Decibel #176 - June 2019

DARK AMERICANA EXHORDER REDISCOVERING OUR BLEAK MUSICAL PAST IN THE STUDIO

VARATHRON

HIS MAJESTY AT THE SWAMP HALL OF FAME

SUNN O))) LIFE OF NOISE

REFUSE/RESIST

ALSO

NOCTURNUS AD GAAHLS WYRD MARYLAND DEATHFEST XVII BIG BUSINESS HAUNT IDLE HANDS GATECREEPER

FLEXI DISC

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POSSESSED JUNE 2019 // No. 176

To Hell and Back

proudly presents

BLA ZING. DESERT. METAL .

THE NEW ALBUM 03 | 05 | 2019

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METAL MADNESS SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE AT FYE.COM

MEGADETH

YEAR OF THE KNIFE

WHITECHAPEL

SUNN O))

DEATH BY DESIGN EXCLUSIVE 4LP TRANSPARENT VINYL

ULTIMATE AGGRESSION

THE VALLEY

LIFE METAL

ALLEGAEON

AFTER THE BURIAL

LORD DYING

THE DAMNED THINGS

APOPTOSIS

EVERGREEN

MYSTERIUM TREMENDUM

HIGH CRIMES

MAYHEM

ICED EARTH

BELZEBUBS

PERIPHERY

GRAND DECLARATION OF WAR

ENTER THE REALM OF THE GODS

PANTHEON OF THE NIGHTSIDE GODS

PERIPHERY IV: HAIL STAN

AFTER THE BURIAL

IN THIS MOMENT

BORN OF OSIRIS

EVERGREEN EXCLUSIVE TRANSLUCENT GREEN VINYL

BLOOD EXCLUSIVE RED SMOKE VINYL

THE SIMULATION EXCLUSIVE OPAQUE RED VINYL

EXTREMELY EXTREME

June 2019 [R 176] decibelmagazine.com

upfront 8

metal muthas Hear her

10 live preview:

maryland deathfest xvii More blast for your buck

12 low culture Edge Lords 13 no corporate beer Ghoul’s Fermentor could not be reached for comment 14 studio report:

exhorder

Respect their authority 16 deafkids Come again?

18 big business Altered beasts 20 idle hands Pragmatic darkness 22 haunt Soaring higher 24 inculter Vision quest 26 vaura Let’s get weird 28 wormwitch Which witch is which?

features

reviews

30 nocturnus ad Paradoxical outcome

63 lead review Full of Hell will make you cry now, cry later with Weeping Choir

32 sunn o))) Drone gets a good shellacking 34 q&a: gaahl The best wyrds 38 special feature:

dark americana Sometimes good guys don’t wear white

42 the decibel

64 album reviews Records that didn’t need to spend $447 million dollars this offseason, including Amon Amarth, Death Angel and Origin 80 double negative An excellent day for an exorcism

hall of fame Varathron forge a brotherhood of Hellenic black metal on His Majesty at the Swamp

52 Death Lives!

COVER STORY COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY LEVAN TK

Decibel (ISSN 1557-2137) is published monthly by Red Flag Media, Inc., 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Annual subscription price is $29.95. Periodical postage, paid at Philadelphia, PA, and other mailing offices. Submission of manuscripts, illustrations and/or photographs must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Postmaster send changes of address for Decibel to Red Flag Media, 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia PA 19107. © 2019 by Red Flag Media, Inc. ISSN 1557-2137 | USPS 023142 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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 Dungeon bastards

Mudrian with an unmasked Ellefsen, March 2019

www.decibelmagazine.com

June 2019 [T176]

PUBLISHER

Alex Mulcahy alex@redflagmedia.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Albert Mudrian albert@decibelmagazine.com

AD SALES

James Lewis james@decibelmagazine.com

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND SALES

As the father of two young children,

I don’t attend many shows these days. Unless it’s a Decibel event that I’ve booked, my responsibilities are squarely at home, packing elementary and pre-school lunches for the next day or polishing off copy while the rest of the family is fast asleep. But in late March, I entered dimensions unknown and attended the first date of Håvard “Mortiis” Ellefsen’s recent 10-city U.S. tour showcasing his older material.

It was sometime in 1995 that I simultaneously acquired both Mortiis’ Ånden Som Gjorde Opprør and the Selvmord LP from his sadly overlooked Vond project. Obviously, his ex-Emperor pedigree—our pointy-eared man played bass on the recently Hall of Fame-inducted Emperor miniLP—was what got me in the door, but that goblin face peering from the Ånden cover sealed the deal. The actual music was dubbed “dark ambient” and nothing like black metal, which was actually a welcome concept by 1995. The packaging was unique and beautiful—I still recall discovering the hidden message beneath the CD tray on the back of the insert card—and the two lengthy tracks were simplistic, but majestic. Undoubtedly, no other metal subgenre relies as heavily upon atmosphere as black metal, but for my limited imagination, Ellefsen’s minimal keyboard strokes evoked more vivid images of ancient castles and pastoral landscapes than speedy tremolo-picking ever has.

While I loved the first three Mortiis full-lengths (a.k.a. “Era 1”), by the end of the ’90s, Ellefsen aggressively began moving the project in more electronic and industrial directions, exiting a troll-filled domain and entering a dance club packed with PVC “pentagram” shirts. And while Ellefsen clearly harbored misgivings about his earlier work, an entire generation of fans were obsessing over it and emulating the foreboding eeriness of his synthesizer-driven soundscapes, giving birth to the micro-genre known as dungeon synth.

This was all news to me until about two years ago, roughly when Ellefsen began reissuing his now highly-coveted early releases. Around then, heavily Mortiis-indebted acts like Old Tower, Spectral Kingdom and Charnel Oubliette finally appeared on my radar. And that’s just the tip of the Medieval prison! I mean, there are more dungeon synth acts than Mortiis memes right now.

Despite all this recent momentum, the prospect of an “Era 1” Mortiis tour sounded like an ambitious booking to my traditionally shaped ears.

So, I bought tickets to the Baltimore show, drove through four hours of traffic and walked into the venue hoping I wouldn’t be one of 30 people.

To my pleasant surprise, a couple hundred attendees were already in the room—including a member of Integrity and a dude in a Blood Incantation shirt who tried in vain to start a pit. By the time Ellefsen finished his hour-long unveiling of the secrets of his kingdom, a line that stretched the length of the room queued up at the merch table.

So, no, I probably won’t get out any more often. But on the rare occasions I do, take me to the dungeon. albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief

REFUSE/RESIST

ART DIRECTOR

Alex Yarde alex.yarde@redflagmedia.com

Michael Wohlberg michael@redflagmedia.com

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CUSTOMER SERVICE

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COPY EDITOR

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BOOKKEEPER

Vince Bellino Tim Mulcahy tim@redflagmedia.com

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Chuck BB, Ed Luce Mark Rudolph

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Jason Blake Ester Segarra Josh Sisk Gene Smirnov Levan TK Hannah Verbeuren Frank White

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READER OF THE

MONTH Michael Norton Standish, ME

You suffer from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which severely limits your mobility. Despite that, you do a fair amount of graphic design work and attend metal shows in New England somewhat regularly.

What’s been your key to overcoming such physical limitations?

Patience. I know that there are others who could have worse problems than me. Determination. I am always figuring out that there are different ways to get things done. Keeping busy creatively and always having something to work on has kept me focused. Heavy metal helps me to work out any frustrations that I might have. Screaming and headbanging are required! A sick sense of humor also helps! I wouldn't say that I suffer from DMD more like cursed at times!

schizophrenia, a serious brain disorder. After he passed from taking his own life, I decided I would honor him by making a film and to spread awareness about his disability of mental illness. He was a skateboarder and a good person. The film, Brothers, has evolved over the process and has had a life of its own. Our hometown of Standish, Maine decided to dedicate a skatepark to my brother with a sculpture. My brother brought the idea of a skatepark to the town when he was a teen and he worked hard to get others involved. The film also includes how my family has dealt with the loss of my brother. One scene even shows me attending a Kreator show! After working alone for a few months, I hired filmmaker Reggie Groff to help bring the film to completion.

Please tell us about the documentary you're working on about your brother, who passed away in 2016.

You have been a Decibel subscriber for over a decade. What would you like to see more of and less of in the magazine? Or are we already fucking perfect?

In 2012, my brother was diagnosed with

Perhaps to see more articles about the artists

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who create art in the metal community. What about Metal Muthas and Metal Granmuthas?

It would also be cool to see an all-inclusive Autopsy issue! I really enjoyed reading the Cannibal Corpse Special Issue. I would say there is plenty to read about, certainly not lacking in that department. The writing is very witty and the graphic design and the layout of the magazine is superb.

Possessed's Jeff Becerra graces the cover of this issue. In our cover story, he’s quoted as saying “The goal of any paraplegic is to be recognized as a man, not a man in a chair.” How do you want to be recognized?

I’d like to be recognized as a person first and not just that guy in the wheelchair. I live a relatively normal life and don't want people to feel bad for me. I would like to be known as a hard worker and that I never give up. Remember me for being funny and creative with my art.

I don’t want to be labeled as inspirational just because I have a disability and use a wheelchair. I live my life fully, visiting breweries, making movies, meeting people, making mead and hot sauce. I exist and I have a wide range of interests and projects. I am one who is truthful, a hell raiser, comfortable with who I am, which is metal as fuck!

Chuck BB is the illustrator of the graphic novels Black Metal, Vol. 1, 2 and 3 For more info and art, head over to chuckbb.com

N/A STORE DISTRIBUTION: ThEORchARD.cOm

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION: VISIT OUR mASSIVE ONLINE hEAVy mETAL STORE AT shadowkingdomrecords.com

NOW SLAYING Wonder what Decibel world HQ has been rocking for the past month?

Well, here are the records that we spun most while not giving a shit about your hot take on The Dirt.

Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell

This Month's Mutha: Amy Lee Mason Mutha of Chase Mason of Gatecreeper and Spirit Adrift

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I was born in Phoenix, AZ, and raised in nearby Mesa. I grew up in a fragmented, somewhat dysfunctional home. I wanted to provide Chase with a more stable upbringing, and I think my husband Jeff and I provided that for him.

Chase has two brothers and a sister [who] live in different states. They have all been to see his shows, and have even brought along a friend or two to join them.

What was Chase like growing up? Was he interested in music from an early age?

When Chase was very young, he was so smart, funny and cute. When he was two years old, his favorite movie was the Beatles’ Help. He would often sit in front of the TV with his little plastic guitar and play and sing along with the movie.

Chase also loved performing from an early age.

He had several plastic guitars during his childhood. He would often ask us to come upstairs to his bedroom to hear him play. He would say, “Wanna see my concert?” The plastic guitars were later replaced by a drum set. In junior high and high school, he was in several different bands he formed with his friends. Many times I hauled around drums, guitars and sound systems in the back of our old Suburban as he played shows in various places.

What are your impressions of his onstage persona?

I think he looks rough and tough, which is funny 8 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

to me. That’s not the Chase I know. He’s a selfproclaimed “mama’s boy.”

What's something that most people don't know about your son?

Chase is soft-spoken and has a heart of gold.

All his little cousins, nieces and nephews adore him. Since he was young, he has had the ability to relate to and communicate with people of all ages. Through the years, I have watched him help people when he could hardly help himself.

He is a kind soul.

Do you have a favorite of any of Chase's bands?

I would have to say that of his current bands, Spirit Adrift is my favorite. It’s a little more my style.

After his struggles with addiction, how rewarding is it to see your son healthy and fronting a critically-acclaimed band?

We are extremely proud of Chase and his sobriety.

We also realize it is a daily choice and struggle to keep sober. In his line of business, he is constantly surrounded by and reminded of his past, but he is strong and determined. He has come a long way! There were times in his life that we weren’t sure if he would live another day. We are so happy to see him healthy and doing something he loves. We hope Chase’s visibility and success will help others who suffer with addictions to see that there is hope. —ANDREW BONAZELLI

Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f  Various Artists, The LEGO Moive 2 The Second Part, Original Soundtrack  Nocturnus AD, Paradox  Varathron, His Majesty at the Swamp  Baroness, Gold & Grey  Def Leppard, Pyromania ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e  Fu Manchu, Godzilla’s/Eatin’ Dust  Spaceslug, Lemanis  Nebula, Charged  Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Wasteland  Deafheaven, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s  Possessed, Revelations of Oblivion  Nocturnus AD, Paradox  Origin, Abiogenesis A Coming into Existence  Thanatos, Thanatology: Terror from the Vault  Enkidu, To the Maggots ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r  Baroness, Purple  Totaled, Lament  Black Breath, Sentenced to Life  Triumvir Foul, Urine of Abomination  Crypt Sermon, Out of the Garden ---------------------------------Alex Yarde : d i r e c t o r o f m a r k e t i n g  Tyler Childers, Purgatory  Nails, Unsilent Death  James Blake, Assume Form  Pig Destroyer, Phantom Limb  Mt. Joy, Mt. Joy ---------------------------------Vince Bellino : e d i t o r i a l a s s i s ta n t  Eye Flys, Stems  Crowbar, Odd Fellows Rest  Pan-Amerikan Native Front, Tecumseh’s War  Noisem, Cease to Exist  Crowhurst, III

GUEST SLAYER

---------------------------------Matt Harvey : e x h u m e d , gruesome, pounder, ect.  Bernard Herrmann, North by Northwest Original Soundtrack  Zapp, Zapp  Aseptic, Senses Decay  Triumph, Allied Forces  Inepsy, City Weapons

MARYLAND DEATHFEST

Maryland Deathfest summons

death metal royalty for year 17 and beyond or over a decade, Decibel has gladly previewed, reviewed and reported lineup with many bands that rarely come to

on Maryland Deathfest, now entering its 17th year. We’ve seen organizers Ryan Taylor and Evan Harting work through trials, triumphs, tribulations and zero-hour improvisations in their staging of North America’s finest extreme music gathering. And while the torrential downpour that soaked Baltimore on the final day of last year’s edition may have ruined scheduling plans for those who didn’t want to get drenched walking the single block between the Soundstage and Rams Head Live! venues—yes, it was that bad!—it paled in comparison to local residents’ flooded basements and floating cars. It also got Taylor thinking about some of behind-closeddoor business involved in putting on a fest of this magnitude year after year.

“When you reflect on our history, there have been a lot of insane moments, near catastrophes, venues closing down at the last minute, moving from the Edison parking lot and so on,” he muses, “but there’s a lot of shit that goes on that random metalheads and underground promoters might never expect. It’s required by venues, as a starting point, to have liability coverage. I don’t know if it covers drowning in flood waters and acts of god [laughs], but if we have people potentially cracking their skulls open from diving off a stage or whatever, we have to pay a significant amount of money to cover that with liability insurance. Fortunately—knock on wood—we haven’t had issues, but it is something we have to be aware of.”

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Taylor has directed our interview towards this “boring line of discussion” because, as he says, “there are no real changes to talk about—it’s another year with the same venue format.”

Beyond the boring stuff, he acknowledges that a unique element of this year’s lineup is its death metal top-heaviness with the likes of Vomitory, Disharmonic Orchestra, Pestilence, Deicide, Benediction, Brutality, Immolation, Unleashed, Fleshcrawl, Mortician, Devourment and Malignancy. This says nothing of appearances by Cro-Mags, D.R.I., the Accüsed AD, Full of Hell, Church of Misery, Voivod and more.

“It’s very death metal-heavy this year with a lot of classic bands,” Taylor recognizes. “There may not be major headliners, but it’s a strong

the U.S. and a lot of old-school stuff all in one place. It’s got people excited, and that seems to be working better than overpaying a big-name headliner. Like, including MDF on Slayer’s final tour would run us at least $250,000 and wipe out our budget.”

It may not be Slayer-sized, but MDF (May 23-26) has expanded to include offshoot festivals in California, the Netherlands, Quebec and Scandinavia. As the “Deathfest Empire” branches into exciting new territories, Taylor and Harting haven’t forgotten what butters their bread.

They’re determined to maintain MDF as their crown jewel with this year’s formidable lineup, and plans are already afoot for 2020.

“When we first started expanding, the other fests were intended to be smaller,” Taylor says.

“Maryland was always supposed to be the mothership, if you will. It’s the anchor for the other fests; it’s the only one that’s four days with that many bands. Some people may have been worried about us giving Maryland less attention as we’ve expanded, but with this year’s lineup, it’s pretty clear we’re not trying to shortchange people.

“However, we managed to get Dismember to reunite to play the Scandinavia Deathfest in October,” he concludes. “That’s something people should keep on their radar for Maryland for next year.” —KEVIN STEWART-PANKO PHOTO BY JOSH SISK

On the Art of the (Motion Picture) Theater haven’t seen Lords of Chaos yet. I’m

not against the idea of the movie; I’m honestly surprised it’s taken this long for it to be released. I’ve just had too much other shit in my life to sit down and follow storylines involving Scorpions patches and chocolate milk. I’m sure I’ll eventually get to it, but I’m not as emotionally invested as the legion of keyboard warriors who have shit on the idea since that first teaser was released a year ago. I do enjoy that the majority of the loudest of these assholes all paid money to see the film just so they had something to complain about. I could’ve told them to save their money; there’s plenty to be irritated about, and most of it’s free!

Think of all the money they could’ve spent on sunglasses or replacement laptop keys if they’d have skipped the movie and the snacks.

I remember reading Lords of Chaos in the late ’90s, back when the key events of the Norwegian black metal scene were still somewhat shocking and, dare I fucking say, mysterious. I knew almost nothing about these bands, save for old interviews, and I was pretty deep into the underground when it came out. That was one of the things that drew to me to black metal in the first place: the mystique. It surrounded the recordings in those days, giving the music this wraithlike feeling, especially if you lived somewhat isolated from any real “scene” at the time. The book didn’t really succeed as a historical document, even in its “revised and expanded” edition form a few years later. It was dry, and I wasn't interested in Nazi UFOs or Absurd, so it was just light reading with no big revelations. But you’d think the sky was fucking falling when older heads ranted about it—it was going to expose black metal to the mainstream!

All it really did was give the National Alliance a road map into cultivating NSBM, which, in a cultural sense, did way more damage to black metal than Mayhem shirts being sold at the mall.

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About 20 years later, I worked at a record store in a mall and yes, we sold Mayhem shirts. And yes, it was all my fault.

So, while there’s dozens of memes going around and countless more kids today dyeing their hair black and borrowing their mom’s makeup, I really don’t see the release of this film as a massive cultural touchstone in 2019. It’s a fucking limited-run movie. Since I started this piece, Netflix just produced 10 flicks that teenagers will give more of a shit about for a few days and forget about by the time they fail their next pregnancy test. How many of them are going to check out Varg’s YouTube channel and not be embarrassed by the ramblings of an old man in an older truck? The home-schooled ones, probably, but not many else.

What about the other bands in the movie?

They’ve moved on to nostalgia album tours or making weird shit that’s nowhere close to what they were doing nearly 30 years ago. The mystery is gone. But the records that came out back then? Regardless of what their creators are fooling around with now, they are timeless and can still provoke some of the strange emotions and visuals for me at 40 that they did at 16. And there are still bands out there now, somewhere in the shadows, making hair stand up on people’s necks in this same way. Sure, you don’t hear about them as much because Deafheaven released a new song or someone else got arrested for a sex crime, but they’re out there. It’s a new kind of mysterious, even if I think most of them are garbage. I’m just too old to find wonder and joy in my life anymore; it’s probably just not for me.

As a parting gift: To every 25-year-old “OSDM” guy loudly talking shit on the ethics and theatrics of black metal, don’t believe it’s just this scene that’s full of predatory, racist scumbags. Your houses could use some cleaning up as well.

TRAPPIST FRONTMAN crafts a monthly journey through

MORBID ALES

BY CHRIS DODGE

Your Mash Is Dot Rot, Fermentor!

E

agle Rock Brewery recently approached my band Trappist to collaborate on a beer, their first foray into extreme music-themed brews. I have a crazy amount of respect for ERB, being Los Angeles’ first post-Prohibition brewery, so it was an honor to have them pitch the idea. Norwegian ales made such an impression on me during my recent NOLA trip, and I haven’t seen any locally, so that was my first suggestion.

ERB brewmaster Lee Bakofsky kicked it around with me, and our concept morphed into a funky farmhouse pils, using the Norwegian Voss Kveik yeast. This yeast strain is burly, like a goddamn Norse Viking; it can survive unheard-of extremes, still fermenting in temperatures peaking as high as 100 degrees. Most other strains are delicate and waiflike; they perish if you even look at them sideways. This style of beer was a first for ERB, so no one knew what to expect.

Will we pioneer new territories like the Norsemen of yore, or admit defeat and throw ourselves upon the funeral pyre?

Previously, I was lucky enough to homebrew with Lee, experimenting with new recipes. But that was in his garage, in small five-gallon batches. This would be my first time brewing on a production scale, brewing just shy of 100 times that amount.

Completely foreign and intimidating.

Just Vourlafs  Trappist putting in the work for the Swignorant masses

Phil Vera and I loaded up the grain mill.

No worries about skipping the gym today, as we poured nearly two dozen 55-pound bags of malted barley into the hopper to be crushed. I felt like a total He-Man grappling with those grain bags, a modern-day Leif Erikson. Next, we channeled the half-ton of grain into hot water in an old dairy tank that serves as their mash tun, converting the starches from the cracked grains into sugar, creating our wort. Before transferring this to the kettle to boil and add hops, we recirculated the mash in a process that is my favorite word in brewing: “vorlauf.” If you’re thinking of starting a sick, beer-themed black metal act, Vorlauf is definitely your new band’s name.

Next, we boiled the wort, added American Noble Hops—a mutt-like blend of varietals—then transferred it to the fermentor (another good thrash band name) and added our experimental Nordic yeast, which would convert the sugars into alcohol. All fun until it was time to clean up, shoveling a half-ton of soggy grain out of the mash tun. Ryan Harkins arrived late, so we “rewarded” him with the majority of that task while the rest of us sipped on pints.

Within three days, Lee texted me: “Hell, this beer is tasting pretty dang good as it is.” We brewed on Friday, and the following Monday it was ready. Completely unheard of.

This kveik is a freak of nature. The initial plan was to transfer it into a wooden foeder barrel to add some sour characteristics, but Lee suggested we keep this batch as-is, since the bacterial anarchy of the foeder is a roll of the dice. He suggested that we brew not just one beer, but two. This first quickie pils would be left alone and kegged; then we would brew the same recipe again and send that to the funky foeder.

Named after one of our songs, the two versions of “Swignorant” will be designated as Side A and B: Side A on tap only, whereas Side B will foeder ferment, destined for 500-ml bottles. Legally, we can’t call it a Trappist beer (we would piss off the real monks), so we opted for calling it a Non-Cistercian NonAbbey Kveik Pilsner. We sampled Side A the other night. The Kveik yeast gave it an oddly pleasant sulphuric nose, but it drank super fruit-forward, like a more crushable Kolsch.

Awesome. I’m ready for Side B. But not before setting up that Trappist/Fermentor/ Vorlauf tour.

EDGEDCIRCLEPRODUCTIONS.COM

D E C I B E L : J U N E 2 0 19 : 1 3

EXHORDER

O

nto the street proceed / the hearse and limousine.”

STUDIO REPORT

EXHORDER

Such are the unintentionally prescient first words of “(Cadence of) the Dirge,” the last Exhorder song any of us ALBUM TITLE would hear for (fingers crossed) 27 goddamn years. The TBA churning finale to 1992’s The Law, the second of the NOLA grooveLABEL thrash underdogs’ two full-lengths, led to a quarter-century purNuclear Blast gatory of constant member turnover, posthumous Pantera comSTUDIO parisons and tentative reformations (all of which is documented OCD Recording in our Slaughter at the Vatican HOF). So, excitement and frustration and Production went hand-in-hand when we learned in early February that ENGINEER the quintet was finally assembling their severely overdue third Duane Simoneaux album... which we wouldn’t hear ’til Halloween at best. But you RELEASE DATE can’t fault Exhorder for taking their time to do this shit right.

October 2019 “We have some really old-school stuff on the new album, because how could we not?” teases frontman Kyle Thomas, who is writing the majority of the yet-untitled opus with co-founding guitarist Vinnie LaBella. “It wouldn’t be us if we didn’t include some pure thrash. There are also some slower, chugging, heavy songs.

There are also some mid-tempo, hardcore-influenced pieces. Vinnie has given me some absolutely beautiful and incredible music as a canvas. I’m a much better singer than I was when we recorded and released the first two albums ... but you had better believe the venom is still there.”

Two years ago, Thomas and LaBella recruited bassist Jason Viebrooks, second guitarist Marzi Montazeri and drummer Sasha Horn to fill out the lineup, but traditionalists may be wondering if original drummer Chris Nail was invited back to the fold. “I spoke with Chris about whether or not he was interested in his spot because that’s what it is, ultimately: his spot. It’s his legacy from day one,” Thomas stresses. “At the time that Vinnie and I had begun talking about reforming, Chris was not in a position where he [could] do the touring that we want to do. It’s just not a good time for him to re-enter the band lifestyle full-time.”

One glance at his Metal Archives c.v. reveals that Thomas has kept himself occupied AF during Exhorder’s long crawl from the grave. “I have utterly exhausted myself in multiple other projects over the years, and I’m very proud of the body of work that I have left behind,” he asserts, “[but] when I meet people on the road, they mostly want to talk about Exhorder.

I guess it’s time to give the people what they want. I’m having an absolute ball doing it!”

—ANDREW BONAZELLI

SWEDISH STONER DOOMERS MONOLORD LEVEL UP WITH RELAPSE DEBUT Third time proved the proverbial charm for Gothenburg doom trawlers Monolord.

Critical consensus for 2017’s Rust landed Thomas Jäger (guitarist/vocalist), Mika Häkki (bassist) and Esben Willems (drums) on Relapse by sounding thicker yet somehow more porous than dense predecessor Vaenir.

The Swedish trio managed both paradigms on LP four, which they are now mixing.

“We decided to go to a new place, which was a great experience,” Häkki writes in.

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“We've recorded everything at our rehearsal place ourselves, so it was cool to try new ground. It’s definitely gonna sound heavy.”

As such, no oozing tempos were harmed in the making of the upcoming album.

“We like to play fast, too, but we always slow things down—really get that momentum on each beat,” reveals Häkki.

Similarly, Monolord’s cataclysmic world view hasn’t improved.

“There’s so much to write about when it comes to mankind's stupidity,” affirms the low-end fastener. “We can’t evolve as a species if we continue to put our faith in made-up stories and fairies instead of taking responsibility for what lies ahead.”

—RAOUL HERNANDEZ

PHOTO BY MONOLORD

STUDIO SHORT SHOTS

DEAFKIDS

Experimental Brazilian trio remains hard (of hearing)

I

n 2010, when guitarist/vocalist Douglas Leal first started working on the solo project he christened Deafkids, his biggest ambition was finding bandmates. Four years later, he connected with bassist Marcelo Dos Santos, and Deafkids were able to transition into a working unit after moving from Rio to São Paulo, where drummer Mariano de Melo lived.

January 2018 saw the band score its biggest and most unimaginable coup when Neurosis’ Steve Von Till discovered them on CVLT Nation, loved what he heard and set into motion a chain of events that Leal could have hardly conceived when he was working on 2011’s debut EP, 6 Heretic Anthems for the Deaf alone in his bedroom. Von Till, via Neurosis’ Neurot label, offered to release unreleased Deafkids’ album Configuração do Lamento, which led to the bands touring Europe together and forced Deafkids to adjust to increased activity and opportunity. ¶ “The amount of exposure we got would be the biggest difference,” enthuses de Melo about life as a member of the Neurot family. “We have a broader audience from different scenes checking us out. A tour with Neurosis is something we never even imagined before,

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but the opportunity to watch them [and] see them as really kindhearted people making music out of pure love—and become friends and brothers—is just awesome.”

Deafkids’ upcoming Metaprogramação is the trio’s third full-length. (“The name came out something I wrote when I started this project,” explains Leal. “Something like ‘blind, dumb and deaf kids of a blank generation’; kids who haven’t learned how to deal with ourselves and the social and political world surrounding us.”) The psychotropic D-beat metallic punk harshness of Configuração do Lamento has been replaced by a fusion of future-primitive soundscapes, Afrobeat and tribal polyrhythms, and industrial wasteland electronica thematically investigating the concept of metaprogramming.

“Metaprogramming comes from the Eight-Circuit Model of Consciousness created by Timothy Leary,” says Leal. “It basically refers to one’s consciousness programming of its own self-programming.”

Metaprogramação takes Leary’s concept and ties it together with the philosophy, psychology, social (in) justice, politics, esoteric intellectualism and free thought experienced on Brazil’s streets, and is done from the heart and soul. Like you’d expect anything less from a band hand-picked by the Neurosis posse.

“Neurot trusted our aesthetic decisions and gave us total freedom, so that made us feel safe to do as we wanted,” says de Melo. “That means we wanted to write a record up to the challenge, as the main goal is to keep exploring, developing and challenging our sound.

“Also, Neurot came when our financial situation had us questioning music being a priority. Music is our life, so let’s say that Neurot firmed our purpose, even if we’re still broke and going through a lot to take steps like international tours, which are very costly. But this is what we’ve always wanted, so there’s a feeling of gratefulness and realization mixed with the feeling that we still have a lot to do.” —KEVIN STEWART-PANKO

PHOTO BY JEAN RIBEIRO

DEAFKIDS

BIG BUSINESS

BIG BUSINESS

Low-end abusers reopen shop as a deadly duo

B

eing in the melvins for eight years, we lost a little momentum with Big Business. But since we stopped playing with those guys, we’re more ourselves than we’ve ever been. Just on these last couple of records as a twopiece.” ¶ Murder City Devils drummer Coady Willis is on the line from his home in Los Angeles, appraising the expansion and contraction of his mom-and-pop venture with bassist and fellow Washington Stater Jared Warren (Karp). Bulldozing past the regional post-punk designated as “grunge” on 2005 debut Head for the Shallow and Here Come the Waterworks two years later, Big Business staked a deep, stony vintage all their own: ’70s epic, but never retro. Guitarists augmented both majestic summit Mind the Drift (2009) and peak aggressor Battlefields Forever (2013), but duo recoup Command Your Weather in 2016 and now sixth manhole cover The Beast You Are cede not a single decibel to the absence of Toshi Kasai or Scott Martin. ¶ “Not having a guitarist just frees up space for other things,” admits Willis.

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“Like, Jared is doing crazier things with his vocals. It’s called a Ditto pedal, where he can loop his vocals live, layer them. He’s definitely using his voice as more of a main instrument in a way we’ve never done before. A little bit on Command Your Weather, but it’s getting into a new territory now.”

“The pedal is a TC-Helicon Ditto pedal,” writes Warren. “Coady got it for me for my birthday a few years ago after watching and listening to me cobble together some sort of vocal effects for live shows. [New songs] ‘Complacency Is Killing You’ and ‘We’ll Take the Good Package’ are layered vocal loops that I made with the Ditto.”

The Beast You Are cages all eras of Big Business: knotty, gnarly, almost sci-fi metal bangers (“Let Them Grind”), Zeppelin drone (“Time + Heat”), Floydian warp (“Under

Everest”) and even Melvins cataclysm (“Abdominal Snowman”).

“We demoed everything in our practice space, so I feel like we recorded this record twice,” explains Willis. “Just in terms of songwriting, it’s a lot more groove-oriented. Like, ‘Time + Heat’ started around a riff Jared had with this Mellotron pedal, which he’s playing through his regular bass rig, so it’s also distorted and all kind of blends together. It creates this spooky atmosphere.

“We’re a psychedelic, weird, heavy metal/punk rock band,” he concludes. “I always wanted to be in a band where we can take bits and pieces from stuff we like and make it into something new that still sounds like us. We’ve been around long enough now where less and less are people trying to lump us in with a different subgenre of metal.” —RAOUL HERNANDEZ

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Limited edition colored vinyl available while supplies last. On tour all year!

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ENVY Alnair in August The first new music in 3 years from Japan’s most iconic and influential post-hardcore band. “Envy is almost singlehandedly responsible for the sound called blackgaze.” – Stereogum

WILLIAM BASINSKI On Time Out of Time The new studio album from the iconic experimental composer, capturing the sounds of the merging of two distant massive black holes, 1.3 billion years ago.

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SONGS: OHIA Travels In Constants Two hauntingly beautiful and scarce works by the late folk force, finally available on vinyl and digital for the first time ever.

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IDLE HANDS

Portland lifers deliver goth-infused rock from the heavens

P

ortland’s idle hands rose from the ashes of nowdefunct (and inferior) trad metal revivalists Spellcaster last year. Gabriel Franco, the previous project’s bassist, stepped up to the microphone and strapped on a guitar to record last year’s Don’t Waste Your Time EP, with instrumental support from most of his former bandmates. Idle Hands, though, don’t sound like a continuation of the previous project. Hints of glam sparkle in the band’s clean passages, while Franco’s vocals and lyrics drip with gothic rock’s moroseness and melodrama.

Think of it this way: Idle Hands sound like the vampires from Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys decided to let the riffs flow. ¶ That unique sound made Don’t Waste Your Time a hot commodity and netted Idle Hands a record deal with black metaloriented Eisenwald Records, as well as a European tour slot with Decibel-approved black hats Uada and Tribulation, with all three opening for Gaahls Wyrd. ¶ “I honestly thought we’d get a nod here and there mixed with some critiques and a bit of vitriol, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” 2 0 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

Franco dispatches from the EU. “Maybe we are doing something truly unique, maybe it is all hype… and maybe it doesn’t really matter anyway, as long as we keep doing our thing.”

The band’s rise to prominence will likely increase once listeners get a taste of their upcoming fulllength debut, Mana. That Franco has struck a chord comes as no surprise considering the resurgent popularity of traditional heavy metal, as well as gothic rock music, but their particular fusion of the styles is a relatively unique concept—intentionally so.

“I told myself that if I was going to start another band, it had to be original; otherwise what’s the point?” asks Franco. However, the exact blend of old-school metal and black eyeliner came about more out of practical considerations than anything else. “We never set out with a plan to sound the way we do,” he continues. “The low vocals are because I can’t sing high; the clean guitars are for dynamics. I’ve never

understood why you would have two guitarists just to play the same power chord when you can execute the same emotion with one.”

Franco has both expanded and focused the Idle Hands formula on Mana. Opener “Nightfall” storms out of the gate with more intensity than any song on the band’s previous EP, and features fast doublebass work. That song is followed by “Jackie,” a ruminative power ballad. Each ensuing track pushes the band’s approach in a slightly different direction.

“I look at it as like a fairy tale book,” Franco explains. “Each song is a new chapter. They are not meant to be interpreted as a single body of work, but as pieces of paper found on the floor and stapled together. Mana is time and energy worked through the medium of this band and manifested into physical reality. Hopefully, people can find a bit of wonder and mystery and magic, etc., in the tracks.” —JOSEPH SCHAFER

PHOTO BY PETER BESTE

IDLE HANDS

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Truly and utterly astounding, CALL OF THE VOID present their third and most crushing full length entitled “Buried in Light”. Recorded by Andy Patterson (Subrosa) and mixed/mastered by Dave Otero (Primitive Man, Wake), “Buried in Light” presents the band weaving a truly disturbing tale of valuing death over life and the willingness to give it all up.

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New Jersey’s progressive metal outfit EAST OF THE WALL return with their first batch of new material in 6 years. “NP-Complete” finds the band picking up where they left off while infusing more melody into their forward thinking style.

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SOWING THE SEEDS OF A WORTHLESS TOMORROW

Canada’s most ferocious metal outfit WAKE deliver a revised vision of their 2016 full length “Sowing the Seeds of a Worthless Tomorrow”.

Remixed and remastered by Dave Otero (Primitive Man, Khemmis), “Sowing…” rips through eight twisted and unrelenting songs, strewn with black and death metal. This is deconstructed grindcore as we know it.

OUT MAY 3RD VINYL/DIGITAL

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Following their thunderously crushing and critically acclaimed full-length, “Sentiment”, Seattle, WA’s very own UN have joined forces with UK blackened doom trio COLTSBLOOD for an unforgettable and massive split release.

SENTIMENT

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HAUNT

HAUNT

Ascendant metal upstarts not afraid to fly too close to the sun

T

revor church is such an incredibly prolific writer that he’s already almost finished with Haunt’s third full-length as we get on the phone to talk about their upcoming second, If Icarus Could Fly. “I’ve used this analogy a few times, and it sounds horrible,” he posits, “but could a burrito shop call themselves a burrito shop if they’re not making burritos?

I feel like a musician that’s not making music every day isn’t really a musician, so I work at this every day.” ¶ Although he recently enlisted a touring band, Church does most of the writing and recording for his traditional metal project himself in his backyard studio, and he can’t get his music out fast enough. In fact, in between 2018 debut Burst Into Flames and Icarus, he selfreleased an EP called Mosaic Vision on Bandcamp that consisted of reworked leftovers from their first EP, 2017’s Luminous Eyes. ¶ “I don’t like not being in real time with people,” Church admits.

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“I feel like they’re musically behind me with what I’m doing at the current moment. It’s really weird for me to sit and wait, and it probably is for a lot of artists. I imagine that they’re like, ‘I want this out already.’ If they go through a record label, that’s probably what’s going through their minds. I wanted to completely not have that structure. What am I supposed to do with myself, you know? [Laughs] I have my own DIY online store. I ship all our merchandise. Shadow Kingdom is really good at keeping me stocked on my Bandcamp, so I send out vinyl every day, cassettes, CDs, T-shirts, coasters. Since I take that pretty seriously, it allows me to spend all my time in the studio.”

That practice paid off. Songs like “It’s in My Hands” and “Winds of Destiny” feature giant, arena-ready (or at least Decibel Magazine Metal

& Beer Fest-ready) riffs. While the Burst Into Flame songwriting cycle centered on some darker formative experiences, Icarus feels lighter, more of an exploration of different facets of Church’s life—there’s even a love song, “Cosmic Kiss,” that he recorded as an ode to his (incredibly patient) wife. There’s a refreshing honesty to the music, a passion that comes through the triumphant melodies and catchy choruses.

“I think relatability is a huge thing as a musician,” he reasons, “because we’re trying to relate to the world and speak to them through our voice and somehow make people feel the way we’re feeling. I’m really trying to tap into that vein. Every song I write now, I try to think about its meaning and depth of what it actually means to me so I can actually believe in the song.” —JEFF TREPPEL

INCULTER

Ripping Norwegian black-thrashers learn the value of patience

W

e now are much more patient with our songwriting,” writes Remi Nygård, guitarist/vocalist of Bergen-based blackened death-thrashers Inculter. Nygård has fronted Inculter since their precocious beginning seven years ago, and is reflecting on how the band has changed over the years. He continues: “We will not say that a song is finished before we are absolutely satisfied with how it sounds. This is a big part of why we have used almost four years writing the material for the new album. [There was] a lot of scrapping songs and riffs that didn’t quite fit the sound that we wanted to achieve.” ¶ The four-year lacuna he mentions falls between their 2015 debut LP, Persisting Devolution, and the album in question, sophomore effort Fatal Visions. Released in April, Fatal Visions shows growth from Inculter in several ways. The most noticeable being the addition of second guitarist Lasse Udjus. Before, Inculter was Nygård, Cato Bakke and Daniel Tveit, both of whom also play in Sepulcher and its evil twin, Reptilian. Now with Udjus, who “joined the band in early 2018,” according to Nygård (and helped out with writing “some of the later material” on second guitar), 2 4 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

not only have Inculter distinguished themselves as a force of Norwegian thrash prowess; now they wail on some nasty dual guitar melodies, too.

“It was important that we didn’t make an album that sounded the same as our debut album,” stresses Nygård. “We wanted to create something new, without going too far away from our original sound.” He goes on to provide an example, saying, “I think that track number four, ‘Endtime Winds,’ is the one that stands the most out from what we normally do. Having a slow, almost doom-ish intro and an outro with twin guitar melodies is something that we never would have thought of doing on our debut album.”

According to Nygård, Fatal Visions was entirely self-produced. “The drums and vocals were recorded in a studio that we borrowed from Noroff Bergen; all guitars and bass [were] recorded in Mugge Studios. We did all the studio work ourselves, including mixing. Most of us have some experience from

producing, recording and mixing albums, so we did not feel the need to hire anyone from outside the band.

Saved us a lot of time and money, which is nice!”

But dig this work ethic: Nygård says that working on Fatal Visions “was a lot of fun, but also pretty stressful at times.” They took about nine days, he recalls. “It was definitely more difficult than recording our previous album, mostly because we spent a lot of time trying to get the right sound. As a result of this, we often had to stay in the studio until 3 a.m. to get things done, and then wake up early next morning to prepare for the next instrument.”

Featuring darkly evocative cover artwork by R.K. Volbo (who also plays in Obliteration and Void Eater), Fatal Visions flies by in its 35 minutes. Seething with fiery riffs, tough vocals and relentless thrashing battery, you’d hardly guess it took such focused hard work. But Inculter make playing consummate evil music sound effortless—even natural. —DUTCH PEARCE

PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN MISJE

INCULTER

VAURA

VAURA

Post-black metal supergroup follows their deconstruction plan

T

he idea of evolution within a band’s discography is a fickle one—how can an artist (or group of artists) maintain a sense of identity while outwardly redistributing their approach? On their striking new album Sables, Vaura’s approach is unusual in discographic context. To those who have followed their oeuvre, Selenelion and The Missing blended both black metal and gothic rock with a unique finesse. Sables unexpectedly sheds the metal trappings of its predecessors. Guitarist Kevin Hufnagel meditates, “We were talking about the direction of our third record before we even had the first one recorded.

[Laughs] We love so many kinds of music in this band, and everyone is so versatile on their instruments; why not explore that more?” ¶ A quieter affair this time around, Sables zeroes in on the more meditative, introspective qualities of Vaura’s earlier work and gives itself space to grow. It is ambient and rhythmic, finding itself on the more abstract end of gothic music (something called darkwave), which, while restricting, gives its individual members room to flourish. “Everyone is free to contribute song ideas,” Hufnagel continues. “We really mixed up 2 6 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

the songwriting process this time.

Sometimes things were written first on one particular instrument, but then played on another for the actual recording, i.e., writing parts on guitars first that we then played on synths instead, writing synth parts that were then played on bass, etc.”

An album about the end of the world, Sables musically matches its concept with bleakness and an overall sense of ethereal dread.

“As the guitarist, it made me want to play more sparsely this time around,” says Hufnagel, “to capture more of a feeling of desolation and isolation.”

Even so, there is a unique sense to Hufnagel’s playing, not to mention moments that highlight his technical mastery. “I was encouraged by Josh [Strawn, vocalist/ guitarist] to play more solos on this record,” he reveals. “It’s an interesting contrast, and not something you really expect to hear mixed together. I think that’s something we all share in this band:

an interest in contrasts… things that shouldn’t go together. But if the dark aesthetic remains intact, anything can work.”

The close of a lengthy hiatus— The Missing was released six years ago—Sables marks the end of a band rediscovering its soul. “Between 2014-2016, we were still trying to find a solid musical direction,” Hufnagel explains. “After abandoning the more metallic ideas I had in the beginning, the material headed in a much more abstract and experimental direction. Those sessions generated some pretty cool material, which may appear in the future, but things took a turn in late 2016 when Josh and Charlie [Schmid, drums] presented some new tracks that we all felt balanced experimentation with the more melodic songwriting we’re known for, and it just felt right.”

When asked about Vaura 2019 compare to Vaura 2009, Hufnagel answers simply: “Older, wiser, weirder.” —JON ROSENTHAL

WORMWITCH

Canadian black metal trio rewrites their brief history

U

pon its 2017 release, Wormwitch’s debut album, Strike Mortal Soil, quickly caught the attention of fans of both crust-infused black metal and Decibel’s high foreheads, who ranked it #34 on that year’s Top 40 list. Talk to bassist/vocalist Robin Harris these days, however, and the lustrous pride and new album shine has been redirected by maturity, experience and a dedication to the future he and his bandmates want. ¶ “There was a very particular moment partway into a tour we did with the Black Dahlia Murder,” he recalls, regarding how the course of sophomore album Heaven That Dwells Within was altered. “We were playing a new song and realized we didn’t like it. It was like, ‘Is this what we want to be doing?’ And that experience informed how we wrote the new record. Strike Mortal Soil was rushed; we weren’t experienced songwriters, and the stakes seemed so high. I’m over that record now; I don’t really like it. The new record is a culmination of us realizing what we want to do and hear, how we want the vibe to feel and what we want to have happen.” ¶ The changes were wholesale.

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The cover art is more classically ornate, the lyrical themes more personal; and increased amounts of cold harshness bulldoze over much of the debut’s rockin’ vibe.

“It felt necessary,” Harris reasons. “It was a ‘Make these changes or start a new band’ situation. I don’t want to be in a band if I’m not 100 percent down with everything about it.”

The four years of Wormwitch’s existence have been a whirlwind.

Harris and fellow original member, guitarist Colby Hink, have seen members come and go, including former bassist Kyle Shields, who joined because Harris preferred singing, wasn’t confident enough in his playing and actually didn’t enjoy the instrument.

“There are four people on the first album, but we realized [Shields] wasn’t able to tour, so we had to get him out,” Harris explains.

“Recently, we added a second touring guitarist. At one point, people

were asking, ‘Who’s actually in this band?’ [Laughs] It’s hard finding members, so I just said, ‘Fuck it, I’ll learn to play better.’ I’m still not that great, but I do my best. It comes down to having people willing to put in the work and dealing with the financial strain, paying for shirts and gas, and eating shit.”

And hailing from one of North America’s most expensive cities makes it even more challenging to not only find willing participants, but simply exist.

“I’m talking to you from the shoebox I spend $800 a month to live in,” Harris says. “I don’t even have my own bathroom; there are shared bathrooms in the building.

But it was either come here or be stuck in the sticks where I grew up, because Vancouver is basically the scene for the whole province, and that’s something I’ve been aware of ever since I started playing music back in high school.”

—KEVIN STEWART-PANKO

PHOTO BY AVRINDER DHILLON

WORMWITCH

After nearly 30 years of turmoil, Nocturnus AD founder Mike Browning finally sets the controls to 1990 with a proper follow-up to The Key

BY SCOTT KOERBER • PHOTO BY TIM HUBBARD

eep your eyes on the sky, people. The long-awaited return

of the Nocturnus time machine is upon us. You’ll know it by its Florida plates and the long-haired operator with the headset-microphone, whom you’ll likely observe holding a set of drum sticks in the shape of an inverted cross. That’s Mike Browning, and he’s been teleported here directly from 1990, launched decades ago from some Tampa gator-swamp runway nearby to one of his buddy Trey Azagthoth’s old BMX bike trails (Browning and Azagthoth founded Morbid Angel in 1983). ¶ Browning’s quest here in 2019? To present Paradox, the rightful follow-up to Nocturnus’ 1990 Earache Records sci-fi/occult stunner The Key. Reached for comment via holoportation video chat, Browning discusses the new album, its connection to The Key, the addition of the “AD” to the band name and his plans for Nocturnusrelated action figures/computer games (no, really).

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“When I started writing lyrics for The Key back in 1989,” he begins, “I noticed four of the songs— ‘Andromeda Strain,’ ‘Droid Sector,’ ‘Destroying the Manger’ and ‘Empire of the Sands’—worked together as the story of an evil scientist who builds a time machine and goes back in time to destroy Jesus in the manger and take over the earth with all of his knowledge and technology.

From there, I set up The Key lyrically so that I could continue with that story on the second Nocturnus LP, but… well, that never happened.”

Although Browning appeared on 1992’s Thresholds, the band’s direction had veered.

“When The Key was released and we were touring for it in 1991 [with Bolt Thrower in Europe and the Grindcrusher U.S. tour with Napalm Death and Godflesh], Earache suggested we recruit a dedicated vocalist/frontman to add

I wanted an old-school sound.

Drummers today are incredibly fast, but often sound no different than a drum machine because of triggering, samples and click tracks.

Paradox sounds like a real record.

MIKE BROWNING

to Nocturnus’ ‘stage show’ because I had been doing the vocals from behind the drum kit,” Browning explains. “Nocturnus was my band and I was totally against the idea, but the rest of the band thought it was a great idea.

I got outvoted, and so a vocalist was hired.

I just played drums and the other members wrote most of the lyrics for Thresholds. Not that Thresholds was a bad album, it just wasn't the direction I wanted to go in after The Key.” Nocturnus toured Europe in support of Thresholds in 1992, but album sales were lacking; somewhere in the tumult, Browning was actually kicked out of his own band later that year.

Browning immediately joined fellow devil-obsessives Acheron, while the remaining Nocturnus members carried on for another six months before officially breaking up in 1993 after their contract with Earache expired.

Eventually, Browning began work to materialize his original vision for Nocturnus. “In 1999, I had the idea to reform Nocturnus using only the original, 1987, pre-The Key-era lineup, and things started to take shape,” the drummer/ vocalist recalls. “Nocturnus had officially broken up in 1993, but when I publicly announced my plan to resurrect Nocturnus in 1999 using the original demo-era lineup, I got a cease and desist

letter from a lawyer telling me I couldn’t use the Nocturnus name. It turns out the keyboard player from The Key had gone behind my back and trademarked the name after they kicked me out. Coincidentally, that other version of Nocturnus [the other members from The Key/ Thresholds era] had also reunited in 1999 under the name Nocturnus. So, I added the ‘AD’ to my band and we played one show as Nocturnus AD, but received another letter threatening another lawsuit. So, I dropped the ‘Nocturnus’ completely and just named the band After Death.”

By 2010, Browning officially reemerged as Nocturnus AD after realizing his former keyboard player’s trademark had expired. “From there, things just took off overnight and haven’t slowed since,” he enthuses. “We’ve definitely written a good follow-up album to The Key. I’m back to doing the vocals and writing all the lyrics. Six of the nine songs connect back lyrically to The Key. Four connect to The Key story, and one song called ‘Seizing the Throne’ connects to ‘Lake of Fire’ and ‘Standing in Blood’ to complete a separate triad of songs. Another song called ‘Paleolithic’ connects to ‘Neolithic.’ There are songs about the Necronomicon and the magnetic poles. The musical style lands somewhere between The Key and Thresholds and remains in

E-flat, but the only thing that connects riff-wise is in the beginning of ‘The Antechamber’ with a backwards version of the last riff in ‘Empire of the Sands.’

Recording in Orlando, FL with Jarrett Pritchard [Goatwhore, 1349], Browning insisted on using an analog two-inch reel-to-reel tape machine for the drums. “I wanted an old-school sound,” he says. “Drummers today are incredibly fast, but often sound no different than a drum machine because of triggering, samples and click tracks. Paradox sounds like a real record.”

As for cover art ideas, Browning turned to—you guessed it—The Key: “We worked with Timbul Cahyono. I gave him an extremely detailed description of what I wanted for Paradox, and his final result was amazing! It’s a real painting, too, not digital art. It’s a picture of our mascot android from The Key in an underground chamber full of ancient alien machinery under the Sphinx, and it goes along with the continuation of The Key story.

And I finally gave him a name: Dr. Magus. But his full name is Dr. Allen William Magus, and I am having a full 3D model character made of him so anything can be done with it. It can be animated or put in a computer game, or even printed and produced as an action figure. He is basically our own Iron Maiden ‘Eddie’ mascot.”

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Between Sleipnir’s Breaths Two decades in, drone heroes SUNN O))) capture the sound of impact

BY RAOUL HERNANDEZ

STEVE ALBINI.

For two teenage sound hounds from North Seattle, that name and the Southern Californian it belonged to—frontman for landmark post-punks Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac—embodied every sonic disturbance they hoped to propagate. A Dead Sea scroll of production and engineering credits by the Northwestern University journalism major accrued at increasing speed: Surfer Rosa, Goat, In Utero. ¶ Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley’s second band, Burning Witch, dots that early c.v., although the former left to midwife Goatsnake prior to the doom coven trekking to Electrical Audio in Chicago. No matter: Anderson’s noiseniks Engine Kid recorded with the indie audio pioneer even before the two guitarists from the same neighborhood formed their shortlived maiden death cult, Thorr’s Hammer. Radicalized by DIY culture, black metal for O’Malley and hardcore punk in Anderson’s case, the two future principles of Sunn O)))—pronounced simply “Sun”—never forgot about Steve Albini.

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“Last year was the 20th anniversary of the band,” ventures Anderson from Los Angeles. “And Stephen and I had this sort of bucket list: ‘These are some things that would be great to try and do this year.’ At the top of the list was to record with Albini. I knew him a little bit, so it wasn’t a cold call, but I was still very nervous about whether he’d be available or willing to do it.”

“We’d done shows with Shellac,” O’Malley offers hours earlier from his 12-year home base of Paris (deep dive www.ideologic.org). “I always enjoyed those moments with him and Bob [Weston] looking at us from around the corner of the stacks and making jokes.”

Whereas the bristling drifts of drone horizon Monoliths & Dimensions (2009) took some two years to assemble and then another six to follow-up behind the reptilian menace of Mayhem necromancer Attila Csihar on Kannon, Anderson and O’Malley cut not one, but a pair of LPs over two weeks last year in the Windy City. During July, no less. According to the latter Continental operative, that necessitated “a lot” more prep that usual, but the four tracks making up eighth Sunn O)))

In the past, we achieved this extreme wall of sound by layering and stacking guitars after guitars, after bass, to create this massive wall of sound.

With [Steve] Albini, it was all captured in one take in the room with the people playing the music.

Greg Anderson extra-long-player Life Metal—“Between Sleipnir’s Breaths” (12:30), “Troubled Air” (11:46), “Aurora” (19:07) and “Novae” (25:24)—rage a seismic vitality unique to the duo’s force-of-nature catalog.

While its kickoff behind Odin’s eight-legged steed summons those moments before an earthquake when animals start to bolt, the song itself also manifests the album’s overall ascension.

Omnipresent and resounding, the gradation and degradation of riffs that move at a tectonic plate rate depends on calibrated degrees of independence and interdependence. A slo-mo supercollider of massive tonality, it’s never static.

Icelandic siren/cellist/haldrophonist Hildur Guðnadóttir (Múm), Albini adherent and Silkworm throb Tim Midyett (aluminum neck bass, baritone guitars) and pipe organist Anthony Pateras join an A-list of previous Sunn O))) collaborators that famously includes Boris, Ulver and Scott Walker. Life Metal—top to bottom—hums purely analog as well.

“Everything we’ve done, there’s been tape involved,” explains Anderson. “Usually, basic tracks are recorded onto tape, and then it’s

dumped into Pro Tools where it’s manipulated and edited. So, in the past, we achieved this extreme wall of sound by layering and stacking guitars after guitars, after bass, to create this massive wall of sound. With Albini, it was all captured in one take in the room with the people playing the music.”

“It sounds like you’re in front of the amplifiers,” enthuses O’Malley, “which I think is kickass, because it’s really hard to get that feeling. No one’s going to have a big backline to listen to the music in their living room, but it’s a really great capture of our structure and color and texture.”

“It’s the ultimate live recording of the band in some ways,” says Anderson.

“Choice outcome for a singular alliance” also describes the meeting of Sunn O))) and Boris on Altar in 2006 for Southern Lord Records, founded

by Anderson and O’Malley in L.A. during the only year since Seattle the two lived in the same city (1998). Takeshi Ohtani, guitarist/bassist for the Tokyo psych gods, emails from the trio’s home (in translated Japanese): “Boris’ first overseas [performances] were a short tour of Seattle/Olympia/Portland in 1996.

I met them at the Seattle show. Although the superficial styles of the bands were different, each ‘heavy’ they pursued resonated with us because we also incorporated music expressions such as power, ambient and drones. It was a natural process to make an Altar.”

So, too, rates the birth of Life Metal’s fraternal twin, Pyroclasts, due later this year.

“I prefer to wait and talk about that later,” demurs O’Malley, “but I can say that the approach to Pyroclasts was more of a practice we did every day, rather than Life Metal, which were prepared compositions we elaborated on.”

“The term Life Metal has been an inside joke thrown around our camp for a while,” reveals Anderson. “A friend of mine threw a party after a Hellacopters show here in Los Angeles, and Nicke Andersson from the band was there. I was huge fan, especially of Entombed and Nihilist.

He was talking about when Entombed signed to Columbia Records and how he was getting calls from his old friends in Norway saying that he was a sellout. They said his music wasn’t death metal. He was ‘life metal.’”

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interview by

QA j. bennett

GAAHL WIT H

The controversial ex-Gorgoroth frontman on runes, roots and walking his own path with GAAHLS WYRD 3 4 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

I

t’s safe to say that the reputation of Kristian “Gaahl” Espedal precedes him. promote it. So, I said, “Okay, we can start out

Being an openly gay black metal musician and former frontman for one of the genre’s most notoriously satanic and fractious bands tends to do that. Never mind that he’s served prison time for extreme violence—the result of bizarre incidents involving torture and reported threats of blood-drinking—and once abruptly ended an infamous video interview with several minutes of stony silence. ¶ The controversial Norwegian kicked off his career in the early ’90s with Trelldom, eventually joining neo-folk troupe Wardruna and satanic speed demons Gorgoroth before he and bassist Tom “King ov Hell” Visnes split off to form God Seed. When that went tits up in 2015, Gaahl forged his latest outfit, Gaahls Wyrd (no apostrophe). After touring as a sort of Gorgoroth/Trelldom/God Seed greatest hits revival, the band—which currently features Ole “Lust Kilman” Walaunet on guitar, Frode “Eld” Kilvik on bass and Kevin “Spektre” Kvåle on drums—is about to unveil its full-length debut, GastiR – Ghosts Invited. ¶ Tonight, Gaahl is relaxing on his tour bus in Warsaw, Poland, the latest stop on Gaahls Wyrd’s co-headlining tour with Tribulation, which sees American upstarts and Decibel faves Uada and Idle Hands in tow. Unlike many bands, Gaahls Wyrd don’t play the same set every night. Instead, Gaahl handpicks the songs about an hour before they go onstage.

“I like to keep the musicians on their toes so we won’t become machines,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t like to make routines out of things. Also, for the audience that follows us, it’s great for them to get a new experience rather than the same songs.

There are always a couple that are following us around.”

What’s the significance of the album title, GastiR – Ghosts Invited?

Gastir is basically a word for ghost or guest. I felt it would be correct to combine the proto-Norse language with the English since I use several languages on the album: Norwegian, Norse, proto-Norse and English.

to decide how I end up sounding. Some of the songs I approach more like an actor, in the sense of who I’m inviting in and who I’m representing.

Sometimes I have to represent something that’s way younger than me, sometimes something that’s way older. [Laughs] So, it’s just a perspective I like to work in without having to think too much about it.

Why so many languages?

I’m fond of word origins, so I try to work in different layers. The proto-Norse words are also the creators of the modern language, so for me it’s symbolically important. But sometimes also those words just sound better. They have a more genuine energy to them.

What can you tell us about the album’s lyrical themes?

I’ve kind of compressed a lot of the topics I’ve been working with on previous albums, things that are just following me in many ways—all from the subconscious level. On this album, I’ve mainly drawn attention to the rune Ansuz, which is representing the mouth and the speech and the consciousness. They are also representative of the Odin figure in many ways.

You’re doing some different things vocally on this record. The clean, almost chant-like vocal on the title track really stands out, for example.

Why did you want to take that approach?

I usually just allow my own feelings and emotions

Speaking of acting, you played a medieval archer in a film called Flukt a few years ago.

Have you done any more acting since then?

I’ve been offered quite a few roles, but the problem with acting is that you always get tied up visually in how you are supposed to look for a certain amount of time, and to combine that with music and touring can be a bit of a hassle. But we’ll see if that’s something I will approach in the future or if I will just leave it; it demands that you lock yourself into a time schedule that might conflict with what will happen with the band.

Why did you decide to incorporate your stage name into the band name?

Well, I didn’t want to do that. [Laughs] I was fighting against it. It was actually [former Gaahls Wyrd/God Seed drummer] Baard Kolstad that said we should just call the band “Gaahl.”

And I said no way. I don’t want to put a flashlight on myself. But I, of course, see the value of not having to work with a completely new name—it takes a lot of time and effort to

with Gaahl’s something.” I thought about it for about a month and then I came up with “Wyrd,” since all the music that we started out with was basically music I had done with different musicians. But the idea was to remove “Gaahls” and just leave it as “Wyrd,” but of course there’s already a band called Wyrd, so I guess we are stuck with Gaahls Wyrd.

In past interviews, you’ve often talked about your reliance on instinct for writing, painting and performing. Why do you think you’ve ended up trusting in yourself so much?

It’s just my nature, I think. Maybe it’s how I [was] raised. I’ve always been allowed to just be myself. I had a very free upbringing, so that might be the reason that I dare to trust.

You grew up in a very isolated part of Norway, didn’t you? How do you think that affected your approach to music?

Yes. I’ve moved around a bit, but it’s where I’m from, where I grew up and where I still live. It’s a more rural place, but that’s not uncommon in Norway. It’s a long country and people are scattered, so to a Norwegian, it’s not that exotic. But I was able to grow up in more primitive ways.

You get to learn how the earth is feeding you.

When you live from hand to mouth, you get a perspective that might be a bit different than when you go to the store and buy everything.

[Laughs] So, the awareness of the impact and necessity of nature has definitely colored my life and the way I observe it.

Did you do a lot of hunting and fishing and growing up, then?

There was a lot of work, of course, but I was never a hunter. I’ve been a vegetarian most of my life, even as a child. But I grew up on a farm.

Not a big one, but I’ve grown up with animals and with nature itself.

The place you live shares your surname: Espedal. How long has your family been there?

There are several branches of the family that live there, but the branch that has stayed there the longest is from my father’s mother’s side. They have stayed there probably back to the 13th century at least. It was fairly common then to take the name of the place. My father’s father took the name of the place as well when he found his wife.

What initially attracted you to black metal?

I remember the first time I got this “wow” feeling when I listened to Hellhammer, back in probably ’83. I was around eight, and that was one of the first things I immediately liked, even though it wasn’t music I would normally listen to.

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Thanks be to Gaahl  Gaahl’s Wyrd, in learning the origins of language, forge the path to black metal’s future

Bård [‘Faust’ Eithun] was the first one to send me a message of support when Norwegian media started to report that I’m gay.

I just happened to end up meeting the guitarist I started Trelldom with, and we started creating music. So, I didn’t think too much about black metal or anything. For me, metal was an important form of music, but I never thought of it as “black metal” before media and the public put that name to it.

What’s the status of Trelldom these days? Your last album came out in 2007.

I still have things going on there, but we’ll see when the time is right to release it. I’m working in different layers with it, but I don’t feel that I have all the elements attached to it yet. But I probably have a couple of years to release the next six albums. [Laughs] You’re working on six Trelldom albums?

Yes, and all nine albums are kind of braided together. I’ve just not been in the place mentally to find all the possible pieces.

You were involved in the fashion industry at one point. Are you still designing clothes?

No. That’s a misunderstanding, actually. I was just supporting a clothing designer financially.

[Laughs] So, it’s not me designing them.

Do you live off of music at this point, or do you have a job of some sort?

It’s mainly music, but last year I opened an art gallery in Bergen, so that’s been my job, if I can call it that. But it is a job, of course, because I’m 3 6 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

there all the time. I exhibit other artists, but also my own work now and again. That’s basically what I do apart from music and the other forms of art I occupy myself with.

In the past, you’ve referred to your time in Gorgoroth as “a delicious war.” What did you mean by that?

That sounds like something I could say. [Laughs] I loved my time in Gorgoroth, but it was a very narrow spectrum, the content of it. It turned into too many struggles and wars within the band itself. But it is by all means something I wish well.

Because of Gorgoroth’s satanic ideology, your participation left many people with the impression that you’re a Satanist—even though you’re not. Has that been frustrating?

Gorgoroth had a very direct ideology or image they were portraying, so it’s of course frustrating that one gets narrowed down by a single art expression. But that’s just how things are. They automatically think that you can only do one thing.

At the time, your personal life and legal issues often overshadowed the music you were making with Gorgoroth. How did you deal with that situation?

It was fairly easy. I’m not too worried about what people think or what opinions they have about me as a person. I usually block out everything, so it was an easy task for me.

You might be the only openly gay musician in black metal. You’re definitely the most prominent. Do you feel like a trailblazer in that regard?

No. For me, black metal represents individuality.

So, I don’t make anything out of it. That’s just how it is.

Bård Eithun of Emperor and Jon Nödtveidt of Dissection spent time in prison for killing gay men in the ’90s. Did that leave an impression on you at the time?

No, I think the situations they were in were more personal. How a kid will react to someone groping them… well, they might decide to stab them. And Bård was the first one to send me a message of support when Norwegian media started to report that I’m gay.

Last but not least, what do you want the listener to get out of your new record?

I don’t know, actually. For me, it’s a very complete album. Even though it’s not out yet, I’m already working on an upcoming EP. So, my focus is on the next one. But I met a fan yesterday who had a very disturbing story about how the God Seed album had helped him through the last six years. Basically, his wife had killed his children back in the day, so he was a rather destroyed man who had managed to build up his life again, and he thanked the music for it.

It’s a crazy world out there, but if I can help, that’s a positive.

One of America’s oldest musical traditions finds fresh interpretation in the hands of a new generation of men (and women) in black spearheaded by

Emma Ruth Rundle, Henry Derek Elis and Amigo the Devil

BY JEFF TREPPEL

W

hen they hear the term “dark folk,” a lot of people immediately think of questionable European nationalist neofolk artists like Death in June or Current 93. Thankfully, there are other folk traditions! America has a rich strain of homegrown music, a lot of which rivals Skepticism and Mournful Congregation for sheer grimness. ¶ More and more, extreme music performers are turning to Americana to get their bleak vision across. And why not? If you have a story you want to tell, blast beats and screaming aren’t always the best delivery system. Sometimes it takes an acoustic guitar and a weary baritone to really depress your listeners. ¶ Although Americana goes way back, a huge hat tip is owed to the original Man in Black, Johnny Cash, when it comes to this take on the sound. He threw his bleakness into sharp relief with his American recordings from the ’90s and early 2000s, stripping down his sound to a guitar and a weather-beaten voice, interpreting hard rock hits like Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage” and Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” as painfully intimate ballads.

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Depressive torch singer Leonard Cohen and freak troubadour Tom Waits also provided foundational texts, while alt-country doomsters 16 Horsepower, bluegrass iconoclast Wooden Wand and spaghetti western collective Murder by Death helped keep the genre vibrant.

Even though Steve Von Till from Neurosis has been doing side projects in the style for years, and Michael Gira of no-wave weirdos Swans had his Angels of Light project, it’s still relatively recent that metalheads have started turning to the six-string confessional in large enough numbers for it to become a thing. Genre legends like Scott “Wino” Weinrich and even one-man USBM act Xasthur have embraced more personal, acoustic-based music for recent live performances.

Most importantly, a new breed of musicians have decided to take those country roads home.

THE MAN COMES AROUND For some of these musicians, dark

Americana means returning to their first loves; for others, it was a later discovery. Henry Derek Elis, best known as the vocalist for modern thrashers Act of Defiance, grew up listening to the music. “Coming from Georgia, from the Deep South, [I was] exposed to all that stuff before I ever discovered rock music. Growing up with country, folk, blues, gospel even—before I got exposed to Metallica and Faith No More and all of these bands that are huge influences on me—I always loved music, and there’s something about that kind of music that’s timeless.”

Evan Patterson, from Kentucky noise-rockers Young Widows, recently started an Americanainfluenced project called Jaye Jayle. He had similar inspirations—an almost ambient exposure to the sound. “I was born [and] raised, and still reside in Kentucky. Folk music has always been around. Playing in the background. Whispering to me from across the room. In the more recent past, I have been searching for odd folk and country. Several years ago, I made a playlist for Decibel. I was invested in digging through record bins and going to flea markets to search for strange song titles on 45s. That sparked a big interest in making this music.”

His partner in love and music, Emma Ruth Rundle of Red Sparowes and Marriages, found more inspiration in the folk tradition of California than the South. “Folk music has

infiltrated my life mostly through my 10 years working at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Los Angeles.

The place was much more than a retail store.

It offered concerts and lessons, and has been around for 60 years—sort of the folk epicenter of Los Angeles. I’d say just spending time there watching performers come and go, getting notes here and there from teachers, etc., injected the folk element into my music.”

Danny Kiranos of Amigo the Devil, on the other hand, discovered the genre after years spent in the metal and hardcore scene. “I love thrash and hard noise and all that stuff—I love noise more than anything. I grew up listening to heavy music.

The whole folk, country, acoustic thing came later.

I had no idea about that world. It’s not something that was in my blood. My dad listened to Kenny Rogers, but that was about the extent of it.”

One thing drew them all to dark Americana, however: the powerful storytelling possibilities that this style of music offers. “There are these defining moments that I remember changing my perspective on what I thought it was versus what it really is,” Kiranos explains. “I never realized how dark the genre actually is and how deep it goes into the desperation of the people.

It gets pretty damn violent, too. I remember I was at a bar and some guy was just playing cover songs, and he covered ‘Sam Stone’ by John Prine, and it destroyed me. I remember hearing that chorus, ‘There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes / Jesus Christ died for nothin’,

I suppose.’ It caught my attention. I’d never heard anything that was that grim. That’s why I started diving into everything I’d missed up to that point.”

Elis delves into some gritty subject matter on his album, The Devil Is My Friend. “First and foremost, the title track is a murder ballad. Tells a story of this drifter, it’s inspired by that classic kind of murder ballad that Nick Cave does really well. That’s something we’re missing in modern music. We need to bring the murder ballad back,” he posits. “It sounds cliché to even say it out loud, but there’s a healthy obsession with death that’s very prevalent on the album.

I’ve lost a lot of people I care about. There’s a lot of mourning and a lot of pain and a lot of loss.

I think anyone that’s really into poetry or dark fiction or anyone who can get behind a good lyric is going to dig this album.”

Rundle’s thoughts confirm that the lyrics are not only a central facet of the sound, but a big selling point for metal fans. “I think the style of music can at times appeal to metal fans because of the emotional heft. Maybe sometimes it’s lyrical, maybe not. I think that there is a delicate way which some of the artists in this genre approach and embrace the darkness that is unique to the style and is something that fans of metal can appreciate.”

Patterson sees it all as a continuity: “If a song is about murder, death or the devil, its roots are much deeper than metal music.”

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I’ve almost exclusively toured with heavy bands.

I’m not really looking to leave that world, if that makes sense.

WAYFARING STRANGERS Deep common roots or not, it can be tricky

to straddle genre lines like these bands do.

Although these songs can be enjoyed by both country and metal fans alike, the acts mentioned have had very different experiences fitting into different genre communities.

Elis self-released The Devil Is My Friend because he wanted full control over such a personal recording, but even if he’d gone the label route, he felt it would’ve been challenging. Although Elis has played in folk bands in the past, success in the heavy metal world has pigeonholed him.

“To be perfectly honest, a lot of the contacts— colleagues, acquaintances, affiliates—I have in my pocket would never be helpful with this type of thing anyway, because it’s not a heavier rock kind of thing. A lot of labels in the beginning were like, ‘We don’t know what to do with it; either it’s too weird or it’s too country.’ For a lot of country labels, they were like, ‘It’s too rock, it’s too scary, it’s too dark.’”

On the other hand, Kiranos was able to work his connections to good effect when it came to touring. “I didn’t really know what I was doing with this. I’ve never, ever done anything like it.

The only people around me that I knew were in heavier bands. When the opportunity came up to hop on a tour in general, I took it. It wasn’t really a measure that I went after; it just happened to be that those were the only connections I was able to finagle—that first tour with

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other bands, this package tour with Nomads, Sleepwalkers and Rotting Out—and after that, it just kinda made sense. I don’t know how. I’m happy, though. It’s my favorite type of show to go to. Might as well be at a show I enjoy being at.”

“I’ve never had a chance to play in front of an Americana audience,” Rundle says. “I’ve almost exclusively toured with heavy bands. I’m not sure how it would resonate, but I really feel it coming from extreme/heavy music. I’m not really looking to leave that world, if that makes sense.”

Patterson finds it silly to split hairs.

“Honestly, I have no idea who is metal and who isn’t metal at these shows. I appreciate every single body and mind in the entire room when performing. The crowds have been attentive and respectful.” In fact, he dismisses the idea of the different niches being separate at all. “It’s all the same community. Freakwater took us on our first tour and Sumac on our second tour. They are both the most welcoming and important pieces of our history. A style of playing and a style of fashion doesn’t make any difference to me. They’re all artists. Artists are my people and my community.”

UNCHAINED That community extends beyond just the

borders of the United States, even though that’s where the core of this sound originated. Prolific Finnish experimentalist Janne Westerlund (Circle, Pharaoh Overlord) recently

put out his own idiosyncratic take on the genre, Stranger by the Water, and German troubadour Conny Ochs has toured and recorded with Wino. His latest is called Doom Folk, as good a name for this style as any.

In the States themselves, different musicians have their own approaches to doom folk.

Charlie Schmid (Vaura, ex-Tombs) has a “blackened Americana” alter ego known as Del Judas.

Earth mastermind Dylan Carlson’s solo work may not have lyrics, but his Western drone guitar pieces certainly fit in the genre. While Wolvserpent member Blake K. Green’s Aelter project may lean closer to the goth side of the equation, there’s enough twang to make it worthy of inclusion here.

Really, any metalhead with dark thoughts and access to an acoustic guitar, banjo or pedal steel guitar can try their hand at this music, and they’ll find a nascent community ready to embrace them.

Kiranos, for one, is excited to watch the scene grow. “[Considering] that a lot of people in metal bands themselves are doing their own acoustic side projects, it’s telling that it’s definitely becoming a more appropriate genre to be able to align yourself with alongside metal. It’s really cool to watch something like that build itself.

At the root of it all, it’s just dark storytelling.

It’s stories about shitty situations and people in trouble, and it’s an awesome aspect of humanity to explore in such shitty times.”

PHOTO BY AMÉLIE JOUCHOUX

Emma Ruth Rundle

the

definitive stories

behind extreme music’s

definitive albums

story by

dutch pearce

Genesis of Stygian Evil the making of Varathron’s His Majesty at the Swamp

S

ing to me, Muse of the everlasting sins, of the stygian grace and of the swampy majesty conjured by three

young musicians from the land of Hellas, 1993.

The microsubgenre of melodic Greek black metal commonly referred to as “Hellenic black metal” is so familiar to extreme music fans around the world that, having read those three words, you’re probably even now hearing some sinister melody in your head. Something like “Transform All Suffering Into Plagues” by Rotting Christ, or “Unholy Funeral” by the Swampkings themselves, Varathron. Looking back, the various origins of second-wave European black metal during the early ’90s each carry a certain mythology. While the Norwegian second-wavers are remembered for infamous criminal acts that often overshadow their otherwise brilliant contributions, and the Eastern Europeans are known for their weird antics and equally outlandish black metal stylings, the works created by the Achaeans that comprised that small and entangled scene in Athens are remembered solely on the strength of godly riffs and a common atmosphere, dark and magical.

The mythos of Varathron begins in 1989 with the release of their first demo, Procreation of the Unaltered Evil. Their influences glare out at you from the title alone, but Varathron, alongside Rotting Christ and Necromantia, were already well on their way to carving out their own unique black metal sound. The following year spawned their second demo, Genesis of Apocryphal Desire. As you’ll read, this demo represents a blueprint not only for His Majesty at the Swamp, but for Varathron as a whole. The eerie Slayer-esque melodies of “La Reine Noir,” the predatorial thrash assault that is the title track, the evil call-to-headbang of “Seven Endless Horizons” and, of course, the twisted and darkened heavy metal guitarwork of “The Tressrising of Nyarlathotep”— all of these elements remain strong throughout Varathron’s discography. Yet, His Majesty at the Swamp, for reasons you’ll read below, is a beast entirely its own. It clearly D B H O F 17 4 belongs to its time and place, but is more mysterious and magical than anything else in their catalog so far, and likely never to be topped. For one thing, this record seemed to bring in every working Greek black metal musician at the time and their brothers.

Which made it difficult even to begin to assemble a lineup for interviewing. At the His Majesty at the Swamp same time, certain questions persist, and fail to yield straight answers from anyone.

Besides providing different answers, the three musicians interviewed also have CYBER MUS IC AUGUS T 1993 varying names. For the following feature, Stefan “Necroabyssious” Karasavvas, Dimitrios “Necroslaughter”/“Vorskaath” Dorian and Jim “Mutilator” Patsouris will Black arts lead to everlasting glory be referred to as Necroabyssious, Vorskaath and Mutilator, respectively. We must also acknowledge and extend our sincerest gratitude to Achilleas C. (current guitarist of Varathron) for all of his help in bringing these interviews together. Now, and finally, Decibel welcomes His Majesty at the Swamp into the Hall..

VARATHRON

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His Majesty at the Swamp came out 26 years ago, when extreme metal was still fairly young. What was the underground metal scene like in Greece at the time?

NECROABYSSIOUS: Well, in the first days of the ’90s, we had a couple of great bands here in Greece. In 1988, when grindcore and thrash metal “ruled” the European scene, four horsemen of black metal “apocalypse” created a band who will stay immortal through the years.

A hellstorm of thoughts and ideas with classic metal influences, inspired [by] cult bands such as Bathory, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Venom, Morbid Angel. Varathron, a name with Greek roots ... means the absolute chaos, abyss, Erebus, anything evil and darker than ever! After our creation, more bands “changed” their style and a lot of bands were born. In that time, in 1992, we have strong bands such Necromantia, Rotting Christ, Kawir—the band created by Panos, me and Chris [Kokiousis] of Agatus—Septic Flesh, Nightfall, Mortify, Septicemia and more. The first wave of the Greek black metal scene was coming!

VORSKAATH: Seething. Bands seemed quite aware of a new extreme music scene that was being born across the world, and there were many who were eager to partake in that. This, of course, produced mixed results, as is to be expected in most such social and artistic movements. Certainly, however, there was a spirit of seriousness in approaching this musical genre as something of a personal philosophy and a rebellion against the establishment. Greece, at the time, was still quite backward and conservative in terms of religious matters and artistic expression, and those were the first items to be targeted by young musicians at the time. Peering into the occult, paganism and fantastic literature was part of the movement to a great degree. Despite this eagerness, however, concerts were rare and attended by very, very few people. To reckon this, consider that the legendary concert during which Mayhem were visiting from Norway in 1990 to play with Varathron, Rotting Christ and Death Courier was only attended by approximately 20-30 persons. Truly underground.

MUTILATOR: Actually, 1993 was a very strong year for the Greek scene... as that period [produced] Rotting Christ’s Thy Mighty Contract, Varathron’s His Majesty at the Swamp and Necromantia’s Crossing the Fiery Path. In my opinion, three albums [had] worldwide effect. As you can imagine, a small country in the south of Europe [creating] three all-time classics for the next generations. Of course, [in] that period of time, Greece’s music scene included more great bands such as Zemial, Agatus [and] Disharmony, just to name a few.

“When you hear our first album, you feel the apocryphal atmosphere, the abysmal melodies drilling your mind, the bizarre riffs that take you into other dimensions. When you hear this album, you live it with your soul and mind.”

NE CROA BYSSIO US Nowadays, “Hellenic black metal” is a commonly used phrase. That’s largely because of Varathron and this record. But who were some of your influences back then, before this sound you created was ever a thing? Which bands made you feel compelled to start your own metal band?

NECROABYSSIOUS: The basic line was the classic heavy metal bands. I started in 1978 with Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motörhead and AC/DC. Then I heard the thrash metal bands, and in 1986 I created a thrash-core band called Sickness Mind. We followed the music wave of the times and that band was an antisocial, chaotic anarchy band .... who loved to play the studio songs of Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Venom, Bathory, Amebix—like Venom on their first steps— Morbid Angel, Death and more. At the same time, I read occult books, philosophical manifestos, books about religions old and new. The sound of grindcore and thrash was so boring [to me], and [I] was looking for something new, something from our influences and our thoughts. We had a dark flame inside us, my friend, and so much passion for an unholy creation.

VORSKAATH: Thank you for your kind words. I was introduced to heavy metal and ’70s rock and J U N E 2 0 19 : 4 4 : D E C I B E L

progressive rock very early in my life, and I was already dreaming of starting a band as a child.

Later, with the advent of thrash metal—as it was all called back then—the matter was sealed, and in 1989 I started my own metal group. The definitive moment and inspiration to create a band came to me as a young kid, when I saw a photograph of Steve Harris doing the “shotgun” pose; after knowing the music, of course. That was it for me. My main bands were—and still are—Zemial and Agatus, both of which had different influences, though there are common elements in all the bands I played in, [me] being a common denominator, obviously.

When writing the music for His Majesty at the Swamp, however, I wanted to create something entirely different-sounding to Zemial and Agatus. Varathron had previously released a demo called Genesis of Apocryphal Desire, which was incredibly ahead of its time to my ears, particularly because of the outstanding guitar work and production. So, when Necroabyssious and Mutilator asked me to join the band, I was quite clear in that this is the direction I saw Varathron taking, and that was the basis for what I subsequently wrote.

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For example, the opening track “Son of the Moon (Act II),” I wrote as a continuation of “The Tressrising of Nyarlathotep,” which appeared on the demo, hence the “Act II” addendum.

I recall a notable impression was made on me by the Gathering, who had recently released the amazing album Always..., which contained certain harmonies that inspired me, as can be heard at the ending of the song “[The] River of My Souls.” On the other side of the spectrum, I was highly inspired by mediaeval Byzantine music, and particularly the use of the Cretan lute, which made its way into the melodic centerpiece of “Unholy Funeral” and in “Son of the Moon.”

On the ending of “Nightly Kingdoms,” you hear my influence by Paradise Lost’s first album, which was a doom colossus.

MUTILATOR: [I] guess in Varathron, I tried to differentiate the sound from Rotting Christ’s.

Sure, you can find some similarities, but I think Varathron has its own unique sound. Of course, Celtic Frost, Amebix, even doom had a big influence on me, and sometimes that was captured in our sound. Another band I must mention was the glorious Necrovore, but Possessed was my biggest influence for Varathron’s songwriting.

Necroabyssious, what made you want to scream?

Or, rather, who made you want to scream?

lot of influences from H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe—that’s the reason for the swamp.

MUTILATOR: Concerning the original cover, [it] was taken from a [Jacques]-Yves Cousteau book I still own, and that’s the first time I’ve revealed this. Even the other members of the band don’t know about that.

What was it about this image that made you want to use it for your album cover?

NECROABYSSIOUS: The cover was very good, and when Jim showed it to me, I saw the swamp coming from my lyrics, and I thought that was a great sign!

VORSKAATH: I am not sure if that is indeed the database that the cover was taken from, hence I cannot confirm or refute it. However, I don’t think that Jacques Cousteau ever explored or documented swamplands. Nevertheless, the swamp and all its associations are perfectly suited to the concept of what we were doing at the time. It remains entirely relevant to me today. I live out of the city, near ancient moorlands, and spend most of my outings in nature near swamps and moors, which are extraordinary places and speak volumes to the listener who approaches with respect.

MUTILATOR: It came to me as a vision. I was reading the encyclopedia of Cousteau, Oasis in Space, and [from] the topic about swamps came the album title, and the album cover as well.

As best as you can remember, who played what on which tracks? There seems to be some confusion regarding this—perhaps the information has been obscured by time and repressings. These songs were all recorded in the summer of 1993, except for the closing track. Who was there that June and July?

NECROABYSSIOUS: The bass parts were played by Jim Mutilator, the guitars were played by Jim Necroslaughter and all the vocals are mine.

About drums, we used a guy from the beginning, but he made a lot of “mistakes,” and George [“Magus”/“Morbid” Zacharopolous from Necromantia] was our sound engineer, and he fixed all [mistakes] with a drum machine.

Besides, [during] that period, the extreme Greek metal scene had a big “problem” with good drummers, and all the releases from that period were recorded with a drum machine. All the releases—remember that!

In 1991 until the summer of 1992, I was on obligatory army service. In the meantime, I was recording, with great help from Magus, the split LP with Necromantia. So, in the summer of 1992, a very sad summer for me, I tried to “select” my bones. I told you that because I was going to army, and I left a full band behind me. Then, when I returned, I found a bass player only! In summer of 1992, the band contained two members—Jim Mutilator and me! Then Jim found the other Jim [Vorskaath] at a record shop

NECROABYSSIOUS: I don’t know for sure. Maybe my passion for that music, maybe my alter ego, a strong warrior who I “hide” inside me. I think my second “nature” who wants to come out and spreading the dark dogma around the world.

What do your pseudonyms mean?

NECROABYSSIOUS: It was the time when most bands used pseudonyms. My pseudonym, “Necroabyssious,” I take it from my brother Jim Mutilator for the “tone” of my voice. He told me [that I] have a deep voice, which reminds him of someone who died and returned from the grave.

VORSKAATH: Vorskaath is a name I created based on its phonetic and scripted value, with roots derived from a personal metaphysical experience. As it were, for reasons unknown to me still, I was credited as Necroslaughter on the album. That was a band name I used some years before, combining Slayed Necros and Satanic Slaughter of Hellhammer fame.

MUTILATOR: I used to be called Mutilator from [my] Black Church days—[a] progenitor band before Rotting Christ—back in 1986. It came to me from a horror movie of Dario Argento, following the trend of the days.

Who came up with the title of the record? Where does the recurring swamp theme come from?

 It’s a satanic swamp thing,

you wouldn’t understand Necroabyssious (l) and Sakis Tolis of Rotting Christ, circa 1993

The title of the record came from me and Jim Mutilator. The album has a NECROABYSSIOUS:

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where we worked together. So, we tried working on new tracks for a full album because we had a proposal from Osmose Records. Hervé [Herbaut, Osmose founder] wanted the unholy trinity: Necromantia, Rotting Christ and Varathron.

We prepared the songs all those months and we talked with George of Necromantia, who worked as sound engineer at Storm Studios, the first metal studio with a smart person [working there]: George Osmak, from Yugoslavia [now Serbia]. The recording started in June and finished in July of 1993 with a lot of help from George [Magus]. About the label, a lot of shit [happened, but] finally our debut album was released by the Dutch label Cyber Music.

VORSKAATH: His Majesty at the Swamp was not a band effort per se, as there were never any band rehearsals or band meetings, and any group semblance was dissolved a few months after the recording. It was a rather a collaboration project for an album more than anything else. I played the guitars, bass and drums for the entire album with a few exceptions. Namely, Mutilator having played bass on two songs and Sakis [Tolis of Rotting Christ] recording the guitars and bass for “Lustful Father.” Necroabyssious sung all the vocals. Morbid/Magus played all the synthesizer parts. A curious note here: I wrote the drum parts, which were programmed via Cubase.

However, I was asked to record acoustic cymbals to the programmed drums, which I did—awkwardly, as can be evidently heard. However, unbeknownst to me, the name “Wolfen” was used on the album instead, and a whole story was woven around that in the absence of there being a band.

The primary sound engineer was a genius called Antonis Delaportas, who had worked at the studio for some years already and was responsible for shaping the sound that came to be associated with that studio and the Greek scene. There was a secondary engineer as well, who was not punctual on some occasions and was replaced early on. My brother was also present at some of the sessions, as he had also prepared some music for the Varathron album. He eventually used it on the first Agatus album instead.

MUTILATOR: All stuff [was] played by me and brother Jim and, of course, all the vocals [were] done by the almighty Necroabyssious. The album was recorded in Storm Studios. Storm Studios was our own studio; I mean, it was a studio [owned by] me and Sakis Tolis.

“The Tressrising of Nyarlathotep (Act 1)” was recorded some months earlier. This is the same version that’s on the Necromantia split. Had you always intended to reuse this track, or did you feel like the record needed to be longer?

NECROABYSSIOUS:

[It] is almost the same version,

with a little “processing” by Magus. We reuse that track for the two reasons: First, we put it on that record because it needed to be longer, and secondly, because that song—even now—is the favorite song of our fans around the world.

VORSKAATH: That track was taken from the demo that I previously told you about, which served as the prequel to “Son of the Moon.” Necroabyssious wanted to extend the duration of the album, and so included a demo track. Unfortunately, none of the participating players were credited. It is an outstanding composition for its time.

MUTILATOR: That was [Necroabyssious’] favorite track, and he thought [it] must be included. But as I can remember, we re-recorded [it].

How much involvement did Sakis Tolis of Rotting Christ have in the creation of His Majesty at the Swamp?

NECROABYSSIOUS: Total nothing on the recordings. The great help came from George of Necromantia. But these times were big for the strong companionship between Necromantia, Rotting Christ, Varathron. A great friendship which stills remains now!

VORSKAATH: We recorded the album at “Molon Lave Studios,” which had been recently sold to the guys from Rotting Christ and renamed “Storm Studios.” Sakis was at the studio on some of the sessions, as he was one of the owners.

Now, as the idea of recording the album materialized suddenly and with no preparation whatsoever, we were very short on music, and so Sakis was invited to contribute a song, which he did. That was “Lustful Father,” which has a very definitive Rotting Christ style.

MUTILATOR: Sakis was all the time in studio with us during the recordings, and his help was really big, as he provided us with some great ideas in the musical aspect; and, of course, helped us a lot with the production, as excepted [from] a great musician [who] is also a great producer.

Besides playing keyboard on the album, and composing the introduction, how much influence did George Zacharopoulos have on His Majesty at the Swamp?

NECROABYSSIOUS: Morbid was the sound engineer on the album, and he gave us some thoughts or ideas to fix anything which we found difficult.

He was a great helper for us.

VORSKAATH: We had a good friendship and talked a lot about the underground movement, philosophy and the occult; but in terms of influence on the record, he had as much as any sound engineer could have. Aside from the keyboard contribution on two tracks, if I recall, he was the recordist. That was all. At least from my point of working.

MUTILATOR: George was really supportive with his musical knowledge, [and] helped a lot as a sound engineer.

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What’s the lyrical focus for His Majesty at the Swamp? What are its main themes, in your own words?

NECROABYSSIOUS: You know, the main themes of Varathron for so many years now. My lyrics talk of ancient apocryphal religions, occult and magic, astral trips in other dimensions, wars and battles, pain and cries, journeys beyond the grave, anything strange and bizarre that I read, or I see, nightmares and storm-thoughts which come in my mind. A pure dedication to darkness!

Pure hymns to Him! VORSKAATH: All three of us were into epic fantasy of the sword-and-sorcery variety, besides our occult predilections, all of which shaped the lyrical landscape of the album.

MUTILATOR: [I] guess lyrically, His Majesty is something between good and evil. It’s kinda lyrical occultism with a lot of poetic sensation.

How do you think His Majesty at the Swamp compares to the other two legendary records that came from Greece in 1993, Thy Mighty Contract and Crossing the Fiery Path? What efforts were made in Varathron to distinguish this band from Rotting Christ and Necromantia?

NECROABYSSIOUS: Yes, I think it is a great album, like the two debut albums of the other bands. In that time, Varathron was in a [more] negative place than the other bands. First, I was working in my hometown, Ioannina, and I didn’t have much free time to visit Athens. Secondly, the “curse” with the lineup continued. After the recordings of His Majesty at the Swamp, Jim Necroslaughter left the band [due to] serious family problems. He moved to Australia with his family. So, I was left alone with Jim Mutilator once more. Jim gave all his attention to Rotting Christ and Varathron [remained] back. I was the only one who fought against the odds and remained immortal with that band. Because it is a part of my life; it is my “child,” which I grew from the ashes. If you see the facts, the two other bands signed with Osmose Records with big marketing, and we signed to a small label from Holland. As I told you, I was moved from Athens to Ioannina, 450 km, so, you know, in that time I was a “stranger” in the scene. I hope you understand me! Believe me, in those hard times, I felt like a “hero” because I succeeded to keep my band alive.

VORSKAATH: No efforts were made to distinguish anything at all. I didn’t feel a need to distinguish myself from what those bands were doing.

Au contraire; the feeling of camaraderie was one that bonded our work, rather than separated it. I think that His Majesty at the Swamp compares very favorably to both those albums. By nature of the fact that we recorded at the same studio as Rotting Christ and used much [of] the same equipment—computerized drumming and the same guitar and processing—there are greater similarities with Thy Mighty Contract in terms

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of sound. Compositionally, each of the three albums had something different to offer, [as well as] in terms of legacy. From what I see, all three share a great appreciation as albums that launched the so-called Greek sound.

MUTILATOR: [I] think these three albums are true masterpieces for the worldwide black metal scene, and not only Greece. I think even though you can find common roots in these three albums, each of them has its own personality and its own philosophy.

What kind of a deal did you get by signing with Cyber Music?

NECROABYSSIOUS: After all the bad luck, we signed with Cyber Music because he gave us money for the studio recordings. The label made good work, but it was a small label without strong distribution around the world. Of course, the guy, his name was Ted, if I remember right, and he made the best of that. The label does not exist anymore, and now I own the rights of that release.

VORSKAATH: I regret to say to your readers and state for the record, that I, to date, I have not made a single cent for my contribution to this album, despite the numerous pressings and editions that float around. I received five CDs of the original Cyber Music pressing from Necroabyssious and three copies of the first vinyl pressing from Molon Lave Records. That is all.

Since 1993. Need I say more? Readers can draw their own conclusion.

MUTILATOR: It was a typical contract, paying studio expenses and free copies for the band.

His Majesty at the Swamp has been reissued numerous times. For new fans out there, which version would you say is the definitive one to own?

That album has been re-released so many times because the fans ask for it and they are looking for it. I think the greatest version is the Malaysian version [on Metalzone], a great digipak CD with a poster inside and a great cover that kills! Of course, we have a lot of bootleg versions around the world from the mid-’90s.

VORSKAATH: I only have the original CD and LP. I have not seen or been given any other edition or royalty for my work. Mysteriously.

MUTILATOR: In my eyes, every reissue has its own value, but I can say that those ones of Molon Lave, Agonia and Pagan Records were more than great.

NECROABYSSIOUS:

Back in ’93, did you have any idea that His Majesty at the Swamp would become such an important album? Did you realize that you were making something truly unique back then, that this record would be one of three to define what is now known as Hellenic black metal?

NECROABYSSIOUS:

We never imagined the great

success of the album. From the other side, we put in all our passion, all the flame that burns inside of us, all the fresh thoughts and ideas, and the results were so awesome. The album has one of the most characteristic sounds in the true Hellenic black metal scene! I feel so great when I read faithful words from our friends/fans around the world. It’s a feeling that gives me more power to continue to create unholy psalms until the end!

VORSKAATH: Certainly not. Authentic music-making that comes from the soul is, to me, separate from the processes of marketing and goading audience acceptance. It stems from a different part of the brain. An artist creates primarily in order to express him or herself out of necessity.

A good auxiliary team, along with good technical facility and uniqueness on the side of the artist, can make that expression marketable and accepted by an audience. But those items are

“I have never made any money at all from this album, so all that remains is the appreciation that I receive and the knowledge that this music has touched other human beings from all over the world.”

VO RSKAAT H not always necessarily connected. I was writing music as part of my personal expression as a young teenager and knowing full well that I was part of an emerging musical movement, but I had no ambition or expectation. Now, 26 years later, when people tell me that they consider His Majesty at the Swamp an enjoyable or even a significant album for what was to come, I feel pleased.

Because the listener understood what it was that I was trying to convey with my sub-rudimentary skills. And that is the greatest reward I could be given, first and foremost: to emotionally touch a complete stranger with music. As I said earlier, I have never made any money at all from this album, so all that remains is the appreciation that I receive and the knowledge that this music has touched other human beings from all over the world. No, a young boy could not have expected that when recording this album.

MUTILATOR: To be honest, we just did what we loved most, giving no shit what the future brings forth.

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What did you hope fans at the time took away from His Majesty at the Swamp?

NECROABYSSIOUS: All of our albums are a mystic journey beyond the corridors of Hades, a manifest to darkness. So, when you hear our first album, you feel the apocryphal atmosphere, the abysmal melodies drilling your mind, the bizarre riffs that take you into other dimensions. When you hear this album, you live it with your soul and mind.

VORSKAATH: The honesty that I felt whilst doing what I did. My technical limitations are evident, but as a teenager and an autodidact musician that attempted to play several instruments—this [was] my first attempt, and it eventually became my modus operandi—that was the best I could express. The feeling at the time around the world with the bands that we were in touch [with] was that we were all involved in creating something new and unique, and this album was part of my efforts to add to this rebellious movement, alongside my work with Agatus and Zemial.

MUTILATOR: It’s an album that includes a part of our souls; or let’s say it’s our black flowers of our youth. The fans must close their eyes and travel with it in our chaos of good and evil.

Looking back, how do you feel about His Majesty at the Swamp now? Whether it’s the songwriting, the production, the cover art, the lyrics—how do you feel about it today, 26 years later?

NECROABYSSIOUS: The feelings are the same; I don’t have any problems with the studio recordings and the general production. Besides, it was 1993 and there was only one studio in Greece recording extreme music, Storm Studios.

After so many years now, I still love that album, and when we play it onstage, the feedback from the people around us is pure magic!

Really, I can’t describe the whole fantastic situation with words!

VORSKAATH: I am mostly critical of my own work on the album, but I recognize that each listener has an entirely different point of view, depending upon the circumstances with which he/she became acquainted [with] the album.

I would have liked to do things differently, as with most of my music, but I see it as a snapshot in time—my young self in 1993—and that, I embrace without hesitation. I think it would have been nice for me to have been credited properly for all of my contributions to the album, with the correct name and the instruments I performed, but in time the word got out, and this is now established. What is there left to feel? Today, in 2019, Decibel magazine commemorates it in its Hall of Fame, alongside legendary albums. Which creator would not feel contented? Thank you!

MUTILATOR: In my poor opinion, it is a perfect album—a really cult release that deserves its place in black metal history.

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Jeff Becerra and

POSSESSED

complete the long, 30-year road to comeback album Revelations of Oblivion STORY BY

JUSTIN M. NORTON

PHOTOS BY

LEVAN TK

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HE SECOND TIME JEFF BECERRA ALMOST DIED

was in Europe during the summer of 2008. He’d worked so many hours sitting in his wheelchair that he ended up getting a pressure sore on his tailbone. A Possessed tour beckoned overseas, and Becerra reasoned that he’d merely be uncomfortable on the road. “It started at work, but I said, ‘Fuck it, I can be sick on tour, too,’” Becerra, 50, remembers. “The pressure sore was tunneling its way into my back and hips. I don’t think anyone realized how sick I was. You could smell the rotting flesh. After we played in Finland, I collapsed, and my body stopped working. I locked up like a stone statue.” ¶ Much like when he was shot in 1989, the prognosis was grim: a severe bone infection called osteomyelitis. Becerra spent days heavily medicated in a Paris hospital before it was safe to relocate him to Los Angeles. It was an arduous recovery. At one point, the 6-foot, 3-inch Becerra weighed 105 lbs.

The road didn’t get easier once his long hospitalization ended. For the better part of the next decade, he spent most of his time in his family’s Butte County, CA home (other than sporadically leaving to play shows).

The time, however, wasn’t wasted. Becerra’s lyrics and work for Possessed—the seminal Northern California band that introduced death metal to the world with Seven Churches—were always fueled by a wild imagination. He took the opportunity to think and dream. He read books, watched horror movies, thought up licks, sketched ideas. Forgetting about death metal wasn’t an option. Becerra largely walked away from the music in the ’90s after he was nearly killed during a robbery, only to realize that his life was inextricably linked with the music he started making when he was a teenager.

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It turns out that death was yet again no match for the man who helped birth one of the most influential bands in metal’s half-century history. Becerra previously willed himself back from a shooting that left him a paraplegic.

The vocalist/bassist forged ahead and slowly cobbled together the pieces for a band worthy of being called Possessed, a revered name in extreme metal. The long and sometimes taxing comeback has resulted in the third Possessed album, Revelations of Oblivion, a startlingly powerful record that taps into the dark magic of the band’s earliest recordings. It is the first new

Possessed recording since their swansong EP, The Eyes of Horror, 32 years ago.

The secret to Revelations of Oblivion: finding musicians who understood fidelity. Becerra surrounded himself with death metal lifers who were moved as teenagers when they first heard Seven Churches or Beyond the Gates. There is a certain mystique to the Possessed recordings that goes beyond the notes, similar to the blues recordings of Son House, Lead Belly and Skip James, or Arthur Brown’s eerie psychedelia.

There is also the case of precedent: Seven Churches was released in 1985, two years before Death’s Scream Bloody Gore, four years before Obituary’s Slowly We Rot and a half-decade before Entombed’s Left Hand Path. It is, without question, the first death metal album, following their creation of the term “death metal” just a year earlier.

Seven Churches was, much like Mercyful Fate’s Don’t Break the Oath, an album shrouded in mystique, an album released at the height of the ’80s Satanic panic that made you think the people who were making the music might be serious.

Revelations, produced by Becerra and guitarist Daniel Gonzalez, and mixed and mastered by Peter Tägtgren (who also helped bring Celtic Frost’s revered comeback LP Monotheist to life), recreates that mystique without being a retread or an effort to cash in on past glories. “There was talk about keeping it old-school Possessed because it is a fragile thing,” says bassist Robert Cardenas, who joined the band in 2012. “That’s what the fans love, and we needed to be careful with how we handle that. It sounds exactly like the old-school Possessed, except with modern technology. Jeff’s life was put on hold, but he deserves to be up there with the other guys that started this.”

Becerra is the soul of the band and record, both a visionary for new music and a source of inspiration for his bandmates. “Jeff is a warrior,” says longtime friend and Possessed drummer Emilio Marquez, who has worked with Becerra since the early 2000s Possessed lineup that included members of his former band, Sadistic Intent. “He has fought death like four or five times, at least twice since I have been with him. It was tough, but he has a big family and there is a lot of love there, and he fought through it. Even when he was sick, the drive of the music was still going. Some people don’t have any drive, and they die. But this guy was completely committed to coming back.”

While the release of Revelations of Oblivion will lead to renewed focus on Becerra’s personal triumphs, the frontman is adamant that what matters is his work, not the path he endured to release it. “The goal of any paraplegic is to be recognized as a man, not a man in a chair,” Becerra says. “I know people talk about the phoenix from the ashes, but I’m never coming back. I’m going to be fucked up and hurt the rest of my life. But I can make

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my music, and I have my children, and that’s all that matters to me: to make some good fucking death metal.”

Becerra’s sister Carolyn, a teacher, isn’t surprised that there’s a new Possessed album almost two decades into the 21st century. “Jeff was born with this drive to take everything to the maximum level,” she says. “Getting to watch his musical career over the years, none of this surprises me, because he is forever changing and forever moving forward.”

She notes that even after his severe illness, he never discussed quitting: “We have a huge family and a large community. Whenever he went anywhere, there was someone who knew him or had a connection. And they celebrate all of the things he’s done, even the nurses.

“He has this support group around him, and that allowed him to get through these things, to let us carry him through it,” Carolyn continues.

“He always rallies back. I can’t say I could do the same thing if I were in that situation. That’s not to say any of this was easy, and he’s always been honest about what he is feeling and what he needed. But having people close to him that he could talk openly with probably helped. He has so many blessings in his life. He leans on the one thing that is positive rather than the things that are going wrong.”

Even with those blessings, Becerra has to work that much harder to make the routine business of touring and recording happen. He purchased a special $1,000 portable hospital mattress that allows him to sleep comfortably on a bus or on a hotel bed. He tries to eat right and exercise selfcare. The strength it takes to play shows and get on the road isn’t lost on his bandmates. “He went through a horrible ordeal,” Cardenas says. “He was able to rise up, and even when he was rising up, it wasn’t easy.”

Revelations of Oblivion arrives roughly 13 years after Possessed reformed. From the relentless gallop of “No More Room in Hell” to the riffing tsunami of “Shadowcult,” the record seems contemporary, yet a trip back to the early ’80s in the best way. There’s no mystery to the wait; Possessed required certain people that could deliver a particular sound. “Possessed is my band, and started with me, and will die with me,” Becerra says. “I want Possessed to have a particular sound. I tried to keep that. It’s easy to go overkill and put out some technical riffing, but that’s not what we are shooting for. We are shooting for that vibe, that feeling that is Possessed. It’s not like it’s super hard to play, but it’s a vibe and an atmosphere that has to come from the soul.”

And so, a story that began more than four decades ago will, finally, get the third chapter.

“I’m not finished. I got interrupted,” Becerra stresses. “I want to finish where I was going when I got interrupted in a very hardcore manner. I don’t know if I’m stubborn, but I am going to finish what I was doing.”

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SEVEN CHURCHES

THE STORY OF Possessed begins in a suburban

Bay Area community of Pinole, about a halfhour outside of San Francisco, where two bands (Possessed and Blizzard) joined together to play metal. The reconfigured Possessed spent the better part of 1983 in the proverbial woodshed, and then released their first demo, Death Metal, in 1984. The recording caught the attention of young label impresario Brian Slagel at Metal Blade, who shepherded the early careers of Metallica and Slayer. While the song “Swing of the Axe” was included on the sampler Metal Massacre 6, Slagel opted not to sign the band, one of the few oversights in the label’s early history.

Possessed instead signed with Combat Records, which released Seven Churches in 1985—the formative lineup included Becerra, guitarist Larry

Even when [Becerra] was sick, the drive of the music was still going.

Some people don’t have any drive, and they die.

But this guy was completely committed to coming back.

EMILIO MARQUEZ LaLonde (who later played in Primus), guitarist Mike Torrao and drummer Mike Sus. Despite the competition in the Bay Area thrash scene, the album made an immediate impression on kids looking for the most extreme music they could find, and seduced many with the opening sounds of “Tubular Bells” leading into “The Exorcist.”

Photographer Harald Oimoen, who shot the images on the back of the album (see sidebar) and later co-authored the Bay Area thrash metal history Murder in the Front Row, says that Possessed were going to different musical places than other Bay Area metal bands.

“They were kind of like the second or third wave of bands,” Oimoen says. “When they first came out, people thought they were Slayer clones because of the armbands until people realized there was so much more. The impact wasn’t that big in the Bay Area until they estab-

lished themselves. They were different, and there wasn’t much to compare them to—the only thing that was close to them was Death, but that was later in Florida.”

Autopsy drummer and vocalist Chris Reifert, another death metal O.G. who played on Death’s debut Scream Bloody Gore, heard the Death Metal demo and remained “juiced” for the album. “I think that was one of the albums where I went to the record store the day it came out and watched the record store dude pull the LPs out of the UPS boxes,” Reifert says. “I wouldn’t say it influenced me musically, but I’ve been playing the fuck out of that record for decades now, and it still sounds just as good as it did on day one. As for playing death metal, those cards had already been dealt. It was just a matter of time before I played my hand.

But this record came at a time when I was absorbing any and all of the heaviest, fastest stuff I could find, and my desire to play music reflected that.”

Andrew Corson, a San Francisco native who now hosts the Fathoming Heavy podcast, first discovered Seven Churches in a city record store when he was 13, not too long after he first heard Slayer’s Hell Awaits. He said the album had an aura that few underground contemporaries were able to replicate—a sense of palpable menace. He studied the record during a bus ride home. “The front looked so elegant with the logo with the flames and the upside-down cross and the words Seven Churches embossed in black,” he says. “Even the title Seven Churches—all of these Satanicleaning titles were more overt, but Seven Churches could go any way. The ambiguity of it was that much more effective.

“I had never heard anything like it before,” Corson continues. “There was a lot of extreme and intense music happening for me then, but nothing like Seven Churches. It was like thrash metal, but there was an intricacy to the riffs that I did not hear in bands like Exodus and Slayer. The songs were like bombastic bursts, but it was also muddy and murky. There was so much going on.”

Seven Churches also landed in the Midwest, on the East Coast, all around the world. Oimoen remembers that Possessed were treated like heroes when they played in Seattle. Ricktor Ravensbrück, who recently played guitar with occult rockers Coven and was the lead guitarist for ’90s industrial-metal hybrid the Electric Hellfire Club, worked as a shipping clerk at a Milwaukee record store that served as a large distributor for mom ‘n’ pops throughout the Midwest in 1985. He got first looks at new records when they came off the trucks. One of those records was Seven Churches.

“I didn’t know what the fuck it was, but I knew it’d be coming home with me,” Ravensbrück says. “The demonic logo with the inverted cross and devil tail looked amazing— evil and cool as fuck—and the pics of the band members on the back even more so. Is that one guy perched on top of his Marshalls enveloped in smoke, and is that blood? I think I was hooked before I even heard the record.”

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Ravensbrück brought the record back to a townhouse he shared with friends and bandmates called “The Metal Manor,” and put it on the communal stereo. “Sure, we were all Slayer fans already and couldn’t get enough of new, heavy music, but this was by far the most extreme,” he says. “I recall discussing how many listens it took just to begin comprehending what they were even doing. We hadn’t heard the term ‘death metal’ until then. I’d go on to play in heavy bands that strove to be as heavy and, well, flat-out as evil as we perceived Possessed to be.”

Broken Hope guitarist and author Jeremy Wagner still owns an original Seven Churches shirt that he received from Possessed manager Debbie Abono (who also managed Broken Hope in the ’90s). “I recall thinking that these guys were gonna give Slayer and Venom a run for their money in the area of evil imagery and sick riffs,” Wagner says. “This also when I first heard the term ‘death metal.’ To this day, the Possessed influence resonates through me—the main riff in ‘The Exorcist’ is still diabolical and inspiring—and resonates through so many legendary bands, many of whom have paid tribute by covering their songs.”

Possessed’s initial heyday was short-lived.

Follow-up Beyond the Gates was released in 1986 and wasn’t embraced like their debut, although it has aged remarkably well. The band then worked with a young producer named Joe

Satriani on The Eyes of Horror EP. Becerra’s life, however, was about to change.

THE DESCENT

IN 1989, Becerra was headed home when he was shot during an attempted robbery. One of the bullets went through his lungs and lodged in his spine. When his sister Carolyn found his hospital room, she walked up to his bed and said that he had to make it. “No matter what, he knew he was going to be paralyzed,” she says. “We knew that already. It was just him and me in the room. I told him, ‘You aren’t going to die,’ and he said, ‘If I live, I’m going to be paralyzed.’ And [he] said, ‘We can work with that.’ A priest was close to giving him his last rites, and he was thinking about how to move forward. He knew it was going to be a battle, but at the same time he had some sort of understanding [that] it would work out.”

Becerra somehow recovered, but ended up a paraplegic. He sought solace in drugs and alcohol, and in the mid-’90s spent years in an apartment in El Sobrante, CA next door to bikers and prostitutes. “I’d always fucked with shit since I was about 15,” he says. “I tried to kill myself with drugs and alcohol for about five years. I just did all kinds of dope, and it was a dark period.”

His daily routine changed little. He’d wake up and smoke a bowl, or maybe inject

BE HIN D TH E PH OTO S Harald Oimoen, who captured many formative moments of ’80s Bay Area metal in photos and later co-authored the book Murder in the Front Row with Brian Lew, took the iconic images on the back of Seven Churches in a backyard in Pinole, CA. He shared the story of the infamous shoot with Decibel:

“We planned to do the shoot a few times. The first time, Debbie [Abono, Possessed manager] had a tidy little house where Possessed had a practice room. We thought it would be cool if we could use an orange smoke bomb. We set it off in the basement where they practiced, and it was the biggest mistake ever made because it filled the entire house with smoke. Debbie came running downstairs and we all had to run outside because we were choking. Then a whole cloud descended on the neighborhood. Fortunately, we didn’t get in any trouble.

“The second time was after Exodus and Possessed played Ruthie’s Inn. We had a party and everyone stayed up all night. We were still drunk on Everclear. Jeff [Becerra] was painting his fingernails black with a Sharpie, and I remember [Exodus guitarist] Gary Holt said, ‘You can’t

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use a Sharpie! You need to use black fingernail polish!’ Debbie’s son had made a fog machine out of a pickle barrel and an air-dryer, and it was very effective. We tried a bunch of other stuff, like a hibachi; we set a bunch of lighter fluid on fire and they stood in front of flames. Basically, everything was set on fire—that’s how the cross came into play. It was like Beavis and Butt-Head.

“For some reason, Debbie had these huge white Styrofoam blocks, and when we arranged them in the background, they looked like icebergs. We made the blood out of food coloring and corn syrup, and we tracked it all over the house. There were big footprints all over the house. We set everything on fire, even drumsticks. When Larry [LaLonde, guitar] went to do his shots, we set up and he was so wasted he couldn’t stand on the Marshalls, and someone had to hold his legs.

People said [the photos] gave them a vibe that [Possessed] were evil and they weren’t joking around. The Satanism thing was very infamous then, and they played it up. I had no idea that these would become such iconic shots.” —JUSTIN M. NORTON

methamphetamine. Then he would play his guitar, listen to music. Because of his limited mobility, he made money as a drug dealer. “I don’t get angry so much because the people who shot me didn’t have anything,” Becerra says. “They didn’t have a foundation. I was maybe mad at myself that I let my guard down. I was just hurt. I mean, I had my legs taken away. It was emotionally paralyzing. You have to learn to dress and feed yourself and use the restroom, even learn how to have sex again. It takes a lot of courage. In hindsight, I should have dealt with it and not gotten fucked up, but that was my process of connecting the pieces, almost like a broken jigsaw puzzle.”

Despite his struggles, his family continued to support him. His sister visited to clean dishes, or just to have the occasional conversation. “We let him know that we would support him when he was ready to make the changes,” Carolyn admits, “but we weren’t going to participate in any of this.”

The metal world never forgot Jeff Becerra.

He received demos in the mail from bands like Morbid Angel, as well as offers to make guest appearances. He practiced and wrote lyrics and music. Eventually, he tired of his addictions and worked to get clean. “If you eat pizza every day, you will eventually die or say, ‘No more fucking pizza,’” he says. “My method of getting off dope was to do so much I’d either die or get sick of it.

So, that’s what I did.”

Becerra methodically rebuilt his life outside of music. He attended Contra Costa College in San Pablo, CA, where he earned straight As, then transferred to San Francisco State, where he majored in labor studies and was a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society.

After college, he landed a job as a labor representative for a large hospital, got married and started a family. Life was good. “I had a stable union job and health care, and it worked out perfect,” he says. “We bought our first house and had a son and a daughter.”

Carolyn says her brother developed the strength to make a comeback from their parents, who are involved with Possessed. “You don’t have a choice but to work in our family,” she emphasizes. “Our father broke generational chains and is truly our hero. Jeff and I watched that work ethic. You didn’t have a choice but to be strong, because that is what they modeled. That foundation was there.”

THE REBIRTH

EARLY IN THE 21ST CENTURY, Jeff Becerra real-

ized how much he missed music. With no job and no safety net, he decided to walk away from his straight career and start refocusing on music around the time his marriage dissolved. The issue was finding the right people—musicians who wouldn’t just play the songs on the road, but could recreate what made Possessed so vital in the early-to-mid-’80s.

“It’s been a 36-year struggle to find a group of guys that work like brothers,” Becerra says.

“If you get one bad apple, that could throw the whole cart. We didn’t want people who could just play the songs, but who could be part of the family, could be like brothers. This record is all about having the right members.”

There’s no mystery about the 13-year gap between reforming Possessed and releasing an album: There could no be record without the right lineup. “It might seem like this just came together, bam, but we’ve been going around the world and touring,” Becerra says. “Possessed had to be something we grew into. I wanted the real Possessed together, and that snapped in with this lineup. Once we had the right guys, I knew we could present Possessed the way I wanted to, and not Possessed the rehash. All of us ate, slept and breathed making this record for three years.”

The first piece of that puzzle was Marquez, who came into the fold when Sadistic Intent backed Becerra on a cover of “The Exorcist” on Possessed tribute The Seven Gates of Horror, which also featured Vader, Cannibal Corpse and Absu. Becerra drove down to Los Angeles in a white Cadillac retrofitted for paraplegics, and the pair struck an instant friendship. “When we started talking, I would almost be finishing his sentences,” Marquez says. “He’s like a brother to me.”

In 2010, the other members of Sadistic Intent moved on, but Becerra forged ahead. The next

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connection was critical: Daniel Gonzalez, the youngest member of Possessed, who handles the bulk of songwriting along with Becerra.

Gonzalez came into Possessed thanks to a meeting at Maryland Deathfest. “I met the guys in 2010 at MDF, and I geeked out when I met Emilio and Jeff,” Gonzalez says. “I even met Jeff’s dad, Ben. My girlfriend at the time had a fanzine, and every few months she put out interviews.

She interviewed Jeff right around the time the lineup was changing. I didn’t have a band and she said, ‘Maybe my boyfriend can try out.’ So, I ended up talking to Emilio, and somehow I just had to get out there to audition. I had to learn 18 songs in two weeks. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I booked a flight to L.A. with no expectations.”

He got the job.

rounded musician. When Claudeous first came in, we started jamming. He knows Rush and all this stuff. Emilio and I like Rush, so it was fun— we were even jamming Dio and Black Sabbath.”

Creamer, the most recent addition, is another Northern California metal veteran who grew up listening to Possessed, and remembers wearing out the Seven Churches tape in the mid-’80s. He previously played in a band called Serpent & Seraph, and reached out to Becerra about a guitarist opening in 2016. It turns out he’d already been repeatedly recommended to Becerra. “I was shocked when he wrote to me,” Creamer says. “Jeff said over 100 people came back with my name.”

Creamer flew into Los Angeles for the rehearsal after learning the bulk of Seven Churches. He said that the band made him feel like part of the family. It didn’t hurt that he immediately nailed most of the songs. Still, it took Creamer a while before like he felt like his playing reflected what the music required. “My background is European power metal, and it took me a bit to acquire this feel,” he admits. “I was playing all the parts right, but there is a certain feeling that has to go into it. I have it now, but it took a lot of work. It’s something I had to grow into. As far as anyone else could tell, it was right, but there was a feeling I had to acquire, something in myself.

“Jeff an incredible guy,” Creamer continues.

“Every time I’m with him, I am amazed by how driven he is and how much he loves doing this.

We talk a lot, but it’s about what is to come. We don’t talk about the old days. We have so much on the plate, so it’s all about what’s going to happen.”

I’m not finished.

I got interrupted.

I want to finish where I was going when I got interrupted in a very hardcore manner.

I don’t know if I’m stubborn, but I am going to finish COURTING OBLIVION what I was doing.

BECERRA, GONZALEZ AND the rest of Possessed

JEFF BECERRA Cardenas didn’t make it after an initial audition, but eventually proved to be a fit. The death metal lifer grew up on a steady diet of Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath, and was turned on to Possessed in 1988 from a friend; he remembers that he “never heard anything like it.” “As a musician, you want stuff that was more challenging, and Possessed was one of the bands I liked,” Cardenas says. “I figured out how some of the songs were put together, so I knew the structure of their stuff, but I never would guess I was going to be in the band.”

Fitting into Possessed demands much more than a command of death metal standards. Both Cardenas and second guitarist Claudeous Creamer have formidable jazz and classic rock chops, and often improvise before practice. “You should be able to do some jazz or classic rock to be in this band,” Cardenas says. “You need to be a well-

went into the studio in Los Angeles in late 2018 with substantial expectations. Gonzalez, also the guitarist for Death homage band Gruesome, says he naturally favors an old-school approach, but he and Becerra relentlessly critiqued the material on Revelations to make sure it sounded right. “Everyone knew there was pressure, but we have the confidence that we know what good music is,” Gonzalez says. “We go over it, criticize, and we try to keep it as old-school as possible. That’s the way I play, but everyone else tried to do the same. The songs are oldschool, but in a new-school way.”

Becerra helped write almost half of the music, and also provided guidance on the bass riffs. He says that he and Gonzalez have developed into a “death metal Lennon and McCartney”: “I write some bass patterns, and he puts them together like a co-conspirator. This also acclimated Dan to what Possessed is about, and our entire vibe.”

One of the noticeable changes in Revelations is Becerra’s voice, which is more discernible than his wounded howl on Seven Churches. Still, it’s probably a stretch to call his work on Revelations “clean vocals.” “I like it better the way it is now,”

Becerra reckons. “I was listening to the old stuff and you can’t understand it. Part of the direction we are going in is to hear the words rather than being uber-heavy doubling the vocals.” The material is still dark and tied into the occult themes that Possessed did before almost anyone.

Becerra says he was influenced by the works of Stoker and Lovecraft in writing esoteric and occult lyrics: “I like things that go into the dark recesses of the human condition since I’ve been to some very dark places.”

Perhaps the most crucial thing about Revelations: It doesn’t sound like Seven Churches, but it does sound like Possessed. “I didn’t want a second Seven Churches. We’re never going to be able to achieve that,” Gonzalez says. “All I wanted to do is make songs that sound like the band never broke up and started writing an album in 2018. Once I have the actual album in my hands, I will know every single beat in all of the songs. There are pictures of me during the recording with my face on my hands. I didn’t want any mistakes, and I don’t want someone to get the record and think, ‘I could have something better.’

I’ll just be happy knowing people like the record and want to hear it.”

EVIL WARRIORS

AFTER ALL OF HIS TRAVAILS, Jeff

Becerra’s life is back where he wants it. He is touring regularly, and has an album coming out on a large metal label (Nuclear Blast). He works to stay as comfortable as he can at home and on the road. After every show, he hangs out late and relishes the fact that he is still able to perform. His bandmates recall that when they played a concert in Thailand, Becerra stayed in the club until almost 4 a.m. meeting fans and signing his old albums.

New generations of metal fans were born and raised during the decades he suffered, worked a straight job, slowly rebuilt his band.

When Becerra and Possessed played in Oakland, as close to a hometown show as they could get, he asked the audience how many people were seeing his band for the first time. Most of the hands in the room shot up.

“As I gradually started doing long tours with them, I realized he was sacrificing more than people would ever think,” Cardenas says of Becerra. “That’s when I became one of Jeff’s evil warriors. Nobody understands the sacrifices, but I’ve seen it. He is sacrificing a lot, and I hope people realize that. I think what drives him is [that] he loves to get a reaction from the people.

When he finishes the show, he doesn’t go until everyone gets a greeting.”

Human connections remain crucial— whether it’s Becerra’s two children, his parents, his family in California or the brothers in the latest lineup. Carolyn says that she considers everyone in the new incarnation of

Possessed an extension of the family. “There was always conflict in the old lineups, but the people that are there now feel like family,” she says. “They are solid. They all watch out for each other, and even take care of my dad. They absolutely adore my mom. It does feel like an extension of the family, and that makes it easy to travel together.”

Jeff Becerra is now able to contemplate life not just beyond the gates, but beyond the chair.

Long before the shooting and his tribulations, there was music that kindled a fire, a fire that

never extinguished, but instead blossomed into an entire genre of extremity. Becerra’s metal legacy was intact with his first record, but the strength he shows to both create and deliver a record like Revelations makes his legacy (and example) that much more powerful.

“When I first started this, I wasn’t even sure people would want to hear Possessed,” Becerra says. “It seems like all the suffering and all the hard years trying to get back to where I could play again were all for a reason. It all makes sense again. I am back where I need to be.”

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6 2 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

INSIDE ≥

64 AMON AMARTH Did he say "making fuck?"

64 BAD RELIGION More like Dad Religion

ALL THE NOISE THAT FITS

70 MORK K.O.!

70 NOCTURNUS AD Evil, but also in various locations 72 ORIGIN Cosmo genesis, indeed

Going Straight Through My Head

JUNE

15

Hard 'N Heavy Grindcore Special references

12

Clerks references

5 1

Mork & Mindy references

Snot reference

FULL OF HELL push the limits of grind at an accelerated clip

Y

ou may find it tough to consider a Full of Hell record much of an event. Since 2009, the band has over 20 releases, including multiple splits, EPs and collaborations. This is only FULL OF their fourth solo full-length, but it comes less than two years after HELL their previous LP, and they still managed to cram some other stuff Weeping Choir RELAPSE in between. So, should we really be that excited about Weeping Choir?

Yes. Fuck yes. ¶ Despite FOH’s varied output, they’re still seen more as a grind band than anything else, especially with that previous LP, Trumpeting Ecstasy, residing fairly in their comfort zone. It seems now, though, they’ve decided it’s time to move forward, and this is the closest they’ve come to full equity between that traditional sound and the noise/industrial they’ve been tinkering with for years. ¶ Roughly half the album’s length comes from three songs meted out as a counterweight to the blast beats:

ILLUSTRATION BY MARK RUDOLPH [MARKRUDOLPH.COM]

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“Rainbow Coil” is a clattering transmogrification of drums and screams, while “Angels Gather Here” is a mechanical trampling in the vein of Author & Punisher pulled down a deeper, uglier hole.

But lurking about halfway through is “Armory of Obsidian Glass,” which may be the quartet’s most fully realized endeavor. Sludge, black metal, the chants of a haunted chorus and even some (brief) clean guitar is all thrown into an extreme music medley that methodically builds and falls, covering a massive amount of sonic territory.

Full of Hell actually remain experts at cruising through a hundred different sub-sub-genres, and if these few tracks were stricken from your playlist, there are still minute-long bursts of terrible pain that show how versatile they can be in tight spaces. If the last album had more bits of crust and hardcore, this is a turn towards death metal, but FOH move through a wealth of influences quickly and fluently.

And while any recording will fall short of their live shows, returning engineer Kurt Ballou brings the proceedings here terrifyingly close to that inherent danger and self-flagellation, especially with the clarity of the drums (seriously, listen to that ride bell!) and the vocals; if there’s one advantage to being a workhorse, it’s that frontman Dylan Walker has been able to sharpen his highs and carve out his lows to be as brutal an instrument as everything else.

You may not have been expecting a new album

by Full of Hell. And with so much of their stuff already out there to digest, this may not be super high on your priority list. But even if you put it off until later, Weeping Choir will be one of the best albums of the year—in whatever year you finally listen to it. —SHANE MEHLING

AMON AMARTH

9

Berserker

M E TA L B L A D E

Their love for you is like a truck

Since 2008’s Twilight of the Thunder God, Amon Amarth have steadily solidified their status as Biggest Viking Metal Band in the World with a series of albums that, while not exactly reinventing their sound, still captured enough energy to make their fans happy.

2016’s Jomsviking was a cautious step in a more accessible direction, but three years later, Amon Amarth have undergone a refreshing change in vision on Berserker. Teaming up with mainstream rock producer Jay Ruston, album number 11 is streamlined and prioritizes strong melodies, yet doesn’t compromise the intensity of the band’s trademark sound. In so doing, they’ve created their strongest work in a decade.

The first half of Berserker is as powerful as anything Amon Amarth have ever recorded.

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“Fafner’s Gold” storms out of the gates and “Valkyria” echoes 2002’s Versus the World, while the rampaging “Raven’s Flight” puts listeners right in the longships as the Vikings sail towards war. The thunderous “Crack the Sky” and the Maiden-esque “Mjolner, Hammer of Thor” are so catchy, so fun, the continued reliance on the Thor gimmick is easy to excuse. Best of the lot, however, is the masterful “Shield Wall.” Atop a ferocious groove that rivals Bolt Thrower, vocalist Johan Hegg bellows so commandingly that even the meekest listener will feel 10 feet tall: “Warfare! Honor! Glory! Death!”

Led by a powerhouse vocal performance by Hegg, Amon Amarth have proven that not only is it okay for an artist to step outside their comfort zone, but when done right, as it is here, it can seem liberating. —ADRIEN BEGRAND

BAD RELIGION

8

Age of Unreason EP ITA P H

Ageless insurrection

Setting aside quibbles over minor outliers such as Into the Unknown (1983) and the yuletide covers comp Christmas Songs (2013)—far better than its rep and some too-cute-by-half bullshit that should’ve been left to Me First and the Gimme Gimmes—nearly 40 years in, there are no bad Bad Religion records. The band’s composers are punk rock Rachmaninoffs; buzzsaw melodic hardcore Bachs. They are the ultimate underground practitioners of variations on a theme. And, while clearly favoring revolution over evolution, musically speaking, they have cultivated one of the most consistent and consistently enlivening back catalogs in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.

The Los Angeles sextet’s 17th full-length, Age of Unreason, is hardly an exception—no small feat considering it not only follows 2013’s tough-totop opus True North, but also is the first proper release without guitarist Greg Hetson in more than 30 years. (Drummer Brooks Wackerman is likewise out after a run that began with 2002’s The Process of Belief.) Happily, the new blood—the Cult’s former longtime guitarist Mike Dimkich; drummer Jamie Miller, formerly of Snot (?) and Wrathchild America/Souls at Zero (!)—and a sixyear gestation appear to have served as a creative spur. (I’m leaving the “Trump years” out of it.

The lyrical/philosophical content is always brilliant, penetrating and multifaceted, regardless of contemporary political climate.)

Age treats us to the full Bad Religion spectrum, encompassing righteous fury (“Chaos From Within,” “Faces of Grief”), heart-stirring slower tempo beauts (“Lose Your Head,” “My Sanity”), and a manic weirdness (“Do the Paranoid Style,” a rousing, affecting mélange

that situates the record spiritually somewhere between Generator and Recipe for Hate). “Despite darker tendencies,” Greg Graffin croons, “I've always had a strong bias to exist.” That’s one bias worth celebrating. —SHAWN MACOMBER

BAT

8

Axestasy H EL L S H EA DB A N GE RS

What was once old is new again, yet still old

A band is bound by certain obvious limitations when the decision is made to play music with roots deliberately pointed towards early ’80s proto-thrash/speed metal and the NWOBHM. Innovation isn’t a consideration in the slightest, and the main goal is to create something solid enough to be worthy of the attention of those folks who have already heard every trad metal riff there is to hear. Finnish weirdos Begravningsentreprenörerna came the closest these ears have heard to bringing the old world anew with last year’s Jämna Plågor, but then the argument arises as to their lack of “trooth” when they deviated from the blueprint.

Since 2013, Bat has been the outlet for Municipal Waste’s Ryan Waste and Nick Poulos’ exploration of the ’80s metal side of their battle vests.

Given MW’s heavy touring schedule, it’s no surprise it’s been three years since Wings of Chains, the last Bat release. And with an album title like that, it’s also no surprise where they’re coming from.

What is surprising is how vital the wasted duo—along with now ex-drummer Felix Griffin—can make a 40-year-old art form sound.

Opening 1-2-3 punch “Wild Fever,” “Long Live the Lewd” and the slightly more mid-paced “ICE” sound like they’re screaming for vengeance straight outta Lars Ulrich’s teenage record collection, but the energy exuded makes for a throwback original that new fans of English Dogs, Tank, Motörhead and Venom can get behind. The interlude, “Slash of the Blade,” is a misguided momentum killer, but at a mere 13 minutes, Axestasy is direct enough that lovers of both kinds of music—metal and punk—will undoubtedly find something suitable to accompany the necking of Iron Maiden’s brew while crashing through a glass tabletop. —KEVIN STEWART-PANKO

BLACK ANVIL

6

Miles STB

His shadow is gone

After a dozen years of hammering eardrums, Rotten Apple black metal crew Black Anvil have certainly earned the NYBM adorning their crossedscythe logo. Their 2017 full-length, As Was, was

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a game-changer that didn’t so much hint at the band turning a creative corner as it did capture them smashing through misconceived genre boundaries. On their new four-track EP, they pay homage to both their own songwriting growth and the loss of a monumentally talented ally: Selim Lemouchi of the Devil’s Blood, who took his own life in 2014. Titled Miles, it happens to be an anagram of Lemouchi’s first name.

Miles ignites with “Iron Sharpens Iron,” a throwback downcast ripper that pairs fire-forged blasts with clean croons. While it matches “L.T.H.L.T.K.” from Time Insults the Mind in brevity and intensity, it carries solemnity even heavier than the guitars. On the title track, they begin with a riff that sounds like they scorched a Stooges tune. While As Was introduced more prominent melodic warmth, “Miles” doesn’t blend the vocal styles as seamlessly. From emo wails to their familiar snarls and gang-shout punctuations, the song’s identity crisis sinks the verses surrounding a contagious chorus.

When covering “Everlasting Saturnalia” by the Devil’s Blood, Black Anvil opt for dingy goth psych. It’s a complete 180 from the original’s quiet, crisp production, instead slyly referencing the source’s eerie final minute. After 12 minutes of somber tribute, Black Anvil celebrate Lemouchi’s vibrant life with a firecracker cover of Mercyful Fate’s “A Corpse Without Soul.”

Bookended by pitch-perfect solos, they emphatically channel the King’s grandiosity. It’s tough to imagine a more fitting eulogy than reveling in the joy and rapture of Shermann/Denner dual leads. Rest in power. —SEAN FRASIER

DEATH ANGEL

8

Humanicide

NUCLEAR BLAST

Angel of death

To the winners go the spoils, they say. Well, if you’re in a thrash band and you manage to navigate your way through three-plus decades of existence and put out increasingly good albums, you deserve the accolades you’re due. After all, this isn’t an endeavor that has any actual “spoils,” so to speak.

If you’ve gotten this far and are mostly intact, congratulations, you win. Many are those who have not been so lucky.

I remember Death Angel as an impossibly young band in the ’80s that could mostly keep up with the big boys of the day, but probably got a bit of slack because they were, like, 15 at the time. Listening back, though, the band themselves would probably agree that what they’re doing today is better all around. Nothing wrong with youthful enthusiasm, but those early Death Angel albums were spotty compared 6 6 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

to some of the band’s (slightly) older peers at the time.

Which is a roundabout way of saying that Death Angel’s post-millennium releases have killed in ways that their early albums just couldn’t, and that far surpass what many other ’80s bands have done in the modern era. And, honestly, this band refuses to rest on its laurels.

While some of their (older) peers are content to pick a lane and stay in it, Humanicide is ample proof that Death Angel are not content with the spoils—these dudes want more. This has relentless energy, punchy tunes and the usual spotless musicianship that has typified recent releases.

It’s the kind of album we all wanted to Death Angel to make in the golden year of thrash, but they just didn’t have the experience and wisdom to pull it off. Now they do, and we’re all the beneficiaries. —ADEM TEPEDELEN

DREADNOUGHT

8

Emergence

P R O FO U N D LO R E

If this thing had, like, two choruses that I could yell in my car, it would be a 10

Denver’s Dreadnought have hit the sweet spot almost completely on their fourth record, Emergence. Busy, rootsy, melodic and highly conceptual, their take on progressive heavy metal plants a flag on the same distant planet as some of the most beloved bands in metal history. Like who? Here’s a list of names: Enslaved, Opeth, Mastodon, Cormorant. Be they international headliners or cult acts, the people who can bend this unwieldy sound to their will and wield it like a weapon are champions, and Dreadnought deserve to be mentioned in their like.

Like many of those aforementioned bands, Dreadnought evoke Aristotle’s elements in their current album cycle, and Emergence is their fire-themed record. Their Eld, their Remission.

But where a more straightforward act might interpret combustion as pure rage, instead Dreadnought evoke the dryness of kindling in their relatively stripped-down production aesthetic. Guitarist Kelly Schilling and keyboardist Lauren Vieira’s melodious vocals take a backseat to dexterous and furious drumming by Jordan Clancy—his fills crackle and spark like a bonfire in its infancy. Dreadnought know how to make the most of a mellow passage, as well. Schilling’s flute elevates the middlemost track, “Pestilent,” into the album’s highlight.

What separates Dreadnought from their forebears, however, are vocal hooks. Schilling and Vieira sound beautiful, but the arrangements seldom give them a moment to step forward and shine. I wish Emergence gave me something to

sing along to, the way their previous record, A Wake in Sacred Waves, did—in every other respect Dreadnought have stepped their game up.

—JOSEPH SCHAFER

EARTH

6

Full Upon Her Burning Lips SARGENT HOUSE

Kiss me (mostly) deadly

Dylan Carlson must have been longingly reminiscing about his old Morbid Angel longsleeve a few years back, as Earth’s previous album, Primitive and Deadly, signaled a direction back towards metal. With Full Upon Her Burning Lips, they’re again on the country drone tip that gave Carlson a second life with 2005’s Hex. His twang remains a heavy desert air that’s never been quite replicated anywhere else. It’s still prime Earth Mach II. You never hear about the drummer as a crucial part of a drone band, but Adrienne Davis continues to accomplish that here. Her presence is quite vital on much of the shorter tracks, like the push-pull-driven “The Colour of Poison” (basically Earth doing their loose, loose take on AmRep) and “Cats on the Briar,” a slowed-andthrowed two-stepper that’s begging for a Julee Cruise vocal. Carlson’s subdued guitar and Davis’ bluesy shuffle make “Maidens Catafalque” into some kind of ritual to bring Junior Kimbrough back to life.

Davis’ performance helps make the iffy sequencing and pacing more bearable: Lips feels like two EPs stuck together, rather than a full record. Of the two long tracks, “Datura’s Crimson Veils” feels a little rockier (the nine-minute mark has a lick that’s such a tease!) and “She Rides an Air of Malevolence” is more countrypsych, but there’s not much distinguishing the record’s two halves. Nothing wrong with zoning out to Earth, but Lips runs into the danger of that becoming a liability. —ANDY O’CONNOR

THE FUNERAL

8

Discography 2001-2004 HEX

Wake the dead

Damn. It’s really too bad the Funeral didn’t keep it together a little longer or break a little bigger, because this gargantuan 30-track compilation is a straightup metallic hardcore rager. Not in the Wow, this young band had a lot of potential sense, but more like, Holy shit, they had it locked the fuck down and most of us slept on it. Though the Syracuse quintet formed in the long shadow of Earth Crisis and

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admirably approximates the unorthodox attack that made Destroy the Machines and Gomorrah’s Season Ends among the most influential and captivating releases of the ’90s, the Funeral nevertheless fuse the elements together in a considerably different way: On Discography 2001-2004, you’ll hear shades of early Integrity, circa-Scratch the Surface Sick of It All, youth crew-esque sidewinders, and frayed-ends-ofsanity pummelings à la Damnation A.D. and Jesuit—all very good things, people.

“Although we were in a post-Earth Crisis era and there was some uncertainty if anyone was going to ‘pick up the torch,’ so to speak,” guitarist Grant Johnson says of the Syracuse scene at the turn of the century in the extensive liner notes, “some really cool bands had formed going in a few different directions—some much heavier, some more rock-oriented, some more traditional hardcore.” To the band’s credit, the Funeral managed to not only somehow embody all of this, but also make walking the tightrope between deft, melody-positive compositional prowess and pure harrowing brutality appear ridiculously easy. The record will no doubt prompt many listeners to seek out the members’ various current bands— the Flashing Astonishers, Difficult and Dialysis, from what I can gather. And if it should prompt a belated reunion victory lap? All the better.

—SHAWN MACOMBER

GÅRDSGHASTR

9

Slit Throat Requiem P R O FO U N D LO R E

Nightside revisited

Profound Lore’s latest signing of an unknown black metal band came as quite a surprise. Swedish black metal solitudinarian Swartadauþuz, along with dungeon synth producer Glömd on vocals, have joined forces with Alex “Esoterica” Poole and S. Blackburn of USBM elites Chaos Moon.

They call themselves Gårdsghastr.

Then excitement and apprehension met faceto-face with the memory of how boring Twilight were, despite their miraculous lineup. But Gårdsghastr are not the result of some experiment thrown together on a whim by strangers.

Esoterica and Swartadauþuz already have a band together called Ars Hmu. Now, along with Esoterica’s right-hand man S. Blackburn on guitars, bass and keyboards, and former Chaos Moon drummer J, Blackburn keeping these halcyon moments of your wildest black metal fantasies grounded in nevertheless astonishing reality, they make Slit Throat Requiem. The Swede supplied riffs and bass work, but so did Esoterica and S. Blackburn. So, it’s hard to tell where one genius’s ideas end, 6 8 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

and the others’ begin. Honestly it’s meaner than anything they were doing in the ’90s, yet full of so many epic moments of majestic melody as to seem ubiquitous throughout black metal history.

You’ll swear you’ve heard some of these parts before, but you’ll fall short of locating where, when and from whom. Also, Glömd’s traditional and powerful vocal performance deserves praise.

Weaving his eloquent disgust expertly within the mad symphony of his backing band, when this man screams, it feels real and necessary.

Almost exactly an hour long, Slit Throat Requiem is black metal perfection. Yes, this debut sounds very reminiscent of early Emperor, but this is no mere throwback record.

Taking advantage of modern technology while still sounding timeless, the eight compositions feel like a culmination. A breathtaking high point not only for all of the musicians involved, but for black metal itself. —DUTCH PEARCE

HELHEIM

7

Rignir

DARK ESSENCE

Old Vikings, new tricks

In the “Viking metal” chapter of the figurative Book of Heavy Metal, Helheim have (by some great cosmic failure) been relegated to a mere footnote.

Active since ’92, these forward-thinking, ancientminded masterminds have always challenged themselves, furthering their progressive, compelling metal to new heights with each new release… and yet, they fall deep into the shadows of obscurity. Funny how that works, but it has never deterred this long-standing Norwegian unit from its runic passions.

Following 2017’s landawarijaR (which boasted a surprising tribute to Italian progressive rock magnates Premiata Forneria Marconi), Helheim’s own progressive brand of Viking black metal had reached its own proverbial ceiling. The band had become the most ambitious version of itself—over-the-top in mindset, performance and aggression. Breaking through to the sky, Helheim emerge having learned a new lesson: Why push the envelope through prog madness when you can dial it back?

The band’s most “laid back” album to date, Rignir boasts a new character, something more contemplative and sedated. It’s a truly admirable effort; Helheim have reinvented themselves simply through meditation and self-truism.

Unfortunately, they trimmed just a bit too much off, rendering Rignir as more of a stylistic baseline than anything else. It’s a fine album, but just a little too skeletal when compared to the growth and ambition found on previous efforts.

What the band can do moving forward is, well, find new ways to move forward.

And yet, what makes Rignir so exciting to a Helheim fan is its potential. The band has a means of new growth now. The future is exciting once more. —JON ROSENTHAL

HIGH REEPER

5

Higher Reeper H E AV Y P SYC H S O U N D S

Way too easy rider

Philly heshers High Reeper blazed a 2018 debut powered by “weed and speed, all you need.” Iommi pedal buzzing, “Die Slow” nailed Sabbath worship beginning with the album’s first notes, pistol-hot and bearing a live snake for said gun grip. Wait, wait—lemme get another bong rip.

Sparked up by frontman Zach Thomas, guitarists Pat Daly and Andrew Price, bassist Shane Trimble and new drummer Justin Di Pinto, Higher Reeper doesn’t alter its predecessor’s grow except for one tiny detail: Thomas’ vocals.

Where they tuck inside the bell-ringing clamor of the eponymous bow easily and without fuss, here his voice becomes a flat sonic splat dead center in the mix. Reverb, cigarettes even, might have mitigated the lead instrument’s banality, but the amplifier worship rarely achieves the first album’s thorough British bake.

Straight away, “Eternal Leviathan,” “Buried Alive” and “Bring the Dead” dull faster than their titles, given lyrics and articulation that sound like placeholder demos sent out to singer recruits. “Apocalyptic Hymn” whiffs some mojo in the acoustic bits of an old Scorpions ballad, yet it’s all atmosphere and no payload. Ditto the overall production, but in reverse: a low-budget thunder backed by zero personality.

“Foggy Drag” finally down-tunes the best Iommi bend, perhaps the sole instance one realizes that two guitarists live here. Even better, ensuing uptick “Obsidian Peaks” channels Birmingham’s 9.75-fingered riff wizard with a knife thrust up through the lung of a huffing Iommi/ Butler body peel. A perfect opener, “Barbarian” closes the LP astride Thomas nearly bellowing beneath woodchipper axe work.

Too little too late. Higher Reeper harvests no bumper crop. —RAOUL HERNANDEZ

KRYPTS

7

Cadaver Circulation DARK DESCENT

Rotting ways

Cadaver Circulation opens with 30 seconds of blasts and

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growls, sounding for all the world like Krypts are shaking the dust loose. But it isn’t long before they find their range, torpedoing a halting DM groove to conclude “Sinking Transient Waters” with what might adequately be described as ambient death/doom shoegaze. Now, folks, let’s not make that a thing (please), but it is evidence that Krypts are pursuing some higher purpose.

Back in 2013, drummer Otso Ukkonen told us that he foresaw atmosphere triumphing above all other considerations. That was why—despite Ukkonen’s professional bona fides as a mixer— Krypts’ arrangements were drowned in reverb, overwhelmed by Antti Kotiranta’s all-consuming bass thunder. And when they torpedo a gnarly groove, they’re following this logic.

It’s not like the Finnish quartet has sworn off the narcotic power of the riff, but here they ration them, or morph them into somber melodic motifs to orbit Ukkonen’s double-kicks.

Moments of awe are something that we’re going to have to sift for. That’s easy on “Circling the Between”—a track exercising the full range of Krypts’ dynamics—or the savage, psychedelic rumpus of “Mycelium.” Likewise, “The Reek of Loss” is a majestic example of how Krypts bake raw death and stately doom into the same pie. More often, though, those moments of awe creep up in the fullness of time, as on the haunting “Echoes Emanate Forms,” which sounds like one long exhalation, an epic last breath. At least, that how it plays today. Cadaver Circulation is dense, meditative and sure to evolve in the mind of the listener. Or decompose. Time will tell. —JONATHAN HORSLEY

LABIRINTO

7

Divino Afflante Spiritu PELAGIC

Brazilian futurists fashion a vast, compelling memorial

Being a band in the planet’s 11th most populous city for 13 years has almost surely helped shape Labirinto’s music. The São Paulo-based post-metal sextet’s third full-length knows no bounds when it comes to density and complexity; each of its seven songs stands as both a self-contained mini-epic and a vital part of the album’s greater purpose: to observe the passing of a dear friend.

Opener “Agnus Dei” lays the band’s m.o. out in just under six minutes, with drummer Muriel Curi and percussionist Luca Melo’s urban-tribal beat snaking in under a layered drone that gives way to a monumental sludge processional, soon followed by a first for Labirinto: vocals. Brazilian crust queen Elaine Campos’ storied rasp serves 7 0 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

both song and album’s melancholic purpose well, acting a human foil for massive, trapezoidal riffs and the tremolo-picked supersqualls the band favors. But while it’d be grand to hear her guest with them again, the rest of Divino Afflante Spiritu offers a powerful argument for their continued instrumental status.

Labirinto know where their chosen genre’s clichés reside, and they simply don’t go to those places. Sure they use extreme dynamics, but instead of setting up simple scenarios, they constantly fuck with our expectations, often in spectacular ways—thanks to the apparently boundless ingenuity of bassist Hristos Eleutério and guitarists Kiko Bueno, Luis Naressi and Erick Cruxen. One little non-surprise? The band save their best tricks and most plangent melodies for a closing title track as majestically bleak as anything out of Bergen—ever. —ROD SMITH

MORK

6

Det svarte juv PEACEVILLE

De Mysteriis Dom Shazbot

When we last saw Norway’s Mork in 2017, Eremittens dal proved that you can actually make a really, really solid album by solely worshipping the super mean riff in Darkthrone’s “In the Shadow of the Horns.” Normally this kind of purity in worship comes off as tired and uninspired, but Mork’s passion in execution—not to mention the sheer aggression of their angry music—propelled them into greatness. If Mork in 2017 were so incredibly astute in design, what’s to say Mork in 2019 will be any different?

As it turns out, follow-up Det svarte juv has a lot of tricks up its sleeve, and is… markedly different. Though the spirit of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto lives on in chief musician Thomas Eriksen’s heart, this new album—Mork’s fourth—shows the multitalented artist developing more of his own musical personality and taking more risks.

Trading immediacy for adventure and atmosphere, Mork’s newest effort finds itself in a stylistic limbo; Eriksen very quickly falls down a colder, relatively progressive rabbit hole.

That is to say, if the previous album was a filling, utilitarian plate of meat and potatoes, Det svarte juv’s varied flair—featuring a variety of atmospheres, vocal approaches and riff styles— shows the artist becoming a more multifaceted “chef,” as it were.

Of course, there’s something to be said about the “absence of meanness” this time around.

There are the occasional “sock full of quarters” moments peppered here and there, for sure, but it feels like there’s a missing piece to the puzzle.

Det svarte juv is not a bad album, by any means, and Eriksen’s own creative spirit is a surprising and refreshing addition to the Mork equation; but it feels incomplete, or at least not as wellrounded, without this element, which was so perfectly mastered just a few years back. Maybe next time Mork will find completion once again.

—JON ROSENTHAL

MYRATH

8

Shehili

EARMUSIC

Found in translation

Prog metal is truly the universal language—no matter where in the world you go, you can find bands that sound like Dream Theater. Myrath may hail from Tunisia, but they arrive here by way of Metropolis Pt. 2 and Twilight in Olympus. Their latest album, Shehili, continues their tradition of combining proggy song structures we’ve heard a million times before with world music flourishes we’ve heard almost as much—and creates a thoroughly pleasurable listening experience.

You don’t need to look much further than their tourmates to find easy comparisons to Myrath’s sound: Orphaned Land, Symphony X, Epica. Unsurprisingly, this teeters right on the edge of cheesy—but to the band’s credit, they avoid falling into the glop by being unafraid to reach for glory. Adding the Arabic instrumentation and unusual musical scales to their heady crunch helps make everything feel fresh again. While Orphaned Land play with similar flourishes, these Tunisians take a different approach. Orphaned Land explore the darkness; Myrath aim for uplifting. Songs like the fistpumping “Darkness Arise” and the appropriately jaunty “Dance” celebrate the human spirit through the context of the recent political upheaval in their homeland.

As outwardly silly as the band may seem, their positive vibe, unique point of view and incredibly catchy tunes help elevate them above the cheese fondue of the prog metal masses. If you’re a fan of the genre, but you’ve given up on finding something to excite you again, these guys will speak your language. —JEFF TREPPEL

NOCTURNUS AD

8

Paradox

P R O FO U N D LO R E

Unlimited to thrashing where they’re at

Nocturnus AD founder Mike Browning has been living with the true follow-up to Nocturnus’ The Key for the better

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part of three decades. The split between Browning and his fellow space travelers resulted in Nocturnus continuing on without him for one album to lukewarm reviews—the pre-millennial Ethereal Tomb—and spawned After Death, a project Browning assembled to ply his interests in pseudo-Egyptian science fiction. Nocturnus found the grave in 2002, while After Death sputtered between demos. Luckily, for fans of The Key and keyboard-driven technical death metal—the very thing Nocturnus are famed for trailblazing—After Death have morphed into Nocturnus AD. Paradox finds the (sort of) newly assembled outfit picking up, more or less, right where The Key left off, both thematically and musically.

What’s immediately striking about Paradox is that it really tries (and is) the successor it claims to be. The Jarrett Pritchard production sounds like it’s been aging in canopic jars for an eternity; that it feels like it was done in 1990 by Tom Morris is a minor miracle, actually. Musically, Browning has opted for authenticity, bringing in guitarists Demian Heftel and Belial Koblak to arpeggio and whammy bar into the celestial abyss, as keyboardist Josh Holdren layers in the subterranean atmosphere. Hell, even the cover art of Dan Seagrave “understudy” Timbul Cahyono is on point, repositioning Keyman offchair amidst a backdrop of Cthulhu-men sliming their way through an organic techno-chamber.

Tracks like “Seizing the Throne,” “Number 9,” “The Bandar Sign” and centerpiece “The Return of the Lost Key” pull on sweet nostalgia’s strings with force. They serve to remind us that all those years ago, Browning (and bandmates) had the vision to fuse the heaviness of death metal, the technicality of neo-classical guitar-playing and sci-fi sound effects to create something new.

To be fair, Paradox is 30 years behind the times.

But that’s probably the idea. —CHRIS DICK

OLTRETOMBA

8

The Horror— Figure del terrore MORIBUND

A giallo good time— now with 30 percent more cowbell!

Five years after their last album, Italy’s Oltretomba return with their sophomore effort. The Horror—Figure del terrore is 10 more tracks of the band’s self-described “Retrogarde Metal.” Meaning that, just like on debut The Death—Schieràti con la morte, Oltretomba’s founding guitarist/ vocalist L.D. supplies a plethora of old-school black thrash riffs while Falco, the band’s drummer since 2011, maintains that “Hell’s house 7 2 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

band” vibe with double-bass, thrash beats, straight rock beats and lots of cowbell. (Perhaps even too much cowbell, if such a thing were possible.) Oltretomba keep the tempos varied on The Horror, but when the duo decides to up the speed, you’ll find they’re plenty capable, if not at their best. Nor does anything get lost in the mix, despite The Horror’s loud and raw sound.

On The Horror, Oltretomba will get you banging at every pace. Sometimes they’re doomy, reminiscent of a less theatrical version of Necros Christos. Sometimes they’re pummeling and blazing. But they’re always catchy. At times, it’s kind of like hearing Repugnant jam on some Michale Graves-era Misfits. Tracks like the relentless ripper “Motherfucker of Grand Cross” and the breakneck tempo-shifter “The Blade and the Hungry” stand way out, but “Amputation (Arms and Legs)” also distinguishes itself with its hardcore-style gang vocals, its refusal to remain any one genre for longer than a single part and, again, its copious amounts of cowbell.

Every track on The Horror stands out, usually for more one than one reason. It’s not the most extreme album you’ll hear, but by taking itself only just seriously enough, Oltretomba’s sophomore effort succeeds as an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable underground metal record.

—DUTCH PEARCE

ORIGIN

8

Abiogenesis/ A Coming Into Existence AGONIA

Origin story

Abiogenesis is an intriguing concept on its face.

The album functions as an enchiridion (a totally cromulent word, peeps) detailing Origin’s evolution by remastering the band’s scarcely heard debut EP, but also by exploring the salvos of founding member Paul Ryan’s previous bands (Necrotomy and Abomination). Sound fun?

Well, it definitely shouldn’t be, but it is! While a mere Origin odds-and-sods would’ve certainly brought all the proverbial boyz to the yard, Ryan has advanced the album’s appeal immeasurably by singlehandedly re-recording the works of his previous outfits. No mere remastering for these tracks, and the mind (at least, the mortal one) does cruelly startle at the effort that clearly went into their translation.

What’s most fascinating is that Abiogenesis trembles with the magnetic, dumbass joy and ardor that one should expect from a hungry band’s primordial articulations, despite the fact that these are (largely) re-recordings, suggesting that Ryan’s heart is still ineluctably seated in

the right place. “Insanity”—which inaugurates the album—lunges, loops and barrels with the righteous fucking passion of any kid who has boned up on their Suffocation and Carcass, and is just coming to recognize his or her own awesome capabilities. “Bleed as Me”’s driving, martial cadence (in tandem with its tumble-down execution) is absolutely charming. In the same fashion, it’s genuinely delightful to see how even these pre-Origin exercises unfurled much more confidently at warp speed than at gardenvariety, terrestrial paces.

This ain’t a scrapbook. Against all odds, Abiogenesis is a cohesive and worthy Origin album, meaning: Run, don’t walk, suckers. The time is now… and then. —FORREST PITTS

POSSESSED

9

Revelations of Oblivion NUCLEAR BLAST

Consuming impulses

It’s hard to believe that famed guitarist Joe Satriani produced Possessed’s final EP, The Eyes of Horror, 32 years ago. Between then and now, however?

A treasure trove of forgotten demos and the inevitability of time. So, here we are, standing in the face of Jeff Becerra’s reconfigured Possessed. Our very important past is looking at us with fangs out and eyes ablaze. The path before us is narrow, the drop to either side precipitous.

Judging Possessed now for not continuing landmark effort Seven Churches or riff-fest Beyond the Gates exactly as they sounded in the mid-’80s is plainly idiotic, but not holding Becerra up to past achievements ignores the fact the our entire community is mounted on the very Satanic granite that was “The Exorcist,” “Pentagram,” “Satan’s Curse” and “Seven Churches.”

So, it seems the only way forward is, well, forward, taking Revelations of Oblivion as it is, not as we—disparately—thought it should be. The new Possessed includes Coffin Texts boys Emilio Marquez (drums) and Robert Cardenas (bass), Gruesome’s Daniel Gonzalez (guitar) and From Hell’s Claudeous Creamer (guitar). Together with Becerra, they’ve crafted 12 spirited songs that are, at their core, death metal, and yet likely so much more.

“No More Room in Hell,” “Dominion,” “Demon” and “Shadowcult” are ceaseless rippers.

They move at a thrash metal pace, but hammer to the face like death metal. That Becerra’s vocals run the range only adds to the drama.

But it’s not all a blur of furnace-hot riffs, drums and anguished vocals. There’s an ample amount of heavy metal in Revelations of Oblivion. Songs like “Omen,” “Ritual” and “The Word” may not

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employ the high-strung histrionics of classic Priest or Maiden, but their DNA is throughout, hellishly spliced into Possessed’s beastly projection. The mix, by Peter Tägtgren, is also nearperfect. He’s able to get the modern edge out of Possessed while also preserving the magic of Randy Burns. Really, go into Revelations of Oblivion not expecting Possessed of old, but to come out the other end scorched, maligned and crazy for more. —CHRIS DICK

SAINT VITUS

4

Saint Vitus

SEASON OF MIST

Wino Man

Goddammit, Saint Vitus pulled the ultimate goingbackward-toward-the-future move by bringing back original vocalist Scott Reagers a few years ago when Scott “Wino” Weinrich bailed to return to the Obsessed for a(nother) reunion.

Hard to keep track of it all, I know, but let’s just say that the only losers in this game of musical chairs are Vitus fans who were expecting something as good as 2012’s Lillie: F-65, Wino’s most recent with the band. Reagers may have been the OG Vitus vocalist, but there’s a reason that the Wino era is considered by most to be the band’s best.

No disrespect to Reagers’ aged pipes, but he relies a little too uncomfortably on the vibrato at the end of nearly every fucking line. Technically, he’s a fine vocalist, but Saint Vitus’ miserable doom does not require any vibrato (see: entire catalog with Wino). Guitarist Dave Chandler’s subterranean doom riffs need misery, not drama.

Reagers, for all his intensity, brings the wrong kind of drama to the proceedings. He can sing without vibrato, as evidenced on earlier albums, but he relies on it way too much here. And, let’s face it, his lyrics don’t hold a candle to Wino’s in terms of how they suit the band’s music.

Thankfully Chandler’s riffs and insane wahpowered soloing save Saint Vitus from being a total write-off. Lillie: F-65 felt like a true revitalization of classic-era Saint Vitus, while this feels like an unfortunate regression to the band’s less successful daze. I don’t think anyone would call that a win, and most would agree that it’s a significant step in the wrong direction. —ADEM TEPEDELEN

SÂVER

6

They Came With Sunlight PELAGIC

Post Bemoan

I’ve written it in these pages before and will do so again: It’s hard to think 74 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

of a subgenre whose tropes have been worn out more than post-metal. Except for maybe stoner doom. And black metal. All right, every subgenre could use a few new ideas, but that doesn’t make it more acceptable to write music in the vein of Isis and Neurosis without bringing something new to the table. On that front, Norway’s Sâver fail to deliver with their first album, They Came With Sunlight—their take on atmospheric sludge is competent, but rote.

To the band’s credit, they draw heavily from the more hardcore-inspired sound that underpinned early post-metal bands in Europe. That is to say, the nostalgia they evoke pines for the white-hot fury of Breach, as opposed to, for example, the religiosity of Amenra. And also to the band’s credit, they deliver said Xeroxed ideas with a sense of dire hopelessness—not to mention a killer bass tone—that their peers often lack. Songs like “Dissolve to Ashes” take repetition and psychedelia and stoke them into a crucible; they remind me of why this sound remains so popular.

Sâver are good at what they do; I just wish they stood out from the pack more. This album comes courtesy of Pelagic Records, run by Robin Staps of the Ocean—for my money the best postmetal band, because they twist the genre to their own purposes. Maybe in the future Sâver will do the same. They’ve already mastered the rudiments. —JOSEPH SCHAFER

SERMON

6

Birth of the Marvellous PROSTHETIC

Mosh it up in the pulpit

Sermon simultaneously plumb an orthodox and a fiercely undogmatic tone of farsighted, weird, (but also been-there) Talk Talk driven meander-metal. Upon repeated sessions with their debut LP, Birth of the Marvellous, I continue to emerge from each one awash in hues of revelation, solidarity and an irksome, recrudescing dissatisfaction.

Compositionally speaking, Sermon pay mind to the details in a fashion that should put many tech-death outfits to utter shame. I mean, what if Porcupine Tree leaned hard both into arcana, heavy metal and ketamine? These are exhaustively mediated, “on fleek” compositions, but they seem to struggle with an internal urge for candor against a robust external drive towards remoteness.

Remoteness may actually be Sermon’s Achilles’ heel as it would appear to bury them too deeply into thought as opposed to genuine composure, (despite the fact that the pieces on display here are oftentimes genuinely excellent.)

The rhythms are Confessor-level brilliant. You’ll latch onto a meter only to have a wicked, off-kilter crash force you to recalculate. Ultimately, I dig what these guys are circling but this birth may be a touch premature.

Melodies are generally wooden and quickly feel redundant. One can extract a vocal line from one song and apply it to almost any other.

The recording’s smart but tightly, almost nervously spooled.

Sermon will one day rule the roost if they learn to embed one or two, no fooling catchy tunes amongst their coiling observations. It’s a formula that absolutely worked for Opeth. This band can preach. They just need to learn how to really sow their congregation’s devotion.

—FORREST PITTS

SICULICIDIUM

6

A Halál és az iránytu SUN & MOON

Blood, fire, meh

To risk coming off as both condescending and super reductive, black metal’s spectrum of quality isn’t really that vast. To sum it up, there is black metal which is great, black metal which is bad, and black metal which is… just kind of okay.

Romania’s Siculicidium exists somewhere in the middle. To wit, their music just kind of exists.

It isn’t bad, nor is it offensive or what have you, it’s just that special kind of middle of the road music, which is easily forgettable, but can be remembered with a slight fondness. As I’ve said in another review, this is the kind of music which would get a solid “C” on the American academic grading scale: the effort was put in and is noted, but it could be better.

Siculicidium’s latest 7-inch EP, A Halál és az iránytu, can be summed up as a collection of interesting moments of introspection and clarity interspersed between the aforementioned consistency (just above mediocrity, really).

While most of it can be wholly summed up with a simple “yes, this is black metal,” Siculicidium’s Romanian heritage shines in passages with an intense folkish presence, be it with a leading woodwind, somber bowed string, or Roma-influenced rhythm. The problem with these is simple: they are pretty cool, if bordering on great, but they could have a larger presence in the music, which mostly consists of throwaway, paint by numbers black metal riffing. There is something really special about the way Siculicidium taps into their own history, but it is outshined by mostly forgettable surrounding context. The brief A Halál és az iránytu is an EP with a lot of potential, but not something for the history books. —JON ROSENTHAL

A V A I L A B L E M AY 1 7

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SOMETHING IS WAITING

5

Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion LEARNING CURVE

When killer becomes filler

Riffs are a finite resource. Every band has a certain amount and is tasked with using them to the best of their ability. Sometimes they’re wasted, while other times they are squeezed of every last useable drop. Something Is Waiting are dealing with the latter issue on Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion.

There are indeed riffs on this album, and some of them are really good. The AmRep hard rock vibe is pulled off with a balls-out confidence, significantly bolstered by singer Eddie Gobbo’s strip-club-DJ-gone-rabid persona. But starting with the first of these eight tracks, it feels like the band is trying to do too much with not enough.

Opener “Your Vintage Nu Rock Band” is a rollicking stompfest bursting out of the gate towards a perfect ending. In fact, there’s about two seconds where you think it’s over. Then they’re inexplicably back for what’s technically a solo, but sounds more like someone screwing with a new pedal. And there’s “Fuck in Peace,” where one fairly catchy riff is beaten into the ground, forcing to you love it or skip to the next track. There are so many of these redundancies and vestigial bits that an editor could probably trim about 20 percent off the whole thing.

You know those old cartoons where a bunch of starving people are standing around cutting like one single bean into multiple transparent layers? Something Is Waiting aren’t nearly that hungry for riffs, but Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion is certainly no feast. —SHANE MEHLING

SPIRIT ADRIFT

9

Divided by Darkness 20 BUCK SPIN

United by light

In 2017, Spirit Adrift challenged for the Decibel throne and snared a silver medal with their sophomore LP Curse of Conception. Instead of staying the course, the Sonoran rockers have plunged into unlit territory on Divided by Darkness. Their desertblossom psychedelia has withered after dusk, and their new songs feel like they were written in lunar light instead of under the sun’s gaze.

Opener “We Will Not Die” reveals a band writing their sharpest hooks yet. But where Curse of Conception embodied soaring escapism, Divided

by Darkness sounds like actively fighting off a 7 6 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

siege of negativity. No song embodies that battle between light and shadows more than monster ballad “Angel and Abyss.” Like the album’s cover art, the composition’s climax illuminates its own path through treacherous surroundings.

With eight tracks in 41 minutes, Divided by Darkness isn’t as expansive as its predecessor.

The solos don’t spread their wings and commandeer the song like they occasionally did on Curse of Conception. Instead, there’s an intense dedication to what services the song in its leanest, meanest state. Usually that means reducing songs to predictable rock structures, but Spirit Adrift achieve concision without sacrificing complexity and texture. The songs still include rich movements and chapters. Somber passages still trudge without a rush in “Tortured

by Time,” and the lead guitars still balance the sinister (first single “Hear Her”) with the sublime (“Living Light”). Founder Nate Garrett has been open about prioritizing his voice for this release. That dedication reveals the steady ascent of his singing talent and allows him to truly be the voice these songs deserve. It’s time to retire the lazy doom tags; this is Heavy Metal that demands and earns the capitalization.

—SEAN FRASIER

TELEPORT

8

The Expansion EDGED CIRCLE

More than meets the eye

The Expansion is Teleport’s sixth release, upon which the Slovenian quartet has slapped the fourth differently designed logo in its visual representation history. Their current moniker has taken the guise of dank ‘n’ drippy old-school death metal, a font for which Voivod’s Away should be getting royalties; hell, Gorguts’ Luc Lemay could have a legal team sending cease-and-desist orders for if he wasn’t one of the nicest guys in metal.

Teleport do it all and, as you might imagine from the solid score above, do it quite well.

With a debut full-length due later this year, Edged Circle has decided to put their latest find on broader display given that The Expansion was originally a cassette-only release that quickly disappeared after its late 2018 release. Recorded in the band’s practice space, this 21-minute EP is a celestial journey through all the logos the band members drew on their schoolbooks: Voivod, Gorguts, Morbid Angel, Watchtower, Agent Steel, Toxik, the Chasm, Immolation, Tourniquet, Obituary... you get the idea. But there’s no way a metallic gumbo as purveyed by adventurous youth could only be about the past—despite what both name and logo(s) hint at.

The spidery crawl and coiled slither of guitarists Matija Dolinar and recently departed Jan Medved intersect with the loosely compartmentalized, fusion-inspired rhythm section.

Everything plays to the flow and structure of the song as much as skill is shown off. Each of the three tracks demonstrates the emphasis that Teleport place on purposeful riffs and arrangements, which allows for deeper exploration of their universe on the way to the discovery of a unique and uncluttered voice. And by the sound of things, they’re well on their way.

—KEVIN STEWART-PANKO

THEORIES

7

Vessel

C O R P S E F LOW E R

Doubling up on the recipe

I recognize the borderline sacrilege involved in not being fully onboard with Theories’ debut, Regression, given that the band includes West Coast royalty in the form of former and current members of Black Breath, Samothrace, Skarp and Book of Black Earth. However, to these ears, said album is a flip-flopper. Just the other day, I threw it on as a point of comparison to the band’s latest and found myself thinking it wasn’t half bad, hence wondering about the previous three or four times it was banished to the dusty corners of my playlist. Subjectivity is one thing, but let’s hope wavering indecision doesn’t chip away at whatever blue chip value I’ve established for myself in the eyes of the Decibel brass.

There’s a more rabid energy on album number two, a greater sense of urgency. The way guitarist Lee McGlothlen lunges and parries from single-note flurries to hanging chord washes and palm-muted crunching puts a master class of extreme music techniques on display. Imagine Goatwhore embracing both Kevin Sharp’s nonBrutal Truth grind-outs and a sturdy Bay Area thrash gallop, and you’re well on your way to picturing the likes of “Harvest,” “Ill Will” and “Hospital Hangover.”

What holds Vessel back is the whitewash of its attack. It’s quite possible that drummer Joe Axler’s snare-kick pummeling is this remarkably precise outside the studio, but the freight train of what we’re assuming are triggered drums presents irritatingly spotless, hermetically sealed blasting patterns. The result are muted dynamics in “Slow Poison” and “Lamprey,” where the scathing riff work and backing vocals are forced along a straight-and-narrow, losing that teetering-on-the-edge-of-chaos feel that’s essential to this sort of death ‘n’ grind mincing. —KEVIN STEWART-PANKO

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ULTRA SILVAM

8

The Spearwound Salvation SHADOW

Told you so

Demo:listen darlings Ultra Silvam are back with a 28-minute debut fulllength that will legitimately restore your faith in raw black metal, one killer fucking riff at a time. Known only by their initials, Ultra Silvam remain the same trio of Swedish dudes they were back in 2017 when we featured them in Demo:listen. But now the unhinged intensity that they demonstrated on their self-titled demo has matured into their own fully realized, tightly controlled sound.

Thanks to Hannes Heed’s recording skills and Ulf Blomberg’s mixing/mastering mastery, The Spearwound Salvation flexes paradigm-shifting strength. Imagine a black metal record that sounds like red-blooded humans in a recording studio, sounding neither inhumanly sterile nor like it’s the product of ill-meaning reptoids.

It’s the human factor of Ultra Silvam’s sound that gives their already deadly songs that extra allure. The riffs singe, the blasts welt. The vocals will tempt you to violence—maybe arson—and the guitar leads could very well serve as a secular second meaning for the album’s title. And they’ve got charm!

Okay, maybe “Wings of Burial” comes off a little tedious in comparison to the five other total rippers. And maybe the demo-rollover track “A Skull Full of Stars” only barely works on this album, and definitely only as a closer— but it works and it remains a standout track, black sheep or not. For a debut album, Ultra Silvam really couldn’t have done any better.

Here’s a record that totally rules and gives you what you want, yet always leaves you craving more. —DUTCH PEARCE

UNDEAD PROPHECIES

8

Sempiternal Void LISTENABLE

Onward, unknown death metal soldiers!

Undead Prophecies will rub some metalheads the wrong way. Those who hate when their music comes wrapped in anything more extravagant than a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt will be turned off by the band’s elaborate face-and-body-obscuring hooded robes. People who find it important to experience personal connections with the creators of the music they listen to—i.e., become Facebook friends 7 8 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L

and incessantly send questions about gear and complaints about why they haven’t played their podunk town—will be frustrated by Undead Prophecies’ fierce dedication to anonymity.

Mostly, however, Undead Prophecies’ sting of betrayal comes via their daring to add elements of modernity and outside influence to the sacred canon of late ’80s/early ’90s old-school death metal.

There’s Death, Possessed, Morbid Angel, Obituary and early Atheist all over Sempiternal Void. The unbridled spirit of that era emanates from vocalist King Oscuro’s Schuldiner/Becerra howl and the unshakably infectious phrasing purveyed by guitarists Necros and Zörk. The offending interjections exist with the portal-tohell riffs being filtered through an impeccably clean sound, not to mention Zörk’s leads, which summon as much Seven Churches craziness and Human fluidity as classic rock, blues-scale, slide and lap steel use/abuse.

What’s encouraging—or infuriating—is how well it all works without sounding forced or unnatural. “Throne of Void” and “Suffocated/ Vanity” may reach back in time 30 years, but Undead Prophecies manage to make it all sound authentically natural and fresh. Still, with the discovery that both Zörk and bassist Batscum have “personal” Facebook pages, you just know someone’s going to drop them a message accusing them of blasphemy. —KEVIN STEWART-PANKO

VALE

8

Burden of Sight THE FLENSER

Uncanny valley

I think it’s safe to say the knee-jerk associative pairing of “Bay Area” and “thrash” is pretty much dunzo in most headbanging circles. Historical significance aside, things have taken a much grimier turn over the last decade or so, especially in the East Bay, which has been steadily pumping out murderous content by au courant heavy hitters like Necrot and Vastum. Indeed, Oakland is flush with capable shredders, and if ’90s Florida has taught us anything, it’s to expect a profusion of crushery to follow.

And so we have Vale, a black metal quintet that, despite belching out their first filthy riffs a mere two years ago, carry themselves with the confidence of a battle-scarred warhorse on their debut LP, Burden of Sight. That’s not entirely shocking considering the players involved—drummer Justin Ennis (Void Omnia, ex-Mutilation Rites) and guitarists James Meyer (Abstracter, Atrament) and Daniel Borman (ex-Lycus)—but there’s always

a chance for an on-paper dunk to completely miss the rim.

That ain’t the case here—for 34 glorious minutes, Vale trample their audience with crusty blast beats, tremolo guitar harmonies, tormented vocals and an irrefutable mastery of extreme metal songwriting. The foundational elements of these six songs are unmistakably black metal, but Burden of Sight’s most impressive attribute is its ability to intertwine external influences without taking its eye off the ball, like the Incantation-doom that kicks off “The Guilded Path” and the tandem, single-note guitar work that has more in common with Bolt Thrower than any corpsepainted colleagues. All hail the new class. —MATT SOLIS

VLACK

8

The Way of the Cross RIPPER

Catalonian punk generalist hits his prime

Despite being pretty much unknown to the rest of the world, Marc Teichenné is a household name in Spanish punk—one that goes back to 1993 and Skull Boys’ “Wicked Romance” 7-inch and continues through Rippers’ long, illustrious tenure right up through The Way of the Cross.

Vlack’s second full-length differs from 2015’s There Is No Death in one big way: The latter was born out of tragedy and a desire to confront the unknown. When Teichenné’s brother and Rippers’ bassist David committed suicide in 2014, the former chose to strike out alone, playing everything but drums on a recording for the first time. Five years down the road, he sounds way more confident and significantly different—less like his former band and more like a one-man power station with an inexhaustible knowledge base, brilliantly combining and recombining elements of traditional punk, hardcore, crust, metal, grunge, noise rock and post-punk in ways that conjure specters ranging from Wipers and Germs to Naked Raygun and Hüsker Dü by way of early Social Distortion and late Nirvana... without really sounding like anyone but Vlack.

He does it with style and great intensity, too, whether ripping his lungs out on BM-flavored cowpunk opener “The Storm,” sounding positively menaced on grunge waltz “Flaming Stars” or tackling the existential void with half a dozen voices and no lack of despair on post-hardcore piledriver “Sore.” Teichenné also plays ridiculously well, though while he’s a tasteful, propulsive bassist, his guitar parts and execution tend to run straight-up inspired. —ROD SMITH

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8 0 : J U N E 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L ANSWERS: 1. The girl’s eye colors are inverted 2. Her snot is decidedly more green and chunky 3. The blue demon in the center has nipples... 4. ...and the pink one to the left does not 5. The lion-esque gray demon has a cute pink kitty nose 6. The girl’s collar is white lace 7. The bottom portion of the blue demon’s wings are much more wrinkled 8. There’s some sassy red polish on the bottom hoof of the gray demon 9. The blue demon’s thumb is extended 10. There’s an earthworm on the left side of the girl’s hair 11. The pink demon’s limbs are covered in prickly hairs 12. The flames break into fragments toward the top of the picture 13. The blue demon’s snake penis thingie is peeking around the limb of the gray demon 14. The pink demon’s blade handles are gold 15. A good number of the girl’s zits are ripe with face cheese

There are 15 differences in these pictures.

How many can you find?