Month: February 2015

Gearified: Hammer Claws Signature Pickup Set

February 28, 2015

**Matt Olivo is the founding guitarist of extreme metal trailblazers Repulsion, whose Horrified LP ranks as Decibel’s #1 grindcore album of all time. Because we know that every reader ever plays guitar, we brought his print column to the Deciblog. In issue #116 Matt spent some time “hammering on Brent Hinds’ bloody, thunderous new pickups”…

Get Free LEVIATHAN Vinyl by Subscribing to DECIBEL

February 27, 2015

We’re your friend! We’re not one of them! Want proof? The latest installment in the Decibel Flexi Series is controversial March cover star Leviathan tackling Black Flag’s legendary “My War.” See? As always, we have your best, most demented interests at heart. The one-man U.S. black metal trailblazer known as Leviathan (a.k.a. Jef Whitehead) has struck…

For Those About to Squawk: Waldo’s Pecks of the Week

February 27, 2015

OK, after about a month I’m back. Don’t worry, you haven’t missed too much. Thanks to my human counterparts at Decibel for letting me slip this long. This winter has been a trial for your tropical friend Waldo — too cold. Anyway, this is about that time of year where the releases actually start picking…

Throw Me a Frickin’ Label Hack: Estonia’s Odota

February 27, 2015

If you like your metal weird, ugly and awesome, please give it up for Odota, an Estonian one-man project that takes black metal and infests it with all sorts of uncomfortable sounds that will make the purists cry, “False!”  The new album Fever Marshal props up raw, blasting riffage against industrial and electronic detritus, offering a bracing…

Holy Shit, We’re All Fucking Old!: Matt Jacobson Talks About 25 Years of Relapse (Part I)

February 26, 2015

This year, Relapse Records turns 25 years old. Jesus frickin’ fuck, where has the time gone?! It just seems like yesterday we were combing blurry ads and squinting our way through mail order reprints in fanzines for Suffocation and General Surgery EPs and Amorphis and Deceased full-lengths and here we are in 2015 with the…

Streaming: Sorcerer’s “Sumerian Script”

February 26, 2015

There’s going to be a lot of alliteration today, faithful Deciblog readers. Sorcerer formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1988 and was active until 1992. But, as we’ve seen many times, good metal bands never die — they just reunite. Sorcerer got back together for a one-off show at the Hammer Of Doom festival in Germany…

Video Premiere: Apocalyptica, “Cold Blood”

February 26, 2015

It’s incredible to think that a band that burst on to the scene with a novel collection of Metallica covers on cello has not only managed to out together a career lasting two decades, but has built itself into an incredibly popular act. Although they’ve been an active touring band, it’s been five years since…

Through A Hive Darkly…

February 26, 2015

We’ve sang the praises of trailblazing Philadelphia transcendental slayers Hivelords many a time in this space and so when the band offered to document a recent descent into studio madness for its upcoming full-length Anthropic Records release, we of course eagerly agreed. The reality-refracting entries are below… Part I: A Nash-ing of Teeth Spoiler Alert:…

Streaming: Nepente’s “Show Me That You Are Suffering”

February 25, 2015

Show me that you are suffering? Game on. People are still talking about The Academy Awards. Purina faces a lawsuit alleging their pet food is filled with toxic ingredients. Your album cover is sort of creepy. And it’s Wednesday. Streaming today: “Show Me That You Are Suffering” from the Colombian black/death metal band Nepente. The…

Get Into Harm’s Way: Exclusive Video Premiere!

February 25, 2015

The upcoming Harm’s Way record Rust — out March 10 via Deathwish Inc — is an industrial-by-way-of-metallic-hardcore-by-way-of-Triptykon multidimensional rager that is going to turn a lot of heads. This afternoon Decibel is pleased to exclusively premiere the video for “Amongst the Rust.” For more information, check out our profile of the band in the current…

Through a Speaker Rumbly: Spectral Voice’s “Necrotic Doom”

February 25, 2015

“We are obsessed with death metal!” For this month’s Speaker Rumbly, I tracked down one-half of Colorado’s new and incredibly putrescent death/doom outfit, Spectral Voice, for some good ol’ Q&A. Spectral Voice’s demo, Necrotic Doom, is currently available, but is likely not long for this world. I’ve been in contact with the specter herein known…

Track Premiere: Acid King, “Red River”

February 25, 2015

A full decade after the release of Acid King’s aptly named third album III, the San Francisco trio is set to make a triumphant return with the excellent new full-length Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere. It’s a record that fulfills the band’s promise of a sound they describe so accurately as “like riding a…

BETTER THAN FULGOR B: Fulgora’s “Stratagem”

February 24, 2015

Grind it out, bitches! Phil Anselmo has some fresh stuff for you from Fulgora, a new band featuring his buddies in Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, and Misery Index (although really, two of the dudes are in three of the bands, so that’s a bit of a cheat, but whatever). Basically, what we have here is…

VIDEO PREMIERE: Old Man Gloom “The Lash”

February 24, 2015

Last we heard from Old Man Gloom, vocalist/guitarist Aaron Turner and drummer Santos Montano were telling our very own KSP about their Ape of God shenanigans. Not only has everyone except the small corner of the world called the internet forgiven and forgotten, but the quartet thankfully has managed to keep its sense of humor…

Metal Without Hats: When Voivod Did The Safety Dance

February 23, 2015

Men Without Hats were one of the biggest pop bands of the early to mid-80s. And “The Safety Dance” was one of the biggest songs of the decade, and continues to resonate. People never stopped doing “The Safety Dance.” Remixes show up every week, including a metal version (more about that below). The Saturday night…

Christopher Amott (Armageddon) interviewed

February 23, 2015

** Most thought Christopher Amott crazy for leaving Arch Enemy a second time. He was in an internationally recognized metal band. They sold records. They toured the world. He played with his brother, Michael. It was a dream scenario. Well, the younger Amott wasn’t having any of it. He left Arch Enemy, relocated to the…

VIDEO PREMIERE: Father Sky “Silver Spoon”

February 20, 2015

There’s something to be said for a band to willfully pose in front of an old boogie vans and not be the least ashamed. For Texas’ Father Sky, such objects are the focus of their non-musical affection. They scream back to a time when the sun felt warmer, the riffs fuzzier, the hems wider, and…

Pyramids Premiere New Song, Interview

February 20, 2015

If you haven’t heard a good oddball metal record recently… well, then your head’s been under a soundproofed rock and you haven’t been reading enough Decibel reviews.  Get out there and listen, man! And be sure to check out the new Pyramids record when Profound Lore releases it in the middle of next month.  It’s dark,…

Streaming: Abyss’ “The Atonement” Maybe You’ve Read About ‘Em…

February 19, 2015

As some of you may know, I’ve been sailing on the good ship Decibel since it was christened. I’ve seen (and heard!) a lot of shit and even remember some of it! And yes, I’m the head knucklehead who wrote the oft-referenced-and-made-fun-of Dragonforce cover story. So, you’d think that having bounced 10+ years of deadlines…

Decibrity Playlist: Melechesh

February 19, 2015

Ashmedi is no stranger to this blog, having authored a 17-part “biographical column and chaotic metaphysical thoughts” series that ended in 2011. Now that his band Melechesh has returned with its first album since 2010, we’re happy to welcome his voice back in the form of a playlist. There’s no theme per se, but it’s…

Win A Copy Of Season Of The Witch

February 18, 2015

At the beginning of the year we published an interview with author Peter Bebergal about his excellent new book Season Of The Witch: How The Occult Saved Rock and Roll. Among the topics discussed: why metal has picked up (again) on the occult approach and themes so popular in the 70s: “There’s just something about…

Meet John Hurkes, Metal Chef Extraordinaire

February 18, 2015

If you frequent metal blogs, and for our sake we at Decibel sure hope you do, you might remember the Slayer pizza that attracted some notoriety last year. Hell, the “raining blood from a lacerated pie” line still cracks me up. Anyway, the mastermind behind the most metal pizza ever, Minneapolis-based Chef John Hurkes, has…

STREAMING: Tribulation “In the Dreams of the Dead”

February 18, 2015

“The Children of the Night takes off where The Formulas of Death ended,” says Tribulation guitarist Adam Zaars. “And if the latter was dark the former is pitch black, though the album ranges from murky forests to the brightest city lights. It is a celebration of the divine spirit and our ability to tread liminal…

BLACK METAL SCRABBLE: Lamentations of the Ashen’s “Hiraeth (Torpor of the Persiflage)”

February 17, 2015

Okay, I’m going to be honest with you guys here: by the time you’ll be reading this, I’ll be relaxing on a tropical island, listening to AC/DC bootlegs, and lamenting absolutely nothing except maybe sunburn. Still, I know most of you poor bastards are stuck in much more inhospitable climes. To that end, I have…

STREAMING: Carach Angren “This Is No Fairy Tale”

February 17, 2015

“The long wait is finally over,” says Carach Angren to Decibel. “We proudly present you our fourth full-length musical horror story telling the utterly dark tale of two children on a quest to escape total darkness. As the music and lyrics take you from chapter to chapter you will learn about the inevitable outcome…This Is…

Full Album Stream: Hacavitz — “Darkness Beyond”

February 16, 2015

In the new edition of Decibel with our tour headliners on the cover J. Bennett gets into a fascinating conversation with Liturgy frontman Hunter Hunt Hendrix (aka Triple H) about just what constitutes “black metal,” among other topics. There’s no need for any investigation or atom splitting when it comes to this band. Hacavitz is…

Unorthodox Redux: Exclusive Indecision Doc Clip!

February 16, 2015

What It Once Meant — the documentary detailing the life, death, and (semi) resurrection of Indecision, hands down one of the smartest, most audacious, uninhibited hardcore bands ever — is a real triumph of an often fumbled form: Poignant and funny, harrowing and inspiring, the film opens up a window on a unique assemblage of…

Commune With Sweet Jesus

February 16, 2015

Counting members of such forward-thinking hardcore acts as Have Heart, Fucking Invincible, Verse, and Soul Control amongst its ranks, Sweet Jesus‘ vivifying and powerful debut full-length You Destroy Yourself pays homage to late 80s/early 90s D.C. emotive hardcore without sliding into pure imitation. Today Decibel brings you a taste of what’s to come with the…

Holiday Playlist: Db Does VD

February 14, 2015

So Decibel assumes at this point you’ve got your dozen roses, the perfect card, maybe some wine. All these have been easily attainable and, really, almost unavoidable for the last four to six weeks. Valentine’s Day mood music, on the other hand, has remained maddeningly elusive for those inclined towards the extremely extreme. Until now….

Izah Stream New Album: Sistere

February 13, 2015

Later this month, Dutch sextet Izah will release their first full-length document of sludgy aggression through the always dependable Nordvis Produktion.  It represents a major step in a very long road for the band, and its four gargantuan tracks make that point crystal clear.  But these aren’t the sprawling teases that some bands employ in…