If you’re as lazy and contemptuous of friends and family as we are, you probably still have some holiday shopping to do. Luckily, Decibel is here to offer you an escape from empty-handed embarrassment. Yes, it’s time for our annual Under the Tree, Under the Wire subscription special. All you have to do is subscribe…

Ever wonder what Jersey extreme doom crew Evoken covering death/doom progenitors Paradise Lost might sound like? We did! So, we asked them to rework the old-school PL classic “Rotting Misery” for our vaunted flexi series. The stunning results can be heard below and—for a limited time—ordered via our webstore here.

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)…

If you’re like me, chances are if the name “Ilsa” somehow comes up in conversation, thoughts immediately turn to the triptych of ridiculous 70s Nazi exploitation films Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS, Ilsa: Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks and Ilsa: the Tigress of Siberia. If you’re really down with your B-movie trivia and haven’t…

In honor of the recent release of Kowloon Walled City’s Container Ships, last week we presented Side A of the band’s tour van mixtape. Chock full of A.M. gold, it was the perfect driving music for vocalist/guitarist Scott Evans and bassist Ian Miller (not to mention, they clearly know their shit about it). Guitarist Jon…

It looks like “occult rock” (i.e. heavier music with discernible song structures and radio potential) isn’t going away in 2013. We’re not sure if we were swayed by necromancy or the fact that there’s a naked lady on the cover (likely the latter) but we’re streaming an exclusive premiere of the track “Black Magic” by…

You’re on your 25th year, your tenth album and your fourth record label, at this point. What keeps Tiamat humming?Johan Edlund: That’s never been a problem. We’ve decided to allow ourselves complete artistic freedom. We don’t do this for the money nor for pleasing anybody else. We still love doing it because it still excites…

Man, I love Hells Headbangers. They’re one of my favorite labels. Even when I don’t like the stuff they put out, I appreciate that someone is dedicating their time to dredging up the absolute scummiest acts from metal’s deepest cesspools. They’ve been cranking out a bunch of 7″ singles lately, and while we don’t have…

Candlelight Records much-beloved Cult Series returns early next month with an unholy trinity of relentlessly brutal, crazy diverse offerings from Nine Covens, Zatokrev, and Kontinuum. All three records are available for preorder now, but for those frugal readers who would prefer a sample of the aural violence before they bring their daughters to this particular…

Fight Amp’s Birth Control is the sort of super-cool genre non-specific releases that sounds like it was written in a week tops and thrashed out and tracked in a day. It sounds 100 per cent jam room live, heaping catchy riffs on top of awkward and dissonant hardcore punk and noise-rock. If it sounds unruly,…