Justin Norton

Happy Halloween! Get in the spirit with an exhaustive Decibel oral history of The Electric Hellfire Club, the innovative 90s band that blended metal, industrial music, and Satanism. Burn, baby, burn!  

Tom Gabriel Fischer talks to Decibel first about the pending Celtic Frost reissues. 

Stream The Powder Room’s second album Lucky here on release day.

Stream Cardinal Wyrm’s upcoming album Cast Away Souls and read a Q&A with the band.

A few months after Heavy Metal Parking Lot celebrated its 30th anniversary, we remember the life of Dave Donahue, who made a short appearance in the film but left a lasting impression on his younger brother and friends. 

Every so often, we take a little time on Mondays to pay tribute to the Muthas! That is, reprinting the adorable metal/maternal Q&As that run in the magazine. Today, enjoy Justin Norton’s chat with Bernice Rakes, mother of Richard Hoak (Brutal Truth/Total Fucking Destruction).

Decibel talked to hardcore legend Keith Morris about his new memoir My Damage.

Every so often, we take a little time on Mondays to pay tribute to the Muthas! That is, reprinting the adorable metal/maternal Q&As that run in the magazine. Today, enjoy Justin Norton’s chat with Amanda Schall, mother of Elizabeth Schall (Dreaming Dead/Cretin) in August 2013.

Every so often, we take a little time on Mondays to pay tribute to the Muthas! That is, reprinting the adorable metal/maternal Q&As that run in the magazine. Today, enjoy Justin Norton’s chat with Wendy Phillips, mutha of Sebastian and Harley Phillips of Noisem.

Check out the new track “Soft Palates Rasp” from Seputus, off their pending debut Man Does Not Give.

Terence Hannum of Locrian talked to Decibel about his new novella Beneath The Remains.

Every so often, we take a little time on Mondays to pay tribute to the Muthas! That is, reprinting the adorable metal/maternal Q&As that run in the magazine. Today, enjoy Justin Norton’s September 2014 chat with Ana Ramirez and Andrea Gonzalez, muthas of Mario Moreno and Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez of Exmortus.

Check out a song stream from Oakland garage punkers Musk. 

Dead Revolution
Full of life
dB rating: 9/10

We talked to David Nuss and Jamie Myers about Sabbath Assembly’s reinvention and the importance of tribe and tradition. We’re also giving away a set of tickets and shirt to their upcoming tour.

Welcome to the first installment of an occasional Decibel blog feature called How We Roll. In this series, we’ll look behind the scenes to see what bands bring on the road to make extensive touring more comfortable (or more forgettable). Our first guests: Venom Inc.

Promoter M A Spiro is looking to offer a better festival experience for the discerning fan metal with the curated Shadow Woods Metal Fest. She talked to us about what campers can expect. 

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. 

Every so often, we take a little time on Mondays to pay tribute to the Muthas! That is, reprinting the adorable metal/maternal Q&As that run in the magazine. Today, enjoy Justin Norton’s chat with Becky Myers, mutha of Sabbath Assembly vocalist Jamie Myers.

Five ideas to make a metal Dad happy this Father’s Day directly from Decibel‘s online store. 

Alaric vocalist and lyricist Shane Baker talked to Decibel about death rock, learning to sing and End of Mirrors. 

We’re streaming the first video from Alaric‘s new album End of Mirrors. 

Nick Menza — best remembered for his time in Megadeth — was one of the drummers that earned fierce love and respect. Menza died after collapsing on stage on Saturday, apparently from heart failure. Menza’s style, approach, and effortless invention were as essential to Megadeth as Bill Ward’s quirks and fills were to Black Sabbath or Dave Lombardo’s ferocity was to Slayer. 

Lariyah Hayes of Khaotika talked to Decibel about what’s planned for her series of Darkadya books and how she was motivated by her brush with death. 

We continue our periodic look at the East Bay metal scene with Tristin Campbell of Control. Campbell is a needed throwback to the do-it-yourself ethos that made Northern California so rich musically.

Ivar Bjørnson talked to Decibel about his love of electronic music and what metal fans can expect when they hear his other work in Bardspec. 

One of the highlights of the upcoming Choosing Death Fest in Philadelphia this April will be the first public screening of Death By Metal, the definitive documentary on Death frontman Chuck Schuldiner. We talked to director Felipe Belalcazar.

Distance | Collapsed
Out of the shadows
dB Rating: 9/10

You will be able to read our inside take on how Venom Inc. came together in the forthcoming May issue. In the meantime, we thought it was a perfect occasion to rank the songs on one of the most revered metal albums ever: Black Metal. 

Stream a new EP from the Canadian duo Unbowed.