Destruction, legendary kings of the Teutonic thrash metal scene, are continuing to thrash ’till death with their 30th Anniversary Tour. Almost halfway through, the band plays NYC tonight and then begins a furious march as they burn through Canada towards the west coast.

If you’re wondering if these guys are still doing the anti-lord’s work, here’s “Hate is My Fuel,” their most recent barrage from Day of Reckoning. And if that’s not enough, below that is a fair representation of what will be clobbering that pretty face of yours when you make it to the show.

The remaining tour dates:

5/16 – New York, NY @ B.B. Kings
5/17 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
5/18 – Ottawa, ON – CANADA @ Maverick’s
5/19 – Toronto, ON – CANADA @ Rockpile
5/20 – Joliet, IL @ Mojoe’s (DESTRUCTION + VITAL REMAINS ONLY)
5/22 – Pueblo, CO @ Kim’s Pixie Inn
5/24 – San Juan Capistrano, CA @ The Coach House
5/25 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
5/26 – Oakland, CA @ The Metro
5/27 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
5/28 – Vancouver, BC – CANADA @ The Venue
5/30 – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
6/01 – Ramona, CA @ Romona Mainstage
6/02 – Santa Clara, CA @ The Avalon
6/03 – Hollywood, CA @ The Whisky

Revered Swedish death metal producer Tomas Skogsberg once claimed Borås-based Evocation were better than Stockholm’s best sliced bread. This was back in the early ’90s too, when Stockholm greats were on their respective—much beloved—second albums. At the time, Evocation never got to recording a full-length—despite being courted by a few “notable” labels of the day—due to ever-problematic “musical differences”. Says Evocation six-stringer Marko Palmén, “Musical differences in the ’90s forced us to put the band on ice. Every time we met—after splitting up in ’93—we always talked about re-starting Evocation. But there was always something stopping us. ”

Fortunately, the dust settled and the collective re-grouped in 2006 for a demo. Feeling the fire, so to speak, Evocation signed with German undie Cyclone Empire, issuing not one but three fucking full-lengths of old-school tinged death from 2007 to 2010. Established and album-proven, Evocation has moved on from Cyclone Empire to Century Media—who are on a “roots oriented” signing spree as of late—where they’ll enjoy Ferraris, an undefiled corpse or two, and, well, a larger distribution network. To celebrate the occasion, Century Media is releasing a compilation of demo, unreleased, and rehearsal material, which will differ from the 2004-released Breath of Night Evocation collection.

As for the feral track “Through The Darkened Peril”, Palmén reveals: “When we recorded the demo we all felt unanimously that this track should be the opening track since we all felt that it was the strongest one. ‘Through The Darkened Peril’ holds most of the Evocation patented features we make until this day. The groove is the most outstanding feature on this track and that is something we work with a lot nowadays as well. Skogsberg even told us that the mid tempo part in the middle of the track had a jazzy feeling. The first version of this track also had an opening riff which was quiet slow in tempo but before we recorded the track we decided to skip that part since it didn’t add anything for the track. We have done this track live several times and I think it will remain in our repertoire for a long time ahead. Another cool memory that just came into my mind was about Janne’s drumming; this is the only track on The Ancient Gate demo ’92 that he needed to correct after the first take. All other drum tracks on the demo are recorded on the first take and no corrections have been made afterwards, they are featured in their very raw and unedited form.”

Revel in the flesh of “Through The Darkened Peril” from the Skogsberg-produced The Ancient Gate demo.

** Click HERE to visit and like Evocation on Facebook.

** Evocation’s new demo compilation album, Evoked From Demonic Depths – The Early Years, is out June 26th on Century Media Records. Available only as an import from CM Distro, this sweetly disgusting compilation of old bones features a 32-page booklet and three live bootleg videos from 1992. Order it HERE, or find yourself on the bottom’s of Tomas Skogsberg’s trucker boots. Trust us, Entombed’s been there for a good while now. And well…

Last month, Savannah psychedelic metal crew Kylesa put in some serious road miles in support of GWAR. Prosthetics, artificial blood and semen are not everyday items on the underground metal touring circuit, so we got Kylesa guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants to take some pics and notes. This is what went down.

04-13 San Antonio, TX | Backstage Live
So we drove from Savannah, Georgia to San Antonio, Texas. We were supposed to have a show in New Orleans but they canceled on us at the last minute. We drove, I mean, it was 20-something hours. We had a van but it was the most pimped van I’ve ever been in; it was a big Spinner that had been converted into like, I guess a very miniature Nightliner. There were some bunks up there, some benches, a TV, DVD… it was pretty comfortable. I slept most of the way. We got there on the day of the show but got there early. The first day of tour is always so hectic; there’s merch everywhere, there’s just things you’ve forgot at home. We hopped on at the end of the tour, they had been pluggin’ along for several weeks already. It was cool in San Antonio ‘cos I didn’t know who was in Ghoul, and when I walked backstage I immediately saw Ross (Sewage) and Dino, and I’ve known those guys for years, from other bands. It was like, “Shit, you guys are on this tour!? Awesome.” Everything was starting off on the right foot. We met the GWAR guys, their crew – and the tour manager, Eddy, was super-cool. I first saw GWAR when I was like 14 or 15. It was definitely cool to go out with them ‘cos I hadn’t seen them for such a long time. We were the meat in a bloody sandwich between them and Ghoul.

Yes, we know this about the laziest kind of post we can throw on yon Deciblog, but good christ we could not pass up the opportunity to share these. The simplest search on Youtube netted us some gems that 1) we could not stop watching and 2) were so bizarre as to make us wonder what the hell is wrong with people. Seriously. There must be some study done somewhere that draws the connection between the shit people decide to post on Youtube and the overall mental health and sanity of society. Don’t get us wrong, we’re GLAD that people are so narcissistic, simply for the comedic value, but we are a little disturbed.

So, if like us, you love beer and you love metal, you will love these beer and metal-themed Youtube vids.

We gotta start off with “The Metal MadmanTM” (yes he has trademarked his moniker, so step-off, bitches) who not only gives us some sweet air drumming to Iron Saviour, he chugs a beer in seconds flat. That’s his shtik apparently. And check out the sparring that ensues in the comments section of his vids.

Muppets playing metal is of course hilarious, but if you add beer—in this case Korpiklaani’s “Beer Beer”—it’s three times the funny.

While we love this guy’s taste in music, his “beer review” is lacking in detail. Unless of course, you consider “I’ve had worse, that’s for sure,” useful. He does give his frosty Holsten Festbock an 8 out of 10, then goes on to crank up the Sabbath for some killer headbanging at the 3-minute mark.

And now a commercial message from Pure Blonde Beer.

We had to add one more appearance from The Metal Madman who in this post shouts down “crybabies, pussy motherfuckers and posers,” and proves once and for all that he is not fakin’, as he chugs a Smuttynose IPA from his frosty Harpoon IPA glass.

We could have done a whole post on extreme bands doing beer-related tunes, but this kick ass track from Gang Green, L.D.S.B. (Let’s Drink Some Beer) says it all in 1:12.

Back in April an itsy bitsy salmonella swaddled spicy tuna roll tried it’s damnedest to throw a monkey wrench into self-described “party death metal rockers” Attila’s latest North American tour — prophetically dubbed “The Sick Tour” — but stricken frontman Chris Fronzak refused to sis out, instead performing through what he describes as “gut wrenching stomach cramps and overall pain — plus a bunch of other bullshit.”

Fronzak survived, but when the happy go lucky thrasher received his invoice for treatment — hashtag #holyshit — “Fronzilla” decided to lawyer up and sue the company whose questionable quality control practices put the icky foulness into the food supply. Or, as Fronzak’s attorney William Marler prefers to put it, “Mr. Fronzak’s favorite food was sushi and he has eaten it frequently for years without issue. When he sat down to eat a tuna roll, he was expecting to enjoy a few bites of comfort food while on the road with his band. What he did not expect was to become dangerously ill — taking on heavy financial strain and jeopardizing both his health and his tour.”

Decibel caught up with Fronzak yesterday to see how the post spicy tuna roll era is treating him and his lawyer.

Moon Marine has recalled 58,828 pounds of frozen Nakacochi Scrape, which is believed to be the source of the salmonella outbreak you got caught up in. If you had known your spicy tuna roll was made out of something called “Nakaochi Scrape” would you still have eaten it?

Fuck no. That shit’s so gross. I had no idea whatsoever. It amazes me how shitty food quality can be. You’d think that eating something expensive like sushi would mean better quality food…Sike. The food industry is all about cutting corners. Wait, so we can just grind up dirty fish bones and call it meat? Word let’s do it!!!!!

So…it’s a fairly badass move to continue a tour when stricken with severe salmonella. What were those performances like for you? Was there any particular point when you thought you might not be able to soldier on?

It’s competition time, folks, and courtesy of the good folk at Metal Blade we have a selection of swag to give away, on the condition that you A) answer the question correctly and B) are lucky enough to be drawn out of our moth-balled and dandruff-flecked Six Feet Under beanie. Now, we were going to have some comely wench in a torn Pantera t-shirt exhibiting the prize in the fashion of an 80s game show but, sadly, they’re all under contract to Revolver, so you’re going to have to make do with a list, and the expertly shot photograph above.

THE PRIZE: 1 x Cannibal Corpse Torture CD, 1 x Cannibal Corpse Torture figurine, an Amon Amarth t-shirt for unseasonably Nordic U.S. summers, and a t-shirt from that superlative modern beat combo, the Black Dahlia Murder.

THE QUESTION: Six Feet Under and former Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes is a dog owner: which gnarly breed of dog does he have?
A) Doberman
B) Labrador
C) Lhaso Apso
D) Irish Setter

Send your answers to: metalblade@decibelmagazine.com
Closing date for entries is 31st May 2012. Winners will be notified by Decibel’s on-call Corpsegrinder lookalike in full Viking garb (this maven of Amon Amarth cosplay is available for children’s parties) shouting through your window. Or email, whichever’s to hand.

Of course, given the cruel nature of competition, there can only be one winner. All those unlucky enough to miss out can buy Cannibal Corpse, the Black Dahlia Murder, Amon Amarth ephemera and more at the Metal Blade webstore, just click HERE.

Terms and conditions probably don’t apply. Umm, we don’t use your email address for anything (who would do such a thing?). Just remember to specify which size of t-shirt you need.

Good luck, etc…

You stepped up with more songs on Torture than on previous albums. Why is that?
Rob Barrett: The original plan was that each of us to write four or five songs, but we decided to stop writing several weeks before going into the studio to concentrate on the 12 songs that were already written. I was starting up on a 4th song, but it seemed best not to rush anything since we already had enough material for the album. I’m writing more now because it provides more variety and diversity on the overall sound of the album if the three of us are writing more evenly.

Which of the songs that you wrote is your favorite and why?
Rob Barrett: I’d say “Caged…Contorted” because Paul and I spent a lot of time working on the opening riff and the arrangement of the song is quite memorable in my opinion. I also think the lyrics are pretty graphic to the point where you can envision exactly what’s going on in the story.

How do you separate songs from Evisceration Plague and Torture?
Rob Barrett: I think overall, Paul’s drumming is much more busy on Torture than Evisceration Plague. A lot more drum rolls and busy sounding stuff going on with the drums. I’m convinced that it’s his best recording performance to date. He spent a lot of time practicing by himself this time around tightening up all the little parts that were giving him problems at first, so he was very prepared for the studio and even nailed a song or two in one take. Plus, I think there are more memorable songs this time around as well.

Who do you think Cannibal Corpse are identity-wise at this point?
Rob Barrett: I think we’re a non-compromising death metal band that has been able to stay vital in a scene where trends come and go every few years or so. Our fanbase has an age range that is unmatched by anyone in this genre proving that we’re able to keep up with the times without losing our own identity.

When I spoke with Alex [Webster; bass], he made it a point to discuss diversity and variety. Do you think Torture is your most diverse album to date? Why is that?
Rob Barrett: I think it definitely is because the songwriting has been split up more evenly this time around which automatically provides more variety. Plus it seems like we’re all on the same page more than ever before when it comes to writing at this point. Knowing each others’ strengths and weaknesses to be able to write material that we can execute live as well.

Why do you think Cannibal Corpse has lasted this long where others have not?
Rob Barrett: I think we’ve lasted this long because we’ve stuck to the original plan without drastically changing our style too much. A lot of bands move on and try to do different things musically and that will almost always alienate a good percentage of your fanbase. It seems that we’ve gained a lot of respect by sticking with our style instead of putting something out that isn’t in the ‘pure death metal’ realm.

Do you think death metal has room to grow? Given it’s around 26 years old? Give or take a few years, of course.
Rob Barrett: Absolutely! I’m sure you’ve noticed that a lot of ‘radio’ bands have deep, gutteral vocals in their songs nowadays and the main gripe that a lot of people have had with death metal is the vocals. I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard someone say, “Man, I think the music is killer but I just can’t get past those vocals!” It seems like the vocals are slowly but surely becoming more acceptable.

Describe your time at Sonic Ranch? Alex said it was a bit tense due to guitars not staying in tune.
Rob Barrett: I was very excited to go there after hearing about it from the guys and seeing footage there from The Wretched Spawn album. It’s out in the middle of nowhere with no distractions, so all of your focus is on the recording. Yes, we did have some stressful days in there when we weren’t getting anything tracked at all for several days due to a string of events. I think it started with one of Erik Rutan’s Tannoy monitors getting a speaker blown. Then when the replacement speaker showed up, it didn’t work so we lost a few days there. Then when we started getting to tracking the guitars were acting up and not staying in tune. Pat was in there taking a drill to his guitars to fix the problem. Then by the time we were ready to track with one of my guitars, we go into the studio the next day ready to track and the neck on my new guitar snapped all by itself! So yeah, after all these things happening one after another it seemed like we would never be able to get the record done in time, but we fought through all the bad shit and found a way to get it done. Overall, it was still a great experience aside from the delays that we had and I’d love to go back again.

Controversy has always followed Cannibal Corpse. Why you think that is?
Rob Barrett: I think it’s mostly because of the imagery that we have. The artwork and the lyrical content are the culprits for all the controversy. For us we’re more concerned about the music first though. The imagery and lyrics are secondary to me but we are very adamant about having all of that fit the music which is dark and aggressive. I’ve always found it strange how movies showing excessive violence are more acceptable than certain forms of music that contain violent lyrics.

Zombies are big part of Cannibal Corpse. Why do you think zombies have endured and, more recently, entered mainstream culture?
Rob Barrett: I think that a large portion of society has a morbid fascination with this lawless, mayhemic sort of ‘walking dead’ world where you have to scavenge to survive and most of the population are zombies. People watch horror flicks, go in haunted houses, jump outta planes, go on roller coasters all that kinda stuff because they like the rush of getting a little scared sometimes.

** Decibel #90, our “zombie apocalypse” issue, is available HERE. The full Cannibal Corpse story, replete with our boys of gore in full-on zombie kill mode, is neater than Romero’s love of the film, The Brothers Karamazov.

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 jump off a cliff into a sea of boiling water with Lemming Project’s Hate and Despise (1992).

1992 was a pretty solid year for extreme metal – At the Gates’ The Red in the Sky Is Ours, Deicide’s Legion, Cannibal Corpse’s Tomb of the Mutilated, and, of course, Extreme’s III Sides to Every Story.  All eyes were focused on Sweden and Florida, and almost nobody was paying attention to what was going on in Dortmund, Germany.  And that’s pretty understandable – even though the city is about the same size as Gothenburg, it lacked the vibrant metal scene and brutal winters that made said scene possible.  Still, sometimes crops can grow in infertile soil.  All it takes is some liquid nourishment – beer and blood.

Lemming Project, as you can tell from the name, were sort of weird.  Although they were undeniably death metal, no modifiers required, they certainly flaunted their idiosyncrasies.  For example, their release immediately prior to this record was a split EP with folk metal jokers Skyclad.  Songs like “Leadership” and “Judas Billygoats” were split into two sections (“open” and “use” for the former, “inside” and “outside” for the latter).  There’s that bizarre, Lovecraftian cover art.  And then there’s their sound, which couldn’t be fit easily into either the Swedish or Floridian style.  They grooved like Entombed, changed lanes like Death, and featured erudite lyrics like Morbid Angel.

Then, of course, there’s the effect that their charnel house rock has when you actually listen to it.  That album title is pretty indicative of their sonic approach: an unholy manifesto of pure misanthropy.  Not just lyrically, either.  Their scorched-earth approach rivals notable nihilists like Craft for sheer spite.  The aforementioned “Leadership” indicates they believe in nothing of the kind, predicting seasons in the abyss for those with the hubris to assume command.  “Lost” earns its name with a twisting riff that never seems sure where it’s going.  “Manipulation” convinces you that it’s going to be a Teutonic thrasher, before it hits the brakes.  And “Washed” has a gang shout chorus, but denies anticipation of catchiness.

Alas, this was to be their final release (guess they should have called this one Extinction instead of their debut).  They broke up soon after its release, and they’ve even been denied the possibility of a late-career reunion and reappraisal due to guitarist/songwriter Michael Schmale’s tragic demise a decade later.  Still, those who appreciate old school death metal the way it should be done (and it seems unlikely that any of those folk would be reading this article) will find this a treasure that, while an ugly one, shines in its own evil way.

Buy it here!

UK-based death-heads, consider this your rallying cry for what will not only be one of the summer’s most gnarly nights of death metal, but a crucial fundraiser for former Decapitated vocalist, Adrian “Covan” Kowanek.

Decapitated, Hades Lab, Dead Beyond Buried and Ted Maul tear up the Camden Underworld’s dilapidated bowel on 29 June 2012. Doors are at 6pm: tickets cost £15.00. The gig is part of Decapitated’s Wake The Fuck Up Covan shows. The Polish death metallers tour at the beginning of the year raged on in the name of their injured comrade, who was seriously injured in the 2007 bus crash that also claimed the life of Decapitated drummer and founding member Witold “Vitek” Kiełtyka. Covan subsequently suffered a cardiac arrest and cerebral hypoxia, which has had a devastating on his life. As the Polish news footage below shows, Covan’s need for treatment is huge. He is showing signs of improvement and, as the organizers say, there is hope that he will get some decent quality of life if he can afford some pioneering stem-cell treatment in Köln, Germany. But sadly, that shit’s not cheap.

The organizers are looking for drinks sponsors, merchandise for prize draws, and equipment: if anyone wants to get involved and can help in any way, you can get in touch via the Facebook events page HERE.

And you can buy tickets HERE.

Blastbeats, death growls and weird, sick riffs, all in a good cause: so buy a ticket, get involved, buy some merch and help a brother out.
The last time Decapitated tore through the capital it was pretty savage: expect nothing less.

And even if you can’t make the gig, you can click through this banner and donate:

Grindcore legends Phobia may not be the most prolific full-length writers—six of ‘em in 22 years—but what they lack in Genesis-like concept albums or MacGrubergrind throwback scene points, they make up for in sheer volcanic terror. If that sounds like journalistic exaggeration, well, it kind of is, but what band outside Napalm Death, Rotten Sound, a reactivated Repulsion, Fuck the Facts, or Wormrot—yes, these are personal favs, so shove it—has the fortitude, the skill, and pissed pants to continue the violence for two friggin’ decades? Case rested. Crap, forgot Brutal Truth.

Anyhow, there’s a new Phobia full-length on the horizon, and we here at the Deciblog demand that if the aforementioned namedrops tickle your pickle, then 18 songs in 19 minutes, as it pertains to the Remnants Of Filth long-player, should be on your list of lists this (early) summer. It’s not often we demand anything—other than you pressing the “Like” button on our Spacebook page—but today, this Friday the 11th, we want you to stream Phobia’s “Submission Hold” for all of 1 minute and six seconds. Actually, open up a separate browser and stream the song at the same time. Grindcore in dual-stereo.

OK, enough of our rambling. Here’s Phobia’s “Submission Hold”:

** Phobia’s new album, Remnants Of Filth, is out June 5th on Willowtip Records. It’s available HERE directly from Willowtip Records. We’d recommend ordering from them instead of flying to Ulaanbaatar and ordering it as an import. Just sayin’.