Shawn Macomber
Comes Like the Flood: Anthrax’s “Persistence of Time” Turns 30
September 10, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Thirty years ago Anthrax released the thrash metal apotheosis Persistence of Time, a timeless record which remains as beguiling and potent as ever.
Track Premiere: Axeslasher — “Intro/The Axeslasher (Live)”
September 2, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Killer Denver, Colorado horror metal outfit Axeslasher reemerges from the shadows with a wild and nasty new live album.
Celebrating Riley Gale With Decibel’s Power Trip Cover Story From 2019
August 28, 2020 Shawn Macomber
We pay tribute to Power Trip’s Riley Gale with our cover story to the sold-out February 2019 issue of Decibel.
Take a Rocket Ride to the Extremely Extreme Side of “Planet Wax”
August 26, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Blood on Black Wax authors Aaron Lupton and Jeff Szpirglas are back with another tome on vinyl soundtrack mayhem, Planet Wax — and we’ve got your heavy metal pairings for it.
Album Review: Necrot – ‘Mortal’
August 24, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Bay area death metallers Necrot return with a sophomore leveler for the ages
Demonic Roadies & Killer Riffs: How Punk Rock Horror Comedy “Uncle Peckerhead” Got Its Jams
August 19, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Philadelphia riff-slinger extraordinaire Jeff Riddle and writer/director Matthew John Lawrence talk their extremely extreme rock n’ roll gore-fest Uncle Peckerhead.
Track Premiere: Vulnere — “And They Fall”
August 12, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Rising Portland, Oregon death metallers Vulnere mine some of the greatest extremely extreme ore of yore for killer track “And They Fall.”
The Primal Heart of Humanity: Metallic Hardcore Supergroup Tooth and Claw Tap Transcendent Heaviness on “Kiss of Night”
August 5, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Members of Earth Crisis, Catharsis, and Die Young bare both Tooth and Claw on this exclusive premiere.
Album Review: Terminal Nation
August 4, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Arkansas assbeaters Terminal Nation are responsible for the year’s toughest album.
Philly Rising: Benefit Comp “19 Notes on a Broken System” Slays & Heals
July 29, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Ready to grind, thrash, and pummel your way to a better world? So are the artists on this extremely extreme benefit comp.
Exclusive Excerpt: “The Blood and The Sweat: The Story of Sick of it All’s Koller Brothers”
July 22, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Everything you ever wanted to know about Sick of it All, but were afraid to ask.
Track Premiere: Sheenjek—”Monkey Brains”
July 15, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Ready for some stoner post-punk psych rock to help you get in touch with your inner simian? Sheenjek is here to oblige with the raucous “Monkey Brains.”
Depraved Indifference No More: Earth Crisis’ Scott Crouse on the “Salvation of Innocents” Reissue
July 8, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Earth Crisis guitarist Scott Crouse talks about the reissue of the epic 2014 animal liberation-themed Salvation of Innocents in this pandemic moment.
Track Premiere: Same Gods — “In Circles”
July 1, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Worship at the altar of post-hardcore powerhouse Same Gods via the melody-tinged incantation “In Circles.”
Track Premiere: Places Around the Sun — “Lost I Am Found”
June 24, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Libson, Portugal’s Places Around the Sun is here to take you to the heavy desert stoner rock oasis. Now, drink.
1995: The Year in Not-So-Metal Heaviness
June 17, 2020 Shawn Macomber
1995 wasn’t merely a great year for the extremely extreme — it was also an amazing trip around the sun for metal-adjacent music.
Video Premiere: ILS — “No Luck”
June 10, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Portland noise rockers ILS bring you a bouquet of zero-leaf clovers with “No Luck.”
Tales From the Metalnomicon: Gregory Bastianelli’s Heavy Metal Inspired Horror Novels
June 3, 2020 Shawn Macomber
New Hampshire horror novelist Gregory Bastianelli reveals the extremely extreme sonic foundations of his latest blood-soaked supernatural opus “Snowball.”
Earth Crisis – “Destroy the Machines”
May 28, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Earth Crisis‘s vegan straight-edge metalcore landmark Destroy the Machines is inducted into the Decibel Hall of Fame
Track Premiere: Die My Will — “Endless Suffering”
May 27, 2020 Shawn Macomber
After nearly a quarter century, Connecticut metallic hardcore underground legends Die My Will blast their way back out of the grave with a remaster of their criminally underrated debut EP.
Video Premiere: These Streets — “Stay Awake”
May 20, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Better “Stay Awake” if you’re gonna walk These Streets.
Full Album Stream: Tithe — “Penance”
May 13, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Brace yourself. Portland, Oregon’s Tithe is about to drag you into the death-grind tarpits.
Procession: The Sublime & Harrowing Fine Art of Underground Metal Legend Michelle Eddison
May 13, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Ex-Starkweather/current Below the Frost bassist Michelle Eddison brings the visual violence in a new series of transcendent paintings.
Video Premiere: BlackLab — “Forked Road”
April 22, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Let Osaka, Japan “dark witch doom duo” BlackLab lead you down a strange, wild “Forked Road” to the abyss.
Full Album Stream: Xenoglyph — “Mytharc”
April 15, 2020 Shawn Macomber
A wild progressive black metal transmission courtesy Xenoglyph, an anonymous band hailing, apparently, from planet Extremely Extreme.
Track Premiere: Chris Alexander — “Shock Waves”
April 8, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Dark maestro Chris Alexander is back with a sexy, nightmarish new record that definitely defies quarantine.
Tales From the Metalnomicon: Rising Horror Lit Visionary Scott Cole
April 1, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Philadelphia-based author and graphic designer Scott Cole writes brilliant, reality-refracting dark fiction — and has an extremely extreme heavy metal writing playlist to match.
Album Review: Like Rats – ‘Death Monolith’
April 1, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Chicago crushers Like Rats don’t look back on Death Monolith.
Resurrecting the Dragon: The Forgotten Gems of Late Era Dio
March 25, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Ten years after his untimely death, the late era Ronnie James Dio albums are finally getting a bit of respect — and the deluxe reissue treatment. Here’s your roadmap.
Visual Violence: Trailblazing Director Drew Stone on his Crucial, Scene-Defining Music Videos
March 18, 2020 Shawn Macomber
Meet director Drew Stone, the visionary filmmaker who helped hardcore claw its way out of the underground in the early ’90s.