As founder of MK ULTRA Magazine Alex Zander has acted as publisher, editor, promoter, sales executive and made all distributions deals and oversaw all staff operations. Established in 1995 mk ultra magazine was an born when alternative music became mainstream this publication became considered, dark, and or underground or part of a subculture, which is in part true, but the body of work itself defies definition. Once dubbed the most anti establishment publication of it’s kind mk ultra magazine always danced on the edge of what was considered acceptable by the status quo, and it always will.
M.K. Ultra Magazine is an underground print and digital publication founded in 1995 by veteran alternative music journalist and broadcaster Alex Zander. Established right as alternative rock was merging into the mainstream, the magazine was created to preserve the dark, anti-establishment spirit of the underground subculture. Over the years, it became a definitive historical record for industrial, gothic, doom metal, and darkwave music, establishing a legendary relationship with Type O Negative and The Electric Hellfire Club (EHC).
The interconnected history of the publication and these two bands defines the mid-1990s dark alternative scene.
As print media shifted, the legacy of the magazine transitioned into broadcasting. Alex Zander launched the syndicated radio program and subsequent MKUltrasound PodCast. Decades later, the platform continues to operate out of Chicago, airing uncensored talk, dark humor, and deep-dive retrospectives into 90s subculture—frequently looking back at the definitive marks left by Peter Steele and the pioneers of industrial metal.
MK ULTRA started out as only a 28 page newsprint tabloid with a small run of only 250 copies published in Pittsburgh, PA. By the summer of 1995 (and two issues) MK ULTRA received national recognition and subscriptions over the world. Till 2000 it was available free.
By 2001 MK ULTRA was nearly 100 pages per issue with full color glossy cover and centerfold and worldwide distribution with Tower Records and Desert Moon Publications becoming distributed worldwide and also sponsored 2 national tours headlined by Invisible Records artist, Pigface. The cover price was $5 per issue.
In 1999 they produced and hosted an hour long weekly radio program, MK ULTRASOUND on FM station Rebel Radio WJKL 94.3. Later that year it was picked up by Flagstaff Arizona’s LOUD RADIO Network KLOD 100.1 FM and began syndication as the MK ULTRASOUND Radio Network known for it’s cutting edge non mainstream music, dark and sometimes controversial humor as well as in depth live uncensored interviews. The show ran until early 2002.
The MKULTRASOUND Podcast was launched in April of 2019. Weekly NSFW PodCast: 60 + minutes of uncensored, unrestrained, unregulated and unapologetic talk regarding topics ranging from social media hyper – hysteria and toxic sensitivity, the freedom of speech, entertainment and non -mainstream pop culture.
MKULTRASOUND was created by Alex Zander (Chicago) founder of MK ULTRA Magazine who serves as host and producer along with Executive Producer Too Dark Mark (New Orleans) video editing for YouTube by various editors. The show is recorded in Chicago at Studio D-Ablo and with production in Baton Rouge at ALAB Media.
M.K. Ultra Magazine shared a deep bond with Type O Negative, cemented during the band’s breakthrough success following Bloody Kisses (1993).
- The Inaugural Feature: Frontman Peter Steele graced the historic cover of M.K. Ultra Magazine Issue #1 (January/February 1995). The feature included an incredibly candid and provocative interview where Steele famously discussed his disdain for forced political correctness, his artistic influences (like Lycia and Black Sabbath), and his struggles with the music industry.
- The “Summer Girl” Legend: The relationship extended beyond simple coverage. On early iterations of the magazine’s platform and its subsequent spin-off media, the MK Ultrasound broadcast famously shared rare audio of Type O Negative’s unreleased track “Summer Girl.” This song was the band’s original lyrical version of a Seals and Crofts cover, which they were legally forced to alter into the track “Summer Breeze” for the retail version of Bloody Kisses.
The Electric Hellfire Club—the psychedelic Satanic industrial band formed by Thomas Thorn after leaving My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult—was a foundational fixture in M.K. Ultra’s pages.
- M.K. Ultra heavily documented the band’s aesthetic, themes of real-life horror, and rejection of mainstream hypocrisy. Alex Zander championed their releases under Cleopatra Records (like Burn, Baby, Burn! and Kiss the Goat).
- M.K. Ultra famously celebrated EHC’s live performance prowess, detailing their intense tours utilizing fog, heavy lighting, and provocative erotica rather than cheesy props. The publication closely covered the band’s evolution, internal lineups, and their dark electronic dominance throughout the decade.
Alex Zander, a veteran Chicago publisher and alternative music broadcaster, launched his globally syndicated radio program, MK Ultrasound, in 1998.
The show was broadcast across underground syndication networks, featuring two main flagship homes:
- LoudRadio: A hard rock and alternative broadcast network that launched an FM signal (100.1 FM) out of the Flagstaff/Prescott, Arizona market under programmer Guy Giuliano.
- Rebel Radio: A legendary heavy metal and hard rock underground radio station based out of Chicago, Illinois market under programmer Scott Davidson
The original radio iteration of MK Ultrasound ran until 2002 and was widely recognized for pushing non-mainstream music, dark humor, and completely uncensored, live artist interviews. It serves as the direct predecessor to Zander’s current MKUltrasound Podcast, which he continues to host as an extension of his counter-culture publication, M.K. Ultra Magazine.
Alex Zander Founder/CEO/Editor MK ULTRA Magazine
Host and Producer the MKULTRASOUND Podcast
Max Bravo VP Graphic Design and Photographer
EDEN LAKE Photographer/Graphic Designer
Ellen Marshall aka “Ellen the Felon”
Ellen Marshall aka “Ellen the Felon” has been writing since childhood. Her first “published” work was as a winner of the Illinois Young Author’s contest, with a story she wrote and illustrated when she was in the third grade. She went on to write for her high school newspaper as an “Entertainment” reporter. While attending Iowa State University as an Art & Communications major, she wrote for literary magazines and the school newspaper. In 2000, she became a staff writer for the infamous FilmThreat website, where she got to attend and cover events like the Sonoma Valley Film Festival in 2002 and The Chicago Underground Film Festival in 2004 (where she fortuitously met Alex Zander, thanks to the notorious Jim VanBebber). These days, Ellen enjoys writing her blog, “The Schadenfreude Files”, hanging out at Casa Diablo, being an occasional co-host on the MK UltraSound Podcast and a contributing writer for MK Ultra Magazine.
Dave Parsons
Ohio Valley based Contributing Writer and Photographer
Cassie Balazic Photographer and Videographer/Editor
Too Dark Mark Williams Executive Producer for The MKULTRASOUND PodCast and Contributing Editor
Paul J. Baio Film Reviewer
Jason Harmon Contributing Editor and Associate producer the MKULTRASOUND PodCast
John Wisniewski – Interviewer MK ULTRA Magazine