Justin Norton

Let’s help Joe Wickstrom

August 21, 2013

A member of our extended family needs your help. Joe Wickstrom is the bassist of Atriarch and has played with numerous Portland bands. He was diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease in 2011 and has had a tough go. The disease narrows the arteries and makes it tough for blood to reach the limbs and extermities….

The Deciblog Interview: Jack Grisham

August 14, 2013

Jack Grisham’s place in the world of punk and extreme music is secure. In the early 80s, he was the volatile frontman of T.S.O.L. (True Sounds Of Liberty), a band that along with Black Flag and the Circle Jerks defined southern California hardcore. He handled vocals on their debut EP and the eternal classic Dance…

Low Fidelity: The Reality Of The Record Business, circa 2013

August 7, 2013

Neill Jameson is best known to readers as Imperial, frontman of the excellent USBM band Krieg. Along with Blake Judd, Wrest and Thurston Moore (!) he was also part of the black metal project Twilight. I got to know Neill during an interview about three years ago and we’ve kept in touch since. As our…

Decibel exclusive: New Malevolent Creation song!

August 2, 2013

It’s been three years since we’ve heard a peep from death metal originals Malevolent Creation (with Invidious Dominion, in 2010). Decibel is lucky to get our hands and ears on a new track called “Face Your Fear.” Drummer Gus Rios tells us that it’s the first of many the band is writing. Stream “Face Your…

STREAMING: New Gigan

July 31, 2013

We’re fans of musical nuttiness here at the Deciblog. And there’s nothing nuttier — or more impressive — than the colossal mindfuck that is Gigan. We received an advance copy of their new album Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery And Super-Science (due from Willowtip on October 15 — preorder details to be announced soon). We’re happy to…

Inside The Shredder’s Studio #7: André Foisy Of Locrian

July 24, 2013

Locrian’s new album Return To Annihilation is one of the better records I’ve heard this year, and the praise keeps rolling in. We decided that it was a perfect time to invite frontman André Foisy to the shredder’s studio. He shared a list of eclectic infuences and might be the first shredder featured ever that…

Cris Jerue of 16: Confessions Of A Middle-Age Freeloader

July 17, 2013

For decades, 16 vocalist Cris Jerue has written lyrics about the consequences of bad behavior, bum brain chemistry and addiction. The end result of said behavior is that it’s often tough to find a place to settle down. In his first ever post for the Deciblog, Jerue writes about the natural consequences of said behavior…

A Pale Horse Named Death: A Glimpse Behind The Horse #4

July 16, 2013

This is our fourth post from director Aaron Beaucher on the making of the new A Pale Horse Named Death video “DMSLT.” An updated gallery follows. — During the past few weeks, we’ve been working on integrating the effect shots into the video. The process can be cumbersome. The first step was to import our…

STREAMING: Bangladeafy’s “The Briefcase”

July 10, 2013

If you are scanning the Internet chances are you have a set of headphones and 15 minutes to burn. If that’s the case check out this funky little EP The Briefcase from New York City duo Bangladeafy. We’re running out of phrases to describe their music today so if you have any questions just ask…

Blues Into Metal #3: Joe Wood

July 3, 2013

Guitarist and vocalist Joe Wood is best known for his time in T.S.O.L., including the classic Change Today? album – a hybrid of punk and blues that I consider one of the best Southern California punk albums in the early-to-mid 80s. The album’s highlight is “Flowers By The Door,” a near-perfect song that is still…

Strength Beyond Strength: The Midyear Report

June 26, 2013

In January, we introduced readers to Jason Statts. The response to his story was overwhelming and generated quite the buzz in the world of the extremely extreme. We decided to check in with Jason a half-year later to see how he was doing, and if sharing his story changed anything. He was happy to oblige,…

A Pale Horse Named Death: A Glimpse Behind The Horse #3

June 19, 2013

This is our third post from director Aaron Beaucher on the making of the new A Pale Horse Named Death video “DMSLT.” An updated gallery follows. — We spent some time over the past week shooting some of our effects layers for the “DMSLT” video. As you will read below, the process is fairly involved…

A Pale Horse Named Death: A Glimpse Behind The Horse #2

June 12, 2013

This is our second post from director Aaron Beaucher on the making of the new A Pale Horse Named Death video “DMSLT.” An updated gallery follows. Check out the first post here. ***** During filming we tried to capture as many angles as possible. Before a shoot, I typically sit down and visualize the angles…

STREAMING: Sacrilegious Impalement’s “Down For Grim Lord”

June 5, 2013

For your streaming pleasure this Wednesday we have a new song from the Finnish black metal band Sacrilegious Impalement. It’s a smoker in 1349 fashion. Stream “Down For Grim Lord” below and get in touch with the band here. Lux Infera is available from Woodcut Records. More on the band, in their own words: Formed:…

A Pale Horse Named Death: A Glimpse Behind The Horse #1

June 4, 2013

Your friends at Decibel have teamed up with A Pale Horse Named Death to entertain you this summer. We’ll be hosting a blog series for the next five weeks detailing production of a video for their new album Lay My Soul To Waste and premiering the “DMSLT” video at the end. In the first installment,…

STREAMING: Kalmah’s “Deadfall”

May 29, 2013

For your streaming pleasure today we have a track from Kalmah’s new album Seventh Swamphony. Listen to “Deadfall” below. Preorders are available in the band’s webstore. The album will be released via Spinefarm on June 18. From the press release: Finnish death metal legion Kalmah are pleased to unleash their seventh studio offering this June,…

Inside The Shredder’s Studio #6: Mark Thomas Baker of Orchid

May 22, 2013

Shredding in metal dates directly back to Tony Iommi, who is inexplicably still writing riffs and will be a big part of the new Black Sabbath album due next month. So, we figured it was a good time to invite a new generation of doom shredder into the studio this week. Mark Thomas Baker of…

The Ghosts Of Metal Past: Of fate, friendship and fast food

May 15, 2013

We remember the folks who were around when we started listening to metal. One of the people I have a vivid memory of is my old friend Robert Dyer: a wild haired guitar aficionado that sat next to me in many a math class during our four years at a parochial prep school. Robert often…

On The Bus with Killing Joke’s Jaz Coleman

May 8, 2013

Jaz Coleman is known for tackling big subjects in interviews: climate change; the degradation of the food supply; technological singularity and the Renaissance. Spending some time with him in person — not in a Conga line of press interviews — is a much different proposition, even if he still hints at his scholarly pursuits. Decibel…

Jeff Hanneman: 1964-2013

May 3, 2013

When it comes to creativity and vision, the best of us don’t compromise. It’s easy to shift and jump on a trend to make a buck, or follow blindly when someone promises a path to success. It’s a path many of us would take. Those destined to make a mark never compromise on their vision,…

Jim Van Bebber on Metal, Part 2

May 1, 2013

Jim Van Bebber’s audacious underground masterpiece The Manson Family recently finished its first proper domestic screening run in a decade. The following is the second half of our lengthy interview with the underground director (read the first half here). In this installment: rejection in Hollywood, Philip Anselmo and modern music. ***** When did you decide…

EXCLUSIVE: Vektor-Scion A/V video premiere

April 30, 2013

So, this is pretty cool. Decibel has teamed with Scion A/V to offer our fine blog readers the first peek at a new interview and performance video featuring sci-fi metallers Vektor. The footage was shot during the recent Scion A/V Earache Records showcase. Per what you’d expect from Scion A/V the video is immaculately shot…

STREAMING — The Guilt Of…

April 24, 2013

You might remember our friends from specialty vinyl label Last Hurrah. Last year, they pressed an ultra limited vinyl run of 16’s Lost Tracts Of Time. This summer, they will release a full length album from Mike IX project The Guilt Of… Although this will only be released on vinyl Decibel scored an early peak…

Black Metal At The Pickle Barrel: A Night With Quorthon

April 17, 2013

If you spend enough time on the Internet you begin to think that most readers visit sites just to stir the proverbial shit pot. But occasionally the Web will serve up something so delightful and unexpected that it validates the whole premise of connecting the world and equipping the population with tools to allow them…

Jim Van Bebber On Metal #1

April 3, 2013

For three decades, Jim Van Bebber has been one of the most abrasive, iconoclastic filmmakers in the American underground. His debut feature Deadbeat At Dawn was a perfect rendition of 60s biker films shot guerilla style on the streets of his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. His mini-feature My Sweet Satan is an updated retelling of…

STREAMING: Unreleased Killing Joke — “Timewave”

March 27, 2013

It’s going to be a busy spring for Killing Joke. They’ll be touring North America and elsewhere and releasing an omnibus of singles from their storied career, which includes a disc of rarities. Super deluxe packages are still available here and the three-disc set is available here. Decibel scored an exclusive peek at “Timewave,” an…

Insider The Shredder’s Studio #5: Kurt Ballou of Converge

March 13, 2013

The latest inclusion in the Shredder’s Studio was inevitable. Kurt Ballou is no stranger to the Dec-faithful; he played on Hall of Fame and top album of the 00s certified masterpiece Jane Doe; laid down riffs on last year’s best record and helped close out our 100th issue party. Mr. Ballou is writing the kinds…

Blues Into Metal #2: Up Jumped The Devil

March 6, 2013

Quick test: go check your music shelf or your iTunes. How many metal albums have some kind of mention of the Devil? A third? How did that symbolism get there in the first place? Why is it so powerful, and so enduring? In the second installment of blues into metal, we’re honored to have bluesman…

STREAMING: Deathchain’s “Like Worms Upon The Lands” with LG Petrov

February 26, 2013

For your streaming pleasure today we’re happy to premiere a song from Finnish death metal band Deathchain’s new album Ritual Death Metal. What makes this track special is that it features guest vocals from Entombed’s LG Petrov. Learn more about Deathchain below and then stream “Like Worms Upon The Lands.” You can preorder the CD…

STREAMING: Paganland’s “Wind Of Freedom”

February 20, 2013

For your streaming pleasure today we have the international debut of Paganland. The Ukranian band will release their first album Wind Of Freedom via Svarga Music on Marth 4. The band was formed in 1997 and released a few demos and splits but didn’t get to a proper record until now. Check out the eponymous…