Dear Brent Burton or Scott Seward (I honestly can’t remember which one of you it was): Thank you for introducing me to Earthless all those years ago, back when our magazine still had its original logo. Not only have I been able to spend the intervening time enjoying the trio’s first two full-lengths and various…

Stick around long enough and you might get the things you always wanted. For some kids that’s a medical degree or a wedding fit for Disney. What I wanted was to hang out with Tesco Vee, the imposing frontman of The Meatmen who made me laugh on a daily basis with juvenile sexual ripostes on…

Okay, this week was officially insane, with a wealth of good new music to investigate. Isn’t the fall release time the best? This week’s essential albums: Oranssi Pazuzu, Velonielu (20 Buck Spin): The Finnish band who unapologetically loves psychedelia (oranssi, or “orange”, a clear reference to Tangerine Dream) and The Exorcist (“Pazuzu”) has been on…

Back at the end of July, the Canadian government quietly enacted a piece of legislative shit that, essentially overnight, made it exponentially (and in most cases, prohibitively) more expensive for bands to tour our country. Basically, where once a band consisting of anywhere between three and fourteen members would have had to collectively pay $450…

This morning Decibel is proud to premiere an exquisite slab of blackened death metal off Verses of Fire, the barn burning fourth album from long-running French brutality merchants Temple of Baal. Another track from the album can be streamed after the jump.

It’s been more than 22 years since the UK hardcore act Satanic Malfunctions has released any music (Disgrace To Humanity, 1990). Decibel is proud to present a full album stream of the comeback Them, released by Selfmadegod and available for purchase here. After the stream check a quick q and a with drummer Ade. It’s…

Relapse could probably have found a stronger name for their 2013 autumn/winter sampler than, uhh, Relapse Sampler 2013. Cast your mind back when Earache were releasing their Grindcrusher sampler series, and Peaceville had the enigmatically titled Under the Sign of the Sacred Star; that was how you named a sampler. But that was back then,…

** The following five questions with the legendary King Diamond were part of a series of interviews I set up for the XXX: Three Decades of Roadrunner Records [click HERE for more info] boxset, for which I wrote the liner notes. Former Roadrunner Records Senior VP A&R Monte Conner facilitated the initial exchange with King…

** Back in August, Decibel premiered new Twilight of the Gods tune, “Destiny Forged in Blood.” Click HERE to listen. Since then, we’ve imbibed heavily on debut album, Fire on the Mountain, which is the product of guys and ex-guys from Dimmu Borgir, Einherjer, Thyrfing, and, of course, Primordial saluting age-old heavy metal with a…

As a music writer who’s supposed to help guide people to the most worthy holes to shove their money, time and psyches into (because spending any of those things on your own children is simply preposterous), I always worry a little bit that I’ve tumbled way too far down the rabbit hole of my own…