Shawn Macomber

A Straight Edge “Timeline”

April 7, 2014

Check out a raging slab of unadulterated, all-star straight-edge hardcore off the upcoming EP A Place Beyond from Boston’s Test of Time below — the precursor to a much-anticipated July full-length release By Design. “Having been involved in the hardcore scene for about fifteen years each,’Timeline’ is a reflection about the feelings that originally draw…

Skinfather Wants You (To “Drown in Black”)

April 1, 2014

Maybe it isn’t a complete surprise that a rising death metal band would adopt a circa-1993 song title from Swedish extreme music legends (and Decibel Hall of Famers) Dismember as its moniker. How well Southern California’s Skinfather captures the spirit and unadulterated sonic brutality of that glorious moment in time, on the other hand, is…

“Barf Out Riffs, Barf Out Thoughts”: The Die Choking Interview

March 25, 2014

Back in January Philadelphia grind-punk all-stars Die Choking — bassist/vocalist Paul J. Herzog (ex-Total Fucking Destruction), drummer Joshua T. Cohen (Cop Problem), guitarist Jeffrey V. Daniels (Burden) — hit the ground running, unleashing a leveling sonic devastator in the shape of a debut self-titled digital E.P. as infectious as it is unsettling. A few weeks…

Demon Hunter Goes Extreme, Track By Track

March 18, 2014

Looks like it’s time to storm the gates of Hell again, kids. That’s right. Demon Hunter returns today with Extremist, an aptly-titled album that raises all of the various and sundry elements of the band’s burly signature sound to new maximal intensities before melding the whole shebang into a more cohesive, focused whole than ever…

Go…Direct to Video: Andrew Bonazelli Speaks

March 13, 2014

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into your favorite online bookseller… DTV — the excellent rock ’em, sock ’em ode to the heyday of 80s larger-than-life action film excess and its absurdist/dehumanizing aftermath from Decibel Managing Editor & novelist Andrew Bonazelli — is back in a brand new edition, complete with…

Goodbye Cruel World!!! (And Hello Fine Arts!?!)

March 11, 2014

A couple months back we premiered a new Backstabbers Inc track and now, with barely time enough for a gasp between, guitarist/vocalist Matt Serven is prepping Bury Me in a Hole in the Ground, the super limited double cassette from his digital hardcore side project GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD!!! We’ve got an exclusive stream of the…

Soldier Under Command: The Testimony of Stryper’s Michael Sweet

March 6, 2014

So many bands give the devil all the gloryIt’s hard to understand, we want to change the story We want to rock one way, on and on… Hard to believe nearly thirty years have passed since Stryper frontman Michael Sweet threw down that gauntlet with a crooning roar on the Yellow and Black Attack anthem…

Constant Lovers Visit the Amazon

February 25, 2014

This morning we’re streaming an exclusive new earthy, driving rocker from Seattle’s self-described “caveman goth” heroes Constant Lovers.

Get Altered

February 18, 2014

We’re exactly one month out from the release of Immortal, the sicker-than-a-resurrected-centurion-werewolf debut blaster from Sacramento death metallers Alterbeast, and to whet your appetite the band has graciously sent over an exclusive stream of a sonic power-up called “Vile Remnants.” Check the track out below, pre-order the record here, and, for the youngsters, check out…

International Noise Conference: The Movie

February 11, 2014

Tickets for the Miami International Film Festival sure-to-be cacophonous premiere of the documentary International Noise Conference 2013 go on sale this Friday, so it seemed like as good a time as any to check in with director Ronnie Rivera… How did the idea for the doc come about? I have been photographing the noise community…

Contest Time: Our Last Enemy “Pariah” Swag

February 6, 2014

We’re teaming up with Australian industrial metallers Our Last Enemy this morning to give away a few prize packs featuring an autographed poster and copy of the band’s latest CD Pariah. (U.S. residents only — sorry!) All you have to do is write a line or two in the comments section below explaining why you’d…

Beyond “Bear Claw Tavern”: Scythia Premiere “Reflections”

January 28, 2014

Last month Canadian epic/progressive metallers Scythia made a viral digital splash with the absurdist Pogues-meets-Dream-Theater-meets-drunken-hobbits video for the rousing anthem “Bear Claw Tavern” off the upcoming album …Of Conquest, and now the band reveals another exclusive jam here this morning. “This track is a ‘one-of-a-kind track’ on the record,” guitarist/vocalist Dave Khan tells Decibel. “‘Reflections’…

Professor Death Metal Strikes Back

January 21, 2014

Not long ago we introduced you to Concordia University professor/extreme music lifer Vivek Venkatesh. Today the man we affectionately call “Professor Death Metal” graciously gives us a sneak peak at “From Pride to Prejudice to Shame: Multiple Facets of the Black Metal Scene within and without Online Environments,” a chapter he co-authored with professor Jeff…

Systems Re-Overloaded: Exclusive Integrity Premiere!

January 14, 2014

A couple months back I was honored to usher the legendary 1995 Integrity album Systems Overload into the Decibel Hall of Fame and now, on the eve of a hell-freezes-over reunion at the A389 Recordings ten-year anniversary Bash in Baltimore, comes a new track from the Systems era line-up. Enjoy an exclusive stream of “7th…

Ode From A Backstabber

January 7, 2014

Following up a Kamikaze Mission is a no small challenge, but M.I.A., the decade-in-the-making barn burner of a comeback record from reconfigured/reborn Backstabbers Inc, proves a gloriously triumphant gut-check collection of anthemic dark hardcore — not to mention a helluva way to kick off the new year! Decibel is proud to present an exclusive stream…

Jar’d Loose Celebrate ‘The State’

December 17, 2013

So the much-beloved MTV sketch comedy show The State premiered twenty years ago today (!) and to honor the anniversary Chicago avant noise rockers Jar’d Loose have churned out a nutty/awesome cover of the Craig Wedren-penned theme song: Original here. A Jar’d Loose Deci-premiere from last year here. Also, the band is doing short tour…

Exclusive: Backtrack Premiere

December 10, 2013

The upcoming Backtrack record Lost In Life is a pretty damn awesome slab of modern NYHC and Decibel has the honor of premiering one of the best tracks in this space this morning. Check it out below then go preorder the whole album here. [Photo via Daniel Jeavons Photography.]

American Sharks Tour Diary: The Final Chapter

December 3, 2013

Austin, Texas purveyors of kinetic riffage and uber-burly grooves American Sharks dropped a sick self-titled debut back in September — check out a stream here — and just finished up a tour with Clutch and The Sword. Bassist/vocalist Mike Hardin checks in with this report… Fri. Nov. 1st Memphis, TN We arrive at Minglewood Hall…

Integrity – “Systems Overload”

November 27, 2013

The stagnating late ’80s hardcore scene drifted toward its early ’90s reckoning nursing one hell of a posi-hangover: saris and turtlenecks replaced abandoned Champion sweatshirts; smashed soapboxes were repurposed into horn-rimmed frames; fade-specializing barbershops faced precipitous revenue declines; ex-Youth Crew boys traded Adidas high-tops for Doc Martens sturdy/fashionable enough to endure the journey into a post-hardcore promised land of milk, honey and more ambiguous lyrics/breakdowns.

Chris Reifert Opens Up A Violation Wound

November 26, 2013

Living extreme music legend Chris Reifert is set to unleash a brand new band christened Violation Wound upon the world and Decibel has both the exclusive scoop as well as streams of two tracks from the upcoming album.

Axeslasher Track-By-Track

November 19, 2013

We called the latest from Axeslasher a “straight-up thrash-terpiece” in a blurb on our Halloween must-haves list a few weeks back, but Anthology of Terror, Vol. 1 — available here for a cool $6.66 — is sick enough to warrant a bit more coverage. Thus, the following track-by-track, courtesy guitarist/vocalist Justin Lascelle… Mark of the…

The Big Swim: American Sharks Tour Diary

November 12, 2013

Austin, Texas purveyors of kinetic riffage and uber-burly grooves American Sharks just dropped a sick self-titled debut back in September — check out a stream here — and are now on the road with Clutch and The Sword backing it up. Bassist/vocalist Mike Hardin checks in with this report… Saturday, Oct. 12th: Texarkana Day one….

Cleric Rising

November 5, 2013

Three years after a momentum-murdering robbery, Philadelphia purveyors of sublime sonic wizardry and nightmarish soundscapes Cleric are back, hitting the road for a long-delayed tour in support of the brilliant 2010 album Regressions. (Stream it here.) But wait! There’s more! This morning Decibel is honored to premiere a brand new (and aptly titled) Cleric track,…

Six Steps Toward Extreme Metal Halloween Preparedness

October 29, 2013

Halloween is this Thursday. Decibel wants you to be ready. 1. Minor Threat-aping Texas Chainsaw Massacre T-shirt The genius behind this Salad Days EP cover re-imagining… …should start an agency with whoever came up with “Guilty of Being Dwight” pic below, stat: (Picture cribbed from the Salad Days: The D.C. Punk Revolution documentary Facebook page.)…

EXCLUSIVE STREAM: EMPIRE OF RATS

October 23, 2013

Today we’re streaming the uber-brutal debut full-length from Columbus, Ohio skull-crushers Empire of Rats — and it’s basically an unforgiving swan dive into the metallic hardcore abyss. Check it out below, then preorder this monster as an early Halloween gift for yourself here before heading over to get tickets for the band’s A389 X Bash…

Visual Violence: Freya’s Brendon Flynn

October 22, 2013

This morning Decibel is pleased to exclusively premiere this video interview with Freya guitarist/visual artist Brendon Flynn in which he discusses the intricate, elegant artwork he created for the band’s most diverse and intriguing offering yet, Paragon of the Crucible: Preorder Paragon of the Crucible here. Check out a track from the album here. Download…

Join the Crusades

October 17, 2013

The upcoming Crusades record Perhaps You Deliver This Judgment With Greater Fear Than I Receive It is now available for pre-order, and we’ve got a sneak peek at what these Canadian anti-theists have been up to with the exclusive stream of a heretical rager entitled “The Torchbearer” below: Follow the band on Tumblr and Twitter….

Enter the Temple of Baal

October 15, 2013

This morning Decibel is proud to premiere an exquisite slab of blackened death metal off Verses of Fire, the barn burning fourth album from long-running French brutality merchants Temple of Baal. Another track from the album can be streamed after the jump.

Black Skies Over Denver

October 8, 2013

Professor Pizza of AXESLASHER fame stops in this morning to give us four reasons why attending Denver Black Sky is a moral imperative… By Metalheads, For Metalheads Denver Black Sky was masterminded by Skinless vocalist Sherwood Webber. From the start, his goal was to give a collection of hand-selected bands a full professional production and…

Crucial Blast Fall Showcase

October 1, 2013

We can make this introduction brief: Crucial Blast is hands down one of the most innovative, adventurous labels currently operating in the world of extreme music, specializing in capturing sounds from that nether region where ethereal beauty intermingles with disquieting darkness. As such, the first day of October seemed the perfect time to query label…