The first is of this new-is Xerox thrash zone makes a great first impression via some solid writing, coverage of a mix of sounds and styles that already have a high level of appeal to my ears, better-than-usual layout and just a general sense of enthusiasm and effort that is always essential when dealing with this kind of old-school punkzine. It's brought to us by the folks behind To Live A Lie Records, who already have some experience publishing a set of cool thrashcore photo zines a while back, here teaming up with a number of writer pals and band types. Working back to front, their debut has forty-four pages packed with reviews both long and short that start at hardcore but spread out with open ears from there to all possible realms of underground heaviness and extremism, info on accessing the excellent To Live A Lie podcast (a highly recommended move if you've got a lust for the fast-n'-brutal), some anecdotal show reviews, high quality B&W pics of grindcore bands demolishing various, anonymous basements, a killer, intelligently-written interview with Bastard Noise by Jim Walkley, other Q&A sessions with the likes of Hummingbird Of Death, Looking For An Answer and ACxDC (the thrashcore band), and a couple pages of columns in the classic MRR vein. So yeah, there's something very warm and familiar about reading through Don't Be Swindle, it's got the look and feel of the kind of saddle-stitched hardcore zines that I used to devour in the early 90s, but it's spotlight is shining on nothin' but contempo blast units and the noisiest fringes of modern hardcore...very cool!