Our new "No Gods, No Masters" issue celebrates the fiercely independent, beholden-to-no-one attitude embodied in Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, which turns 25 this month (on March 8th, to be exact). It's embodied today in artists such as Ghostemane and Chelsea Wolfe, both of whom refuse to be put into boxes, or to be told what they should or should not do when it comes to their creative visions. It's seen in its most tragic and untamed form in the violent adolescent rebellion of the early Nineties Norwegian black-metal scene portrayed in Lords of Chaos. It beats in the hearts of America's modern-day witches. It takes shape in Frank Frazetta's barbarian heroes and heroines, who literally slay deities and demons in his classic paintings, celebrated in Joe Manganiello's Death Saves line. But perhaps more than anyone in the new magazine, that spirit is exemplified by "dirtbag" tattoo artist Alex Matus, who threw care to the wind to live life on her own terms, in her van on the open road, guided only by "heavy-metal shows and the weather." No gods. No masters.
The Feb/Mar issue hits newsstands on March 12th — but you can grab the Chelsea Wolfe cover, the Ghostemane cover and the Ghostemane limited-edition, hand-numbered silkscreen slipcase that features an alternate cover now.
Five Artists You Need to Know Now
Occult black-metal punks Devil Master, screamer-beatmaker King Yosef, trad-metal acolytes Haunt, Ukrainian metal quartet Jinjer and incendiary hardcore act Chamber
Chelsea Wolfe
"I just follow my instincts," the singer-songwriter says, and now, after 2017's crushing Hiss Spun, those instincts have led her into the wilderness and in a quieter, but no less heavy, direction
Through the Frame: A Manifesto
The man who is Ghostemane breaks down the vision and mission behind the project's latest album, N / O / I / S / E, and his art writ large
Nine Inch Nails' "Closer"
The strange history and unforeseen legacy of Trent Reznor's enduring strip club anthem
Alex Matus
The nomadic tattoo artist moved into her van six years ago and ever since has been living life on the open road "purely guided by heavy-metal shows and the weather"
Joe Manganiello
The True Blood actor grew up blasting Pantera and playing Dungeons & Dragons. Now he's channeling those passions into his fantasy-meets-metal streetwear line Death Saves.
Major Arcana: Witches in America
Photographer Francis F. Denny shares standout portraits from her three-year project, which explores the various ways the notion of witch-ness belongs to those who claim it, representing the witch as a self-sought identity that both empowers and politicizes its bearer
Rory Culkin
The Lords of Chaos star plays ill-fated Mayhem founder Euronymous in the polarizing new film. Fittingly, he suffered for his art.
Plus, original mixed media on board artwork by Converge vocalist and visual artist Jacob Bannon inspired by Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral
