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Q&A: Wrestling Legend Chris Jericho On His Collaboration With Death Metal Greats

September 2, 2015

 Chris Jericho is one of the most decorated professional wrestlers ever: a six-time world champion and the first-ever undisputed WWE champion. He is also one of the most vocal celebrity metal fans on the planet as well as a metal musician who has toured the world repeatedly with his band Fozzy. Jericho’s latest project, however, might be the only one that could earn the extreme moniker.

Justify Your Shitty Taste: Deftones’ “Deftones”

September 1, 2015

Deftones is the sound of a rock band making a rock record. Deftones were never an art rock band. Parts of White Pony might have misled you, but the band’s 2003 album should remind you to pump your fucking fist.

Throwing Frickin’ Bones on the Deciblog: Display of Decay

August 27, 2015

This morning, the Deciblog shines the unsigned band spotlight on Edmonton’s long-standing denizens of death metal, Display of Decay. 

The Deciblog Interview: Rae Amitay (Immortal Bird)

August 25, 2015

Immortal Bird vocalist Rae Amitay talked to us about Eminem albums, music school and the difference between keeping the rhythm and fronting a band.

The More You “Suffer Louder,” the More Cult Leader Show They Care

August 20, 2015

After two appetite-whetting EPS, Utah four-piece Cult Leader resurfaces with their first full-length, Lightless Walk, set to blow October 16 on Deathwish, Inc. It’s an excellent expansion of the palette displayed on June’s Useless Animal EP, in which two manic mathed-out nailbombs buffered against a forlorn, clean-vocal cover of Mark Kozelek and Desertshore’s “You Are Not My Blood.” 

Lychgate Interview: Getting Off the Glass Pill

August 18, 2015

Two weeks ago, you had a chance to listen to Lychgate’s new album, An Antidote for the Glass Pill.  Now hear from the music’s creator about how philosophy and dystopian literature contributed to the organ-saturated black/doom album.

ROAD WARRIORS: CHRISTIAN MISTRESS’S “OPEN ROAD” VIDEO PREMIERE

August 17, 2015

Hit the “Open Road” with this old-school Christian Mistress video.

Chronicles of Chaos: 20-Year-Old Extreme Webzine Halts the Charge Today

August 14, 2015

Said Gino Filicetti, founder of the magazine, on their decision, “It is with a heavy heart that we came to this decision, but the timing seemed right given the changing face of metal journalism. Chronicles of Chaos was always dedicated to thoughtful, long form articles that put more emphasis on quality and insight than on scooping everyone else.

Autopsy: The Illustrated History (HOF Bonus)

August 12, 2015

In the latest issue, Autopsy joins our revered two-time Hall Of Fame Club, which includes metal stalwarts like Celtic Frost, Carcass and At The Gates. To commemorate the Severed Survival HOF we’re printing our exclusive “Illustrated History” of Autopsy with Eric Cutler and Chris Reifert from late 2013.  

ANCHOR MANAGEMENT: WILDLIGHTS SONG PREMIERE

August 10, 2015

Fresh meats from members of ASG and Thunderlips!

It’s Adolyne Overload Day! Interviews! Videos! Songs! Album Announcements!

August 6, 2015

For the majority of you, the name Adolyne may not ring a bell, but in Western Canada, the Saskatoon noise-niks are on the tips of more than a few tongues

Stream Cianide Reissue: Death, Doom and Destruction

August 4, 2015

Hell’s Headbangers is regifting us with Cianide’s 1997 album Death, Doom and Destruction.  The album was already a threatening slab of primitive extremity, and the reissue has extended the dread by appending a set of five demos (Rage War) and a 7″ (The Truth) that includes a Master cover of the same name.

Worldwide Obscenity and Extremity: An Interview with Obscene Extreme’s Curby

July 30, 2015

Since 1999, Miroslav “Curby” Urbanec has been putting on the Obscene Extreme Festival in Czech. Billed as a “freak friendly extreme music festival,” OE has faithfully and respectfully catered to the grind, crust, punk, hardcore and death metal hordes. We caught up with Curby to ask about trying to book obscenity and extremity for one part of the world from the other.

Q&A: Pete Jay (blackQueen) and song premiere

July 28, 2015

On August 1, blackQueen will release their new Billy Anderson-produced album The Directress, which features guest appearances by musicians including Uta Plotkin, Joy Von Spain of Eye Of Nix, and Wrest of Leviathan. Pete Jay talked to us about his love of horror soundtracks and the comeback of his passion project. 

HALLOWEEN IN JULY: Temple of Void’s “The Embalmer’s Art”

July 27, 2015

Into the void with this six minute slice of horror metal from Detroit’s Temple of Void!

Justify Your Shitty Taste: Ministry’s “With Sympathy”

July 24, 2015

While derided by Al Jourgensen and some fans With Sympathy contains some of Al’s most iconic songs and tips the hat to what followed in his still evolving career.

Black Table Stream New Music From New Album

July 21, 2015

These metal mercenaries are coming back with new material, some of which you can hear below in the video they’ve put together, excerpting the new song “CroMagñon” from their forthcoming album Obelisk, and we wanted to hear about where this music was coming from and what the members of Black Table have been up to since we last spoke.

Lengthy and In-Depth, Just Like Their Songs: Minsk Interviewed

July 16, 2015

Peroria’s atmosph-sludge-tribal-psych-rock heroes and denizens of long form song structures, Minsk returned to active duty this last April with their fourth full-length, The Crash and the Draw. Christopher Bennett and Timothy Mead cover all bases thoroughly and definitively in the interview that follows. 

Grimposium: The Resurrection

July 14, 2015

Decibel friend Vivek Venkatesh is the curator of Grimposium, a conference that aims to get at the heart of what makes extreme metal special. We’re handing the blog over to him today to discuss his plans for the event next month, which will feature an appearance from our esteemed editor. 

C/D: Performance Art is Metal

July 9, 2015

From Alice Cooper’s face paint and Iron Maiden’s elaborate stage sets to Watain’s demon-summoning rituals and Ghost’s hooded robes, heavy metal has always had a close relationship with “performance.” Substance comes first, without a doubt, but performance ain’t far behind. Dimmu Borgir dress up like Satanic carnival barkers. Glen Benton branded an upside-down crucifix into his forehead. Robb Flynn had that Insane Clown Posse hair during The Burning Red days. Simply put, the spectacle of creating extreme music seems to be one of its most potent aspects, and countless bands have used it to their advantage.

“Bone Turquoise”? New Song Stream From Stern (?)

July 7, 2015

The strange, aqueous nature of the music that Stern offers on its new record (Bone Turquoise, to be released on August 7 by New Atlantis Records) becomes a lot less unexpected when you realize that  the band includes Toby Driver, the scary genius behind Maudlin of the Well and Kayo Dot, as well as Kayo Dot co-conspirators Keith Abrams and Tim Byrnes.

Take Off, Eh? Golers Full Album Stream and Tour Announcement

July 2, 2015

If you’re ever in Canada, say the name ‘Golers’ at any downtrodden watering hole and watch dudes fired up on discount cases of Old Vienna hold their brewski aloft in celebratory salute (after which you can guarantee you’ve just made a sketchy, greasy friend for life). On the other hand…

Appalachian Noir: The Deciblog Interview with Chris “OJ” Ojeda of Byzantine

June 30, 2015

The proverbial long way to the top has definitely been a long one for Byzantine, which started in a part of rural West Virginia with minimal access to heavy metal and widespread economic problems. Many of the band’s best songs since their formation have touched on the problems of Appalachia, particularly rampant prescription drug abuse. Decibel  talked to frontman Chris “OJ” Ojeda about his long metal apprenticeship and one of the world’s most dangerous jobs: prescription pharmacy delivery driver in rural America. 

MOURNING OF A NEW SAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH GAZ JENNINGS

June 29, 2015

What do Cathedral, Death Penalty, and cover artist Lucifer have in common? Guitarist Gaz Jennings, of course. Here’s our exclusive interview with the grand maestro of doom riffs.

Rise of the Machines: A Dark Electronic/Ambient Starter Kit

June 25, 2015

Heavy metal has been flirting with electronic music for decades now, but the lines between the two worlds seem blurrier today than ever before. Chalk it up to Internet culture—with instant access to all the world’s information comes a vast multitude of subgenres that have enough permutations to satisfy all but the most discerning purists. Add to that the recent popularity of synth-heavy horror flicks like It Follows and numerous electronic artists signing to metal labels (Goblin Rebirth on Relapse, Gost/Dan Terminus/Perturbator on Blood Music) and it becomes pretty obvious: dark electronic/ambient music has pulled off a full-scale crossover!

“Holy Waters”: Stream New Song From The Clearing Path

June 23, 2015

Gabriele Gramaglia incorporates a love of Converge-heightened, spastic hardcore heaviness into his anguished odes to the great outdoors.  The percussion and vocal rhythms here really set Gramaglia’s solo project apart from the pack.  The music retains black metal’s otherworldly quality without losing the attention of mere mortals like us.

Streaming the Sonic Poison of Sonic Poison

June 18, 2015

While metal may be Decibel’s bread ‘n’ butter ‘n’ focus, there’s no doubt we love ourselves some hardcore punk. Especially when it’s super-pissed off and sounds like a pack of rabid wolves developed opposable thumbs, invented a time machine and set the coordinates for somewhere smack dab in the middle of the mid-80s NYC, D.C. and Boston scenes.

No Polka Here: An Interstellar Interview and Song Premiere from Weird Owl

June 15, 2015

I know it’s early on Monday morning, but what better time to explore new dimensions of sound  with Weird Owl than before you’ve had your first cup of coffee?