Interviews

Another addition to the growing number of festivals exploding out of the Western Canadian woodwork as of late is Edmonton’s Black Mourning Light, set to be held at the Rendezvous Pub in the town that Wayne Gretzky built on October 21-22.

Chicago, Illinois has long been home to some of the harshest, ugliest metal sounds, and Polyptych continue the tradition in splendid form.

Writing Path of Eight was a different experience for Mouth of the Architect than previous albums, the band says. Listen to a new song and read an interview with the band about writing and recording the new album. 

To suggest that I’ve been excited for Black Table to release their debut full-length would be something of an understatement. 

In which our favorite DC-area grindcore staple interviews our favorite 67-year-old grandmother who fronts a grindcore band. You’re welcome. 

dB got in touch with Tom Angelripper, bassist and vocalist of thrash heroes Sodom, to talk about the legendary band’s new album, Decision Day, and the state of the world today.

We stepped in the Decibel Time Machine with German death/grinders Terrorazor. Join us in our journey back to 1990.

There are few things Innsbruck, Austria has going for it. Bringing up the rear of the “trambahn” are local (with some added Dutch flavour) clown kings of crossover, Insanity Alert.

Since the mid 80s, Paul Speckmann has been snarling his sardonic vitriol over pummeling riffs, and over thirty years later he seems less likely to stop than ever. We caught up with the Chicago-born, ex-pat inveterate death-thrasher in an attempt to figure out how, to this day, he remains such a potent force in the international extreme metal scene.

Experience pure sonic violence with Trap Them‘s Crown Feral, then recover from your beatdown with a macabre arts & (darker hand)crafts lesson from vocalist Ryan McKenney. 

We catch up with Demo:listen alums Tomb Mold to talk their killer new EP, their highly anticipated forthcoming LP, and what it means to shed some skin.

Decibel talked to hardcore legend Keith Morris about his new memoir My Damage.

Cambridge, MA tattoo shop/art gallery Eridanos hosts Dan Seagrave’s mind-bending swarm of winged creations.

In our final metal teacher installment, we bring you two men who hold down less traditional teaching positions:  Voivod’s Dan Mongrain, who teaches music at the college level; and Rage Nucléaire’s Lord Worm (Dan Greening), who teaches English language skills to business people who have left behind the traditional classroom setting.

And now for something from the farthest reaches of left field, if not outer space.

In which we strive to demystify one of the year’s sickest works of death metal with those who dealt it.

French soul-threateners Aum will release their highly destructive (and equally esoteric) force, debut record Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum, this Friday on Iron Bonehead.  We asked the band some questions, and we got some enthusiastic and thoughtful responses.  Read up on Aum’s focus and vision right here.

To a small number of people, Eucharist are legends. They were, in effect, part of the new wave of Swedish death metal, where outright brutality was replaced by cleverly designed aggression and insane heaviness was supplanted by unheard of musicality. That Eucharist, for a spell, shared rehearsal space with early incarnations of At the Gates and Dissection should speak volumes. And it does.

Pennsylvania-based illustrator Joe Martin is your new favorite tattoo artist.

Wretch’s Karl Simon talks about how the band’s debut LP came to be, how his friend and ex-bandmate Jason McCash’s death affected his songwriting process, and his plans for a brand-new chapter in his life.

On Future Echo Returns, Irish cosmonauts Slomatics fuse sci-fi and doom heavier than a dying planet.

Decibel had the opportunity to interview bassist Andreas Vidhall and guitarist/keyboardist (and occasional vocalist) Pär Stille about what makes Stilla tick. 

If there’s one album in 2016 that deserves top honors but is likely to not get noticed it’s the new Hammers of Misfortune platter, Dead Revolution.

Carcass main main Jeff Walker talks motivations for pairing with Deafheaven for co-headlining run this November. 

Metalcore forward-thinkers Norma Jean always have something new up their sleeve, a trend that continues on Polar Similar.

now we put you in touch with two more teachers who like to yell and throw elbows even when they’re not surrounded by confused adolescents:  Mike Score of All Out War, and Mike Armine of Rosetta.

Ode to the Flame sounds like a typical Nuclear Blast release. A valiant knight astride a white armored horse. The knight’s hand is aloft, in it he’s holding a great flaming sword, for which he’ll use to the slay the malignant flying beast perched behind him on the top of a snow-capped mountain. But Ode to the Flame isn’t a typical Nuclear Blast release. Not by its cover or band the band, Mantar, that created it.

“When someone like Geezer Butler tells you that he loves your music, that’s a pretty big affirmation!”

Kunal Choksi is working around the clock with Transcending Obscurity to spread the good word. We caught up with Choksi to get his good word.

Our Times of Grace Hall of Fame interview with Neurosis touches on how the band decided to record a companion album of ambient music under their Tribes of Neurot moniker (Grace) with the specific intention of creating an “active listening experience,” but alas, the cursed restraints of print media only allowed for part of the story to be told. Thankfully, you’re on the Internet right now, so you can simply read on to hear the rest of the tale.