Black Sabbath
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: The Story Behind The Artwork
June 23, 2016 Justin Norton
In honor of Black Sabbath‘s final trek around the globe, we are running our 2014 print feature on the story behind the cover art of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, which was illustrated four decades ago by a rising Los Angeles artist named Drew Struzan.
DECIBEL’s Top 100 Old-School Metal Albums Issue Available Now!
November 3, 2015 Andrew Bonazelli
It’s that time of year again! Decibel has been banging our heads overtime to concoct our annual special issue with 100 percent never-before-seen content. Slip on your old studded vest and behold The Top 100 Old-School Metal Albums of All Time!
The Doom is in the Digital
September 15, 2015 Jesse Chase
Just in time for fall: doom over the world… now available in ones and zeros.
Hall of Fame Countdown: Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell
May 7, 2015 Matt Solis
1980 could have been a disaster for Black Sabbath. They had recently parted ways with Ozzy Osbourne, their batshit crazy yet undeniably entertaining frontman, and drummer Bill Ward’s Hemingway-esque boozing was threatening his very ability to play. Instead of accepting their inevitable slide into obscurity, band masterminds Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler knuckled down and wrote eight songs that expressed a variety of new dynamics, textures, and emotions. Oh, and they recruited a little ol’ singer named Ronnie James motherfucking Dio, whose previous work with Elf and Rainbow had already cemented him as one of rock’s premier wailers.
Black Rainbows: Under the Influence
April 27, 2015 Matt Solis
In this month’s issue, we talked to Black Rainbows’ guitarist/vocalist Gabriele Fiori about the Italian band’s new album, Hawkdope—a gloriously psychedelic romp that pays homage to legends of the riff like Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Hawkwind and Monster Magnet. With that in mind, we asked our man to single out the best song from each of the aforementioned bands…no easy task considering their extensive, decades-spanning catalogs.
Season Of The Witch: The Ideas Behind Metal’s Occult Revival
January 12, 2015 Justin Norton
Any astute follower of metal in the past five years has likely noticed a huge uptick in the number of bands with a proto-70s sound and occult themes: The Devil’s Blood, Sabbath Assembly, Blood Ceremony and The Oath. A few of these bands have been on Decibel’s cover: In Solitude and Ghost B.C. (twice). While…
INTERVIEW: Tommy Mezmercardo on being The Mezmerist
August 19, 2013 Jonathan Horsley
In 1985, a kid by the name of Tommy Memzercardo released “The Innocent, The Forsaken, The Guilty”, an off-kilter fantasy/epic metal EP featuring Bill Ward on drums. Back then, the former Black Sabbath drummer couldn’t be credited for legal reasons, while Memzercardo was a mystery all of his own, calling himself The Mezmerist and playing…
John Dyer Baizley of Baroness on five life-changing album covers
July 29, 2013 Jonathan Horsley
“I could go on all day about Pink Floyd record covers,” says Baroness frontman/guitarist John Dyer Baizley. “I could go on all day about Neurosis record covers or Converge—Jacob Bannon is another great album cover artist.” He really could. But we’re mean and we need five to compile an easily digestible list of cover art,…
TICKET GIVEAWAY: Drum Wars starring Vinny & Carmine Appice
June 17, 2013 Jonathan Horsley
Calling all drum nerds, fans of Sabbath, Dio, Vanilla Fudge and umm, Rod Stewart (hey, who doesn’t have room in their heart for Rod?) in the Philadelphia and Allentown area; courtesy of the Sellersville Theater we have THREE pairs of tickets for Drum Wars Starring Vinny & Carmine Appice on Thursday June 27th at 8pm….
Aesthetic Mess: Crappy Legacy Metal Act Cover Art in the 21st Century
April 23, 2013 Jeff Treppel
Guys in metal bands grow old. We know that. It’s natural and can’t be helped. Sometimes they continue to put out good music, sometimes they lose the fire that drove them back in the day. That’s fine. We aren’t here to talk about the music. We are here to take a look at some of…
Tales From the Metalnomicon: Kier-La Janisse
April 12, 2013 Shawn Macomber
Welcome to Tales From the Metalnomicon, a new twice-monthly column delving into the surprisingly vast world of heavy metal-tinged/inspired literature and metalhead authors… In her exquisitely rendered, frequently disquieting, always edifying new book House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films well-respected critic, festival programmer and King Diamond…
Blues Into Metal #2: Up Jumped The Devil
March 6, 2013 Justin Norton
Quick test: go check your music shelf or your iTunes. How many metal albums have some kind of mention of the Devil? A third? How did that symbolism get there in the first place? Why is it so powerful, and so enduring? In the second installment of blues into metal, we’re honored to have bluesman…
Blues Into Metal #1: Jason Ricci
February 6, 2013 Justin Norton
Welcome to Blues Into Metal, an occasional Decibel interview and blog series on the history and ties between America’s homegrown music and the extreme fare our readers cherish. In it, we’ll seek out musicians from both genres to discuss the links and shared history between the blues and metal – and the misconceptions about both….
STREAMING: Bedemon’s “Lord Of Desolation”
September 26, 2012 Justin Norton
Pentagram frontman Bobby Liebling has received much deserved attention for his comeback from a harrowing addiction and the revival of his musical career, not to mention late in life fatherhood. A few of his former bandmates might not have dealt with the same demons but they’ve had their share of tough times seeing their musical…
Inside The Shredder’s Studio #2: Mike Hill’s Favorite Riffs
September 5, 2012 Justin Norton
We’re chuffed to have a dB album of the year award winner take over the shredder’s studio this Wednesday. In this second installment, Tombs guitarist and vocalist Mike Hill tells us about the riffs that led him on a musical path of totality. While you are at it make sure to check out the new…
STREAMING: Kadavar’s “Creature Of The Demon”
June 20, 2012 Justin Norton
Getting compared to Black Sabbath’s legendary debut is a mixed blessing. Of course, it’s going to stoke interest in your band but is there anyone that can measure up to the album that’s quite literally responsible for everything on this blog and magazine? Berlin, Germany’s Kadavar have elicited those comparisons, at least from the folks…
Beer + Metal + Youtube = High Comedy
May 15, 2012 Adem Tepedelen
Yes, we know this about the laziest kind of post we can throw on yon Deciblog, but good christ we could not pass up the opportunity to share these. The simplest search on Youtube netted us some gems that 1) we could not stop watching and 2) were so bizarre as to make us wonder…
Run Through the Purple Haze
September 20, 2011 Shawn Macomber
Yep, no denying it: Danava loves Sabbath. To its immense credit, however, the band chooses to kick it on the Vol. 4 tip rather than open another franchise in the cottage industry of Master of Reality riff reheating. Hemisphere of Shadows, the follow-up to Danava’s much-acclaimed 2008 effort UnonoU, also throws a wonderfully off-kilter early…
Unvested In Vests
April 15, 2011 Chris Dick
OK, I’ve never owned a vest. Not sure why. When I was young, I remember older kids around the neighborhood (we’re talking Flint, Michigan here) would sport denim vests proudly over the top of name-a-‘80s-metal-band-or-cola-here t-shirt. It was their uniform. Even in mid-August, they’d walk around in their denim vests (hair picks in the back…
STREAMING: Pentagram “Call the Man”
March 7, 2011 Chris Dick
In many ways, the opportunity to stream new music from legendary rockers/proto-metallers Pentagram is both an honor and a surprise. The Virginians, who have been kicking around in some shape or form since the early ’70s, are, to many, on the same level as British gods Black Sabbath or Judas Priest. Sure, the latter have…
Justin Lowe & Trent Hafdahl’s (After the Burial) Top 5 Greatest Riffs Of All Time
December 13, 2010 Chris Dick
5. Black Sabbath “Paranoid” intro riff Tony Iommi is the fuckin’ man. The way his guitar sounded back in the ’70s was just evil compared to everyone else. Whether it had something to do with the way he layered distorted guitars on the recordings, or whether it was due to his playing style or missing…
Mike Huckabee Endorses Torche + Gutfeld Interview
October 27, 2010 Chris Dick
Former Arkansas governor, presidential candidate, and current Huckabee talk show host Mike Huckabee is Fox News Channel’s first (and possibly last) “Doom Metal Expert”. No shit! Decibel doesn’t even have a resident “Doom Metal Expert” — well, Scott Koerber and EIC Mr. Mudrian have the right credentials, but have never self-proclaimed “I am a Doom…
Black Sabbath – “Heaven and Hell”
September 1, 2008 Adem Tepedelen
As far as Hall of Fame inductees go, the making of Black Sabbath’s ninth album, their first with former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio, easily ranks as one of the most drama-filled.