Featured

TRACK PREMIERE: Freak Kitchen’s “Mathematics of Defeat”

August 5, 2014

Although Freak Kitchen don’t have much of a presence in the US yet, apparently they’re popular enough to be able to raise $140,000 on Kickstarter for an animated video, not to mention consistently selling out guitar clinics. SOMEONE must like them. That someone might even be you. If you’re into progressive metal with a really…

Pulp (Audio) Horror: Exclusive Crypticus Premiere!

August 5, 2014

Hot on the shambling undead heels of the uber-sick 2013 full-length The Barrens, Denver’s masters of smart, dark n’ dirty death metal Crypticus are set to return with Chains for Devils, the second in the band’s Horror Grind Mixtape series — i.e. “an original Death Metal mini-anthology designed to confound, horrify, & delight.” This morning,…

Get Horny: Stream a New RHINO EP

August 4, 2014

Sometimes, the unhipness of a sound is a pretty good measure of a band’s dedication to their craft.  While some bands chase trends and recording perfection as if precise alignment will translate directly into merch sales and Facebook likes, other artists burrow their own tunnels, regardless of what they think will be hot this afternoon….

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

August 1, 2014

Squawk it, I’m not into an intro today. Let’s just get into it, shall we? Now, this will be a difficult one for me to review. It’s a little hard to separate people from the music they create at times, but I’m going to give this one a fair peck… or attempt to anyhow. NACHTMYSTIUM’s swansong, The…

Throw Me a Frickin’ Label Hack: Texas’s Giant of the Mountain

August 1, 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)…

STREAMING: Krieg “Order of the Solitary Road”

August 1, 2014

Krieg’s new album, Transient, is killer. It’s a logical step after The Isolationist with a few surprises. No, Krieg braintrust Imperial (aka “record store” guy, Neill Jameson, aka Imperial) hasn’t injected his USBM crown with EDM beats (or light show) or Juggalo culture aesthetics. He’s simply taken Krieg and its music to the next logical…

“All PsychFest All the Time.” Interview with White Hills

July 31, 2014

New York-based experimental psychedelic stoner spacerockers White Hills has only been a band since ’round about 2005, yet they’ve already amassed the following discography: They’ve Got Blood Like We’ve Got Blood (Fuck Off And Di/Head Heritage, 2005) Koko (White Hills, 2006) Glitter Glamour Atrocity (White Hills, 2007) Abstractions and Mutations (White Hills, 2007/Thrill Jockey, 2009/Immune,…

Decibrity Playlist: Mutilation Rites

July 31, 2014

Mutilation Rites’ last record, Empyrean, landed on our top 40 records of 2012. To these ears, however, the group’s new LP tops that effort and so we’ve been playing it on a near daily basis since it dropped last week (Daniel Lake also streamed the whole thing here earlier this month). Since the Brooklynites just…

STREAMING: Bastard Of The Skies and Grimpen Mire

July 30, 2014

For your streaming pleasure this Wednesday, the Deciblog presents a British sludge noise vs. doom knife fight courtesy of the Bastard of The Skies and Grimpen Mire joint LP from Future Noise Recordings. Bastard Of The Skies, last heard from two years ago on their LP Tarnation, do their damage via monster riffs touched with…

Sucker For Punishment: I Got Hurt Feelings

July 30, 2014

Extreme metal bands withholding lyrics is commonplace, something we writers have learned to constantly deal with, to the point now that even though we’re never given the complete album experience, it’s pretty much taken for granted that we have to give readers an even and thorough assessment of a record even though we have literally…

FREE DOWNLOAD: Device (CA)’s “Miracle Metal”

July 29, 2014

No, not THAT Device. This Device is from Canada, which instantly makes them 1000% cooler. Featuring noted metal scribe Kyle Harcott putting his money where his mouth is (or drumstick holding/typing hands) and a sweet space station album cover from up-and-coming designer Brandon Duncan, Device go decidedly old-school. Not just the usual touchstones like Iron…

The Phantom of the Paradise is Back!

July 29, 2014

Never thought I’d get to meet the devilNever thought I’d meet him face to face Heard he always worked alone, that he seldom wrote or used a phone So I walked right up to meet him at his place Two years before unleashing Carrie on the world in 1976, Brian DePalma concocted the profoundly weird,…

Bad Mojo: Death Curse Premiere!

July 28, 2014

So…here’s one of those times when you actually can go ahead and judge an album by its cover: Friday the 13th obsessives Death Curse play nasty, fuzzy, stripped down death n’ roll and the band isn’t really isn’t inclined to do fuck-all to pretty it up for anyone outside the horror metal cult. We’ve got…

Ihsahn (Emperor) interviewed

July 28, 2014

** Hall of Famers Emperor are celebrating the 20th anniversary of black metal classic, In the Nightside Eclipse. As part of our journalistic duties, we couldn’t pass up a chance to talk to icon/good guy Ihsahn about two decades of black fucking metal and why this time Emperor are taking the stage with them to…

STREAMING: Saturn “So, You Have Chosen Death”

July 25, 2014

Retro is cool. Retro is where the girls are at. Retro is where the dollars are at. If you’re retro, you’ve got it made. Unless you’re in the business of retro heavy metal. Then, you just get the girls. Just ask Swedes Saturn. With just a few strums of their throwback axes and bygone haircuts,…

Throw Me a Frickin’ Label Hack (NOISE Edition II): Christopher S. Feltner

July 25, 2014

It’s been a good month for celebrating the noisier side of the extremely extreme.  All good things must end… though it’s hard to believe that we won’t be revisiting gritty, shadowy, unfettered sound in the future, if only here on the Deciblog. To round out the month of noise, we spoke to Virginia-based Christopher S….

Raw Power is Coming to America Again! Why So Glum Chum?

July 24, 2014

In addition to holding the illustrious (or dubious) honour of being one of my personal favourite bands of all time, Italy’s Raw Power is undoubtedly one of the most enduring and consistent hardcore punk bands to emerge from the world of hardcore punk. They formed in 1981 (with roots going back to the late 70s),…

Decibrity Playlist: Misery Index

July 24, 2014

Misery Index is no stranger to these playlists. In fact, we were in the midst of winter 2013 when bassist/vocalist Jason Netherton regaled us with “bleak tunes that recall those snowbound blizzards from yesteryear.” This time around, guitarist Mark Kloeppel went in a totally different direction to get you in the know about “hard” jams….

Tombs’ Mike Hill: Hot Coffee Machine

July 24, 2014

Because Tombs frontman Mike Hill loves work and HATES sleep, he recently started his own company, Savage Gold Coffee, in an effort to completely eradicate the latter from everyone’s life. Their inaugural brew, Savage Gold Prime, is available for order here now. While presumably starin’ at the walls, Hill gave us the scoop. I’m guessing…

Die With Scars: Mike Hill On Fight Club

July 23, 2014

This week brought the news that a Fight Club sequel (in comic book form) is forthcoming. We aren’t sure if this will work out for the best but it seemed like an ideal time to revisit a book and movie that inspired many. Mike Hill of Tombs has embraced the book’s underlying ideal: that you…

Black Anvil Joins Lineup for Decibel 10th Anniversary Show at Saint Vitus!

July 23, 2014

It’s like eight zillion degrees in Philly today, so in the spirit of delusional wishful thinking, we’re telling ourselves that October 18 is riiiiiiiiight around the corner. October 18, of course, being the date of our “Decibel Takes Manhattan (and Brooklyn)” 10th anniversary shows, in which we’ll be wearing light jackets and merrily thrashing our…

Sucker For Punishment: Le Doom

July 23, 2014

It’s a fairly eventful week, thanks in large part to Season of Mist and Prosthetic using this week as a dumping ground for several new releases. Considering next week is a bit on the slower side, wouldn’t it have been a better idea to spread things around more? Give an album a chance to stand…

TRACK PREMIERE: Kaine’s “The Wanderer”

July 22, 2014

Their name is Kaine and the song is called “The Wanderer,” so the nerd in me wants to say that this UK band named themselves after the  classic TV series Kung Fu – but their name is spelled differently and also they look like they are about 16 and oh God I’m old. Anyway, there’s…

Get Sinister: Exclusive A389 Mixtape Stream/Contest!

July 22, 2014

A389 Recordings is the most dangerous record label in America, period. Those who doubt it will have a tough time accounting for the 2014 A389 Digital Mixtape/Sampler, an utter beast of a collection featuring fifty-plus salvos from such sinister extreme music heavyweights such as Integrity, Bloodlet, Ringworm, Weekend Nachos, The Black Dahlia Murder, Iron Reagan,…

Morean and V. Santura (Dark Fortress) interviewed

July 21, 2014

** Germany’s Dark Fortress have plied black metal’s murky, obsidian-colored waters for the better part of 20 years. In that time, they’ve crafted seven full-length, all of which have gone on to acclaim and recognition. Unlike most bands, Dark Fortress haven’t played it easy across their varied discography. They’ve experimented, tried new ways to mold…

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

July 18, 2014

The dog days of August are almost upon us and, man, this parrot is wiltin’. Anyway, not too much for me to get excited about this time around, but you know, read for yourself and find out. “Consistent” is a good word to describe OVERKILL’s White Devil Armory. I mean, this band DOES change, and…

Midnight flexi disc of Venom cover now available!

July 18, 2014

Cleveland’s finest hooded hellions Midnight get lead review honors in September’s Decibel for their ripping sophomore full-length No Mercy for Mayhem. But that’s not the only honor the issue bestows upon Athenar and crew conjuring the earliest days of black metal majesty. Midnight make their Flexi Series debut with a full-throttle take on longtime influence Venom’s…

The Deciblog Presents Bonus ‘My Awesome Day Job’ Content: Psychotic Gravedigging with Psychotic Gardening

July 17, 2014

A couple months ago, I introduced you to Winnipeg death metal outfit Psychotic Gardening here. In the search for additional and interesting content for this here spot on this here blog, I was altered to the fact that vocalist Chris “Gillishammer” Gillis’ dayjob was as a gravedigger! As soon as I heard that, I immediately…

VIDEO PREMIERE: King of Asgard “The Runes Of Hel”

July 17, 2014

Happy Thursday. For your viewing pleasure at the Deciblog today we have an exlusive premiere of the video of King of Asgard’s “The Runes of Hel.” The track is from their forthcoming album Karg, due from Metal Blade on July 22. Watch the video below and then learn more and preorder the album here.

Decibrity Playlist: Goatwhore

July 17, 2014

For the past decade or so, Goatwhore has been one band that you can count on to put out quality release after quality release. The quartet’s latest LP is yet another um, merciless, entry in its oeuvre. So to celebrate both the recent release of Constricting Rage of the Merciless and the start of the…