Metal

For metal bands of all stripes, a central theme or concept can be a major drag on artistic potential — but when applied correctly, it can be an asset with unlimited creative returns. In the case of Oxygen Destroyer, the band’s muse of monsters and otherworldly cataclysms has gifted the world with two incredible albums

You might not be familiar with Los Angeles doom crew QAALM just yet—more on that below—but we’re betting you know the song “Heaven and Hell” by a band called Black Sabbath. On their new EP, First Light of the Last Dawn, the Los Angeles trio, who released their first album in 2022, take on the classic Dio-era Sabbath

If you’re a goregrind (or noise, or power electronics, or powerviolence, or death metal) freak, Barely Breathing III is the festival to be at later this month, August 17 and 18. Going down once again at Mr. Beery’s in Bethpage (Long Island), New York, Barely Breathing is headlined by Canadian gore stalwarts Archagathus and Texas grinders Nyctophagia,

Photo courtesy of the band Today, we present to you the new video from Ancient Entities, “Empire In Ashes.” the song is from their debut record, Echoes of Annihilation, released back in June via Worm Hole Death Records. The Milwaukee death metal band focus on ancient civilization, folklore, and mythology in their music with a tech

Nox Novacula (L-R: Dav Tafoya, Charlotte Blythe, Ezra Bolotin, Zu Leika). Photo by Anne K O’Neill. In the way back machine of May, Nox Novacula delivered an incendiary performance at this year’s edition of Northwest Terror Fest. During the set, Seattle’s Deathrock darlings slipped in a couple of unfamiliar numbers, and ever since, this boy has been

Photo courtesy of the band Today, we present to you the new video from Ancient Entities, “Empire In Ashes.” the song is from their debut record, Echoes of Annihilation, released back in June via Worm Hole Death Records. The Milwaukee death metal band focus on ancient civilization, folklore, and mythology in their music with a techy,

East Coast death metal OGs Deteriorot have been slugging it out in the underground for more than three decades, forming in 1990 and selectively-but-consistently putting out new releases since 1992. Their latest album comes in the form of The Rebirth, released last year. To continue spreading their songs, Deteriorot are releasing a series of music videos from the

Wayfarer, Sonja, ValdrinPiranha Bar, Montreal QCMay 16, 2024 As a Generation X music journalist who grew up listening to so many metal bands that could sell out a big arena in a heartbeat, part of me wishes the generational talents emerging from the American underground could connect with mass audiences like those old bands did.

Fourth Dominion are back with their sophomore album, Diana’s Day, out August 1 during Fiadh Productions. This is the follow-up to their 2017 album Wings of a Dying Crow, and they’ve grown a lot since then. This album expands on their sound, which blends NWOBHM, goth rock, post punk, and alt rock in general. The album

Greetings, Decibel readers! I’ve been thoroughly enjoying all the memes coming out of the Olympics this year, especially from the shooting competitions. I feel like we need to pull off some metal meme-magic with those images to compare different styles to each other. The Turkish Olympian who just walked up and casually won the silver medal

Flexi Disc, News, Special Offer, Vinyl death metal, Deathevokation, Decibel 20, rare vinyl, the decibel flexi series. In case our Hall of Fame induction of their The Chalice of Ages LP in the September 2024 issue or their scheduled appearance at the magazine’s rapidly approaching 20th Anniversary Show weren’t clear enough, Decibel are big fans of cult

Andrew Lee is one busy weeb. Before the multi-instrumentalist and his bandmates release the fourth Ripped to Shreds album in September, Lee found time to record and release Koncertos Of Kawaiiness: Stealing Jon Chang’s Ideas, A Book By Andrew Lee, the third album from his anime-themed goregrind solo project Houkago Grind Time. Despite its silly title, Koncertos of

Fómhar Prepare to be transported through time and space, experiencing a modern take on ancient rituals that still resonate with the human soul. Set to release on July 31—the eve of Lughnasadh—the latest opus from Dublin’s Fómhar, Fuil Na Seanchoille, will be available via Fiadh Productions. This third album signifies a rebirth, delving into past, present,

Where they from? Rochester, New York. In case you missed it — which you clearly did not — Gojira played the opening ceremony of the Olympics. This is objectively a cool thing, but of course metalheads on the internet had to complain about it. What is the endgame here? Why complain? Is it just a

There’s a lot of bad shit happening down in Washington, D.C. but the metal scene in the capitol isn’t part of that. The latest example comes in the form of CrusHuman, Formed from the ashes of death metal group Snipers of Babel, who released a 2022 album on Horror Pain Gore Death. Staying with the label,

There are endless underground classics in the Hall. From Entombed’s Left Hand Path and Cryptic Slaughter’s Money Talks to Napalm Death’s Scum and Autopsy’s Severed Survival, the curation effort has been a balance of art form and tenacity, with a lot of luck thrown in. There are other factors, too. Nostalgia, a vibrant history, relationships

Hamilton, Ontario’s death/doom outfit Absorb unleashed their latest sonic assault, Smog, on July 26 via Hypaethral Records. The EP, a follow-up to 2023’s Rot, marks a significant evolution for the band, delving deeper into atmospheric and dissonant territories while retaining their signature monolithic heaviness. Formed in 2013, Absorb have cultivated a sound characterized by slow, crushing

Danish death dealers (try saying that three times fast!) Thorium have been doing their thing for nearly three decades and that’s not about to change if new track “Underground” is an indication. Taken from their sixth album The Bastard, Thorium take heavy cues from early Morbid Angel, mixing it up with their core Scandinavian death metal sound. On

Uniform have no issue with aurally offensive sounds. As a band, they’re so considerate of literally everything mental and emotional and, as they should, they pride themselves on being that way. No matter how much of a delightful shrillness they exude, there’s so much more to the cacophony of their sounds, and their new song

What’s more metal than coming back from the dead?! I don’t even mean this in a religious way, but that’s a whole other story. Not everything brutal has to come by way of dirginess and grimy blast beats. Just ask Robert Downey Jr., because that’s apparently what he’s doing with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He