If any album boasting song titles like “Genital Tumor,” “Alcoholic Mosh,” and “Obscene Symphony” can be reasonably compared to a precious stone then, sure, Brazilian proto-blackened death metallers Sextrash’s raw, deliciously-nutty-meets-brutal-as-fuck 1990 full-length debut Sexual Carnage is one helluva singular hidden heavy metal gem. Put another way, when the band’s label calls the record —…

People have been writing to ask about starting a yoga practice. Some common themes, or excuses, come up in these messages. The end of the messages usually end like this: “I’d do yoga, but…” • I’m not flexible; • I need to get into shape before I go to a class; • I need to…

** Chicago-based melodic death metallers (think: Children of Bodom meets Arsis meets Iron Maiden) Starkill are ready for world domination. New album, Virus of the Mind, is a significant step forward for the young bucks, blending black, death, and power metal together to form a sonic attack few have the wherewithal to pull off successfully….

Over the last 20 years, Orange Goblin have established themselves as a pillar of the international stoner/doom order. Last year’s epic full-length, Back From the Abyss, was the latest permutation in the always-evolving U.K. quartet’s unimpeachable discography, and if you (understandably) want more, we’ve got it, via the Flexi Series. Ben Ward and crew bash…

Does anyone else find it extremely annoying when Bradley Cooper says “Baybee” over and over again in the American Sniper preview? We Caro Lot (Saturday, 4:35 p.m. EST) It feels like Carolina started their season this past Sunday against the Falcons. Arizona goes into this game like it’s another day in quicksand. The problem Arizona…

A little more than a year ago, we got in touch with a Kent, Ohio quartet called Foul Spirits who delivered some slimy sludge-death with an EP called Live in Fear.  Now the boys have finished recording their full-length album, called Volatile Versatile, and if you’re interested in the kind of redlined destruction offered by bands like Gaza…

In only a few short months “Death Moines, Iowa” quintet Green Death will unleash Manufacturing Evil, the much-anticipated follow-up to the uber-excellent heavy metal melting pot that was 2013’s The Deathening. This morning Decibel is pleased to present the cover artwork by Eliran Kantor (Testament, Iced Earth, Sodom) along with the following behind the scenes…

There are 52 weeks in a year. Give or take a few holidays and medical procedures that equals more than 100 blog posts annually when you have slots on Monday and Wednesday. There’s literally no way anyone trying to make a living could create that much original content (although Decibel alumni and Invisible Oranges founder…

When you name your band Black Pussy you’d better tread carefully, and to their credit the Portland band has made it crystal clear why they chose to call themselves that. Drawing inspiration from the original title of The Rolling Stones’ classic “Brown Sugar” Black Pussy states on their Facebook page, “Black Pussy does not condone…

It’s been a while since I’ve recommended awesomeness available on the Bandcamp download service, and since a draconian new VAT policy goes into effect in Europe on January 1, this might be your last chance to grab some of these before shit gets wonky. Here’s a random assortment of awesome downloadable metal so you can…