DEAD KENNEDYS TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING: FRANKENCHRIST HALL OF FAME
SAXON VENOM PRISON CHAOTIC GOOD
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March 2022 [R 209] decibelmagazine.com
upfront 8
metal muthas The better to hug you with
10 exclusive:
decibel magazine metal & beer fest los angeles 2021 review A series of firsts and lasts
14 low culture Saving this for later 15 no corporate beer Smoking a six pack a day 16 in the studio:
the gathering Together apart
18 backslider The shape of punk to come 20 eight bells Build back better 22 mizmor We’ve got a bigger problem now 24 night cobra The ’80s are back in black 26 author & punisher Happiness in misery 28 hammerfall A new dawn for heavy metal
features
reviews
30 saxon The day is theirs
65 lead review Foregoing their celebrated brand of death metal and armed with only a synthesizer, Blood Incantation uncover the secrets of the cosmos in spectacular fashion on Timewave Zero
32 zeal & ardor No, seriously, what did you think this was about? 34 amorphis From humble beginnings to metal deification 36 q&a: venom prison Vocalist Larisa Stupar uses the strength of the gods to overcome mental anguish 40 the decibel
hall of fame All four original members of punk powerhouse Dead Kennedys share all the obscene details about their infamous third album Frankenchrist
66 album reviews Releases from bands that are brushing up on their Greek to prepare for 2022’s variants, including Cult of Luna, Shape of Despair and Voivod 80 damage ink Don’t give away the farm
52
Kill ’Em With Kindness COVER STORY COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY ANDREW DOENCH
Decibel (ISSN 1557-2137) is published monthly by Red Flag Media, Inc., P.O. Box 36818, 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, P.O. Box 36818, Philadelphia, PA 19107. © 2022 by Red Flag Media, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN 1557-2137 | USPS 023142 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. 2 : MARCH 2022 : DECIBEL
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There are a significant number of
music fans who discovered the world of extreme metal through punk rock. I am not one of those people. Don’t get me wrong; it’s obviously a totally viable and logical path. Certainly, the crossover of so many bands that synthesize both genres is great enough that the world had to christen that subgenre with its own name. But for me, it was extreme metal that brought me to punk and, more specifically, the Dead Kennedys. In the days before internet algorithms—when bread was a nickel and we walked five miles to school each way—young, financially challenged, largely friendless metal fans like myself relied heavily on zines and college radio for band recommendations. Beyond that, if you wanted to dig into history, either a) album thanks lists, b) the band shirts your favorite bands wore, or c) the band logos adorned on their guitars and basses served in place of authoritative subgenre books. Back then, Jeff Hanneman and Max Cavalera were both regularly photographed not far from the famous “DK” logo. And in 1991, that was strong enough of an endorsement for me to acquire a copy of Bedtime for Democracy without hearing a note of it beyond a kid attempting to sing the chorus of “Chickenshit Conformist” to me in Social Studies class. Upon pressing play, I thought, “Jesus Christ, this sounds like the B-52’s!” So, while the lyrical concepts connected with my 16-year-old lizard brain, the music would have to wait. Ironically, it wasn’t until two years later—when I’d heard Sepultura’s bruising cover of “Drug Me” and Napalm Death’s blasting take on “Nazi Punks Fuck Off”—that I reconsidered my first impressions of the Dead Kennedys’ music. I guess those dudes were right all along. While DK’s first two spazzy, anxious-sounding records clearly make sense as influences for any early-’80s musician intrigued by speed, it’s the band’s expansive third album, Frankenchrist, that nets the Dead Kennedys their long-awaited first Hall of Fame induction in this issue. Extremely extreme credit goes to veteran contributor Justin M. Norton, who, despite having his interview requests turned down by one ex-member for the better part of a decade, eventually got the classic DK lineup to all discuss the record’s—and the band’s—complicated legacy. It’s one that inspired metal outfits as diverse as Vio-lence, Mayhem and Trivium to all release Dead Kennedys covers within just the past few years alone. Who knows? Maybe they’ll help get some metal kids into punk.
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March 2022 [T209] PUBLISHER
Alex Mulcahy
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Albert Mudrian albert@decibelmagazine.com
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good resource for Arizonans, but also craft beer fans traveling to the state. We will be expanding and rolling out further metal content, including metal-influenced breweries across the country and metal shows and tours that are hitting our state. The Arizona craft beer scene is on fire, and we have over 80 partners. The guys at two of our partner breweries, TCBC and Harbottle, are big metalheads, as are many others. We’re happy to support local, and champion beer and metal however we can.
Matthew McKee Mesa, AZ
You’re the owner of the AZ HopHead Alliance. Can you tell us a little about this organization?
AZ HopHead Alliance is a project I started in late 2020 after my position in the hotel industry was eliminated due to the pandemic. I looked at it as an opportunity to create something that combined what I am most passionate about: craft beer and heavy metal. It is a website focused on Arizona craft breweries, tap rooms and anyplace that has a significant craft selection; not just the everyday national big box breweries. Our site is influenced by our love of metal, and our logo speaks for itself. There are links to the establishments, tap lists, new releases, an events calendar, merchandise and much more. It’s a really
6 : MARCH 2022 : DECIBEL
Arizona is obviously famous for Sacred Reich, Flotsam and Jetsam and Gatecreeper, so let us know what AZ metal bands most metal fans are missing beyond that.
Being a heavy music fan for nearly four decades, my tastes run the gamut from Sabbath to Spiritbox and all else in between. Of course, Sacred Reich and Flotsam and Jetsam were early, influential bands, and I’m a big fan of Gatecreeper, who I’ve seen many times. I’m excited about the upcoming Decibel Tour. In terms of recommending bands, it’s kind of like recommending beers; I prefer for people to form their own preferences, as styles and tastes are so variable. I might like a particular DIPA or stout, but someone else might think one or both suck. In terms of bands, Spirit Adrift, featured on your cover late last year, is a favorite. Bands are real entrepreneurs; I applaud any of them that are passionate about making and playing music and take that leap. Other Arizona bands I appreciate include Thra, Suicide
Forest and Adavant. All are distinctly different, but worth a listen. You’ve been to all three California editions of Metal & Beer Fest. What did you enjoy most about them, and where do you feel there is room for improvement?
The fest is a great way to wrap up a full metal calendar each year. Each of the L.A. events were positive and had some real highlights. The inaugural Los Angeles show at the Wiltern had such a great lineup with Triptykon [and] Godflesh, and it was my second opportunity to see Riley [Gale] (R.I.P.) and Power Trip. There were so many great breweries, including faves Three Floyds and TRVE. The upstairs setup was great for the breweries and seeing the bands, and there was lots of merch. 2019 at the Observatory had a lineup that included my first Possessed performance and Carcass. The beer setup was not adjacent to the stage, so that was not ideal, but the merchandise setup in the outside courtyard area worked well. 2021 at the Belasco knocked it out of the park with the VIP setup. The merchandise package was insane and the ability to walk from the breweries to the viewing area in seconds was phenomenal. Music highlights were Deadguy and Cave In. I was unfamiliar with SpiritWorld before the show and thought they were amazing. Lastly, I hate slow security lines and did not deal with that at all in 2021. I’m looking forward to the festival again in 2022, and hope to make it to the one in Philly sometime.
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
NOW SLAYING Wonder what Decibel world HQ has been rocking for the past month? Well, here are the records that we spun most while considering quitting this job and going back to work at the Parks Department.
Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell
This Month's Mutha: Suzanne Tigert-Moore Mutha of Justin Moore of Teeth
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in Knoxville, TN. I attended the University of Tennessee with a major in liberal arts. I lived in Le Havre, France for two summers during high school, [then] New Orleans, Nashville and Los Angeles, where Justin was born. I moved back to Knoxville in 2008, and I have been here since. I remarried for the third time here in Knoxville in 2016. This one’s the keeper! I was a competitive bodybuilder for several years and won my weight division at the U.S. Bodybuilding Championship in 1985. I have worked in many fields, but the most recent have been as a massage therapist while living in L.A., and currently an esthetician here in Knoxville. Retiring is not something I’m ready to do. I still work a couple days a week. I love my profession. Teeth’s lyrics are strikingly literary at times. What kind of books did Justin read growing up?
Justin read a lot of philosophy books. In particular Camus, Nietzsche, Sartre and Machiavelli. He also started reading Stephen Hawking when my father gave him his copy of A Brief History of Time. From apartment fires and studio lease terminations to the pandemic, there have always been obstacles for Teeth records. Did Justin always exhibit this much perseverance?
Justin has always lived to the beat of his own drum. Literally, from a very young age. Justin 8 : MARCH 2022 : DECIBEL
feels life deeply and profoundly. I would say yes, he has always shown perseverance, because to not have it would be to give up. I don’t think he considers that an option. Especially where Teeth is concerned. What were your thoughts the first time you heard Justin’s death metal voice?
I laughed. Leave it to Justin, who has a beautiful voice, to sing pig vocals (my label for it, but in good humor, not judgment). Which, of course, is an art unto itself. It takes a lot of practice and work to get it right. Do you enjoy the type of extreme music your son plays, or do you prefer other genres?
Honestly, no, I don’t enjoy it. However, I do respect it and know it has a place in the music world. I know enough to hear some incredible instrumentals happening. I enjoy several genres, but I have to say ’70s rock is my go-to. What’s something that most people would be surprised to learn about Justin?
That Sade is one of his favorite artists! That’s just one that I find kind of funny. Seriously speaking, Justin is one of the deepest souls I’ve known. He is also one of the kindest and most gentle souls. There are a lot of things about Justin that would surprise people. He still surprises me, and I probably know him better than anyone. —ANDREW BONAZELLI
Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f Type O Negative, World Coming Down Type O Negative, Life Is Killing Me Type O Negative, Bloody Kisses Type O Negative, October Rust Type O Negative, Dead Again ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e Satánico Pandemonium, Espectrofilia Sepultura, Arise Dead Kennedys, Bedtime for Democracy The Clash, Give ’Em Enough Rope The Coup, Party Music ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s Immolation, Acts of God Immolation, Failures for Gods Immolation, Here in After Immolation, Atonement Immolation, Kingdom of Conspiracy ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r The Acacia Strain, It Comes in Waves The Acacia Strain, Slow Decay Perturbator, Lustful Sacraments Grinning Death’s Head, Cataclysm Mizmor, Cairn ---------------------------------Aaron Salsbury : m a r k e t i n g a n d s a l e s Malignant Altar, Realms of Exquisite Morbidity Creeping Death, The Edge of Existence SpiritWorld, Pagan Rhythms ISIS, Oceanic You and I, Complete
GUEST SLAYER
---------------------------------Stu Folsom : s p i r i t w o r l d Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road 200 Stab Wounds, Slave to the Scalpel Godfather666, Love & Rage Creeper, Sex, Death & the Infinite Void Ringworm, Birth is Pain
PHOTO BY SEAN JORG