STREAMING: White Empress — “A Prisoner Unleashed”

September 17, 2014

Peaceville: the venerable label is home to some of Decibel‘s all time favorites: Darkthrone, Autopsy and My Dying Bride. Lest you think the label is resting on their laurels they continue to push bands out into the extreme universe. Today we’re streaming some Peaceville-approved symphonic metal: “A Prisoner Unleashed” from the forthcoming White Empress album…

Sucker For Punishment: Fire Up the Chain Saw!

September 17, 2014

When a veteran band finds its second wind working with a certain producer, it’s totally understandable if they decide to stick to that same collaboration for an extended period. Cannibal Corpse went through it in the wake of the stunning success of 2006’s return-to-form Kill; realizing they had found a perfect partner in producer Erik…

TRACK PREMIERE: Noctem’s “The Adamantine Doors (Orchestral Version)”

September 16, 2014

The Spanish answer to Behemoth, Noctem have been slamming out blackened death metal since 2001. Their third full-length, Exilium, drops today, and it sounds pretty damn evil. Of course, like many bands in the style, Noctem are big fans of symphonic bombast. In fact, one of the bonus tracks for the album is an orchestral…

Help Katherine Ludwig Annihilate Her Cancer

September 16, 2014

If there’s a select group of people responsible for Decibel becoming the magazine it is today, one of those people is undoubtedly Katherine Ludwig. Why? Because as the founding editor of Metal Maniacs magazine, she helped spearhead extreme-music journalism. Unlike the more popular Metal Edge, a sort of US Weekly of hair metal bands, Metal…

Won’t Get Fooled Again: Exclusive Society Sucker Stream!

September 16, 2014

Hope you’re ready to get dirty this morning, people — the super-pissed self-titled EP from Wilmington, North Carolina hardcore upstarts Society Sucker streaming below is rife with gloriously grimy grooves, rancid earworm riffage, and nasty, nasty straight-from-the-gutter breakdowns. Officially out on September 16th, preorders for Society Sucker are on seafoam green, gold/yellow clear or black…

STREAMING: Num Skull “Ritually Abused”

September 15, 2014

Medusa Records is a label most metalheads won’t recognize. Based in Culver City, California, the label had a decent stint from 1986 to 1990, releasing a cadre of thrashers from Wrath and Wasted Youth to Christian metal acts Barren Cross and Vengeance Rising (remember their inexplicable inclusion in Hard ‘N Heavy’s Grindcore Special Issue VHS?)….

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

September 12, 2014

Isn’t this supposed to be a good time of year for releases?  Hmmm… well, there are SOME things. Welcome, oh ye Wizards of Gore. CANNIBAL CORPSE are back at it with A Skeletal Domain.  And what’s to be said about the 12th release by a forerunner in the genre of death metal? Well, if you’re not familiar…

All Your Heroes Dead? Grind to the UK’s Oblivionized and Razoreater

September 12, 2014

We at Decibel Magazine wish to apologize for not doing enough to support the development and dissemination of grind.  By including occasional articles about other forms of heavy music, some of which include discernible tempos and recognizably human vocals, we have polluted the “scene” (which died 15 years ago, though our anger about it keeps…

Onward Into Battle: Talking MMA with KEN Mode

September 11, 2014

By the time this goes live, KEN Mode’s first round of what promises to be another couple years of non-stop touring will have come to a close and the boys will be getting set to kick their feet up for about 20 minutes before hitting Europe with HARK. See all the details and particulars at…

Encrotchment With Eddie Gobbo From Jar’d Loose: Week 1

September 11, 2014

Hello, and welcome to Week 1 of Decibel’s new NFL column, Encrotchment. A lot happened in Week 1, so let’s get started. Hype! 2: The Seattle Seahawks Well, the 2014 NFL season started with the Hawks going to a stadium filled with 12th men and women, getting rings, rolling Green Bay, and helping Soundgarden load their gear…