The founder of CoC has seen a lot in the 10+ years since the inception of this magazine. Being a 30 year old software engineer working ungodly hours usually doesn't afford Gino the luxury of much free time. As a result, his contributions to the magazine focus more on administration and leadership as opposed to trying to keep up with CoC's incredible cadre of talented writers. Gino's musical interests are varied and diverse. Given his sole criterion of originality, his tastes span a wide spectrum. To name a microscopic sample, Gino regularly listens to Absu, Judas Priest, Gorgoroth, The Future Sound of London, Carcass, Bob Dylan, Darkthrone, Bob Marley and Drudkh. The past 10 years have seen many changes in Gino's life. From starting Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto through to graduating. From getting married and leaving Toronto to settle on the seacoast of New Hampshire working for a start up company to leaving that company to join the sales organization of another wildly successful software company. Through it all, the one constant has been CoC and its unwavering commitment to quality and longevity.

December soul, born three decades ago. Spellbound in five chapters by extreme metal, Pedro was the first European contributor to be brought through the gateways of CoC, back in January 1997. (The songless bird in a cloak of autumn shroud -- an emptiness of earthborn pride: one common subterranean destination, blind to the worlds within us.) In addition to his reviews, he implemented and maintains this website; ever the final concept, a gallery of living chaos. A software engineer on a leaden stride to nowhere.

Jackie was unleashed on the unsuspecting citizens of Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1980 - the same year that saw AC/DC release their arguably definitive masterpiece, _Back In Black_. Nine years later it was ironically a chance encounter with AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" that would start him down heavy metal's long and winding road. Ask him about music today and he's likely to namecheck Morbid Angel, Death, Emperor, Cannibal Corpse, Immolation and Burnt By The Sun as some of his personal favourites, but odds are that he'd be equally happy spinning Depeche Mode, Mark Lanegan, Faith No More or Tindersticks. On the rare occasions where he's not occupied by something related to music, his eyes are glued to the comedic majesty that is Seinfeld, while he has also been known to terrorize the Xbox Live community on a regular basis. Still other times might find him poring through his ever-expanding comic collection, or watching a film. Unfortunately though, all these pursuits require large quantities of the almighty buck, and as one William H Gates Esq continues to ignore his repeated requests for a "donation" to his retirement fund, he currently moistens the corporate machine as a sales manager in central London to make ends meet. Now playing:

1. Krisiun - _Southern Storm_
2. Hate Eternal - _Fury & Flames_
3. Madball - _Infiltrate The System_
4. Fugazi - _In On The Kill Taker_
5. The Rotted - _Get Dead or Die Trying_

Chris Flaaten, '78, has recently completed a Master's Degree in Business and Economics at BI, Norwegian School of Management. A look in his CD-shelves reveals a taste going in many directions. From wanting to rock with Twisted Sister at the age of six through digging the theme from "Transformers - The Movie", pure '80s metal, and counting down with Europe, it was clear which direction Chris' taste in music was taking. From a base of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Testament things started to happen in the early '90s. Dream Theater would lead way to bands like Spock's Beard, Spastic Ink and Spiral Architect while Death sparked a heavy interest in melodic death metal. Anathema and My Dying Bride also made a big impact in the first half of the 1990s and are still two of his favourites. Being Norwegian, a strong appreciation for black metal should be no surprise, and it is perhaps mostly Scandinavian extreme metal that piles up in the shelves. Melancholic intensity is what counts the most, it seems, as his favourite albums are Anathema's _The Silent Enigma_ and Opeth's _My Arms, Your Hearse_. Apart from metal, Chris also enjoys various classical and jazz music, expecially Vivaldi and Pat Metheny, respectively. Chris has earlier contributed to Norwegian Scream Magazine and, after finally getting on the Internet in '98, a few obscure webzines. Chris can also be found on EFnet as CF.

Quentin Kalis hails from Cape Town, South Africa. He first experienced heavy music in the Autumn of '93 when he heard the relatively heavy sounds of the Wayne's World soundtrack and Guns N' Roses. His first taste of the more extreme side of heavy metal came in the following year when he heard Napalm Death and Obituary. Despite constant changes in taste since then he has always listened to metal in some form or another. Although he has a strong dislike for the mainstream a number of less commercial artists from outside the metal realm have caught his attention in recent years, including the disturbing ambient of Atrium Carceri and the beautiful heathen tinged folk of Fire +Ice.

James was born in the northern English wastelands of Merseyside in May 1977. Proving that some people really are "born metal", he anticipated the impending decline of the British scene and convinced his parents to move to Australia a mere five-and-a-half weeks later. Raised by his classical music-obsessed father, he gained a keen sense of melody and structure, while from his mother, a former Rolling Stones and Beatles nut, he gained the desire to rock. Somehow, he ended up playing the violin for about eight years, but inspired by zeniths of the metal kingdom such as Billy Idol, he discovered the heavy stuff around the start of the '90s and proceeded to decimate his bank account and popularity by buying and playing loads of death, thrash and black metal tripe. Yes, he even used to do Deicide drive-bys at the local church - all part of the metal maturation process. In 2000, James decided that the sunniness and good health of Australia weren't fitting for a black metal elitist, so he went to London to make his mark in the I.T. contracting industry, before moving onto the true mecca of the black metal mega-elite.

Born on the nineteenth day of the last month of 1980 a.y.p.s., Nikola's spirit was marked by the northwinds and the mighty hand of the Cimmerian deity Crom -- the pale and merciless god of winter and battlefield carnage. Having already journeyed through the golden years of rock 'n' roll and heavy metal thanks to Their Majesties Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden themselves, in his early teens his fragile young mind was prepared (if such a thing is possible) to encounter the harsh world of extreme music. Though due to circumstance and youthful naivety Nikola first encountered the likes of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, he soon found the right track thanks to Burzum’s titanic effort _Filosofem_, an album that he found as enchanting as it gets and is, as a matter of fact, yet to be rivaled by anything else. Black metal, death metal, neo folk, industrial -- the extreme music whirlwind has since sucked Nikola in, and he has realized escape is indeed impossible, not to mention meaningless. Let the metal flow, a good friend of his used to say; Nikola couldn't agree more. Apart from his grim and frostbitten metal pleasures, Monsieur Shahpazoff delights at the urban and oh-so-British flavour of Mike Skinner's The Streets or a drum 'n' bass overdose in the vein of Black Sun Empire's _Driving Insanely_. Loves mountain-hiking as well, this awkward chap.

Andreas was introduced to the musical bludgeoning that is metal back in the mid-late '90s. Swayed by the epic imagery of early Manowar and the majestic feeling of early epic metal acts such as Cirith Ungol and Manilla Road, and intrigued later on by the marvelous instrumentations of pre-Newsted era Metallica and Iron Maiden, a gateway was finally opened to more extreme passages. From then on, the relentless sonic attack of Immolation and Incantation, took over and overshadowed anything that he had previously listened. Throughout his course as a passionate extreme metal fan, he came to value it essentially in all tastes and flavors that it may come in -- be it grind, death, black or doom. From the inharmonious, blast-beat laden dissonant grumblings of Cryptopsy and Suffocation to the downright funereal, slugging doom of Skepticism and Thergothon, it all boils down to just plain good and extreme music. Not limited to just guitar based music, he has also delved into classical music, with a keen interest in minimalistic composers such as Philip Glass and of course the great serialist Schoenberg. Greek folk music has also caused him to get up and take notice many a time. What really moves Andreas in music in general is anything that emanates deeply from within the psyche; the soul's audial resonations caused by emotion and deliberation, if you will.

Kostas was born in a misty Greek town next to a lake, but just before he became a man, he moved to England to study. After a degree in Electronics and a Masters in Software and Algorithms, he started working as a software developer. Some years later, fed up being a slave, he took his fate in his hands and started freelancing in the London financial market as a software contractor. Having been neck deep in this music that forms our lives since the age of sixteen, at some point he swam out to get rid of all the crap polluting this scene, masquerading as music, gave a long hard shake and emerged clean. Now, he scouts the labels, the bands, the 'zines and the Internet for what is quality, heaviness, meaning and innovation in the metal scene. He still occasionally gets a whiff of the bad stuff, but that is what 'delete' is for.

Jeremy is a newcomer to the ranks of CoC, having cut his teeth on such underground staples as Power Play and Sea of Tranquility, as well as the not-so-underground All Music Guide. Having moved from the music-friendly and environmentally hospitable climes of Austin, TX to the frigid, sports-obsessed Indianapolis over the past year, it can be said that his career trajectory closely mirrors one well-known Prince of Darkness. He frequently wonders why the barren, windswept plains of the American Midwest fail to produce the same frenzied artistic dementia that Scandinavia is notable for. However, unlike his Miltonian counterpart, Jeremy does one day hope to redeem himself by once again moving where the weather suits his clothes. In the meantime, he can frequently be caught speeding up the freeway to the Windy City when he's not staunchly ignoring the local sports action.

Brian Meloon is a contributing writer to Chronicles of Chaos. He has been with the zine since its inception, contributing reviews, an occasional concert review and article. His main interest is in technical metal, but his tastes have broadened to include hardcore, doom, and other traditionally non-technical genres. His ratings tend to emphasize the production, playing abilities, and especially the uniqueness of the albums he reviews.

Paul Schwarz is not a 24 year old graduate of St. Andrews University, but one of those descriptions does still apply to him today - whenever you are reading this, barring some unforseen scandal or similar. Originally from London, England, Paul lived in the small town on the east coast of Scotland where he gained his degree in Philosophy and Ancient History until May 2004, when he moved back to London to seek fame and fortune - read: a "real job". Back in 1998, Paul took a year out which included a trip to Canada, allowing him to personally meet most of his fellow CoC writers - an experience he is STILL struggling to overcome. Yet Paul has come back for more time and time again, regularly meeting up with Euro- and other CoCers at regular intervals - perhaps he has a plan... Introduced to "rock n'roll" via Guns 'n' Roses in the Summer of 1993, Paul's collection has mutated much over the years that have followed. An example? The first time he heard 'November Rain' he hadn't yet realised what a steaming, self-indulgent turd of a song it was. But a healthy mix of many genres of metal, hardcore and extreme music generally, along with various rock n' roll, prog rock, jazz, fusion, folk, 'classic rock' (if you like that term to really mean something - Paul ain't so sure) and other variously classifiable albums haunt his collection to this day. (His regularly revolving playlist will provide snapshot examples.) An ability to talk until the cows come home -- if they ever do... -- is something Paul possesses and fondly cultivates (though there are some who say he's getting quieter... though others call THOSE people crazy...) Now playing:

1. AC/DC _Columbus 1978_ (bootleg)
2. Annihilation Time _III: Tales of the Ancient Age_ (2008)
3. Led Zeppelin _DVD_
4. Victims _Killer_ (2008)
5. Trap Them _Seance Prime_ (2008)

Finding himself in a part of the United States considered to be somewhat “less-than-metal”, Aaron McKay has enjoyed his tenure with Chronicles of Chaos since his first contribution back in issue #33. Having had close ties with the Florida death metal scene, McKay's taste for extreme music flourished unabated. Aaron currently embraces his position as contributor to the world's finest internet magazine, CoC. Reveling in nearly all styles comprising the metal community, specifically, he can be observed gorging on a regular diet of Massacre, Nasty Savage, Dark Tranquillity, Death, Macabre and In Flames.

David began his quest for musical extremism at the dawn of the nineties, with classic hard rock and heavy metal acts such as Scorpion, Iron Maiden and Guns 'n' Roses. Upon discovering the masterpieces _Ceremony of Opposites_ by Samael and _Covenant_ by Morbid Angel in 1994, he instantly swore an allegiance to extreme metal, an illumination which has since become his raison d'être. When not dormant to the majestic sounds of Grieg, Sibelius or Mussorgski, David's most basic instincts drive him mainly to Swedish death metal acts like Dissection, Hypocrisy, Sacrilege, In Flames or At the Gates, but also to the raw harshness of Norwegian black metal sorcerers Mayhem, Immortal, Emperor, Satyricon or Gehenna - generally all styles of metal music that may emotionally breed aggressiveness, mysticism, and hatred for the plague of monotheistic religions. Other bands whose works have particularly seared him comprise Marduk, Death, Vader, Meshuggah, Slayer, Sacred Reich, Iced Earth, My Dying Bride, Katatonia... A proud Breton in his late twenties, David is also the former editor of Descension 'zine (RIP) - a fanzine which, unsurprisingly enough, was dedicated to extreme metal.

In his 36 years on this Earth, oscillating between rotting and flourishing on a daily basis, Chaim has learned that there are no absolutes; no ideals, no principles. Everything is negotiable; today's villains are tomorrow's saints, and vice versa... As soon as he's given up on his life's love for the passing 20 years, namely metal, it pulls him right in again, with another mind blowing, mind boggling musical artistry. So scarce they are -- these masterpieces of emotion and dim light -- but so invigorating, wonderful and awe-inspiring; the essence of life... For these fragile rays of light in the infinite darkness he lives and struggles and hopes; a wanderer, a sewer-poet, pretentious and discouraged. All dichotomies lie within this flesh, all extremes and contradictions. This is how he lives, this is how he writes... Now playing:

1. Klimt 1918 - _Just in case we'll never meet again_
2. Obituary - _Cause of death_
3. Tangorodrim - _Justus ex fide vivit_
4. EVP - _Postmortem canticles of necromancy_
5. Simbiose - _Evolution?_

In 1983, on the 8th of an April Ethereal, Adam Lineker was quietly unleashed upon the world. Spending most of his rural childhood lost inside his own imagination, in the company of vikings, orcs, vampires and The Legion Of Doom, it wasn't long before his outward personality became defined by music. A trainee classical musician for most of his school days, Adam essentially discovered metal by accident. Characteristically stumbling upon some Iron Maiden songs on the soundtrack of the computer game Carmageddon 2, Adam's taste in music spun off on a tangent, becoming a devout Maidenite as he began his A-Level years, and mildly disturbing his ever supportive parents. Scrabbling eagerly around like a nOOb in an MMORPG for all the worldly knowledge of this thing called METAL, and naively shelling out for KERRANG! every week, Adz tentatively explored the upper layers of the underground. Introducing himself to what his friends dismissed as 'all that gothic screaming', Adam became partial to Black Metal, and started wearing pentagrams to school and what-not. After joining his first band, and watching it break up over a girl, Adam attended the University of St. Andrews, to read Classical Studies and Philosophy. There he was lucky enough to become friends with Paul Schwarz and that was the beginning of the slippery slope of metal addiction, which has solidly consumed his waking hours and his wallet for the past six years. The present day finds Adam leading something of a double life. By day he his a Teacher of Latin, Classics, RE and Critical Thinking at a respectable Catholic secondary school, guiding the young and hopeful through the peaks and troughs of Key Stage academia. By night he is dedicated to his duties as a member of the band Kaleb. One day these two lives will cross, and the resultant carnage will vaguely echo the destruction caused by Egon Spengler and Pete Venkman when they crossed proton streams in Ghostbusters. Only with a lot more corpsepaint, and a giant Mortiis replacing Mr Stay Puft. In the meantime, Adam tries to relax by playing World of Warcraft and drinking beer. Sweet, sweet beer.

A cynic at heart, Alexandra has been outspoken for many of her 22 years, the past 7 of which have been metal-centric. One of the newest and youngest contributors to Chronicles of Chaos, she has plenty to say. From the USBM v. Euro-BM tirade to the impact the internet has made on metal, Alexandra stays close to the music she knows and loves. Her Swedish heritage keeps her close to black and folk metal, but hailing from Texas opens the thrash and new power-violence communities. When she's off her soap-box she's dragging her way to an eventual degree in anthropology and history. Just recently stumbling upon the seemingly [and ever so hopefully] growing Texas black metal community, she hopes to help hone it's abilities and find a way to satiate the thirst of a worldwide black metal drought. When not trying to become the Joan of Arc de métal noir, Alexandra is on a crusade to save the face of women in metal. From knitting to video games to Russian lit, she's always open for intelligent conversation. But be forewarned; this little one packs a punch.

An avid backpacker and citizen of the world, Colleen has long since fallen in love with Northern Europe and its crazy metal music. First pulled into the genre by melodic death metal, she has since been sucked into every facet of metal, from old school thrash to folk and viking music, from experimental doom to chaotic black. She drives up to seven hours to get to good shows, as the scene in Buffalo, NY can best be described as non-existent, and this summer will mark her second exodus to Wacken Open Air. She holds a B.A. in English and will soon be traveling to Scotland to obtain a Master's degree, with a dissertation centered around cyberpunk, steampunk and deconstruction. Metal journalism will likely be a life-long pursuit of hers, but she plans to work in development projects overseas for several years before figuring out that whole career thing.