I don’t know much about Calgary’s Arbitrator outside of the fact that they refer to themselves (or at least have been referred to) as “industrial death metal” and have existed in various line-up permutations over the course of four years of existence. They’ve existed as everything from full-on quartet to duo status to one-man on…

Yesterday was a big day for music nerds, especially critics. Even though we’re already two weeks into 2015, end of the year fever never really subsides until the Village Voice’s annual Pazz + Jop poll hits. Ever wanted to know what some of your favorite Decibel scribes enjoyed most during the year? Well, now you…

Let’s clear away any confusion at the outset: Mark SaFranko is not someone’s father who has decided to moonlight in a metal band or one of the few remaining music talent scouts. SaFranko is an American author based in New Jersey who, for more than three decades, has lived a writer’s life and all it…

You know how we at Decibel go all batshit for just about everything Baltimore label A389 releases?  The name Noisem mean anything to you?  Full of Hell?  Ilsa?  Yeah. Last year, we got our lazy asses out for the label’s 10th anniversary bash, including three days and multiple venues of high-quality mash-ups of death metal, doom,…

Chris Dodge and drummer-extraordinaire Dave Witte take on the Great American Beer Fest.

Every once in a while a young metal band will come along with a sound, a look, and an attitude that will just make any fan over the age of 35 beam. Despite boasting a band name that makes you think they’re a Steel Panther knock-off, German quintet Alpha Tiger has steadily become a very…

2014 was a year of major tumult for the music biz. CD and download sales took a beating as streaming continued to skyrocket; at the same time, streaming services took a beating from many quarters of the industry, and not a single one of them has proven profitable. U2 apologized for the biggest album release in history, and…

In the mood for a serious blastbeating? Sarpanitum have some serious black and death metal for your blasphemous enjoyment. Taking aim at the joys of religious warfare, this Birmingham-based trio brings long song titles and brutality to their death metal game. You can enjoy the beatdown below. ***Blessed Be My Brothers hits on February 17…

As Ottawa’s trad metal-tinged punk rock underground-superstars-in-the-making ZEX continue to build an increasingly strong head of fist-pumping, sneering, anthemic steam with the upcoming Magic Bullet re-release of the band’s barnburner debut Fight For Yourself, it is Decibel‘s pleasure to bring you the exclusive premiere of the uncensored “Wanderlust” video. Photo credit here. (I think!) Tour…

Any astute follower of metal in the past five years has likely noticed a huge uptick in the number of bands with a proto-70s sound and occult themes: The Devil’s Blood, Sabbath Assembly, Blood Ceremony and The Oath. A few of these bands have been on Decibel’s cover: In Solitude and Ghost B.C. (twice). While…