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Exclusive – Living Fields: “Glacial Movements”

July 7, 2011

Violins. In metal that shit is real hard to justify. But honestly, when it comes to how Chicago prog-doom experts Living Fields are able to have these underappreciated instruments scrape at their strings, there’s enough furious noise that it really does seem okay. It also helps that “Glacial Movements,” off the exceptional Running Out of…

Stone: The Slayer of Craft Beer

July 6, 2011

Zymurgy magazine recently revealed the “Best Beers in America,” a list derived from more than 28,000 votes from readers around the world. While Russian River’s Pliny the Elder imperial IPA topped the list for the third year in a row, Stone Brewing, of Escondido, California placed three of their brewtally named beers—Arrogant Bastard, Ruination and…

Disposable Heroes: Baroness’s “Blue Record”

July 6, 2011

There’s little more annoying on this planet than the immoral majority telling you how essential, transcendent and (huh-huh) seminal a particular extreme album is, when you know that it’s overrated as fuck. Hence, our new Wednesday morning column, “Disposable Heroes,” in which one brave soul sails against the current to inform all you clones why…

Morta Skuld “Prolong the Agony” video

July 5, 2011

Known for its cheese, beer, and baseball team the Brewers, Milwaukee is also home (rather was home) to some of America’s finest death metal. Yeah, Tampa had its rightful place on the throne in the late ’80s/early ’90s, but the former French Canadian trading post had Dr. Shrinker, Phantasm, Accidental Suicide, and the mighty Morta…

WILD THING, I THINK I LOVE YOU

July 4, 2011

After the initial self-reproach for having never heard of Kansas death metal cryptids, Troglodyte, it was kinda OK that their 1990 Florida sound had kept itself a mystery, scrawled somewhere on a Post-It on whoever is covering Fox Mulder’s desk these days. Like, the only people who know about this sort of shit are the…

For Those About to Squawk: Waldo’s Pecks of the Week

July 1, 2011

Every other Friday, Waldo the African Grey Parrot, frontbird of thrash-grind immortals Hatebeak, will get you caught up on the week’s latest “extreme” releases. Happy Fourth. Get with it, America rules. The wizards of gore are back. EXHUMED release the comeback record All Guts, No Glory. This thing beaking rips. Mostly, comeback records are kind…

David Vincent (Morbid Angel) interviewed

July 1, 2011

Well-spoken, Morbid Angel’s David Vincent has labeled the group in 2011 as “spearheaders”, which is fine when you look at albums like Hall of Fame album Altars of Madness, Blessed Are the Sick, Covenant, Domination. etc. Morbid Angel were the creme de la creme. However, time marches on and it’s rarely kind. Certainly, Vincent is…

AND THE HEADLINES SCREAM…

June 30, 2011

Admittedly, I’ve never been big on checking out heavy metal’s nerve center for news, Blabbermouth. Once in a while, I’ll take a peek at the site and see what’s going on, who’s in the studio, who’s on tour and even indulge in a little bit of gossip, but I personally don’t have the time or feel…

Eddie’s Daddy Speaks

June 29, 2011

If you say you don’t know who Derek Riggs is, we can probably forgive you. But if you say you don’t know his work, you are clearly looking for a fight. The creator of arguably the most iconic mascot in all of music, Riggs’s art made him at one point practically the 7th member of…

Disposable Heroes: At the Gates’ “Slaughter of the Soul”

June 29, 2011

There’s little more annoying on this planet than the immoral majority telling you how essential, transcendent and (huh-huh) seminal a particular extreme album is, when you know that it’s overrated as fuck. Hence, our new Wednesday morning column, “Disposable Heroes,” in which one brave soul sails against the current to inform all you clones why…

Big 4: Comic Relief

June 28, 2011

If you’re a Decibel subscriber, issue #82 [Scott Ian cartoon cover] should be arriving via angry postman shortly. In this month’s cover, longtime dude’s dude Nick Green detailed in fantastic fashion the link between comics and extreme music. With a (spoiler alert!) fold-out cover illustrator by Henry and Glenn inklord Tom Neely, issue #82 boldly…

Stupid Shit: The Motion Picture

June 28, 2011

You may have seen this on MetalSucks earlier in the week, but it’s too rad not to repost. Waterloo Records in Austin, home of Snore by Snorewest, got four dudes from the esteemed Tombs and Kill the Client to play the time-honored game of “What the Fuck Does Your Stupid Band Logo Actually Say?” (MS…

STREAMING: So Hideous, My Love… “To Clasp A Fallen Wish With Broken Fingers”

June 27, 2011

So Hideous, My Love… may not have the best band name, but musically they’re the best post-insert-subgenre-here band since Arvo Pärt joined Burzum and the daring duo started covering Godspeed You! Black Emperor B-sides. Seriously though, Pärt hasn’t joined Varg in any capacity, but So Hideous, My Love… feels like the next step in whatever…

Black Metal 1969

June 24, 2011

Some say the first wave of black metal started in England. We happen to be of the opinion — a silly one, mind you — that the first wave of black metal started, at least sonically, in America in 1969, with the release of New York-based Cromagnon’s sole album, Orgasm. We’re not the first ones…

The Lazarus Pit: Aeternus’s …And so the Night Became

June 24, 2011

Welcome to The Lazarus Pit, a biweekly look at should-be classic metal records that don’t get nearly enough love, stuff that’s essential listening for students of extreme metal that you’ve probably never heard of.  Stuff that we’re too lazy to track down the band members to do a Hall Of Fame for.  This week, we…

5 Things Musicians Need To Understand To “Succeed”

June 23, 2011

5. MANAGERS: Self-managing a band is a load of work. Arch Enemy does it, actually. But unless you have a few A-types who actually know how things work, it’s probably a good idea to get a manager. Again, someone you can trust. Someone with a sterling reputation. Someone who manages other bands in good standing….

Jared Southwick R.I.P.

June 22, 2011

While the news of his grave condition had been known, it still comes as a terrible shock that guitarist Jared Southwick has passed away from a liver and kidney condition in Muncie, Indiana. Most well known as the amazing six-stringer for The Dream is Dead, some like myself also got to see his incredible talents…

Don’t Be a Dick: A Tale of Indie Filmmaking, Extortion and MDF

June 22, 2011

David Hall is the director of Disgorge, Mexico: The Movie, Axis of Eden: The Feature Film, Maryland Deathfest: The Movie and Maryland Deathfest: The Movie II. He attended Maryland Deathfest last May 26 – 29 with the intention of shooting the second sequel. Suffice it to say, things did not go as planned. Hunker down…

Justify Your Shitty Taste: Sepultura’s “Against”

June 22, 2011

Almost every band has that album: you know, the critically and/or commercially reviled dud in an otherwise passable-to-radical back catalog. Well, every Wednesday morning, a Decibel staffer or special guest will take to the Deciblog to bitch and moan at length as to why everybody’s full of shit and said dud is, in fact, The…

Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) interviewed

June 21, 2011

You picked Roy Z as a producer for Kairos. Why Roy?Andreas Kisser: Roy was a great choice for this album. He’s a very experienced produced, working with the best singers in metal. He’s a great guitar player. He’s a great musician, too. He more or less knows how to play his instruments. And he’s active…

The Metal Detektor

June 20, 2011

It takes too long to go through every online distro, e-store, virtual shop to find the best prices on the latest…uh, precious metal titles. Want the new Arch Enemy Khaos Legions for less than $10? Try Amazon. Or Century Media’s CM Distro. Want the new Morbid Angel wooden box set for less than three Bens?…

STREAMING: Harm’s Way “New Beginnings”

June 17, 2011

Chicago-based metallic hardcore outfit Harm’s Way are right down the middle of our proverbial plate. That’s a baseball reference — made by a non-baseball fan — if you were thinking of fine china or the affordable stuff you get in boxes of 50 at Ikea. Seriously, hearing Harm’s Way’s new album Isolation immediately made us…

For Those About to Squawk: Waldo’s Pecks of the Week

June 17, 2011

Every other Friday, Waldo the African Grey Parrot, frontbird of thrash-grind immortals Hatebeak, will get you caught up on the week’s latest “extreme” releases. What’s up? Waldo here. Want to know whose liner notes are at the bottom of my cage for the next few upcoming weeks? Well, I’m here to tell you… In a…

LIVE REVIEW: Amon Amarth May 6, 2011, TLA, Philadelphia

June 16, 2011

Let’s put this in perspective. I can’t recall — ever! — a band of Amon Amarth’s music style and profile doing a full U.S. tour without direct or local support. That includes every legend in the book. Entombed, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Vader, Carcass, Napalm Death, Obituary, etc. Sure, they may’ve done a string of…

Seth Putnam: Rest In ???

June 15, 2011

It’s said that the opposite of love isn’t hate but indifference. And that has been the most common sentiment I’ve heard since the passing of Seth Putnam, singer of Anal Cunt and the man who called the world gay. Of course for his detractors, what else can you do? To actually celebrate his death would…

Justify Your Shitty Taste: Voivod’s “Phobos”

June 15, 2011

Almost every band has that album: you know, the critically and/or commercially reviled dud in an otherwise passable-to-radical back catalog. Well, every Wednesday morning, a Decibel staffer or special guest will take to the Deciblog to bitch and moan at length as to why everybody’s full of shit and said dud is, in fact, The…

Norway Makes – The World Takes

June 14, 2011

In the ‘90s, the antics of Varg Vikernes and several others pushed black metal into an unwelcome, possibly unintended spotlight (though one can argue razing Stave churches was an attention-garnering move). But black metal, from a Norwegian perspective, is no longer musica non grata. Having witnessed in person Dimmu Borgir’s NRK-funded and sponsored (effectively the…

STREAMING: Toxic Holocaust “Bitch”

June 13, 2011

1. hol·o·caust [hol-uh-kawst, hoh-luh-]“a great or complete devastation or destruction, especially by fire.” — Immortal’s Abbath Doom Occulta would disagree with this definition, especially the “fire” bit. His definition of “holocaust” is 100 years of winter followed by 100 years of brutal rule by the autocratic dictators of the frost-bitten kingdom of Blashyrkh. 2. tox·ic…

The Lazarus Pit: Messiah’s Final Warning

June 10, 2011

Welcome to The Lazarus Pit, a biweekly look at should-be classic metal records that don’t get nearly enough love, stuff that’s essential listening for students of extreme metal that you may not have ever heard of.  Stuff that we’re too lazy to track down the band members to do a Hall Of Fame for.  This…

Iron Maiden vs. Metallica: The Battle Has Begun

June 9, 2011

Well, I don’t even know where to start with this one. Licensed pilot Bruce Dickinson has stated that Maiden is unequivocally better than Metallica. He is not in a position to walk the statement back and we doubt Mr. Balls to Picasso would have any intention no matter what. So is he right? Well… Many…