anniversary

There was once a metal world without Slayer, as hard as that is to imagine. That world changed forever with this album. Show No Mercy is a giant’s first loud footstep.

Ten years ago today Slayer’s iconic guitarist and songwriter Jeff Hanneman died. Just days before we were set to go to the print, we scrapped the planned issue and instead printed a nine-page tribute to Hanneman. Here it is.

We’ve pulled excerpts from some of our favorite interview subjects from the past calendar year, from old-school hardcore vets to legendary professional wrestlers. 

Pushing boundaries is taken for granted in extreme music. The review pages of Decibel are packed with bands that eschew convention in the hopes of creating something different. In the early 80s, hardcore punk and metal were ruled by dogma. T.S.O.L. was one of the standard bearers: Weathered Statues and Dance With Me were benchmarks…