Month: June 2012

We are of the opinion that Iron Maiden exists today not so much to make music, but to provide a steady source of work for people around the world. Maiden has, in its own way, become an economic heavy metal juggernaut spreading dineros far and wide via merchandising, albums, tours and all the residual backdraft…

Today, in honor of the recent release of the sublimely malevolent Serpent Sermon, Decibel presents an in depth interview with Marduk founding guitarist Morgan Håkansson delving into his roots as a musician as well as the past, present, and future of his much-revered black metal war machine. Last month Christ Dick streamed “Souls for Belial.”…

Sitting in on rehearsals when London (-ish) death-grind crew Oblivionized first started it was kind of hard to see where they were going. Powered by former drummer Jonathan Rushforth’s hyper beats, with guitarist Sammy Urwin riffing under the creative direction of vocalist Zac Broughton, it was technical death metal at a time when technical death…

Formed in 1980, California’s Malice is absolutely cult—full-lengths In the Beginning… and License to Kill were both ushered out by major Atlantic Records to lukewarm reception in the mid-’80s—but ask any hesher in the sub-25 age range, and they’ll likely have no idea who Malice was or is. Unless, they bought the mid-aughts re-issues while…

Welcome to The Lazarus Pit, a biweekly look at should-be classic metal records that don’t get nearly enough love; stuff that’s essential listening that you’ve probably never heard of; stuff that we’re too lazy to track down the band members to do a Hall Of Fame for.  This week, we discover what it’s like to…

When a few talented dudes out of the American South filter recent faves ASVA, Death Grips,  Arbouretum, Demdike Stare, and Wolves in the Throne Room through their long-burning love of Godflesh, Spacemen 3, Lungfish, Darkthrone, Talk Talk, Neu!, and Carcass, said dudes are destined to MAKE something noteworthy.  In this case, they actually called their…

I’ll admit it; I hadn’t heard of Chicago’s Jar’d Loose until the press folk the band hired to spread the word spread the word right into my lap one day. I’ll also admit that there was a pretty good chance I would’ve passed on checking the band out because of that horrendous name they’ve saddled…

We may not write about these Canadians very often, but it’s undeniable that Rush has had a profound effect on legions of artists that we do cover. So to celebrate next week’s release of the ubiquitous band’s 19th (!) full-length studio album, we compiled a “best of” Rush playlist that features tracks hand-picked by some…

It’s been a good year for 16, a band known for writing about bad times. They finally have a steady lineup (for now) and their new album Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds was praised in the July issue of this magazine. So it seems like the right time for 16 to dig into their vaults…

** Scribbled by Municipal Waste lead screamer Tony Foresta. Don’t forget to check the stream of the Toxic Waste split 12″ on the venerable Tankcrimes label, as posted by the equally venerable Adem. It’s HERE, we think. 5/25 – Las Vegas @ Punk Rock Bowling: Municipal Waste and The Dwarves playing a bowling tournament?! Yes!!…

Tankard were living the Brewtal Truth life, long before we ever had our first sip of beer.

Backstage at the Philadelphia stop of the inaugural Decibel Magazine Tour with Nergal from Behemoth. Plus Watain, The Devil’s Blood, In Solitude, some guy in the pit wearing a sombrero, etcetera… If you enjoy this, please check out previous Decibel video segments with Morbid Angel and Bonded by Blood.

“This is a song for when you begrudge the sun rising, the coming of another day. When you curse the sky and the sun hanging in it. It sets the tone for the album quite aptly, I think” So says Witchsorrow guitarist/vocalist Necroskull, by way of introducing “Aurora Atra”, an eight-minute, epic exercise in straight-up…

5. Death – “Overactive Imagination” The cool thing about Individual Thought Patterns in my opinion is that it was such a big leap from the previous Death albums and you totally heard that when you pressed play and “Overactive Imagination” kicked in. That song has so much drive and cool patterns and let’s not forget,…

Church of Misery has toured Europe seven times, but this summer marks their first ever visit to America. Considering that much of their oeuvre consists of love letters to American serial killers it’s a long overdue trip. COM appeared at the Maryland Deathfest (if you had a chance to see them, tell us about it…

The most important thrash band to ever come out of Germany, KREATOR release Phantom Antichrist on Nuclear Blast. WHOA, this thing rips; seems like the old thrash stalwarts are hungry as peck again. This record is blistering; they bite down hard and don’t let go. They’re on their 13th release and, trust me, my friends,…

If you listen to Aenygmist, then you’re probably either living in or around southern Quebec, a black/death completist with internet access and no career prospects, or me. If you haven’t heard this female five-piece’s gut-ripping 2010 record Creation Born of Trauma, you can hardly be blamed.  Creation is the band’s self-released 2010 full-length, their first and only entry…