In honor of GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot, who passed away yesterday as the band was preparing to enter Canada, we offer this typically deranged Frank Lemke review of this fall’s annual GWAR-B-Q in Richmond, originally trimmed for space from the magazine. Saturday, September 17 The National, Richmond, VA The GWAR-B-Q was booked outdoors, at Hadad’s…

That’s right, folks, our Collector’s Edition Thrash Metal Hall of Fame issue is back from the printers and available—right now—to buy from the Decibel webstore and a select few indie record stores. After hopefully violating innumerate health and safety regulations to print the third of Decibel’s gnarly Hall of Fame Collector’s Editions in Vic Rattlehead’s…

Let’s face it: everyone from skate-shorts-sporting thrashers and isolationist of ‘troo kvlt’ black metal church burners to gurgling death metalheads and flat-brimmed hardcore heads loves hair metal. If they say they, they’re fucking lying. If it’s not the good time, formulaic party music, it’s the fantastical lyrics and ongoing hope that all it takes for…

I know what you’re thinking. “A little late for Halloween, idiot.” Wrong, idiot. I wrote this weeks ago. Just for kicks, this Halloween I decided I’d dress up as a “metal head.” I do, of course, listen to metal. But I’d say that my actual style is a lot more casual, since I usually don’t…

The Sun Through a Telescope: “Darkyard” by Decibel Magazine The kind of music that comes from The Sun Through a Telescope can only be produced in a solo project. There is no way the kind of experimental, psychedelic insanity on EP Summer Darkyard (from our friends Handshake Inc.) could be filtered through another human being…

People want to know the arrangement between Scion and Immolation. I’m sure you can attest to ‘underground’ metalheads being slightly skeptical of a car company’s involvement with a cult death metal act.Ross Dolan: I can see where some people may find it unusual that a company such as Scion would invest money into an underground…

Our pals over at Metal Sucks have put together a two-day Suckfest of some of our favorite bands, and it’s all happening this weekend, November 4 and 5, at the Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan. Tickets are currently on sale and available from LiveNation. The best part of the inaugural Metal Suckfest is the wide array…

Will wonders never cease? Not long ago Billy Corgan outed himself as a Mercyful Fate fanboy able to correctly name the preeminent Black Sabbath record — that’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, kids — and now the 90’s alt-rock icon has formed his own pro-wrestling company — Resistance Pro — where he’ll serve as “creative director.” The…

A few weeks ago we posted a Live Evil festival preview which was, in all fairness, maybe a little mean-spirited seeing that the vast majority of folks couldn’t cross ocean, continent or geographical border to attend an underground metal festival in London, U.K. Not at such notice, anyways. Live Evil 2011 was the festival’s sophomore…

I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning to drive to Iowa, all the way from Cleveland. Cant sleep any more so I guess it is time to recap the last week of tour… Ill pick up where I left off last time, in New York. I was kind of antsy about this show, as…