Matt Solis

With the Dead

September 12, 2017

British doom practitioners With the Dead are this week’s Best New Noise.

Hall of Fame Countdown: Dying Fetus’ Destroy the Opposition

September 15, 2016

There are many reasons why Dying Fetus’ Destroy the Opposition rules, but one in particular stands (severed) head and shoulders above them all: the riffs. Slick, catchy and heavy as fuck, this is death metal that was written to be remembered. 

Merchant of Doom: An Interview with Wretch’s Karl Simon

September 1, 2016

Wretch’s Karl Simon talks about how the band’s debut LP came to be, how his friend and ex-bandmate Jason McCash’s death affected his songwriting process, and his plans for a brand-new chapter in his life.

Neurosis – “Times of Grace”

August 26, 2016

I’m no expert on multiverse theory, but I’ve listened to enough stoned podcast ramblings to get the gist: Anything that can happen has already happened, and not only that, it’s happened an infinite number of times.

Grace Period: Neurosis Talk Times of Grace’s Companion Album

August 18, 2016

Our Times of Grace Hall of Fame interview with Neurosis touches on how the band decided to record a companion album of ambient music under their Tribes of Neurot moniker (Grace) with the specific intention of creating an “active listening experience,” but alas, the cursed restraints of print media only allowed for part of the story to be told. Thankfully, you’re on the Internet right now, so you can simply read on to hear the rest of the tale.

Inquisition

August 15, 2016

Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith
Satan is good, Satan is our pal
dB rating: 8/10

Form and Force: An Interview with Spirit Adrift’s Nate Garrett

August 4, 2016

For Nate Garrett, the healing power of heavy riffs is nothing new. Many know the Arizona-based musician as the guitarist in Gatecreeper and Take Over and Destroy, but 2016 introduces a new chapter in his musical career: the one-man doom project Spirit Adrift. With the release of the band’s debut LP, Chained to Oblivion, a mere week away, we caught up with Garrett to talk about the events that led to its creation.

Live and Direct: An Interview with Mizmor’s A.L.N.

July 21, 2016

This August, Portland-based multi-instrumentalist A.L.N. will bring his one-man black/doom metal project, Mizmor, to the stage for the very first time at Migration Fest in Olympia, Washington. We caught up with A.L.N. to talk about the process of transitioning Mizmor into a live band, the challenges that come with creating music by yourself and the finer points of rehearsal room tomfoolery.

Hall of Fame Countdown: Slayer’s South of Heaven

July 7, 2016

It’s weird to think of any Slayer album as “transitional,” as they all share the same basic sonic sensibilities (namely, the sound of your skin being flayed from your quaking bones), but if there’s any record that marks a clear turning point in their career, it’s 1988’s South of Heaven.

Zhrine

June 20, 2016

Unortheta
Nothing’s zhocking
dB rating: 8/10

Hall of Fame Countdown: L7’s Bricks Are Heavy

June 9, 2016

L7’s seminal third LP stands the test of time via its excellent songs, hefty production (courtesy of the legendary Butch Vig), pithy lyrics and general “go fuck yourself” attitude. Ranking these nasty jams from “worst to best” is a downright punchable offense, but let’s do it anyway.

The Daily Grind: An Interview with Napalm Death’s Barney Greenway

May 26, 2016

Did you catch Napalm Death in the past couple of months when they rolled through your town? If not, you missed one of the most eclectic tour packages of 2016. We caught up with vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway ahead of the band’s first of two sold-out shows at Slim’s in San Francisco to talk about how the “Savage Imperial Death March Tour” came about, the logistics of grindin’ for six straight weeks and, of course, the three-ring circus that is American politics.

Hall of Fame Countdown: Nile’s Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka

May 5, 2016

Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka is a near-perfect death metal album—absolutely pummeling and technically astonishing, yet layered with unique instrumentation and musical phrasing that give it an ancient, otherworldly atmosphere. Ranking such a slab of awesomeness from “worst to best” is about as ridiculous as Sully Erna’s face tattoo, but that’s never stopped us before!

Folk Tales: An Interview with Moonsorrow’s Mitja Harvilahti

April 21, 2016

You’d be hard-pressed to describe Finland’s Moonsorrow without using some kind of synonym for “epic,” so the fact that their new LP, Jumalten Aika, out-epics anything they’ve done is nothing short of astounding. We caught up with guitarist/vocalist Mitja Harvilahti to discuss the musical, thematic and personal influences that helped bring this beast of an album to life.

Cleavers of Souls: An Interview with Skeletonwitch’s Scott Hedrick and Adam Clemans

April 7, 2016

The Decibel Magazine Tour has been in full swing for three weeks now, and for Skeletonwitch, it’s been a perfect vehicle to introduce their new frontman, Adam Clemans. We caught up with Clemans and guitarist Scott Hedrick after a blistering 40-minute set at San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom to talk tour stories, album plans, and Facebook etiquette.

30 Years of Neurosis: An Interview with Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till (and Friends!)

March 31, 2016

Earlier this month, Neurosis took up residency at San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom for an epic weekend of shows to commemorate their 30th anniversary. We caught up with vocalists/guitarists Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till to talk about the significance of the event.

Behold, the Monolith: Blood Music’s J Discusses His Massive Emperor Box Set

March 17, 2016

When it comes to heavy metal collectibles, it doesn’t get much bigger than Blood Music’s Emperor: The Complete Works box set. We caught up with label mastermind J to talk about the logistics of taking this monolith from concept to reality.

Hall of Fame Countdown: Candlemass’ Nightfall

March 3, 2016

Nightfall‘s big brother may get most of the attention, but Candlemass’ sophomore LP has more than enough potency to sit on its own throne. Ranking the songs by merit is utter madness since it’s a stone cold masterpiece…but that’s never stopped us before!

Deströyer 666

February 29, 2016

Wildfire
Burninating the countryside
dB Rating: 8/10

Oranssi Pazuzu

February 22, 2016

Värähtelijä
Trance With the Devil
dB Rating: 9/10

Hall of Fame Countdown: Sepultura’s Arise

February 18, 2016

With three rock-solid releases preceding it (one of which is an undeniable first-ballot classic) and two, shall we say, polarizing releases following it, Arise is the sound of Sepultura finding their sweet spot. Ranking the songs from “worst to best” is borderline insane as they all completely rip, but we did it anyway.

Exclusive Premiere: Zhrine’s “Spewing Gloom”

February 2, 2016

Zhrine is an Icelandic black/death metal band that melds the disgusting atonality of Deathspell Omega with the oppressively frigid atmosphere of Svartidauði (guitarist Nökkvi Gylfason is a member), complete with a fetid dusting of sludge as a sickening after-dinner mint. Check out the exclusive premiere of their song “Spewing Gloom,” off their upcoming LP, Unortheta.

Exclusive Premiere: Omnium Gatherum’s “Frontiers” Video

January 26, 2016

Finnish melodic death metal mainstays Omnium Gatherum are mere weeks away from dropping their seventh LP, Grey Heavens, and their timing is impeccable: it’s cold as balls out there. To celebrate, the boys have dropped a new video for the album’s second single, “Frontiers,” and we have the exclusive U.S. premiere.

Hall of Fame Countdown: Tiamat’s Wildhoney

January 21, 2016

Twenty-two years later, Tiamat’s Wildhoney remains a marvel—a truly mighty bridge that countless bands have since crossed in an effort to meld the brutal with the otherworldly. We break down the 120th entry into our Hall of Fame over a big ol’ glass of Psilocybe tea.

Abbath

January 19, 2016

Abbath
Still no Vinnie Vincent guest solo
dB Rating: 8/10

Kingdom Come: An Interview with Fleshgod Apocalypse’s Tommaso Riccardi

January 7, 2016

Fleshgod Apocalypse vocalist/guitarist Tommaso Riccardi talks about the philosophical concepts behind the band’s new album, King.

666 Days of Metal with Chip McCabe

December 10, 2015

“Best Of” lists are child’s play compared to Chip McCabe and his absolutely bonkers “666 Days of Metal” project. As a giant middle finger to Top 100 lists everywhere, the Connecticut-based writer chose the 666 greatest albums in metal history and proceeded to write a review of each album every single day for almost two fucking years. We caught up with Chip to talk about the mind-numbing logistics of sticking with such a daunting project.

Hall of Fame Countdown: King Diamond’s Abigail

November 12, 2015

King Diamond and crew are currently slaying their way across the U.S. playing Abigail in its entirety, so what better time to break down our 84th entry into the Hall of Fame?

Blood, Bats & Blast Beats: An Interview with The Faculty of Horror’s Andrea Subissati

October 29, 2015

Andrea Subissati is a Toronto-based sociologist, writer and co-host of The Faculty of Horror podcast. We talked to her ahead of All Hallows’ Eve to get her take on horror, metal and why the two are eternally intertwined.