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Sucker For Punishment: Dig Your Fingers In

September 10, 2014

For some crazy reason the Canadian province of Alberta is on one hell of a roll when it comes to metal these days. The underground extreme side is thriving, yielding death metalers Revenge, primitive thrashers Blackrat, grind aces Wake, and old-school speed metal upstarts Gatekrashör. The Weir delivers first-rate noise, Chron Goblin excel at stoner…

Epic Ruination: Exclusive Krieg Video Premiere!

September 10, 2014

Last week Philadelphia black metal stalwarts Krieg unleashed a disquieting beast of an album christened Transient. Now comes appropriately dark visual accompaniment in the form of the video for “Ruin Our Lives,” streaming below. Get into it.

Dronouncement: New Wrekmeister Harmonies Album, “Then It All Came Down!”

September 9, 2014

A little over a year ago, we debuted a stream of Wrekmeister Harmonies’ You’ve Always Meant so Much to Me, a harrowing piece of modernist drone from mastermind JR Robinson (the Alan Moore-looking dude above). We dug it a lot,  so we are super psyched to let you know that he’s already recorded a follow-up,…

Eye On the Baal: Exclusive Das Rad Premiere!

September 9, 2014

Check out our exclusive stream below of Toronto psych-metallers Das Rad cleverly embedding a subversive catchiness into the fuzzy, atmospheric doom of “Eye of Baal,” a track off the band’s upcoming debut full-length Radiation. And if you like the Hawkwind-meets-shoegaze-meets-Can vibe, there’s another preview track here.

STREAMING: Nocturnal Poisoning “Doomgrass”

September 9, 2014

As one of the greats of American black metal Xasthur left its mark on the indelible and the hard-won. Sadly, Xasthur, as of 2010, is no more but the legacy of main black Scott Conner carries on in not-so-new project, Nocturnal Poisoning. Certainly a sound to divide fans right down the middle of Xasthur’s “X”,…

STREAMING: Apostle of Solitude’s “Luna”

September 8, 2014

What a bummer. Summer is officially over. It’s Monday. Our readers who aren’t chronic truants are back in school. Pretty much the only upside is that our managing editor’s beloved New York Jets started the season with a win, a nice start to their inevitable 8-8 finish. With that in mind, how about a little…

KILLING IS MY BUSINESS: A Peek Inside Profound Lore & Housecore Records

September 8, 2014

From a listener perspective, the most important department at any record label is the A&R department. They’re the folks that sift through demos and pitches from pushy managers and attorneys to decide which acts you can buy at your local Walmart (or wherever you pick up your Krieg records). And while the A&R capacity of…

Niklas Stålvind (Wolf) interviewed

September 5, 2014

Wolf = heavy metal. Leather, beer, whiskey, spikes, chainsaws, and greasy, long hair. Since the beginning of time Wolf has laid waste to posers (and poseurs) and pretenders, bands and forum-junkies too easy to extol the virtues of some C-level band no one has ever cared about except some A&R guy at CBS who is…

Getcho’ Nerd On: Deconstructing Sequence

September 5, 2014

UK time travelers Deconstructing Sequence have recorded a new 2-song EP called Access Code, amounting to more than 16 minutes of new music.  Yeah, that doesn’t really sound like a lot, but the futuristic mech-out violence metes out a very high quality to make up for the relatively low quantity.  They pack as much music…

Exclusive Video Premiere: Hideous Divinity’s “Sinister and Demented”

September 5, 2014

Looking for some authentic Italian you can’t get at Olive Garden? Try this uber-brutal, churning platter of tech-y death metal courtesy Rome’s Hideous Divinity. Aptly dubbed “Sinister and Demented,” the track is off the band’s upcoming Herzog-inspired sophomore effort Cobra Verde, out next month. (Preorder here.) Bon appétit!

Duo Me All Night Long: An Interview with Fossils

September 4, 2014

Denmark’s Fossils are another impressive addition to the growing collection of killer two-man bands currently forming in the shadow of the continued absence of Lightning Bolt and the acceptance of the reality that the price of gas is never going to drop below $3 per gallon anywhere other than Indian reservations and south Texas. The…

Rosetta: An Update

September 4, 2014

You may have heard that there’s a new Rosetta EP on the way (that’s the cover up there), but the band also just announced that it will be playing two special record release shows for Flies to Flame. While our hometown favorites are always worth seeing, these gigs have something extra to offer. Not only…

STREAMING: Overcharge’s “As If There Were No Tomorrow”

September 3, 2014

Globalization really has changed everything, not just for business and our sex lives but for music. How else could you explain the fact that dudes in Mumbai are playing expert technical death metal and the crop of black metal bands in Australia? Case in point: the new album from Overcharge. Now, if you listen to…

Sucker For Punishment: Full Ascent

September 3, 2014

There are certain bands I’ve only seen in specific settings, and in some cases it’s something where I’d like it to stay that way. I’m sure some readers might relate. For instance, I’ve seen Sodom four times, all on a cruise ship, and it’s gotten to the point now where the notion of seeing the…

TRACK PREMIERE: Divider’s “Crow Eater”

September 2, 2014

Labor Day’s over. No more wearing white. Black, however, is always in season. Check out that fashionable album cover below for Divider’s All Barren. Their music also pulls together different shades of darkness, its menacing slow burn drawing from bands like Neurosis and Tombs. We are pleased to offer the opening track from the album…

Tales From the Metalnomicon: The Return of Dustin LaValley

September 2, 2014

Welcome to Tales From the Metalnomicon, a column delving into the vast world of heavy metal-tinged/inspired literature and metalhead authors… Some readers may recall Dustin LaValley’s memorable Metalnomicon bow a little over a year ago. We’ve invited the literary extremist back today to give us the lowdown on Swallowed: A Hypersexual Romance, his new novel…

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

August 29, 2014

BURZUM has been described as “music to make mortals dream,” and  The Ways of Yore (Candlelight) will do just that, because it’ll put you to sleep. I guess living in France can’t be that cheap; it seems like Varg cranks records out once a year or so. I’m not going to delve into his politics, the…

Exclusive: Stream The New Noisem

August 29, 2014

By now Decibel readers have come to know and love the young upstarts in Noisem. They turned heads during the last Decibel tour (and almost got Jeff Walker of Carcass in a lot of trouble — check out the details in the instant oral history). So Decibel and our friends at A389 Recordings are excited…

Throw Me a Frickin’ Label Hack: Dawn of a Dark Age

August 29, 2014

Because every day another band records another song.  Because 83% of those songs are unlistenable and you can’t be bothered to sift through the dreck.  Because metal is about not giving a shit and waking your own personal storm.  Because music is universal, expression is boundless, and even indie labels (whatever that means these days)…

KEN Mode News and Notes: Tour Dates! New Material! New Videos!

August 28, 2014

Tomorrow begins the touring cycle for Winnipeg’s tireless road warriors, KEN Mode in support of their forthcoming album, Success. The record itself isn’t slated to be recorded until November, but after almost a year at home, the rest of the world can almost hear the itchin’ in their britches to get back out on the…

INTERVIEW: Pit Full Of Shit

August 28, 2014

If you’ve been to shows around the NYC area–particularly at The Acheron or Saint Vitus Bar, both in Brooklyn–then chances are you’ve seen Frank Huang. More often than not, he’s armed with at least one video camera to capture that night’s show for everyone else’s viewing pleasure. After noticing him time after time at gigs,…

db Exclusive: The National Anthem Courtesy of Exmortus

August 27, 2014

Decibel‘s love of baseball is well documented, from the staff baseball road trip of years past recounted in the oral history of the magazine’s first decade to our annual baseball special. Our editor-in-chief is at this moment wondering why fate decided he should edit an extreme metal magazine rather than play in the majors. So…

Sucker For Punishment: Eleventh Observation

August 27, 2014

Last week I mentioned how writers like yours truly like to cart out the phrase “fully realized” upon hearing an album we deem to be a creative zenith, as if to immediately negate anything the artist might have in store in the future. Nope, sorry, this is as good as it will ever get. If…

STREAMING: Blackwolfgoat’s “Drone Maintenance”

August 26, 2014

“Black,” “wolf”, and “goat” are all words frequently found in the pages of our magazine, so any band with all three words in its name has to be good, right? Absolutely! Only probably not for the reason that you think. Blackwolfgoat is the solo project of guitarist Darryl Shepard (Black Pyramid, The Scimitar, Hackman, Milligram,…

Rise to Snarl Again: English Dogs Q&A

August 26, 2014

When the classic line-up of UK crossover heroes English Dogs reconvened for a raucous U.S. tour a few years back enthusiasm went straight through the squat roof. And yet a rumored new album, even the band’s most ardent fans would likely admit, seemed a much dicier prospect. After all, the 2011 jaunt focused on To…

Pardon, Please: The Deciblog Interview With Lord Worm

August 25, 2014

Dan Greening — alias Lord Worm — is one of the few true mavericks in death metal. Worm is best known for his work with Cryptopsy; Decibel Hall Of Fame inductee None So Vile and potential inductee Blasphemy Made Flesh are genre classics. Worm’s work with Cryptopsy is inimitable; his lyrics are crazed poetry as…

STREAMING: Rigor Mortis “Poltergeist”

August 25, 2014

After the untimely passing of Rigor Mortis guitarist (Mike Scaccia; also of Ministry) in December 2012, the remaining members decided it was Scaccia who would’ve wanted to see new album, Slaves to the Grave, released to the wide world of longhairs, headbangers, and rebel angels. The group has already premiered ripping new track, “Flesh for…

VIDEO PREMIERE: Killer Be Killed’s “Snakes of Jehovah”

August 25, 2014

It’s Monday morning. Mondays suck. It doesn’t take a cartoon cat to know that. But lo and behold, we have something to brighten your week: a video featuring Troy Sanders, Greg Puciato, Max Cavalera, Dave Elitch, and a naked chick with a snake. Who says we aren’t good to you? Here’s the latest video from…

Simon Wizén (Valkyrja) interviewed

August 22, 2014

** Valkyrja has largely existed in a vacuum of uncool. The Swedes’ brand of fiery black is likened to Watain fucking around with early period Enslaved, but that’s the extent of Valkyrja’s Satan-powered volcano. Throughout the group’s three-album discography they tap an unknown darkness. They make you feel as if you’ve stuck your head and…

Throw Me a Frickin’ Label Hack: France’s Father Merrin

August 22, 2014

Because every day another band records another song.  Because 83% of those songs are unlistenable and you can’t be bothered to sift through the dreck.  Because metal is about not giving a shit and waking your own personal storm.  Because music is universal, expression is boundless, and even indie labels (whatever that means these days)…