High on Fire – “Surrounded by Thieves”

August 30, 2013

Before High on Fire signed to Relapse, the Californians had plenty of buzz. The group’s debut, The Art of Self Defense, along with the cloyingly faddy label Man’s Ruin, sent waves of heshers yammering about the next big thing.

Tales From the Metalnomicon: Ian Christe of Bazillion Points

August 30, 2013

Welcome to Tales From the Metalnomicon, a column delving into the surprisingly vast world of heavy metal-tinged/inspired literature and metalhead authors… Bazillion Points Books boasts such an absurdly badass catalog it is difficult at times to believe the publishing house actually exists outside the fantasies of discerning connoisseurs and devotees of underground rock and metal….

Subscribe to Decibel for an exclusive GODFLESH flexi disc

August 30, 2013

Let’s just cut to the chase, people: Godflesh are back, and we’re bringing you their first new recording in 12 years! Justin Broadrick’s seminal progressive industrial outfit has chosen the Decibel Flexi Series to relaunch. And they do so in a big way with a corrosive, crushing cover of Slaughter’s “F.O.D. (Fuck of Death).” Don’t…

German Death Dealers Abyssous – Hear Here!

August 30, 2013

We got an earful of Abyssous recently when we browsed through some recent promos for a bit of quick, juicy entertainment. Admittedly, it was the band name that drew us in… but it was the gristly death metal within that kept our attention pinned.

BREWTAL TRUTH: Drink This Now!

August 30, 2013

Given the opportunity to write about craft beer every month in Decibel has been eye-opening. The idea that our “Brewtal Truth” column would have lasted more than four years (and counting) and even spawn a book—The Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers, out in November—is pretty amazing. Now it’s time to bring a little “Brewtal…

Coffinfeeder Distro. They Distro Stuff. And Release Stuff, Too.

August 29, 2013

I usually try to keep up with current events and what’s going on in the world, but admittedly, I have very little clue what the hell is going on in Turkey. Well, let me step back a bit; I know what’s going on in Turkey – it’s hard to ignore images of mass demonstrations, military/police…

Decibrity Playlist: Exhumed

August 29, 2013

Matt Harvey is a fan of the San Francisco Giants. He shares the name of the NL East’s pitcher of the future (for the record, I wrote this before his injury and really meant it) who happens to play for a certain NY-based franchise. He also really likes Metallica. Some of us here may hold…

Decibel Premiere: A Pale Horse Named Death video

August 28, 2013

Throughout the summer, we walked readers through the making of the new A Pale Horse Named Death video in the blog series “A Glimpse Behind The Horse.” Today, we’re premiering the video exclusively on the Deciblog. Watch the video for “DMSLT” below and then let us know what you think.

On the importance of “vintage stage antics” for a thriving metal subculture by Robin Staps (The Ocean)

August 28, 2013

As some of you may have noticed, there has recently been an explosive, blown-up debate about (the lack of) stage diving on this year’s Summer Slaughter tour between us, Summer Slaughter, and the fans. Apart from all the useless “you better book ‘baby corpse deep throat massacre’ next year, this tour is not metal anymore”…

EXCLUSIVE: Archive interview with Jeff Hanneman

August 27, 2013

Sometimes a little cleaning can unearth big finds. During my latest attempt at restoring some order to the house of CDs I live in, I came across a stack of old CDR’s that contained the archives of my old radio show, Hellraiser’s Ball, at USC’s student run radio station, KSCR (1560 AM!). One of those…