Massive, hirsute man mountains, the members of The Gates of Slumber are the living avatars of the music that they play. Their behemoth doom strides powerfully back through the mists of time, crushing all in its path. In the likely event that you’ve never heard them, the kind folks at Scion AV have given you…

Norwegian hard rockers Audrey Horne may have a sound that marries Seventies arena rock to a chug/gallop/chug reminiscent of early Priest and Maiden, but the band’s name is all homage to a memorable character from David Lynch’s infamous early nineties crash n’ burn foray into network television. Thus, on the eve of the release of…

Belgian gore-lords Aborted have been kickin’ corpses and plenty of detal metal ass since the mid-’90s. But they’ve only reached their true potential—that’s a personal opinion—in recent years, where they’ve added more meat, guts, and other musical offal to their boiling cauldron. Although I’m partial to Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done, I think…

Stepping into a recording studio can be intimidating for the inexperienced musician. Sure it’s always intimidating for the experienced musicians. Of course it is. That’s precisely because bands that have been over the course know that it’ll be costing them money and lots of it. For the green band cutting their first demo, that debut…

If you’ve had enough Municipal Waste to last a lifetime—hey, those landfills keep getting higher and higher, right?—it’s the right time to bring things to Washington, DC. Iron Reagan, the best new band name if there ever was one, was formed by Municipal Waste throat-ripper Tony Foresta and skin-basher Landphil Hall, with ex-Darkest Hour pacemaker…

No matter what you give the object of your affection this Valentine’s Day, they will ultimately flee in terror. After all, you’re a Decibel reader. It’s not your fault that you take romantic cues from Chris Barnes; it’s how you were raised. The good news is, your crush surely shares at least a few of…

Well, it looks like we’re still in the doldrums of the slow part of the year. The releases SHOULD be picking up in a week or so, so stay tuned. What time is it? Well, Australian black/death metallers PORTAL are releasing their latest and perhaps best, Vexovoid on Profound Lore. Before I start here, let…

Because every day another band records another song.  Because 83% of those songs are unlistenable and you can’t be bothered to sift through the dreck.  Because metal is about not giving a shit and waking your own personal storm.  Because music is universal, expression is boundless, and even indie labels (whatever that means these days)…

photo credit: Lou Strummer France’s grindcore miscreats, Nolentia has recently made their newest and second album available to the world’s general populace and specifically those of you who enjoy your Nasum and Pig Destroyer weirded up a notch. The album’s called May the Hand That Holds the Match That Will Set This World on Fire…

Helen Money, aka Alison Chesley, dropped a new album earlier this week via the inimitable Profound Lore Records. As our Brent Burton described in Issue #101, the cellist’s playing is rather unorthodox as she “stretch[es] and distort[s] the possibilities of amplified cello with a bevy of effects.” To celebrate the release of her third record…