Necrowretch deliver the first ripping song off of Satanic Slavery, their newly-announced full-length. 

For a brief time in the early 90’s Cyclone Temple was one of the best heavy metal bands on the planet…

So argues No Echo proprietor/Deny the Cross vocalist Carlos Ramirez in the liner notes to the reverential, enlivening reissue of 1991’s I Hate Therefore I Am — available as an import courtesy Divebomb Records International alongside a fascinating collections of demos, early and live tracks, and of the Greed, Home of the Depraved — and we’re streaming the Chicago thrashers’ seriously underrated, boundary-defying full-length debut below as evidence that our man is not engaged in any sort of idle smoke blowing: This superior sonic marriage of Spreading the Disease-era Anthrax and circa-Age of Quarrel Cro-Mags, further empowered and set apart by Brian Troch’s ferocious Dio-meets-street vocals, remains far ahead of its time in many, many ways. Indeed, I Hate Therefore I Am, in this humble scribe’s opinion, is the real, vulnerable, defiant shit the retro kids actually should be jamming into the metal-future.

Phil Anselmo and horror icon Bill Moseley join forces as Bill & Phil. Hear the full stream. 

Apparently it’s difficult to pull off a good metal video. Richmond’s BAT make it look not only easy, but fun as hell, too, with their new black&white, B movie-inspired thriller, “Beware of the Bat.”

Swedish doom trio Laser Dracul are the children of the night, and the music they make is LOUD.

No words are used (and none are needed) to tell a story on “…The Idyllic Realm.” 

Check out this exclusive premiere of the song, “Time of the Moon,” by Denmark’s Vomit Angel  from their debut mini-album, Sadomatic Evil. But you’ll never guess who it is they’re covering . . .

The next 20 copies sold of Choosing Death (hardcover and paper) and the Decibel Hall of Fame Anthology Vol. II will be signed by Decibel editor in chief Albert Mudrian. 

Get to you know your Decibel Metal & Beer Fest breweries. We interview Tampa’s own Cigar City.

These days, dozens of online tastemakers can each have their own Top 10 list without overlapping any other list.  It’s a testament to the affordability of recording technology, to the direct connections artists forge with their fans, and to ever more insulated channels of musical taste.  Here are a few albums you might have missed but should probably check out before you lose yourself to all the glorious promises of 2017.