Interviews

For the past four years, Tasmanian black metallers Ruins have been working on their fifth album, Undercurrent. Without the pressures of most bands–writing, recording, touring–frontman Alex Pope, drummer Dave Haley, guitarist Joe Haley, and bassist Kai Summers were afforded time and space to realize their latest black metal vision.

Matt Harvey joins forces with acclaimed artist Kelly Williams (The Cabinet, Eerie) for the deliciously demented banshee-centered graphic novel romp, Howl — and the velocity and transgressive brutality the Exhumed/Gruesome vocalist/guitarist delivers in this new realm is totally what horror-obsessed metalheads would hope for from the guy behind Gore Metal, Slaughtercult, and Necrocracy. 

Harvey was kind enough to give Decibel the inside scoop on the comic — the second volume in Williams’ multi-author series The Dark — out on Halloween via Alterna Comics.  

In which I discuss heavy metal, Sword & Sorcery fic, Manilla Road, the modern hardcore scene, and much more with Jason Tarpey, vocalist of Texas’ toughest epic heavy metal band, Eternal Champion.

Withdrawal are finally poised to release their first full-length album at the beginning of November, but you can hear another new single and read about Never here first.

We got lucky when we sought out voices to comment on Meshuggah‘s continued power and relevance – our search led to a conversation with tourmate Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka of Decapitated.

Let’s put it this way: Opeth now aren’t the Opeth of the mid-’90s or the mid-’00s. Older, wiser, better musicians, and better businessmen, Opeth, namely frontman/songwriter/elder statesman Mikael Åkerfeldt, have also changed their sound, if only to equal the bands Åkerfeldt admired as far back as we can all remember. Actually, the change isn’t new. The change dates back to 2011’s often misunderstood, but nonetheless incredible Heritage record, when Opeth closed the chapter on death metal and opened a new one on dark, progressive hard rock.

Over the last several years Life of Agony bassist/songwriter Alan Robert has built a fascinating second career as a author/illustrator in the world of dark, cutting-edge graphic novels such as Wire Hangers (2010), Crawl to Me (2011), and Killogy (2012). This month the multitalented provocateur turns his attention to subverting and desecrating the adult coloring book craze with the delectably demented The Beauty of Horror: A GOREgeous Coloring Book — a “blood-soaked alternative,” in the words of its accompanying press release, that will take unsuspecting colored-pencil wielders “on a twisted journey through bizarre carnivals, the zombie apocalypse, serial killer lairs, and haunted burial grounds.”

No stranger to controversy, metal icon Phil Anselmo is still feeling the fallout from January’s Dimebash. On the eve of the release of the new Superjoint album, Decibel asks is he actually a racist?

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

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

“the fans are going crazy at the shows, so the change is welcome”

Another addition to the growing number of festivals exploding out of the Western Canadian woodwork as of late is Edmonton’s Black Mourning Light, set to be held at the Rendezvous Pub in the town that Wayne Gretzky built on October 21-22.

Chicago, Illinois has long been home to some of the harshest, ugliest metal sounds, and Polyptych continue the tradition in splendid form.

Writing Path of Eight was a different experience for Mouth of the Architect than previous albums, the band says. Listen to a new song and read an interview with the band about writing and recording the new album. 

To suggest that I’ve been excited for Black Table to release their debut full-length would be something of an understatement. 

In which our favorite DC-area grindcore staple interviews our favorite 67-year-old grandmother who fronts a grindcore band. You’re welcome. 

dB got in touch with Tom Angelripper, bassist and vocalist of thrash heroes Sodom, to talk about the legendary band’s new album, Decision Day, and the state of the world today.

We stepped in the Decibel Time Machine with German death/grinders Terrorazor. Join us in our journey back to 1990.

There are few things Innsbruck, Austria has going for it. Bringing up the rear of the “trambahn” are local (with some added Dutch flavour) clown kings of crossover, Insanity Alert.

Since the mid 80s, Paul Speckmann has been snarling his sardonic vitriol over pummeling riffs, and over thirty years later he seems less likely to stop than ever. We caught up with the Chicago-born, ex-pat inveterate death-thrasher in an attempt to figure out how, to this day, he remains such a potent force in the international extreme metal scene.

Experience pure sonic violence with Trap Them‘s Crown Feral, then recover from your beatdown with a macabre arts & (darker hand)crafts lesson from vocalist Ryan McKenney. 

We catch up with Demo:listen alums Tomb Mold to talk their killer new EP, their highly anticipated forthcoming LP, and what it means to shed some skin.

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

Cambridge, MA tattoo shop/art gallery Eridanos hosts Dan Seagrave’s mind-bending swarm of winged creations.

In our final metal teacher installment, we bring you two men who hold down less traditional teaching positions:  Voivod’s Dan Mongrain, who teaches music at the college level; and Rage Nucléaire’s Lord Worm (Dan Greening), who teaches English language skills to business people who have left behind the traditional classroom setting.

And now for something from the farthest reaches of left field, if not outer space.

In which we strive to demystify one of the year’s sickest works of death metal with those who dealt it.

French soul-threateners Aum will release their highly destructive (and equally esoteric) force, debut record Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum, this Friday on Iron Bonehead.  We asked the band some questions, and we got some enthusiastic and thoughtful responses.  Read up on Aum’s focus and vision right here.

To a small number of people, Eucharist are legends. They were, in effect, part of the new wave of Swedish death metal, where outright brutality was replaced by cleverly designed aggression and insane heaviness was supplanted by unheard of musicality. That Eucharist, for a spell, shared rehearsal space with early incarnations of At the Gates and Dissection should speak volumes. And it does.

Pennsylvania-based illustrator Joe Martin is your new favorite tattoo artist.