Welcome to The Lazarus Pit, a biweekly look at should-be classic metal records that don’t get nearly enough love; stuff that’s essential listening that you’ve probably never heard of; stuff that we’re too lazy to track down the band members to do a Hall Of Fame for.  This week, we jump off a cliff into…

UK-based death-heads, consider this your rallying cry for what will not only be one of the summer’s most gnarly nights of death metal, but a crucial fundraiser for former Decapitated vocalist, Adrian “Covan” Kowanek. Decapitated, Hades Lab, Dead Beyond Buried and Ted Maul tear up the Camden Underworld’s dilapidated bowel on 29 June 2012. Doors…

Grindcore legends Phobia may not be the most prolific full-length writers—six of ’em in 22 years—but what they lack in Genesis-like concept albums or MacGrubergrind throwback scene points, they make up for in sheer volcanic terror. If that sounds like journalistic exaggeration, well, it kind of is, but what band outside Napalm Death, Rotten Sound,…

In honor of Mother’s Day, Decibel is exclusively premiering the song “Mother” from Lita Ford’s new album Living Like a Runaway

Bathory’s Under the Sign of the Black Mark turns a whopping 25 years old today. To honor the landmark, Swedish Death Metal author Daniel Ekeroth parallels his adolescence with the band’s inimitable path. TO GROW UP WITH BATHORY by Daniel Ekeroth As a young teen, I could probably have been caught up in any kind…

Pick Your Side is a new hardcore band based out of Hamilton, Ontario (and Buffalo, New York) which features ex-and-present members of Haymaker, Fuck the Facts, Psyopus amongst others. They’ve just released their full-length debut, Let Me Show You How Democracy Works courtesy of A389 Records and played a hometown show last weekend and as…

Last week, The Space—a “freely-available digital arts service developed by Arts Council England in partnership with the BBC”—unveiled the first part of its massive John Peel project. Peel, who passed away in 2004 and whom you may know from his legendary Peel Sessions, early support of Napalm Death or writing the introduction to a book…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUi1yf97paw The biggest metal band in Israel, Orphaned Land, is being highlighted as a viable bridge between headbanging Muslims and Jews as their apolitical, peace-promoting power metal seems to only have extreme views when it comes to wearing scarves on stage. While this kind of music is definitely not the thing that blows my gentile…

Firewind guitarist…er, guitar god Gus G. is a bit of a celebrity over in Europe. Here in the states the Greek six-stringer’s exploits are, for all intents and purposes, largely under the proverbial metallic radar. He was in Swedish power metal outfit Dream Evil, but they sold about 4 copies between coasts. He floated for…

Unlike some of our previous “premieres,” this one is timed just perfectly. Chicago trad-metal quartet, Bible of the Devil, will be releasing their sixth full-length album, For The Love Of Thugs And Fools, today, May, 8 via Cruz Del Sur Music. It’s their first full-length, since 2008’s Freedom Metal and it’s just the kind of…