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The Armstrong Metalfest has grown from humble beginnings to be a regular mainstay with its south-central BC location making for a popular summertime destination for fans and bands alike. We tracked down co-founder Jesse Valstar to get the low-down.

As grind-infused industrial black metal levelers Anaal Nathrakh put the finishing touches on the band’s as-yet-untitled ninth full-length — tentatively slated for an October release via Metal Blade — Decibel caught up with vocalist Dave Hunt for a illuminating chat.

Slip beyond the veil with this exclusive premiere of a new Candelabrum song. 

In honor of Black Sabbath‘s final trek around the globe, we are running our 2014 print feature on the story behind the cover art of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, which was illustrated four decades ago by a rising Los Angeles artist named Drew Struzan. 

Australian incendiaries Denouncement Pyre like their dying stars the same color as their metal: BLACK.

Expedite your passport application, make the trek north of the border, take advantage of the Canadian dollar trading at 75-80 cents on the American greenback.

Entombed guitarist Uffe Cederlund gives Decibel the exclusive scoop on how the long-awaited return of one of the greatest death metal bands of all time. 

Atlanta-based dark metal conspirators Cloak comb the blackest shadows of rock ‘n’ roll on the opening track off their eponymous EP.

Diabolical Conquest: Extreme metal bands Belphegor and Incantation endure censorship and worse in Russia

Smash that play button and get demolecularized by “Dead Space” from Detroit’s mutated thrashers, Nuke. 

We’re streaming the first video from Alaric‘s new album End of Mirrors. 

Heads up, Charm City: Decibel will infiltrate Maryland Deathfest like a leprous plague from May 26th to May 29th. Come visit Decibel’s booth Friday through Sunday, within screaming distance of the Edison Lot.

Celebrate Death‘s Scream Bloody Gore reissue with these never-before-seen interview cuts about the LP from limited edition Choosing Death book.

Speaking with Kriscinda Lee Everitt and Shawn Macomber for a behind-the-Monsters look at what it takes to put together such a righteous benefit anthology, which now spans two volumes!

Guitarist/vocalist Jason Mendonça is excited and filled with positivity. And you should be, too. 

Creepsylvanian death/thrash miscreants Ghoul join the Decibel Flexi Series.

When I first saw extreme metal Brooklynites Kosmodemonic, they were killing it on a stage Watain doused with pig’s blood soon after.

San Diego dour trio Ghoulgotha offer up another tantalizing peek at their forthcoming LP, To Starve the Cross.

Mastodon‘s whale of sophomore LP gets the dB HOF treatment. 

KEN mode’s Shane and Jesse Matthewson have decided to take a step back from being full-time road dogs and focus on their new venture, MKM Management services, which combines their desk job skill set with their rock and roll lifestyle experiences.

Exclusive. Gorguts. Full-EP premiere. We don’t need to say anything more, really. 

In this month’s issue of Decibel, we bring you a flexi so close to our hearts that it’s practically a third ventricle.  We got Asphyx mouthpiece Martin Van Drunen to talk about his relationship to the magazine and its editor, as well as the way the band put together our most recent edition of the flexi series.

“Everything is permitted.” Considering that’s Norwegian experimental collective Ulver‘s genre description, hindsight confirms it’s no surprise they strayed so dramatically from the black metal that shaped their earliest albums. Following the release of their 13th LP, vocalist Kristoffer Rygg shares his thoughts on the band’s evolution and his own artistic journey.

30 years of epicus doomicus metallicus means new EP(icus). 

Hear the first new Asphyx song in four years, which also happens to be the new official Decibel theme song.

Hickory, NC’s Rapheumets Well is a band heavily steeped in science fiction and fantasy. They slam dunk their lushly orchestral and luxurious symphonic melodic blackened death metal into a fantastical and fantastically creative and complex world that I don’t even want to embarrass myself trying to explain.

Hope you’re enjoying that limited edition Marilyn Manson Antichrist Superstar cassette you picked up Saturday. 

“This video shows what we are, doing what we do in this band. No pretense, no overblown image, no bullshit, no gimmicks, no artificial/cheap attention grab. This video IS NAILS.”

No parasites or dirty needles are involved. Hopefully. 

Necro + rot in the title = alive + fresh in the songs. In a crypt-dwelling, corpse-ridden sort of way, that is.