Editorial

Eulogy time: The Trocadero, a Philadelphia music institution, to close permanently.

Decibel contributor Forrest Pitts reflects on Opeth‘s farsightedness and ability to manipulate our collective imagination.

Decibel contributor Forrest Pitts considers the lessons he learned from hardcore.

In his new column, Decibel contributor Forrest Pitts presents a capsized field guide for anyone taking life one step at time.

Melotov Records’ Melanie Voltz shares the story of her struggle with prescription narcotics.

The guitarist/vocalist of English metal band Svalbard pens a guest editorial about her experiences as a woman in the underground metal scene.

J. Bennett remembers his friend and former Cave In/Old Man Gloom/Zozobra bassist Caleb Scofield.

Stay vigilant and speak up, especially for those who can’t speak for themselves. We can all do better at this.

Let’s imagine a world where kids can get lost in records and find themselves again. Let’s imagine a world where the bridge to adulthood doesn’t include fearing for your life.

As a small Leviathan-affiliated record store and screenprinter are being forced out of Portland due to rising rent. Jef Whitehead and Stevie Floyd explain the importance of record stores in 2018.

When people tell you they don’t like metal, they might mean they’re not familiar with it. Here’s a way to think about getting people into music that’s new to them.

Krieg’s Neill Jameson recounts another round of instances in which black metal was falsely pronounced dead.

Judas Priest will hit the road without guitarist Glenn Tipton, but the band remains great in his absence.

Krieg’s Neill Jameson recounts various times throughout history when black metal was falsely pronounced dead.

Hot Taake coming through from Krieg’s Neill Jameison.

Every artist eventually faces a bad review of their work. But a very public reaction to that review invites even more negative criticism.

Watain’s upcoming album, “Trident Wolf Eclipse,” is a fantastic explosion of straightforward blackened death metal. This return to form is a good chance to think about why some bands do better experimenting, whereas others should stick to what they’re good at.

Krieg’s Neill Jameson recounts the good and the not-so-good that occurred in 2017.

An open internet is at stake with a new FCC vote. It could cripple the independent music industry. Find out what it means and what you can do.

Prurient will release Rainbow Mirror, a 3-hour long record. That record is too long.

If the glorious new track, “Betrayer” is any indication, Trivium’s new album should be a chance for metalheads to revisit Florida’s metal heroes.

Neill Jameson considers the importance of aesthetic and appearance in black metal in response to a controversial piece of album artwork.

Is there an offer that’s too good to be true from a record label in your otherwise empty inbox? Neill Jameson urges you to reconsider.

Music journalism’s relationship to economic reality has always been shaky. Here are some ideas of where that relationship might need to go.

Mocking depression seems to still be fair game, even in today’s ultra-sensitive climate. Stop it. 

Our Neill Jameson doesn’t care about Kim Kardashian’s Morbid Angel shirt, but he is concerned about the aggressively stupid reactions to it. 

It shouldn’t take a tragedy like Chris Cornell’s suicide to make us focus on depression and metal illness.

You put so much of yourself into the record that of course you’re crushed when someone dismisses it. It’s the most human reaction. If you had a new baby you couldn’t fathom someone typing on Facebook that “Eh, it doesn’t really do anything interesting and that goo goo ga ga junk is derivative of other, much cuter babies.”

Neill Jameson provides a protest idea to any musician wounded by Bandcamp’s plans to donate all of this Friday’s earnings to the ACLU. 

Extreme metal has the unique ability to smash our romantic illusions about life and the world. It’s time to apply that same cold stoicism to executive power, no matter who’s President.