Chris Dick
Warbringer Tour Diary, Part III
October 20, 2011 Chris Dick
Hello out there. Kevill here again, coming to you from some bar in Manhattan where I have found a place to actually sit down and write.
Tom S. Englund (Evergrey) interviewed
October 19, 2011 Chris Dick
What makes Tom tick? You’ve been doing Evergrey for more than 15 years now.Tom S. Englund: I don’t know, man. Must be as simple as the love for creating music and music in general. That and, of course, travelling the world numerous times as a result of the chords I play and write of course…
STREAMING: Encoffination “Rites of Ceremonial Embalm’ment”
October 17, 2011 Chris Dick
When death and his plague exhaling horse come knocking on your front door, the last sound you’ll hear won’t be “…Baby One More Time”. It’ll be the dirge of doom expulsed by Texas/Georgia duo Encoffination. Not unlike the members’ grime-encrusted outfit Father Befouled, Encoffination’s brand of death is unpolished, guts hanging out, but ultimately dangerous….
Warbringer Tour Diary, Part II
October 13, 2011 Chris Dick
Hey out there metal dudes! Week two of the tour blog now, we have been completely hauling ass across the south. In the week since I wrote the last blog in Anaheim, we are now clear on the other side of the country in Tampa, Florida. Been doing drives averaging 9 or 10 hours every…
Pathology’s Top 5 Unsung Death Metal Albums
October 12, 2011 Chris Dick
By Oscar Ramirez (bass) To me these albums take me back to when I was in my high school days. Walking home with my headphones in, people looking at me weird because I’m trying to mimic the brutal vocals, just overall crushing in-your-face music. I got the privilege to see most of these bands, except…
Warbringer Tour Diary
October 10, 2011 Chris Dick
Hello all! Kevill here, writing the first blog I’ve ever done for, well, anything. I’m not much of a blogger/record keeper kinda guy, I never take photos of anything or write in a journal, any of that. But here I get to report all the happenings on our first ever USA headlining tour with Lazarus…
STREAMING: Absu “Abzu”
October 6, 2011 Chris Dick
There was a time when we divined the future out of tea leaves and coffee grounds (tasseomancy), a time when we ritualistically porked one another to achieve a greater sense of being (sex magick), a time when we stacked sticks and let them fall to try to find the right path (Rhabdomancy), and there was…
Krisiun’s Top 5 Hellish Places In Brazil
October 5, 2011 Chris Dick
5. Praia Boa Viagem Praia da Boa Viagem is the beach located in the most fashionable district of Recife, capital of the state of Pernanbuco, situated in the Northeastern coast of Brazil. The beaches there are beautiful and the weather is always nice and warm, inviting swimmers and surfers to get in the water—but don’t…
STREAMING: Vallenfyre “Desecration”
October 4, 2011 Chris Dick
Upstart British death metallers Vallenfyre will be new to most, but the group’s membership is as seasoned as they come. Featuring Paradise Lost’s Gregor Mackintosh on vocals/guitar, Paradise Lost drummer Adrian Erlandsson, My Dying Bride’s Hamish Glencross on guitar, and Doom bassist Scoot, Vallenfyre have only issued the Desecration / Iconoclast 7-inch to date. Limited…
Ministry – “The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste”
September 28, 2011 Chris Dick
I distinctly recall the first time I heard Ministry’s The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste.
SubRosa Interviewed
September 28, 2011 Chris Dick
To quote your bio: “SubRosa comprises the deep thrum that makes up the underlying plasma of our invisible surroundings.” What does that mean?Sarah Pendleton: We are attempting to be the sonic interpreters of that which is intangible. The name SubRosa implies mystery. Something hidden. Do you actively try to keep things a bit obscure? Rebecca…
STREAMING: Fuck The Facts “Alone”
September 21, 2011 Chris Dick
There’s a quaint perception that grindcore is, in fact, two-dimensional. One (maybe two if you’re lucky) emotion — aggression — and the music follows accordingly. Of course, there are outliers to everything, but Ottawa, Canada-based Fuck The Facts proves that grindcore in 2011 doesn’t have to be like grindcore of 1986, 1987, or 1997. It…
Lifelover guitarist Jonas Bergqvist (aka ‘B’) passes away
September 14, 2011 Chris Dick
Lifelover guitarist Jonas Bergqvist (aka ‘B’ and ‘Nattdal’) passed away on September 9th, 2011. Although Bergqvist’s death was unforeseen and unfortunate—rumors suggest he had a bad ticker—the members of Lifelover, who have now officially disbanded as a result and in honor of Bergqvist, vow to keep the band’s various Internet websites alive. Lifelover issued a…
Terry Butler (Denial Fiend) interviewed
September 7, 2011 Chris Dick
I think a lot of people assumed Denial Fiend was the work of Kam Lee. Now that Blaine Cook is fronting that assumption is no longer. What was the transition like between Kam and Blaine?Terry Butler: Kam likes to lead people on that Denial Fiend was his band. Truth is Denial Fiend is Sam’s baby….
Disposable Heroes: Confessor’s “Condemned”
August 24, 2011 Chris Dick
There’s little more annoying on this planet than the immoral majority telling you how essential, transcendent and (huh-huh) seminal a particular extreme album is, when you know that it’s overrated as fuck. Hence, our new Wednesday morning column, “Disposable Heroes,” in which one brave soul sails against the current to inform all you clones why…
Dave Matrise’s (Jungle Rot) Top 5 Best Things About Wisconsin
July 27, 2011 Chris Dick
5. SummerfestSummerfest: Biggest Outdoor Music Festival that is held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Fest brings in over 100,000 people in a day. It has many types of music playing every day, with over 100 stages. It brings in all the heavyweights from metal to country, even R&B and hip-hop. Summerfest has something for everyone to…
Tommy Rogers (Thomas Giles) interviewed
July 20, 2011 Chris Dick
How important was it to separate your solo project, Thomas Giles, from Between The Buried And Me?Tommy Rogers: I think it was very important to separate the two. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people do solo projects that sound like their main band. I wanted to step outside of what I normally…
Morta Skuld “Prolong the Agony” video
July 5, 2011 Chris Dick
Known for its cheese, beer, and baseball team the Brewers, Milwaukee is also home (rather was home) to some of America’s finest death metal. Yeah, Tampa had its rightful place on the throne in the late ’80s/early ’90s, but the former French Canadian trading post had Dr. Shrinker, Phantasm, Accidental Suicide, and the mighty Morta…
David Vincent (Morbid Angel) interviewed
July 1, 2011 Chris Dick
Well-spoken, Morbid Angel’s David Vincent has labeled the group in 2011 as “spearheaders”, which is fine when you look at albums like Hall of Fame album Altars of Madness, Blessed Are the Sick, Covenant, Domination. etc. Morbid Angel were the creme de la creme. However, time marches on and it’s rarely kind. Certainly, Vincent is…
Lordi: Fakest Metal Band Ever
June 30, 2011 Chris Dick
Finnish “heavy metallers” Lordi have gone 3-times Platinum (90,000 copies sold) in their native Finland, Gold (30,000 copies sold) in Sweden, Gold in Germany (100,000 copies sold) and have probably earned sales medals throughout Europe. Pretty neat considering Lordi are nothing but a bunch of fakers. Check out this clip from 2006. The horror-masked Finns…
Cradle of Filth – “The Principle of Evil Made Flesh”
June 28, 2011 Chris Dick
Formed in 1991 in Ipswich, about 82 miles northeast of London, Cradle of Filth started out as, to quote frontman Dani Filth, a “gore-flecked death metal” band.
Big 4: Comic Relief
June 28, 2011 Chris Dick
If you’re a Decibel subscriber, issue #82 [Scott Ian cartoon cover] should be arriving via angry postman shortly. In this month’s cover, longtime dude’s dude Nick Green detailed in fantastic fashion the link between comics and extreme music. With a (spoiler alert!) fold-out cover illustrator by Henry and Glenn inklord Tom Neely, issue #82 boldly…
STREAMING: So Hideous, My Love… “To Clasp A Fallen Wish With Broken Fingers”
June 27, 2011 Chris Dick
So Hideous, My Love… may not have the best band name, but musically they’re the best post-insert-subgenre-here band since Arvo Pärt joined Burzum and the daring duo started covering Godspeed You! Black Emperor B-sides. Seriously though, Pärt hasn’t joined Varg in any capacity, but So Hideous, My Love… feels like the next step in whatever…
Black Metal 1969
June 24, 2011 Chris Dick
Some say the first wave of black metal started in England. We happen to be of the opinion — a silly one, mind you — that the first wave of black metal started, at least sonically, in America in 1969, with the release of New York-based Cromagnon’s sole album, Orgasm. We’re not the first ones…
5 Things Musicians Need To Understand To “Succeed”
June 23, 2011 Chris Dick
5. MANAGERS: Self-managing a band is a load of work. Arch Enemy does it, actually. But unless you have a few A-types who actually know how things work, it’s probably a good idea to get a manager. Again, someone you can trust. Someone with a sterling reputation. Someone who manages other bands in good standing….
Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) interviewed
June 21, 2011 Chris Dick
You picked Roy Z as a producer for Kairos. Why Roy?Andreas Kisser: Roy was a great choice for this album. He’s a very experienced produced, working with the best singers in metal. He’s a great guitar player. He’s a great musician, too. He more or less knows how to play his instruments. And he’s active…
The Metal Detektor
June 20, 2011 Chris Dick
It takes too long to go through every online distro, e-store, virtual shop to find the best prices on the latest…uh, precious metal titles. Want the new Arch Enemy Khaos Legions for less than $10? Try Amazon. Or Century Media’s CM Distro. Want the new Morbid Angel wooden box set for less than three Bens?…
STREAMING: Harm’s Way “New Beginnings”
June 17, 2011 Chris Dick
Chicago-based metallic hardcore outfit Harm’s Way are right down the middle of our proverbial plate. That’s a baseball reference — made by a non-baseball fan — if you were thinking of fine china or the affordable stuff you get in boxes of 50 at Ikea. Seriously, hearing Harm’s Way’s new album Isolation immediately made us…
LIVE REVIEW: Amon Amarth May 6, 2011, TLA, Philadelphia
June 16, 2011 Chris Dick
Let’s put this in perspective. I can’t recall — ever! — a band of Amon Amarth’s music style and profile doing a full U.S. tour without direct or local support. That includes every legend in the book. Entombed, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Vader, Carcass, Napalm Death, Obituary, etc. Sure, they may’ve done a string of…
Norway Makes – The World Takes
June 14, 2011 Chris Dick
In the ‘90s, the antics of Varg Vikernes and several others pushed black metal into an unwelcome, possibly unintended spotlight (though one can argue razing Stave churches was an attention-garnering move). But black metal, from a Norwegian perspective, is no longer musica non grata. Having witnessed in person Dimmu Borgir’s NRK-funded and sponsored (effectively the…