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INCLUDED NOVEMBER 2019 // No. 181
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ARMORED SAINT REFUSED MY DYING BRIDE SYMBOL OF SALVATION HALL OF FAME THEIR WAR STUDIO UPDATE
EXTREMELY EXTREME
November 2019 [R 181] decibelmagazine.com
upfront
features
reviews 65 lead review Schammasch’s brand of occult black metal becomes ever more dimensional on Hearts of No Light
10 metal muthas Family movie night
18 aftermath They live
32 exhorder Grumpy old men
12 live review:
20 lightning bolt My dad can beat up your dad
34 toxic holocaust Be kind, please rewind
psycho las vegas No one is too cool for the pool
14 low culture Recommendations to fan the flames of discontent 15 no corporate beer No beef but pit beef
22 asagraum What’s colder than Iceland?
40 the decibel
24 knaaves Messing with Texas 26 blut aus nord Turn on, tune in, drop dead
16 studio report:
my dying bride Never give up the ghost
36 q&a: refused Punk trumps hate
hall of fame Armored Saint overcome the death of a founding member and losing their record label only to succumb to Anthrax on Symbol of Salvation
66 album reviews Releases that were definitely forecasted to hit Alabama, including Alcest, Life of Agony and Mayhem 88 double negative Interdimensional gateways
28 pharmakon Hunger pains 30 population control Die laughing
52 Desert Storms COVER STORY COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER BARR 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. 4 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L
Chase Mason
www.decibelmagazine.com
REFUSE/RESIST
November 2019 [T181]
Tue, Oct 28, 2014, 12:55 PM
to Decibel Magazine
Dear Decibel Editors,
PUBLISHER
alex@redflagmedia.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
I would like to bring to your attention a misprint in your most recent issue. In the feature on Southwest Powerviolence, the portion on Sex Prisoner specifically, my band Gatecreeper was mentioned as "Gatekeeper". While this is an understandable mistake, I thought it would be worth bringing to your attention. I have included various links for reference about the band. Regards, Chase H. Mason GATECREEPER
The correspondence above was my introduction to Chase Mason and Gatecreeper. So, uh, whoops! To his eternal credit, Chase wasn’t angry, and to be fair, Gatecreeper’s lone release at the time was their self-titled EP, issued on cassette via Goatprayer Records through a scant 100 copies. Ultimately, it was a pretty bittersweet inaugural magazine appearance for Chase, but his band’s “official” Decibel debut came a month later when we ran a correction in the following issue. Years later he admitted that the only reason he emailed me about the mistake was to “weasel my way into the magazine via a technicality and now here we are.” Five years later, where they are is on Decibel’s cover because their second album Deserted isn’t just one of the best death metal albums of 2019, it’s one of the best metal releases of the year. Last month Decibel celebrated our 15th anniversary, which means there is a generation of bands now surfacing that essentially grew up reading this magazine. Chase, in particular, has had a Decibel subscription since 2007, which is something I didn’t know until reading the first draft of J. Bennett’s excellent cover story. While that fact makes me feel older than dirt, it’s gratifying to learn that Decibel not only plays a role in helping establish and cultivate artists, we might actually have some impact on them even before they are artists. So, to the any aspiring young musicians/subscribers with a HM-2 and a dream, there’s always a chance that your currently unknown band will land on Decibel’s cover one day, too. But there’s an even greater likelihood that we’ll totally fuck up your band name first.
albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief
Alex Mulcahy Albert Mudrian albert@decibelmagazine.com
AD SALES
James Lewis james@decibelmagazine.com
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND SALES ART DIRECTOR
Alex Yarde alex.yarde@redflagmedia.com
Michael Wohlberg michael@redflagmedia.com
Patty Moran
CUSTOMER SERVICE
patty@decibelmagazine.com
COPY EDITOR
Andrew Bonazelli
BOOKKEEPER
Tim Mulcahy tim@redflagmedia.com
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Chuck BB, Ed Luce Mark Rudolph
Online DECIBEL WEB EDITOR
Albert Mudrian
DECIBEL WEB AD SALES
James Lewis
albert@decibelmagazine.com james@decibelmagazine.com
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Anthony Bartkewicz Vince Bellino Adrien Begrand J. Bennett Nathan T. Birk Shawn Bosler Dean Brown Louise Brown Richard Christy Liz Ciavarella-Brenner Chris Dick Chris Dodge Sean Frasier Nick Green Raoul Hernandez Jonathan Horsley Neill Jameson Scott Koerber Daniel Lake Shawn Macomber Shane Mehling Justin M. Norton Andy O'Connor Dayal Patterson Dutch Pearce Forrest Pitts Greg Pratt Jon Rosenthal Joseph Schafer Rod Smith Zach Smith Matt Solis Kevin Stewart-Panko Adem Tepedelen Jeff Treppel J Andrew Zalucky CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Ester Segarra Josh Sisk Gene Smirnov Levan TK Hannah Verbeuren Frank White
DECIBEL SUBSCRIPTIONS
Decibel subscriber service/change of address: 215.625.9850 x105 or contact@decibelmagazine.com To order by mail: Consult the subscription card To order by phone: 215.625.9850 x105 To order by fax: 1.215.625.9967 To order online: www.decibelmagazine.com VISA/MASTERCARD/DISCOVER accepted Subscribers: please alert us of any change of address 6-8 weeks before the date of your move. Decibel is not responsible or obligated to re-ship issues missed because of a move we were not informed of 6-8 weeks before the move took place. DECIBEL BACK ISSUES/MERCHANDISE
To order by phone: 1.215.625.9850 (10 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST) To order by fax: 1.215.625.9967 To order online: www.decibelmagazine.com 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. Copyright ©2019 by Red Flag Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. PRINTED IN USA
ISSN 1557-2137
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READER OF THE
MONTH
Neil Burkdoll Sanford, FL
You’ve played in extreme metal bands and in shoegaze bands over the years. What’s your take on acts like Alcest and Deafheaven that merge the sound of both genres?
Yeah, I did two albums with Fatalist, and I have new albums with P.O.O.R. and Whimsical coming out later this year. It’s funny because I have been a fan of Alcest since 2007 but I always thought that shoegaze could very well be mixed with metal even before that. I remember in ’98 seeing members of Katatonia and October Tide wearing Slowdive shirts inside their albums and you could hear the influence even back then. The first time I heard
8 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L
In the Nightside Eclipse in ’95, I thought it was very dreamy and atmospheric to the point that my brain connected it to shoegaze and darkwave music, but my friends didn’t hear the similarities. I think the crossing of the genres is good as long as it’s done well. I have no problem with blackgaze or whatever it’s called these days. Gatecreeper are on the cover of this issue. Are there any young death metal bands that an old-school death metal fan like yourself still gets stoked on?
That’s a tough question because for so many years I was following every new band that came out, but about six years ago I started getting burnt out on the whole OSDM thing and I sort of felt like I was part of the problem because I started Fatalist in 2006 with the intention of only playing Swedish death metal with an HM-2. There are just too many bands these days doing a similar thing and the thrill for me is mostly gone. With that said, I have enjoyed the most recent albums by Rude, Skeletal Remains, Ruin and Slaughterday.
You’ve been a Decibel subscriber since pretty much the beginning of the magazine. Why are you still here?
I actually got the very first issue with the Dillinger Escape Plan on the cover in the mail and I still have no idea why or how you got my address. I really enjoy the Hall of Fame articles and I’m actually worried that all of my favorite albums have already been covered. So, there’s that, and I’m a loser who looks forward to getting stuff in the mail each month. Also, I’m still hoping to read an article exclusively about Morrisound Studios… hint-hint. As the father of two small children how much of your record collection has been displaced by Barbie dream houses and Shopkins?
I still have about 3,000 CDs, but if I’m being honest, I rarely get to listen to metal these days because I’m always surrounded by my girls. I’m always listening to Disney songs and other “kid’s music” like Charlie Hope. I have had to compromise but my kids do love to listen to bands like the Pixies, Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, Duran Duran, Ultravox, A Flock of Seagulls, etc. Basically, my girls listen to all the stuff my dad made me listen to as a kid growing up in the ’80s and I’m fine with that. It’s not so bad and I try to sneak songs by Godflesh and Scorn in there once in a while to test the waters.
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
REFUSED War Music th October 18
T O O T H G R I N D E R
I AM
Produced & Mixed by Matt Squire
October 11th
A REAL F**KING ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RECORD
BONESHAKER Produced & Mixed by Dave Cobb
October 25th spinefarmrecords.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 booking the living fuck out of Metal & Beer Fest: Philly 2020.
Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell
This Month's Mutha: Marilyn Smith Mutha of Justin Smith of Graf Orlock, Dangers and Ghostlimb
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born on Halloween, 1952. I like the outdoors. I like all animals, but love dogs and have had them as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I used to ride motorcycles, and I like watching baseball and doing things with grandkids. One of these days, I would like to do some traveling, and maybe we will have our own free tour guide (Justin), but by the time I get there and step off the plane, I will probably have a heart attack and die. Justin tells us you’ve moved from Akron, Ohio to Minnesota to California. Does your itinerant history give you additional empathy toward his lifestyle as an artist?
I think it’s great for them to see different parts of the country and the world, and they make connections and friendships with a lot of people, who then come here. I think my life truly would have been different if I stayed in those places. I moved to California in 1968 when I was 16 and have never left because I like the lifestyle and the beaches (and hate the cold). I consider it my home more than anywhere else. When did he first start expressing an (obviously unhealthy) interest in action movies?
At a very young age, he watched movies like Conan [the Barbarian], Predator, Red Dawn, Indiana Jones [and the Temple of Doom], etc., watching them over and over again. He was into camouflage and violent video games. This could have corrupted his life at a young age. His dad, after seeing one of his shows (see question 4), said to Justin, “This is what we get for having the TV raise you.” 1 0 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 19 : D E C I B E L
Justin is also a professor at Golden West College. Would you prefer sitting in on one of his classes or seeing one of his bands live?
I would like to sit in on one of his classes (which I haven’t yet), but I have seen his bands play live before. We saw them twice and we had earplugs in and stood in the back, unsure of what to expect. One time they made us stand on the stage while they played on the floor. The music was good, but I had ringing in my ears for two days afterwards. There was a lot of screaming and yelling and people trying to get after them. Justin said on the microphone while pointing to us, “If you want to blame someone, blame them.” How did you feel about his decision to play Return of the Jedi’s triumphant Ewok anthem “Yub Nub” as his wedding recessional?
I was impressed by the choice that he made. I think it fit them well and reminded me of when he used to hit his head on the car seat and choke himself whenever he heard it when he was a kid while I was driving. What is something that people would be surprised to learn about your son?
He started walking at nine months and has been in fast speed ever since. We tried to direct him into playing sports, but he would have nothing to do with it. One year for Christmas he got an acoustic guitar and his dad taught him some chords; it has been 26 years since then. I think playing a guitar relaxes him (contrary to his musical output). —ANDREW BONAZELLI
Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f Blood Incantation, Hidden History of the Human Race Mayhem, Daemon Tesla, The Great Radio Controversy Napalm Death, Apex Predator – Easy Meat Napalm Death, Harmony Corruption ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e Electric Wizard, Witchcult Today 1782, 1782 Bauhaus, Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape Warhorse, As Heaven Turns to Ash Ufomammut, Eve ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s Gehennah, Too Loud to Live, Too Drunk to Die Seer, Vol. 6 Gridlink, Longhena Neuraxis, Asylon Alterbeast, Immortal ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r Cattle Decapitation, Death Atlas Deafheaven, Sunbather GosT, Valediction Blood Incantation, Hidden History of the Human Race Trash Talk, Plagues... Walking Disease ---------------------------------Alex Yarde : d i r e c t o r o f m a r k e t i n g Joni Mitchell, Blue Gatecreeper, Deserted Mayhem, Daemon The Blood Brothers, Crimes Brockhampton, Ginger
GUEST SLAYER
---------------------------------Anders Odden : c a d a v e r Black Sun Brotherhood, Ecstasy of Blasphemy Deathcrush, Megazone Morbid Angel, Domination Hilma Nikolaisen, Mjusic TNT, Knights of the New Thunder