ATTERMINAL THE GATES METAL & BEER FEST ENSLAVED SPIRIT DISEASE HALL OF FAME MYTHS & LEGENDS PHILLY 2023 EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW
REFUSE/RESIST
FLEXI DISC
INCLUDED
A L S O
APRIL 2023 // No. 222
Don’t see it? Then subscribe!
$7.99US $7.99CAN
CATCH JESUS PIECE ON THE ROAD WITH “SHOW ME THE BODY” THIS FEBRUARY & MARCH
...SO UNKNOWN
LTD. VINYL AND CD AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CENTURY MEDIA STORE OUT 4/14 ON CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS
GET EXCLUSIVE MUSIC & MERCH
@ CENTURYMEDIA.STORE
E XT RE M ELY EXTREME
April 2023 [R 222] decibelmagazine.com
upfront 10 obituary:
justin bartlett Fvck cancer
12 metal muthas Like mother, like son 14 low culture Reunited and it feels so, so bad 15 no corporate beer Beer me a cocktail
16 úlfúð Willed into existence 18 hellripper You ever listen to the White Album... on speed? 20 tribunal Middle Earth is doomed 22 heaven’s gate Gotta go fast 24 kommand What about Age of Quarrel? 26 dawn ray’d Workers of the underworld, unite! 28 aftermath Lost in time 30 kruelty Mutual disgust
features
reviews
32 q&a: enslaved Guitarist and founding member Ivar Bjørnson’s approach to music is the stuff of legends
67 lead review Night Demon aim to bring trad metal back into the metal mainstream with the powerful Outsider
36 exclusive:
68 album reviews Records from bands that sincerely want to know what your personal opinions are on Twitter, including All Out War, Lamp of Murmuur and Rotten Sound
decibel magazine metal & beer fest: philly 2023 preview A Pepsi ain’t gonna cut it
42 the decibel
hall of fame Gothenburg melodeath kings At the Gates secure their third entry into the hallowed Hall with their transitional EP turned LP Terminal Spirit Disease
80 damage ink Anything but frosty
54 54
Most Known Unknown COVER STORY
COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY JC CAREY
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. © 2023 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.
4 : APRIL 2023 : DECIBEL
NEW
MESA BADLANDER™ 25 HEAD
Black Bronco Vinyl, Black Diamond Plate, Black Handle & Corners NEW
MESA BADLANDER 25 1x12 COMBO
Black Bronco Vinyl, Black Jute Grille, Black Handle & Corners
Badlanders arose from our legendary Dual Rectifiers® and feedback from players who used them over decades requesting; “Tighter low end, refined top end, and less mid scoop delivered with MESA gain that feels great and sounds huge.” The Badlander 25 1x12 Combo and Badlander 25 Head deliver that recipe in small packages and in a power range that adds a raw character all its own. For the guitarist leaning rock who likes some Brit influence with their American-voiced gain, the 25’s appeal is obvious, with many such tones that sound huge while also providing stunning direct performance without live speakers.
Handbuilt in Petaluma, California, USA | mesaboogie.com
I hear a lot of records before you do.
albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief
www.decibelmagazine.com
REFUSE/RESIST
April 2023 [T222] 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 ART DIRECTOR
Aaron Salsbury
aaron@decibelmagazine.com
Michael Wohlberg
michael@decibelmagazine.com CUSTOMER SERVICE
Patty Moran
COPY EDITOR
Andrew Bonazelli
BOOKCREEPER
Tim Mulcahy
patty@decibelmagazine.com
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
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Emily Bellino Adrien Begrand J. Bennett Dean Brown Richard Christy Liz Ciavarella-Brenner Chris Dick Sean Frasier Nick Green Raoul Hernandez Addison Herron-Wheeler Jonathan Horsley Courtney Iseman Neill Jameson Kim Kelly Sarah Kitteringham Daniel Lake Cosmo Lee Jamie Ludwig Shane Mehling Tim Mudd Justin M. Norton Dutch Pearce Forrest Pitts Greg Pratt Jon Rosenthal Brad Sanders José Carlos Santos Joseph Schafer Kevin Stewart-Panko Eugene S. Robinson Adem Tepedelen Jeff Treppel J Andrew Zalucky CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
MAIN OFFICE
P.O. Box 36818 Philadelphia, PA 19107 Tel: 215.625.9850 / Fax: 215.625.9967 www.decibelmagazine.com RECORD STORES
To carry Decibel, call 1.215.625.9850 x105
Jason Blake Justin Borucki JC Carey Shane Gardner Hillarie Jason Shimon Karmel Ester Segarra Hristo Shindov 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., 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. Copyright ©2023 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
| USPS 023142
PHOTO BY AARON SALSBURY
That’s just the way the music press works. Labels send publications music well before a release’s street date, so we can set up coverage and time it with the record’s release date. (Unless you’re Fenriz, who is done with all of that “advance music” stuff to remind me that I’m not very special.) Anyway, occasionally the music comes straight from the artist. Old friends Shane Embury and Kevin Sharp have been kind enough to slip me demo versions of Napalm Death, Brutal Truth, Lock Up and Dark Sky Burial tunes over the years. In the early part of 2021, a new album from their longest-running shared project, Venomous Concept, appeared in my inbox. Only the familiar grinding punk blasts that dominated the band’s first four LPs were largely replaced with some of the catchiest punk and post-punk songs this side of classic Hüsker Dü. After a few listens, The Good Ship Lollipop was already my new favorite Venomous Concept album. Everyone was stoked. But due to the material’s new direction, Shane and Kevin soon struggled to find the proper home for it, so I volunteered to help. Not by releasing it, of course—I’m not a moron. Instead, I spent the better part of a year playing the record for as many of my label friends who would listen. But despite the near universal agreement that the music was great, no one felt it was a fit for release through their label. Some were already overextended with releases through the year. Others worried that Venomous’ change in style was too severe, forcing them to essentially be marketed as a new artist. More still were concerned that their core audience just “wouldn’t get it.” Those that were interested ultimately couldn’t reach a deal with the band. So, sometime in mid-2022, Kevin—who had recently acquired our Deadguy Buyer’s Remorse live LP—asked me if Decibel would release the album through Decibel Records. Considering everything else we produce monthly (note the object you’re currently holding), I had no intention of making Decibel Records a “real label.” But when my friends (who happen to be legendary extreme music musicians that recorded my favorite record of the past two years) ask me to release it, well, yeah, I’m not a complete moron! Venomous Concept’s The Good Ship Lollipop is out this month on Decibel Records.
DECIBEL : APRIL 2023 : 7
READER OF THE
MONTH As best as we can tell, you’ve been a subscriber since 2010. Do you recall what led you to take the plunge and sign your life away to us?
I don’t know where I bought it, but the first issue I remember buying was the Refused HOF cover issue (September 2010, No. 71). The Shape of Punk to Come is a banger—who doesn’t love it? I devoured the whole issue. I subscribed shortly after and look forward to it every month. The writing is top-notch. I have been introduced to many great bands and beers over the years.
Paul Hoff Valatie, NY
Please tell us a little about Valatie. We are guessing metal shows do not regularly roll through your neck of the woods.
Valatie (Va-lay-sha) is a small village in upstate NY about a half-hour south of Albany. Most of the metal shows are either in Albany or require a trip to NYC. While there aren’t any shows in town, one of our finest local establishments, the Saisonnier, hosts “Metal Monday,” where a patron curates a metal playlist and there are metal-themed beer specials (examples are 3 Floyds, KCBC, beers brewed with bands). It’s a great excuse to wear my battle vest, and l bang my head to a wide variety of metal.
8 : APRIL 2023 : DECIBEL
We’re probably not booking a Metal & Beer Fest out there anytime soon, so you’ll have to make your way to Philly or Denver. We don’t know if you’re a drinker, so let us know which side of the event interests you more.
I am definitely a beer drinker, and love to pair it with metal. Metal & Beer Fest is a bucket list item for me. I would love to go one year. Hopefully one year it will align with my break from school (I’m a middle school teacher). The beer collaborations I see each year are insane! Very cool that Drowningman are playing this year; they are one of my all-time favorites.
As a longtime reader, surely you have strong opinions on the Decibel Hall of Fame. Now is your chance to make an induction case for a less obvious record (no Maiden, etc.) that we’ve yet to induct—let’s hear it!
The album I would induct is The Rain in the Endless Fall by Prayer for Cleansing. That album opened me up to different styles of metal that I didn’t really listen to before—melodeath in particular. It still holds up today: timeless riffs and breakdowns. Side note: Doesn’t the singer run a coffee shop in Philly? I’m a vinyl collector—I have bought stuff from dB a few times—and it’s one of my white whales. It was just repressed, but it sold out in minutes and I missed out. So, maybe if it is inducted, they would repress it again and I wouldn’t have to consider paying hundreds of bucks on Discogs for it.
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
OBITUARIES
10 : A P R I L 2 0 2 3 : D E C I B E L
D
The metal scene remembers the acclaimed illustrator you knew as VBERKVLT isembodied heads impaled on splintering spikes. A blood-sodden papacy
presided over by a demon wearing a liturgical headdress. Crypto-zoological beasts engaging in acts of torture porn. An abstract decomposing goat figure. These are some of the macabre images conjured into reality over the years by the inimitable talent of Justin “Vberkvlt” Bartlett, whose work has helped define the aphotic aesthetic behind the music/brand of many extreme metal bands—from Trap Them, Dragged Into Sunlight and the Secret to Sunn O))), Cadaver and Hooded Menace. On January 9, Bartlett sadly passed away following a defiant near-two-year battle against Stage IV colon cancer. He was only 45 years old. “Justin’s artwork was integral for the listener to visualize the darkness of the Trap Them sound,” admits the now-defunct band’s guitarist, Brian Izzi, a friend of Bartlett’s since the 1990s. “Sleepwell Deconstructor, Filth Rations and Darker Handcraft just wouldn’t be the same if not for his illustrations to set the mood.” “His unique style gave our visuals a really disturbed dimension [on 2015’s Darkness Drips Forth],” echoes Lasse Pyykkö of Hooded Menace. “[His artwork] was so different from what we have had before or after. It’s genuinely frightening and creepy, but at the same time very artsy and beautiful. I can only wish our music grabbed the listener as strongly as Justin’s nearly hypnotizing linework. To be honest, his art is way more twisted than our music.” Not only was Bartlett admired by the musicians he worked with during his (too-short) time with us, he was highly respected among those in the metal art community for his hellish pen and ink-based approach. Artist Eliran Kantor was part of a special group exhibition alongside Bartlett and other esteemed peers in 2019. “His style was all his own,” Kantor says. “It had a very natural flow and a very distinctive way of making lines wave, drip, deform and shake. It was visceral and primal, with a touch of chaos and a lot of roughness, which would elevate a heavy metal album cover to something
truly memorable and original without feeling out of touch with the music’s tradition and palette. It is a shame we won’t get to see more of this undeniable talent. My sincerest condolences to everyone he loved and [who] loved him.” “Justin was not concerned with the modes of technical perspective, or anatomy. He went for impact,” astutely notes Brad Moore, another supreme metal artist who admired Bartlett. Both were planning on working together this year on a card set of scenes featuring concepts from the Alien film franchise. As he battled his terminal illness, it’s therefore clear that Bartlett never gave up on his passion—he was making plans and collaborating creatively to the very end. “He was determined in his fight against cancer,” Izzi confirms. “I remember he said recently in his usual funny sarcastic tone, ‘I know I like death metal and all this morbid stuff, but it turns out I want to live!’ Based on our last few conversations, I think Justin would tell people to use their time on this planet wisely, stay healthy and be mindful of the things in life that are truly worth living for.” Cadaver mastermind Anders Odden worked with Bartlett on projects for almost 25 years. The death metal lifer battled cancer himself in 2019 and 2020, a time during which Bartlett was creating the layout for Cadaver’s Edder & Bile.
“We got closer through this time and with all the stuff that was going on in the world,” Odden recalls. “When he got cancer, I was one of the few friends he knew who had gone through it, so we had many good conversations about it. I think cancer patients have an insight and a way of talking that is different from everybody else and that it’s good to have someone to talk to when you are sick that understands the darkness of it all.” “How did I feel when Justin passed?” ponders Danny Trudell of Holy Mountain Printing, another longtime friend/collaborator of the much-missed artist. “If we’re being honest, I cried. I lost a couple friends [recently] and those losses do not get easier. The only thing I can take away from those losses is to hug everyone around you, tell them what they mean to you and support them as best you can. Tomorrow is not promised.” With the passing of any loved one—and we here at Decibel counted Bartlett as a dear friend (he even designed the first logo for the Decibel Tour back in 2012)—comes profound bouts of reminiscence. Those we talked to for this feature collectively remember Bartlett as uncompromising with his art; as being very straightforward and introspective; curious, open-minded, adventurous and kind; at times, a bit stubborn; a cat lover. For those who didn’t know him personally, his character, talent, beliefs and artistic vision are all forever enshrined in the demented imagery he has left behind. “The beauty of Justin is this: He is gone, but he left us a body of work to treasure, and so in that way he will never really be gone,” Trudell says. “Every time I get out Locrian’s The Crystal World, or rage to Dragged Into Sunlight’s Hatred for Mankind, he will be there. Justin created work that will connect him to us all for the rest of our lives, and the lives of those that discover his work after us. What he did will live on forever.” Amen to that. Fvck cancer. Rest in power, Vberkvlt. —DEAN BROWN D E C I B E L : A P R I L 2 0 2 3 : 11
NOW SLAYING Wonder what Decibel world HQ has been rocking for the past month? Well, here are the records that we spun most while, despite the numerous requests, refusing to bring the Decibel Tour to Brazil.
Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell
This Month’s Muthas: Christina Apodaca Muthas of Steven Villa of Saber
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a single mom born and raised in California who has a love for music—especially heavy metal and classic rock. I also enjoy singing, but not publicly. Just a hobby, and I love to bake occasionally for the holidays. At what point did you notice your son’s incredible vocal range?
We both enjoy singing musical tunes when listening to our favorite albums and other music genres. Especially when we were driving together when Steven was very young. We would always try to outdo each other on certain notes of our favorite singers like Rob Halford and Geoff Tate. I realized then his range was surprisingly [high], and he was able to get good ever since. Especially how he could hold onto a note and [how he] learned to progressively improve his range. Are either you or his father responsible for his interest in traditional heavy metal? What are some of your favorite bands?
I take full responsibility for Steven’s love of heavy metal and classic rock music. I have always supported him with his music by attending his shows, helping out by selling band
merchandise and [helping out with] ticket sales. As a teenager, I took him to his first concert, which was the Heaven and Hell tour with Ronnie James Dio. After that, it [led] up to many concerts; my son [always] wanted to tag along with me. How do you feel about a band entirely of Hispanic descent making such big strides in this genre?
I feel this genre is open to all who enjoy listening and creating music. How do you think Saber compares to some of Steven’s earlier bands, like Lethal Night or Skeptor?
Steven had a good time with all his bands. He loves singing [and] creating music, but best of all entertaining people. What is something most people would be surprised to learn about your son?
Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f Night Demon, Outsider Enforced, War Remains Street Tombs, Reclusive Decay Úlfúð, Of Existential Distortion Godflesh, Pure Live ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e The Exploited, Fuck the System D.R.I., Dirty Rotten EP Excel, Split Image Metallica, …And Justice for All Klaus Schulze, Deus Arrakis ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s Enslaved, Heimdal Lamp of Murmuur, Saturnian Bloodstorm Tribunal, The Weight of Remembrance Kommand, Terrorscape Night Demon, Outsider ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r Enforced, War Remains Cursed, II Jesus Piece, ...So Unknown Cursed, III: Architects of Troubled Sleep Fuming Mouth, Beyond the Tomb ---------------------------------Aaron Salsbury : m a r k e t i n g a n d s a l e s Heaven’s Gate, Heaven’s Gate All Out War, Celestial Rot Venomous Concept, The Good Ship Lollipop Grave Chalice, Demo Ekulu, Unscrew My Head
GUEST SLAYER
---------------------------------Melissa Moore : s o n j a Messa, Close Maggot Heart, Mercy Machine Ruby The Hatchet, Fear is a Cruel Master Sacramentum, The Coming of Chaos Kekht Arakh, Pale Swordsman
He is an avid Star Wars enthusiast. He also enjoys trying new restaurants and plays guitar occasionally. He sang at Disneyland for the Christmas Season Candlelight [Processional] with his high school choir class the last two years before graduating. —ANDREW BONAZELLI PHOTO BY
12 : A P R I L 2 0 2 3 : D E C I B E L
DON VINCENT ORTEGA