Chris Dick

** If you’ve ever visited a large city, it’s readily apparent between trash-strewn alleys, huge skyscrapers, and rush hour hustle ‘n’ bustle, decay is happening. Cities—from Aborym’s home in Rome, Italy and New York City to Oslo and Miami—are slowly rusting and dying from the inside out. Add humans to the equation and cities turn…

Formed by members of Spawn of Possession, Psycroptic and Space Raven, Mephistopheles comes out of the gate complicated. Actually, not that complicated, but perhaps different. The riffing of Ben Lawless squeaks, skronks, and pulls strange chords from the Netherverse. When he, drummer James “Blower” Excell, and bassist Sam Dowson lock, it’s like Dysrhythmia with a…

** Originally slated for an early July release, Avichi’s new album, Catharsis Absolute, is now coming this October. If the stars align. Below is a conversation with Avichi mastermind Andrew ‘Aamonael’ Markuszewski about what separates Catharsis Absolute from its predecessor The Devil’s Fractal. We also explore the spiritual and personal concepts behind it. What is…

Municipal Waste are no strangers to Decibel-land. Having performed admirably at our 100th Issue show, appeared as chefs on the cover of issue #89 [available HERE] and earned an honorable place on Albert’s mancave mantle, the Virginia-based thrashers are, well, like family. When Scion A/V approached us to air an exclusive interview with the Wastoids—in…

“The idea came from a discussion over a beer or two with a friend about Primordial possibly doing a set of epic Bathory tracks to commemorate our 20th anniversary,” says steelheart Alan Averill on the origins of Twilight of the Gods. “I realized this was pretty unlikely so he more or less made me a…

When was the last time you entered a cemetery with less than honorable intentions? Yesterday? Hail! Never? Well, you have some serious work to do. But what do cemeteries, (possibly) illegal activities, and California’s Ghoul have in common? Who the fuck knows?! We do know the Ghoulies latest EP, Intermediate Level Hard-Core, makes us want…

The stars have aligned. The planets in strange conjunction. The winds of time are flowing in reverse. What would the odds be that Swedish death metallers Evocation—long ago resurrected by revenge—are releasing a covers EP, Excised and Anatomised, a mere month before reanimated death metal lords Carcass are set to release the follow-up to Swansong,…

** S. Craig Zahler was part of Decibel’s oral history on the illustrious rise and untimely demise of stateside metal bible, Metal Maniacs. Mr. Zahler interests, however, span more than writing reviews and making publicists fret. He’s a noted author, a script writer, and singer/drummer for doomy epic metal outfit Realmbuilder. The Metal Maniacs oral…

Diamond Plate couldn’t be more literal. In a few ways, actually. One, the band name refers to, well, a diamond plate or tread plate, as seen on truck covers, trailers, mud flaps, and restaurant floors. They’re “metal,” get it?! Two, when asked for a quote about the track we’re premiering they said, “No click track,…

For five Texans, timing’s always been a cruel, heartless bitch. But that didn’t stop Solitude from transforming under threat of legal action into Solitude Aeturnus, landing a record deal with Roadrunner on the strength of a single demo and issuing two critical full-lengths for the ascendant international thereafter.

As summer reaches her cruel arms into August (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), the days elongate (not scientifically), the sun burns hotter, and time stands still. The Dog Star blazes the night sky. These are, my friends, Canicular Days. But what if long-dead winter—his biting cold and piercing winds—suddenly came into view. A brief…

Spoiler alert! The new Gorguts album, Colored Sands, rules. But you knew that already. The band that put Canadian death metal on the map—with Considered Dead and Erosion of Sanity—and then sent death metal into fits of spiral rage on 1998’s Obscura and 2001’s From Wisdom to Hate have returned, with class, chops, and curveballs…

The last time we spent time with melodic death metallers Mercenary was on 2011’s Metamorphosis effort. With a revamped lineup, the Danes managed to change their sound—much to the dismay of long-time fans—but the change opened up a whole new world of potential. They’re no longer stuck to the melodic death construct that made them…

Neo-barbarians is how Twitching Tongues has been described. Now, most of the time when you hear the word barbarian you picture classic bronzed ‘n’ buffed Arnie in a majestic loincloth and wielding the Atlantean sword. Well, I guess barbarians of present day dress in black and instead of decapitating with a finely crafted weapon of…

** Now that Slumber is ancient history, AtomA on ice, and Rapture in perpetual hibernation, few bands (let’s give props to Enshine) have been able to take melodic doom-death to heights of awesome. Enter Fractal Gates. Formed in Paris, France, the members of Fractal Gates made one hell of a debut in Altered State Of…

** It’s been an age since Ulver have had anything to do with metal. Yet, somehow, Ulver, like others who departed from the dome of metal, have managed to capture our minds and hearts. Musically speaking, Ulver have very little business on the Deciblog—all things being fair—yet here they are, connected via an ability to…

Back in the day (about four years ago), Trouble’s follow-up to Simple Mind Condition was titled, The Dark Riff. Pretty cool title. Succinct and descriptive. Well, the title’s changed to, The Distortion Field, and we’re pretty sure it’s just as descriptive, but there’s a little more to interpret. We won’t try, of course. The title…

** Dark Tranquillity have a new album out. It’s called Construct. As one of the many requirements of writing about metal is interviewing bands when they have new albums out. Hence, this feature. Actually, scratch that. I’ve been interviewing Dark Tranquillity for almost 20 years now, since the Skydancer effort, so me and the Gothenburg…

By Jon Leon (White Wizzard) 5. Watchtower’s Control and Resistance (1989) Possibly the most over-the-top falsetto vocals of all time…Mixed with some of the most technically proficient playing I have ever heard. Everyone talks about Voivod, who are great, but I think this album is superior to anything any technical metal band did in the…

Dan Swanö. The man. The myth. The machine. The dude’s got more bands, projects, one-offs, production credits, and engineering nods than anyone in the so-called ‘biz.’ Well, he’s returned, with buddy and guitarist extraordinaire Ragnar Widerberg in tow, on new outfit Witherscape. Those in the Swanö Swanclub have known about Witherscape for a day or…

By Joseph Michael (White Wizzard) 5. Savatage’s Edge of Thorns (1993) This is one of my favorite albums to listen to on LSD. Great vocals, guitars, and songs. RIP Criss Oliva. The solo on “Edge of Thorns” is worth the price of the album alone. 4. Marty Friedman’s Dragon’s Kiss (1988) This is the guitar…

** Sharon Ehman is a Toronto, Canada-based clothing designer and sole proprietor of Toxic Vision, a unique label creating one-of-a-kind designs. New collections, based off her interest in and love for metal as well as the supernatural, are available every month at the Toxic Vision website. Ehman’s work has been seen on members of Watain,…

Orphaned Land doesn’t have it easy. As the ambassadors of metal in the Levant and its nearest neighbors, the Israel-based outfit are trying to bridge an incredible cultural, linguistic, religious, and think gap. Through five studio albums, the most recent of which is All is One, they’ve tried to represent both sides of the struggle…

** Mortuary Drape are Italy’s oldest black metal export. But don’t rely on our words for the truth. Many a Norwegian—you know, the guys who made black metal a household name—genuflected at the altar of the Alessandria-based outfit. Just ask Fenriz next time you see him. He’ll tell you the demos were on par with…

** Impiety are Singapore’s longest standing black metal act. Once reviled by just about everyone in their home country, Impiety have, in fact, won over many, their impassioned live performances, dedication, and purveyance of the dark arts proving to be an unstoppable force. To celebrate Impiety’s upward climb from the bowels of Southeast Asia’s cleanest…

Enshine and AtomA share similar traits. High concept atmospheric metal. Lots of instrumental passages. A space-like art direction. In your view, how do they differ, seeing as though both bands were once upon a time part of Slumber?Jari Lindholm: Although all the bands mentioned share the basic set of instruments and ingredients for the most…

** The “Wild Hunt” listening party was held at Duff’s in Brooklyn, New York on June 8th. Century Media hosted, with Erik Danielsson acting as infernal master of ceremonies. The track-by-track review was written on first listen at Duff’s. Track 1: “Night Vision” Big slow intro build. Heavy metalesque segue, twin harmonic leads cutting the…

I think I’ve said it before and I think I’ll have to say it again. Black metal, on the Deciblog, isn’t represented fairly.

** The Black Dahlia Murder’s Trevor Strnad details the band’s new album, Everblack, in this track-by-fucking-track run-down. Whether you’ve followed the Detroit-based outfit from their humble Motor City beginnings to the mountainous perch from which they gaze down lovingly and loathingly (that’s a word, shut up) at fans and critics alike, Everblack’s a monster of…

Floor’s history is fraught with turmoil, disappointment and what could have been. Yet, between three untimely breakups, countless empty-room performances, super-short stints on various record labels and a revolving cast of collaborators, Floor crafted the full-length of full-lengths, the heaviest of heavies, the mountain of mountains.