
DELETED

 

 

Club Bizarre Magazine Releases

1997-1999 Bizarre [Bizarre Beats newsletter/zine] - 5 Issues
A giveaway A3 folded down to A5 size 'zine we put out to coincide with our shop in K' Rd. Featured reviews of stocked albums and other store and Club Bizarre event related news and info. .

 

1998 Deadlines Magazine - Issue 1
Christian Death, Ildfrost, Inertia, Vampire articles, pinups, reviews, poetry and art

 

1999 Deadlines Magazine - Issue 2
The Colorado shootings, Winterland, Myths about Goth, So Goth it hurts, Spell crafting, Vampire rules, Nocturne '98 centre spread, Masochrist, Death in June.

 

 

Club Bizarre CD Releases

 
1997 Hieronymus Bosch - Self titled
- St Veronicas Veil
- The Sphinx is Silent
- Bleeding
- Turfmeat
- Bedlam and the muses

REVIEWS
U.M.S zine (Under My Skin) USA Review
"...Phenomenal new dark atmospheric release from this mysterious outfit from the depths of the globe, New Zealand. Unleashed howling demons spin cavernous tones and textures alluring as you are helplessly dragged into the resonating voids. Hypnotic rhythms pulse and reverberate. Stark and sometimes minimalist , but always such violence in sculpture . Hieronymus Bosch embrace the darkness , yet run to the light . Wonder at the state of death and celebrate life . darkness is your friend."

ALBUM OF THE MONTH Audioglobe Newsletter 1997 Review
Hieronymus bosch was the weirdest medieval painter/artist famous for his far out, darkest and frightening paintings. He was described as the worlds first surrealist and his painted nightmares appear to be very modern still today. Hieronymus Bosch is also a project from the far away NZ and they have been creating dark industrial chaos for the past 12 years, making them the longest running and surprisingly NZ's only electronic industrial performance act. This self titled and long awaited debut release combines sounds both electronic and acoustic to create rhythms of various moods. Sometimes beautiful (almost classical) and atmospheric, sometimes intense, overwhelming and nightmarish. Hieronymus Bosch are a unique and refreshing experience. Experience life, death and beyond.
1998 Hieronymus Bosch - The Divided Self
- The Burning of the Sick and the Poor
- The Serpent and the Rainbow
- Spiral Dance
- Lorginas Rattle
- Petrified(The Sick Soul)
- Desmodus Rotundus
- Reality of the Unseen
- The Nails and the Spear
- Blood Countess

REVIEWS
Nightbreed 1999 Review
Dark medieval/industrial/soundscapes from NZ. Great cover artwork, intensely mystical and sinister. One for all fans of Coldmeat releases crossed with stuff like Love lies Bleeding and Endura etc.

Audioglobe newsletter 2000 Review
Dark & brooding Nightmarescapes throb and writhe like wounded serpents, choking and ebbing painfully in formation across the desolate plains in the world of Hieronymus Bosch. Sinister moods develop and disturb the inner senses. Moulding electronic pulsing rhythmic waves and samples with acoustic/organic sound sculpting, overlaid with the darkest of vocal spectres. Hieronymus Bosch explore the darkest of Netherworlds, bringing to life the dreams and visions produced in all of us. The frightening scenarios played by the multitude in full horrifying reality in the mind of a child in deepest of sleep. Their world can also be a beautiful one. One of moments of light and solitude. A peace state awaiting breaking point. Relaxed yet tense!!!.The inner light is held forward to greet the darkness. Exploring both sides, Hieronymus paint an aural masterpiece. A canvas depicting all that is "real", in life and beyond. For every bad there is goodness. For every good moment lurks the potential for evil. A merging in styles ranging from dark mystical ambient venturing into experimental/industrial territories. A genuine Masterpeice for those that appreciate the sounds of Dark-End labels like Cold Meat Industry and Projekt !!!

Hieronymus Bosch- The Divided Self: TTM Sideline Magazine
The fact that New Zealand also harbors a penchant for the bizarre and dark is known at least ever since the movies of Peter Jackson. He is filming the Lord of the Ring trilogy at the moment in the pre-historic rainforests of the island and Hieronymus Bosch could be the fitting native soundtrack. While the self-titled debut is very calm and menacingly sluggish, rather phlegmatically and uneventfully rumbling along,"The Divided Self conveys a much more mature and differentiated style. Dark bombast, ominous orchestration, buried vocal samples, electronic experiments, metallic clanging and banging and portentous moods, Hieronymus Bosch create intensive pieces of dark heaviness. The first piece is wrought around the zealous speech of a priest with accompanying echoes, strings, grumbling vocals and gentle beats. The reverberating treatment of the sermon reminds me strongly of The Subjects, who also sampled a clerical figure in such a fashion in the early 90's only to have a very danceable beat beneath the ranting. This is followed by a short, gargling experimental piece with a Cold Meat-ish bombastic piano and drums piece in tow twisting around wailing electronic shards. This alternating pattern of noisy experiment and pitch-dark calm is continued throughout the album. The music appears to come from distant corners and seems to have fought its way to us, exhausted but still audible. Under the layers of sound sources and instruments a very odd style shows its face, feeding from many sources, but filtering them strenuously and quickly fascinating the listener. While the elements might not be new, the combination of them kept me interested throughout. Lustmord meets Shinjuku Thief and discusses Stone Glass Steel's views of the first Black Lung album. If the developmental leap from this album to the next one he is currently working on parallels the leap from his debut to "The Divided Self we could expect a little master piece.

 
1999 Solid Goth Hits Vol. 1 - a NZ Gothic/Industrial compilation.
Featuring Winterland, Reject Twin, Bocctahne, Disjecta Membra, Antoinettes Head, Elevator, From the Dark, Vext, Reflex Condition, Prosthesis, The Drawing Room, Burnt Weeping Eyes, Reserved for Emily, Underconstruction and Fleshteks.

REVIEWS
REAL GROOVE MAGAZINE REVIEW
Brent Cardy
A good New Zealand gothic/industrial compilation has been a long time coming and as small as the genre is locally, the quality of the music sampled on Solid Goth Hits Vol. 1 (Club Bizarre) is very fine indeed. Compiled by Mark Wallbank of Bizarre Beats fame, this in an international standard package and project, featuring an overview of the local scene from goth rock to industrial, black metal and electro punk. Even if the thought of a Cure, Sisters of Mercy or Killing Joke soundalike (for example) makes your makeup curdle and your piercings start to fester, give your ears a treat with Reject Twin, Elevator, Winterland and Prothesis (at least) only those of a most narrow mind could fail to achieve some appreciation for this talent pool.

NZ Musician Review
David Gideon
For all who appreciate the dark, this collection by Auckland's Club Bizarre calls thee! Listen loud and rock down to the demon that is Solid Goth Hits. Antoinettes Head, Disjectamembra, Elevator and Reject Twin are some of the recognisable and irreligious bands names comprising this wrathful gathering of spirits. Winterland open up the can with an almost dirge of a track, simply entitled Time - a cool number, well played, produced and mixed. It reminded me of The Cure. Unfortunately I'm not too familiar with Gothic scenery but that doesnt stop me enjoying the difference. This is a more listenable album than I thought, but hey that comes from someone still thrashing Van Halen and Robin Trower. My favourite band name has to be Burnt Weeping Eyes with a track called Evolution which was reminiscent of early punk simplicity. The Drawing Room produce some intriguing sounds and dark poetical movements by God's Dirty Hand along with other tracks like Stillborne by Prothesis. Talking by Reflex Condition gives off an evil, ethereal sense with the use of electronica, strange noises and general industrial chaos. Vext are dementedly heavy and burning. Overall this is a very well produced album, Quite professional in its genre an worth a listen, even for non-goth ears.

V.A. - Solid Goth Hits Volume One: TTM Sideline Magazine
Although the allusion to the very common Solid Gold Hits Charts compilation series in the English speaking world professes a sense of humor, I did expect the worst when I spotted the vampire goth broad and pics of a cemetery on the cover. The subtitle "New Zealand Gothic/Industrial Compilation however let hopes fly higher for something a bit more electronic for my machine heart. The compilation is much more diversified than the title led to believe. Beside the title-inspiring gothic tracks by Winterland, Disjecta Membra, Antoinette's Head, Burnt Weeping Eyes, Reserved for Emily, Under Construction and a very loud band named Elevator, which jointly don't do anything for me, simply because gothic has always been a bore (sorry), the electronic bands offer much more suitable sounds to my ears. Reject Twins are fairly experimental with a voice reminiscent of Snog. Reflex Condition present a 1999 remix of a 1991 track which reminds me of Yelworc in its mood, Noise Unit in its electronics and Chassalla in the vocal department.
Very old school, but very nice. Prothesis produce gothic drum'n'bass, The Drawing Room is caught between In Slaughter Natives bombast and Eden sensitivity and Fleshteks creates very effective catacomb breakbeat with a voice leading me initially to believe to listen to Mr. Rathausen of the Vampire Rodents. Surprisingly different. A very ethereal track with female vocals by Bocctahne is also available, contrasting the bands which hail the apparently globally ever spawning death metal - From the Dark and Vext. Vext is hereby not even half bad, almost speedcore with its mix of guitar riffs and breakbeat. New Zealand's scene proves to be full of ideas, although the wheel is not being re-invented. Nobody in his right mind demands this either. Some average tracks, but quite a few interesting ideas.


2000 Blackmarket - A NZ Dark - End collection.
Featuring Dr Kevorkian and the Suicide Machine, Hieronymus Bosch, Hog HaulValentine, Flight 1-11, Creassault, VandalX, Dirty Orange Machine, Shemsu Hor, Acclimate(USA), FearVLoathinC, Off My Face, The Mercy Cage, Nothinghunger, Hakaider, Devils, Rats and Piggies, Vaccine, Gugonix, Coitus,
Cults Cocks Cunts and Calvinists, Device.

 

REVIEWS
Real Groove Magazine Review
Brent Cardy
Despite a continuing popular distrust of all things Pagan, either vague or blatant, in these 'enlightened' times, so-called Gothic or Darkwave music is not all bad - and at times is thoroughly enjoyable. The latest compilation from local stalwart Mark Wallbanks Club Bizarre label, Blackmarket, is a veritable sea of dark pleasure - notwithstanding the lack of visual stimulation so essential to the full experience. Musically, however this second volume has food for every hunger, featuring 20 tracks from as many contributors, from beat-driven intones to industrial overloads, to found-sound constructions to solemn pop chants. From Doctor Kevorkian And The Suicide Machine (Jordan Reyne), who open the album with the moody 'Gotham City', to a soundbite entitiled 'Price Checker' which closes the collection, Blackmarket is overflowing with variety and quality. The contributions by Mercy Cage, Acclimate (a USA import) and particularly Dirty Orange Machine, are a minimum requirement for a serious listen.

V.A.- Blackmarket: TTM Sideline Magazine
The second compilation of the Club Bizarre Label from New Zealand has turned out to be much more experimental and darker. The subtitle "A Dark-End Collection is to be taken literally, because apart from a few exceptions only the lower dark ambient spectrum is covered. It starts off with a few calm, some menacing and some melancholy tracks by Dr. Kevorkian & The Suicide Machine (ethereal-floating), Hieronymus Bosch (groaning-bombastic), HHV (Controlled Bleeding-In Slaughter Natives hybrid), Flight 111 (in some weird way Boyd Rice-ish), Creassault (The Eternal Afflict meets Skinny Puppy dark electro), VandalX (short, blistering noise industrial reminding me of Blok 57's "Warm Leatherette version), Dirty Orange Machine (with kind regards from Rapoon and Zoviet France) which all sound like the pieces to one big planned track. Starting with Shemsu Hor (very Eden reminiscent) the comp is broadening its stylistic scope.
Acclimate is the darkest and calmest track on the comp. Lustmordian sub-rumbling. FearVloathinC reminds me strongly of the Evil Up/Off phase of Front 242. Dancy structures, defined vocals and dense sound mesh. Off My Face creates a very noisy cut-up and The Mercy Cage contrasts female vocals with eclectic, hard sounds. Hakaider presents finest terrorstep and drum'n'bass'es nicely along Panacea standards. Vaccine reminds of the early, dark Delerium, but with vocals and military drums. Devils, Rats & Piggies is simply a maniacal monologue on top of background noises. Gugonix veers towards low frequency guitar manipulations and sampling (The track is titled "Drowned and the process of drowning is conveyed frighteningly real in just two and a half minutes). Coitus is very gothic and Cults, Cocks, Cunts & Calvinists receive the award for best band name and best psychotic, carnivalesque industrial performance. The comp ends with an electro-acoustic field recording by Device. So, listen, pick best band and try to get their stuff. The Club Bizarre internet mailorder makes it all possible.

 

2004 Tests for the Sensory Impaired - Experimental stirrings from the New Zealand underground.
Features..... Golden Axe, Crude, Acclimate, Hieronymus Bosch, Dirty Orange Machine, Eclectic, Killing Kylie, NoTV, Matt Brennan, Art Nouveau, Peripheral, Anti Kati, Railway Chess, Sic, Under Construction, Vagrants Steps, H.H.V [Hog Haul Valentine], Sunflower Blue, I.A.L.T.S - [Its Always Last Tuesday Somewhere], Rong Di, Zebra, Vanargandr, O.M.F

Club Bizarre have just released our latest compilation cd of experimental genius from around the country. It's called 'Tests for the Sensory Impaired'.
It's a damn twisted and eccentric beast of a collection that has managed to gather a large ecclectic chunk of our countrys strangely superb knob twiddlers and sound/noisescape artists, sample sculpters and lo-fi electro geeks all on one shiney disc solely for your entertainment and aural enjoyment. 23 tracks total!

REVIEWS
Real Groove Magazine
Tests For The Sensory Impaired......... Another intense and mind altering journey into the weird and wacky world of musical art. This compilation release from the innovative folks at Club Bizarre, New Zealand's premier, dark end - experimental music label, tackles slightly different territories this time round and features 23 tracks of knob twiddling bleeps, beautiful dark scape ambience, found sound collages, quirky lo fi casio tone pop and sample heavy Industrial nightmares. A fantastic listen for those with open mind and open ears.

 

 

2004 Re-Inventing Sheep - A collection of New Zealand alternatives.
Features......The Fanatics, Antoinettes Head, Mig21, Anti Kati, H.H.V., The Mercy Cage, Wormwood, The Syndicate, Nekros, Zspyne, N.U.T.E, Naquadah, Clear Tream Temple, Room Noir, Nebula One, Gugonix, Offline, Skuldom

 

REVIEWS
Real Groove Magazine
Brent Cardy
Club Bizarre is the ongoing face of Aucklander Mark Wallbank's musical obsession, and his latest profiles the current local Goth-beat underground. From Industrial electronic music to Goth Pop Rock and Punk, 'Re-Inventing Sheep' (A collection of New Zealand alternatives) is more prime Darkwave recordings. These 21st century perspectives and recordings, mostly from small/home studios, form an impressive line-up of talent. With artists such a Nekros, Skuldom, The Mercy Cage, Zspyne and Gugonix, this is not Top Of The Pops territory - Seek it out.

TARGET MAGAZINE UK
Re-Inventing Sheep is a collection of New Zealand acts covering a wide spectrum of genres that embrace the darker/stranger side of music. If you were ever looking for an alternative to 'alternative' music and didnt want the mainstream, this is it!