Metal

California-based progressive, extreme metal band Ænimus released a new single on Friday before announcing the band’s indefinite hiatus. The new single is called “Phoenix Rise,” which would probably be a more appropriate title for a single if it was released to announce a reunion rather than a hiatus. Instead, this phoenix is combusting in a

Nothing gives your massive, corporate music festival more punk cred than partnering with the U.S. military. Hardcore bands Scowl and Gel have both pulled out of all events at the popular South by Southwest music festival because the fest is being sponsored by the U.S. Army and several defense contractors. What exactly did SXSW think

British heavy metal legends Judas Priest just released their 19th studio album, Invincible Shield, this past week and, in doing so, they supposedly set a new record in heavy metal history. According to Loudwire, the new release makes Judas Priest the first heavy metal band to release two albums 50 years apart, namely the band’s

Greetings, Decibel readers! It’s funny to type out the name Judas Priest in 2024 like it’s just another name on the list. It’s an incredible testament to the band’s longevity as a vital creative outfit that they’re still making such great music today. 2018’s Firepower was fantastic already, and that was SIX years ago already!

Photo courtesy of the Toby Knapp We have some serious riffage for you in the form of “Abramelin Carousel” from Toby Knapp. The guitar virtuoso is pushing things eve further on this track, which he claims is an ode to his guitar heroes. “I like to make music that reflects what I’m a fan of

Photo: Jehn W.A. Matt Harvey is a legend of the extreme metal scene. Between his time with gore metal institution Exhumed, Death worshippers Gruesome and Left to Die, heavy metal flag bearers Pounder and his time with Repulsion and Noothgrush, the guitarist and singer has covered every corner of the metal world. Not content to stop

At present, I’m sitting poolside at a resort in St. Lawrence Gap, Barbados not giving a fuck about anything beyond sitting beside this pool, going into this pool and making sure I have enough sunscreen to reapply when I decide to extract myself from this pool. As you might imagine, my lack giving a fuck

“I fucking love games.” That, cutting straight to the point, is Aaron Heard, the impossibly energetic and dynamic vocalist for PA metallic hardcore heroes Jesus Piece and today’s player character. Those familiar with Heard typically know him for his powerful presence on stage fronting one of Philadelphia’s most celebrated heavy acts, his monstrous low-end vocals

It’s barely March, and Fall is promising to be EPIC. Take Exhibit A, for example, Portuguese doom mongers Sinistro. Today, unveiling the first single and video from their upcoming album, Vértice—their Alma Mater Records debut—due for release in September. That’s right, in what could be described as a Tool video directed by David Lynch, Sinistro is

It’s been six years since Iowa death metal trio Mutilated by Zombies released their last album, Scripts of Anguish. As I wrote then, Mutilated by Zombies executed the classic, meat-and-potatoes style of death metal with the precision and savagery needed in the genre but it left the question of where to go next. The answer comes in the

Where they from?Zdar Nad Sazavou, Chechnya. Say that 10 times fast! The NFL Combine was this past weekend. I’m a pretty big sports fan but I always violently ignore the NFL offseason, usually because I’m still so pissed off at whatever debacle the Jets fell into during the regular season. Besides, am I really get

Photo: Aleksandra Majak Though Polish metal outfit Shadohm are a new band, Decibel readers are likely familiar with the band members’ other projects; three of the members play in the Napalm Records version of Batushka, and drummer Paweł Jaroszewicz drums in or has drummed for Antigama, Vader, Hate and Decapitated. On their debut album, Through Darkness Towards

Note: This review originally ran with the incorrect cover art in the April 2024 edition of Decibel. It is presented here in its proper Dan Seagrave-painted glory.  Skeletal Remains were generated from the crucible of a long-established formula. Their modus operandi has always been the obvious mimicry of Morrisound’s death metal heyday, and at five

Arthouse Fatso have just been birthed painfully onto their scene with their debut album, Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature, out March 22 via Horror Pain Gore Death, and we have the whole bloody stream for you right here. Hailing from Duisburg Germany, Arthouse Fatso began in early 2021 and were originally intended as a quick, low-investment

Bay Area goregrinder Houkago Grind Time is a lesson in brutal efficiency. The passion project of Ripped to Shreds’ main man Andrew Lee, the anime-themed gore grind unit has been on a tear with international tours (including a scheduled debut Philadelphia appearance at the Metal & Beer Pre-Fest on April 11), two full lengths and an entire harem of splits

Greetings, Decibel readers! Definitely a lot here for the death metal crowd this week, with new ones from Fathomless Ritual and Vorus. But there’s plenty of room for fans of thrash (Devastator), blackened death (Volcandra) and some righteous metallic hardcore (Worst Doubt) as well. Enjoy! — Devastator – Conjurers of Cruelty A crushing, blistering, and … well, devastating blend

Photo: Pua Castellano Rodriguez Prepare to slow down: Iberian funeral doom pushers Blazar are here with Fatal Cosmic Wound, Their first full-length release since forming more than seven years ago, Fatal Cosmic Wound builds on the slow, atmospheric style of doom the quartet established on their debut EP and following splits. Fatal Cosmic Wound contains four main tracks, as well as

Indiana power metal thrashers Idol Throne formed in 2018, cutting their teeth with a demo and first album that established their sound. On their second album, A Clarion Call, they’re expanding their mission statement and getting more ambitious, delving deeper into the progressive side of their music and maintaining the energetic power-thrash that’s already there. The first taste

One of America’s first black metal bands was also one of its most adventurous. The Bay Area’s Ludicra carved a unique identity for themselves in that stylistically restrictive subgenre. These five crows left of the murder flew in the face of the genre’s conventions, culminating in their 2010 masterpiece, The Tenant. Ludicra’s heresies include drawing

The Gathering went on a wild, exploratory journey after they, along with former label Foundation 2000, unfurled their atmospheric doom-death masterpiece Always… in the summer of 1992. Whether it was Mandylion (1995) and How to Measure a Planet? (1999) or The West Pole (2009) or their most recent album, Beautiful Distortion (2022), the Dutch masters