FAQ
Some of the frequently asked questions, answered by Paula Fazlich – the founder, owner and main journalist, working at The Void. If you have other questions…

WHICH MUSIC GENRES ARE ACCEPTED AND PUBLISHED AT THE VOID?
BLACK METAL. It is 99,99% BLACK METAL.
I keep 0,01% for other reflections of the dark Arts.
Some of the non-black metal artists are, for example: Occult Odissey, Darkher, Chelsea Wolfe, Amenra, The Lovecraft Sextet , Empyrium, Tenhi … all of them offering a sensual and otherworldly experience. I find them very close to black metal in many ways… They also carry the spirit of THE VOID‘s concept and vision. The dark illuminating arts are at the core of this place and they exist in many forms… The sanctuary is open to them.
Note I: I am very cautious about the pain of others, so I rarely post DSBM. In my opinion, one must ascend from the low existence, not delve in it. Most people know the lows, let them know the higher conscious. If you have a DSBM band and promote self-harm, drugs/alcohol abuse or wallowing in self-pity, I will most likely not listen to it, nor promote it. THE VOID is following another path. The path of primordial fire and brimstone, the path of knowledge and wisdom.
Note II: NO AI, please. In any form. Use it as you wish in your free time, but when it comes to your release, please, keep it real and authentic. A bad original traditional artwork is a hundred times better option than AI generated “perfect” one. Same for the AI music. I have listened to thousands of the best albums in the world – do not insult my taste and ear with AI generated stuff. Pretty please. With two bloody cherries on top…
MAY I SEND YOU NEWS?
Absolutely. All types of news are welcome, if you think that
they fit the concept of www.thevoidjournal.com.
Send and e-mail to [email protected] and
that’s all!
Note: All news are accepted only if they come from a valid source (the band members, authorized PR agencies or the label).
MAY I SEND YOU A PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL?
Yes. Send an e-mail to [email protected] with a link to your album (mp3, hidden BandCamp listening or else). I do not want physical promos – I’d like it if you benefit from them and they reach the most avid admirers of your Art.
Send the promo at least a month before the release date and up to two weeeks prior so I can delve deeper into the album, listen carefully, write a good material, schedule and promote it well, eventually.
Older releases aren’t a priority and will rarely be taken into consideration for a review or publication of any kind. It doesn’t mean that your album isn’t worth it (!!!) – it just means that it isn’t a priority for publishing. Hope you understand.
The reputation of The Void is high for a reason, so I want you also to know that no leaks are possible at our end. And as I mentioned – simple streaming link without the option of downloading the album or the individual tracks is completely enough. THE VOID is here to celebrate your Art and spread it upon the world, not to benefit from it.
ARE THERE BANNED INDIVIDUALS IN THE WEBSITE?
Yes. At the present moment, a few Bulgarian concert promoters and one musician from a well-known active Bulgarian black metal band (and, as I’ve gathered over the years, a floating author posting from time to time in another online music outlet in Bulgaria) are not welcome at THE VOID, together with all of their enablers.
This exclusion occurs because of the following reasons:
– Conscious discrimination and a silent cancelling of my
media while supporting the other music websites in Bulgaria (long
before the main language here became English and with no apparent
reason).
– Crossing the boundaries of my personal space (discussing theories
about my private life or speculating about my mental health in
public or within their group, for example, stalking and
etc.)
– A vicious smear campaign against me and constant attempts to
involve my name and the name of my offspring in personal
drama, attempts to undermine and shade my personality and
endevours, including these with The Void over the years. While at
the same time mirroring my work, character, behaviour and actions
in order to gain recognition.
We are talking about deliberate, conscious and ceaseless actions from a “friend group”, for any of which none of the involved parties have ever taken accountability for. Even right the contrary – these people demonstrated clearly that they do not feel any remorse and will gladly continue with their behaviour until someone speaks up and points them out, then repeat it all over again when things calm down.
We are talking about 40+(-) years old confused individuals who are well-known in the community, by the way, not some teenage girls and boys.
With that said, I’m not particularly affected by this situation at this point and have no interest to delve into the past, nor I need any apology or compensation for what was said and done – it would be completely meaningless. I handled everything with class and intergity – something these people could only dream of and I am proud of how things turned out. I have no part in their drama and do not intend to get involved with their attention seeking tactics at all – it’s not worth it.
I just simply refuse to tolerate this type of behavior and will not promote people who showed to me directly that they are willing to destroy someone’s life, work, reputation, or relationships with others just to feel better about themselves and be on top at any cost. This behaviour is extremely low and not suitable for my circle or my media. Therefore their endevours will not be promoted here, even if they are connected to the black metal scene in some way.
By accepting such behaviour as normal and closing my eyes for it, I would be nothing but a sheep in the herd and another enabler, which I am not and could never be. That’s all I need to say about the situation at this point.
No other individuals are excluded. There is no such thing as “dangerous individuals” list or something.
WHAT IS THE MONTHLY REACH OF WWW.THEVOIDJOURNAL.COM?
Depends on many factors. The unique visitors are around 20-60k
per month. Usually, the visits reach a number in the diapason
of 600k – 2 Million.
Without counting the social media interactions – I don’t follow the
statistics there and the system ignores the visits from social
media/bots and etc.
ARE YOU MAKING MONEY FROM THE WEBSITE?
No. This website is held in a completely professional way, but yet, it is not created for personal gain.
I earn NOTHING financially, yet I feel so rich when I see how my work affects the black metal world and how my favorite genre is thriving. For many years of activity, I have not earned a single coin from the website, right on the contrary – I have invested thousands of euros from my own pocket. A website with such traffic and size requires quite serious maintenance. It’s not like opening a Facebook page/group, an Instagram profile or a YouTube channel – here you need a much more stable allocation of resources of any type.
It is free for all of you, anyways, and will always be. I sacrifice serious amount of my time, energy and money to maintain this website every year, and I do it all for the Arts without a blink of an eye – you don’t owe me anything. Just enjoy the craft and wander through the depths.
If you really want to support the journal, you may do so by advertising your business on our pages for completely affordable price (write to [email protected] for more info) or just donate via PayPal. I prefer it if you use the advertise option – this way you help my endevours and I help yours.
IS IT ALLOWED TO COPY MATERIALS FROM YOUR MEDIA AND PUBLISH THEM IN MY WEBSITE/BLOG/VLOG?
Republishing of news is entirely allowed – spreading the plague of our favorite Arts is A MUST. Just put a credit with a link to the source: www.thevoidjournal.com, somewhere in your article.
The ethical journalist practice is to note the source in a link somewhere in the publication. Nothing else is needed. I also have no specifications about the style of this link – just write something like Source: www.thevoidjournal.com with a small font at the end of your article and we’re all good. You don’t need to ask for permition or anything.
Also, if you have a desire to quote some of the other materials (reviews, interviews) – you might do so with a proper credit (note the quote source right after the quote).
All what is written is here to be seen. So yes, you may share it freely, but it is mandatory to be done in a respectful way.
IS THERE ANY CENSORSHIP IN THE WEBSITE?
There are some needed restrictions, yes.
For an example, if you are a fan of Hitler and the Fourteen words,
and you keep writing nonsense in the comment section, you
will notice that at one point your comments will start to
disappear before they are even published. This is a place for ALL
fans of black metal – black, white, red, yellow, brown, inked or
not. I (white European woman) don’t care about the skin color of
the people who visit THE VOID, nor should you!
I do believe in protecting your heritage and respecting your traditions and national pride, but I do not support genocide. If you do, then this place is not meant for you.
Also, until the end of the Russian war against Ukraine (IN FAVOR OF Ukraine), not a single Russian musician will be promoted in the website.
WHY 'THE VOID'? WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE NAME OF THE JOURNAL?
I chose this name because I associate myself with the essence of the cosmic void and I’m captivated by it. THE VOID is the Beginning and the End. Also it is Everything and Nothing. I believe that our natural essence includes precisely this cosmic void, the purity, the primalness, the stillness, the omnipresent energy. That’s why I decided that THE VOID is a very suitable name for such an idea – the spreading of the purest sounds from the cosmic depths (I believe that real inspiration and Art are being channeled from beyond, as this is my personal experience as an artist) and their elevation into new dimensions, their thirsty “swallowing” by the dark matter (our minds, our essence).
ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL MEDIA OR BLOG?
www.thevoidjournal.com is a professional independent online media, created by an avid black metal enthusiast and professional journalist. The website is spreading news and other materials every week day from Monday to Friday, since 2017. And even if it is now a well-known online media, I’ll always think of it as a bliss, a magical place where fascinating sound dwells, and not only. You can name it however you like, I don’t really mind if you call it a blog or just a website, it doesn’t matter at all. It’s up to you how you are going to perceive it and how you will name your perception.
DO YOU ACCEPT NEW AUTHORS?
THE VOID is currently not looking actively for new authors.
Still, you can participate with the
following:
1. Concert reports/photographs from
your local event, preferably in the Balkans. Have in
mind that If you are good and serious at what you do, I might be
able to get you an accreditation for future events around you.
2. Book reviews.
3. Album reviews of already released albums.
4. Dark tourism stories or horror experiences.
P.S. If you have any other ideas, let’s discuss them !
E-mail at [email protected]
WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
THE VOID is located mostly in Sofia, Bulgaria.
I say “mostly”, because the resources are located in few other
countries in order to protect the website from theft and
other nonsense.