SCORN EVANESCENCE HALL OF FAME
LAMB OF GOD GOATWHORE THE FUTURE IS NOW WELL HUNG FOR SATAN
REFUSE/RESIST
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NOVEMBER 2022 // No. 217
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November 2022 [R 217] decibelmagazine.com
upfront 12 obituary:
steve grimmett The curtain closes
14 metal muthas Have son will travel 16 fire in the mountains
2022 review Nature, boy
20 low culture Memoirs from the mosh retirement home 21 no corporate beer From zero (ABV) to hero
22 sonja Loud and proud 24 cloud rat Homeward bound and tortured 26 mother of graves Peace be with them 28 ripped to shreds Fuck it, they’ll do it live 30 ruby the hatchet Going their own way 32 acephalix One life to live 34 gaera No time like the present 36 dead cross Fuck cancer 38 daeva Will and fallen grace
features
reviews
40 autopsy Rock you to death
79 lead review With their second LP in as many years, Dream Unending craft a uniquely etheral world on sophomore offering Song of Salvation
42 revocation Hell of a time to be alive 44 exhumed No gravestone left unturned 46 lamb of god We’ve got a good feeling about this one 48 q&a: goatwhore Guitarist Sammy Duet asks the question, “Am I evil?” (Spoiler warning: yes) 52 the decibel
80 album reviews Records from bands that aren’t eligible for student loan forgiveness from the School of Hard Knocks, including Incantation, OFF! and Skid Row
64
104 damage ink Boy harsher
hall of fame Mick Harris and Nic Bullen move form blast beats to looped beats on Scorn's genre-obliterating Evanescence
Reternal COVER STORY COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY SHIMON KARMEL
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. 6 : NOVEMBER 2022 : DECIBEL
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early 2005 at an exceptionally dour northeast metalfest. For context, Decibel hadn’t even been around for a full year and Unhallowed was still the most recent Black Dahlia record. We were at the Decibel merch table nerding out hard about old-school death metal when he mentioned he wanted to buy a copy of Choosing Death, which had only been out a few months. He had $8 and some change in his pocket, and I had enough Sam Adams in me to feel as though this was fair market value, especially considering that the book was about to be devoured by a dude who recently had the Carcass “tools” tattooed on his forearm. Our paths crossed occasionally over the years, but we didn’t really hang out again until the NYC date of the 2014 Decibel Tour, which featured BDM as main support for Trevor’s heroes Carcass. Or at least I thought we hung out, as I later discovered that—for at least part of the evening—I drunkenly mistook another bearded, bespeckled dude for Trevor. Ironically, I only learned of this when I met Trevor’s doppelganger years later at the first Los Angeles edition of Metal & Beer Fest, which, amazingly, also featured Black Dahlia on the bill. I have several regrets about that evening, but not organizing a photo with all three of us together looms largest. Not counting our Decibel Magazine Tour 2014 issue, it’s somehow been 15 years since the Black Dahlia Murder last appeared on the cover of Decibel in support of their Nocturnal record. We actually began the process of assembling a Hall of Fame induction for that now-classic LP back in late March, but regrettably, didn’t complete our interview with Trevor before his death in May. I didn’t speak with Trevor directly, but when I put our contributor in touch with him, Trevor replied, “I’m sure this wasn’t Albert’s idea, but I’m stoked anyway!” He was right, but I was also stoked. And I didn’t have any reason to believe the story wouldn’t happen. Over the years, I’ve met Brian and a few of the other dudes from various BDM lineups, but Trevor was the only band member I communicated with regularly. Considering that, I’d like to personally thank the current members of the Black Dahlia Murder for trusting Decibel with telling their story. Witnessing them emerge from the past six months of trauma united by a renewed purpose might be the greatest tribute to Trevor’s memory that anyone could offer. Don’t take what they are doing for granted.
The Texas metal scene is crushing right now. Please give us your top three Lone Star metal bands of the moment.
Jody Martin Texarkana, TX
You’ve been a subscriber for about eight years now. How did you discover Decibel?
The first metal publication that I ever subscribed to was Metal Maniacs—the gold standard of metal magazines at the time. At only 10 issues a year, it left me wanting more. I was a newsstand buyer of other publications (Metal Hammer, Terrorizer, Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles), and it was the newsstand where I discovered Decibel in December 2004. While I didn’t immediately subscribe, the smart writing and coverage of all my favorite bands and subgenres of metal kept me reading. It was the Decibel Flexi Series that compelled me to become a subscriber. All told, I have been with you guys since you were “The New Noise.”
10 : NOVEMBER 2022 : DECIBEL
Texas has always had a prolific scene, but it’s definitely a metal hotbed as of late. My “hard-tojust-pick-three”: 1) BLK OPS. Their Godflesh-meets-Today Is the Day approach to songwriting feels like a carnival spook house at full speed, with the cart wobbling off the rails. Scary and exciting and also a little dangerous. Their new album The Heroic Dose is easily one of my favorite albums in the last five years. 2) Frozen Soul. I caught Frozen Soul’s first-ever show opening for Blood Incantation and Necrot in 2019, and I was immediately hooked. Sure, they make fantastic music, but their relentless touring and fostering an environment of belonging and inclusion in the metal community have made them a force to be reckoned with. They were one of the first bands to start playing shows after the pandemic settled down. Their annual Wrecking Ball fest has arguably become the premier Texas metal music event of the year. 3) Malignant Altar. Malignant Altar jumped on the scene almost perfectly formed. [Comprised of] all veterans of the Houston metal scene, they crafted some of the best demos over the last decade. The expectation was that their debut album would be incredible, and it did not disappoint. Last year’s Realms of Exquisite Morbidity made many year-end Top 10 lists. They have added to
their mystique by choosing to perform live only occasionally. With no theatrics or gimmicks, just a ton of killer riffs. Please give us your elevator pitch for a Hall of Fame induction on an album that you doubt we’ve previously considered.
Soilent Green’s Sewn Mouth Secrets is worthy of the Hall of Fame treatment. It’s a start-to-finish juggernaut I’ve never grown tired of all these years. Sewn Mouth Secrets was the band’s second album, and the first one [where] they finally fine-tuned their sound—time signatures weaving around the confused listener, grindcore and southern metal and punk spilling out of the speakers. So underrated, really, and an album the younger generation needs to know about. In what embarrassing fashion will the Cowboys lose in the playoffs this season?
The most painful question of the lot. The Cowboys have no depth at quarterback. If Dak [Prescott] goes down, the Cowboys go down. An honest fan knows our ownership and coaching staff leave a lot to be desired at times. Any number of embarrassing scenarios could be generated by either. Your Eagles are stacked this season and, as much as I hate it, it wouldn’t surprise me to see us go out in the first round at the hands of your beloved team. And I honestly couldn’t imagine anything more embarrassing than that.
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