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EXTREMELY EXTREME
May 2023 [R 223] decibelmagazine.com
upfront 8
obituary: tim aymar Hard to believe
10 metal muthas Raising the shark tank 12 subterranean
dissonance fest review When the underground gets literally literal
16 majesties Reigniting the flame 18 century Somewhere in time 20 rotten sound Write to worry 22 poison ruïn A dungeon of their own making
14 low culture Absolutely no time like the present
24 celestial wizard Up and running like the wind
15 no corporate beer Diversify your brews
26 gel Constantly growing 28 sermon Him for the hopeless 30 lamp of murmuur Come forth demonized 32 sandrider A joy to work with 34 acid king Taking up space 36 lotus thrones Cry now, cry later 38 vredensdal Reaping what you sow
features
reviews
40 night demon Breaking with tradition
69 lead review Current day crossover heroes Enforced mow us down with a barrage of riffs that prove their slaying power on War Remains
42 q&a: dismember Drummer Fred Estby is only interested in going with the flow
Let the Devils In COVER STORY COVER PHOTOS BY SHIMON KARMEL, GENE SMIRNOV, A.J. KINNEY AND WOLF MOUNTAIN PRODUCTIONS CONTENTS PHOTOS BY SHIMON KARMEL ADDITIONAL PHOTO EDITING BY ESTER SEGARRA
46 the decibel
hall of fame Midwestern metal maniacs Macabre carve out a truly unique death metal-inspired sound focused on the world of serial killers with their Nuclear Blast debut Sinister Slaughter
70 album reviews Records from bands that are so mad the Tour isn’t coming to Brazil, including Deathgrave, Enslaved and Unto Others 80 damage ink Guilty of being... something
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.
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May 2023 [T223] PUBLISHER
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“[I] spent a lot of time with Dark
Symphonies catalogs looking for descriptions of similar sounds to order imported CDs without even hearing them first.” That’s Majesties guitarist Carl Skildum from page 16 of this issue, discussing his mania after first discovering the melodic black/death sounds of the mid-’90s perfected via shortlived, seminal European labels like No Fashion and Wrong Again Records. Today, the words “mail-order catalog” almost exclusively escape from the lips of 50-somethings, often in the same labored breath as “tape-trading” and “actual letter-writing.” I know because all of that paper and audio analog is jammed into a box just collecting dust in the back of my basement closet. When I eventually die, my kids will discover it, wonder aloud, “Why would he keep this?” and then immediately throw it out. If you grew up in Nowheresville, PA, like me, extreme metal mailorder catalogs were sacred canon. In 1994, it was a 120-mile drive to the nearest record store that imported any of the records I wanted, so beyond the occasional pilgrimage to a real city, distro catalogs from Relapse, Necropolis, Full Moon and the aforementioned Dark Symphonies were essentially my record stores. Mind you, this isn’t an old-man yarn about how “the kids are lazy” and “things were better back then.” The internet was in its infancy, so unless you knew someone with the physical copy of the record you were interested in, the two-sentence, hyperbolic product text like, “This unholy release is dark, aggressive, extremely brutal and melancholic—a punishing vocal style makes this a unique release,” was what we had in lieu of “visualizers.” I could occasionally get Ted from Dark Symphonies on the phone for better recommendations—while artfully dodging the sales pitch for his Autumn Tears project—but mail-order was generally an expensive game of trial and error. For every revelatory Bergtatt purchase, there was a mediocre Ablaze My Sorrow album I can’t even remember the title of; for each Esoteric Epistemological Despondency doom discovery, I invariably ended up with a copy of the Gathering’s Almost a Dance, which I then had to unload on some other unsuspecting rube on the alt.rock-n-roll.metal.death newsgroup. Sure, I can admit that Bandcamp is clearly a better user experience, while still remaining nostalgic for the days of mailing stamps or well-concealed dollar bills in exchange for the arrival of those precious distro updates. You can’t do that today, but you can order that new Majesties album, which is pure melodic black/death metal straight out of a 1995 mail-order catalog. Keep it true—don’t even preview. albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief
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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
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You are the third or fourth member of the Metalheads Podcast ensemble to appear in this column. Those podcasts are often seven-hour, beer-fueled marathons, and we have on reliable authority that you hit the wall pretty hard when recording an episode with a Decibel staff member. Was that because, like Decibel, you are unable to make it through an entire episode of the show?
Markisan Naso Chicago, IL
You spent a large portion of the pandemic living in Hawaii. What was that experience like?
It was absolute bliss. I can’t imagine a better place to be when the world effectively stops than Hawaii. The state closed its door to tourists for quite a while during the height of the pandemic. Without that influx of visitors crowding Oahu, my wife and I got to enjoy the island so much more. For us, the main attraction of Hawaii is its natural beauty. During the pandemic, the beaches never closed. The forests never closed. The ocean stayed open for business. In 2019, my main concern with moving to Honolulu was the lack of metal shows. But soon after we moved, COVID-19 shut down concerts everywhere, so I ended up not missing much live metal. Our two-and-a-half-year stay in Hawaii was really a perfect window in time to experience paradise. It’s something that probably won’t ever happen again.
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’Twas our Top 25 Metal Albums [of] 2020 midyear countdown show, and the revelry was intense. Four hours in, I had already put down two meads and seven beers with ABVs of 9% or higher. I was feeling it. I saw a rainbow and knocked over a mic on accident, so I decided to leave and go take a nap. When I suddenly dropped out of sight, the Metalheads were baffled and concerned, but after a few minutes they just decided I passed out. I can’t blame them. Anyone else on the cast would have been incapacitated by half the amount of alcohol I drank that night. But then, suddenly, I made my triumphant return 15 minutes later and completed the episode, more lucid and wittier than before. The boys were shocked. They marveled at my recuperative abilities. So, “hit the wall?” Nah. I just curled up against it for a bit, then stood up and kicked its brick teeth in. It’s the greatest comeback in the history of podcasting. You have attended Metal & Beer Fest in the past and are an outspoken fan of our flagship
meadery Brimming Horn. So, let’s put you on the spot: Is mead actually more metal than beer?
There is no beverage more metal than mead. Mead is the oldest known alcohol. It’s a lot stronger than beer, if made properly. It was dubbed the nectar of the gods by the ancient Greeks. It’s the drink Vikings are greeted with after they die in glorious battle and ascend to Valhalla. Mead fueled the epic hero Beowulf. Beer has been around a long time, but it just doesn’t have that same kind of celestial status. You wouldn’t even have beer in the world without mead makers blazing the path. You’re co-creator and writer of the comics By the Horns and Voracious. Here’s your advertising space: Why should metalheads go check these out as soon as they finish this month’s Stone Cold Lazy?
Voracious is about a chef who travels through time, kills dinosaurs and serves them at a restaurant in the present. My current series, By the Horns, is an epic sci-fi/fantasy adventure about a heartbroken warrior and her telepathic wolf companion who want to murder all the unicorns in the world for destroying their lives. The main character, Elodie, can rip off unicorn horns and merge them together to form magic weapons. Do comics get more original or metal than that? Plus, Brimming Horn made a mead for By the Horns while I was in Hawaii. It’s the only one they’ve ever crafted for a comic. All their other collaborations have been with metal bands. If that doesn’t get metalheads to pick up my books, I don’t know what will.
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 no longer being surprised that Metallica apologists will happily choke down any plate of shit they are served.
Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell
This Month’s Mutha: Bridget Marie Ismert Mutha of Abe, Eli and Henry Ismert of Hammerhedd
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am the youngest of six kids and have spent my whole life in Kansas City. I am a child of the ’80s, so I toted a pink boom box or Walkman everywhere I went. Fast forward to my college years where I met my future husband, Luke. He was the first guy I had met who loved music more than myself, and had quite a CD collection. We ended up getting married shortly after college and moving back to our hometown of Kansas City. We both worked as computer programmers until we had kids. As a mom, it was so fun introducing my kids to all the music that I loved. And now I get to hear their music under my feet most nights. What effect did you have on your sons’ musical proficiency? Were you a metalhead yourself, or did you simply support them learning instruments at a young age?
I don’t really credit myself with any effect on their proficiency. I guess I supplied the music in the car and at home. But my husband is one of 10 kids, and they are extremely musical. My kids grew up watching their aunts and uncles jamming at family parties. Before they had their own instruments, the boys would take my pots and pans and scrape together anything else that made noise and head to our basement. I remember many years of retrieving my frying pan from Eli when I needed it. So, I guess you could say that lending them my cookware was my contribution to Hammerhedd.
How did you react when Metallica reposted their cover of “Eye of the Beholder”?
That was pretty surreal. Actually, we were in the Culver’s drive-thru after a soccer game when Henry announced that their video had been reposted by Metallica. I think we were all pretty blown away by the reaction to the video. You take for granted what happens all day in your house. To see Metallica giving them props was nuts. The boys not only loved Metallica’s music, but they had a huge respect for the band as people who had weathered so many storms. They were musical “father figures” to them, so it meant quite a bit. Other than shredding, what are some of your boys’ other interests?
They love sports. Between the three of them, they have played it all. Nowadays, Abe is wrestling for his high school, and Henry and Eli will accept an invitation to anything: pickup basketball, family football games, bowling and local public golf courses. Mostly we can all agree on our love for the Royals and the Chiefs. Their second album, Nonetheless, will be released by the time this issue goes to print. What do you think of Hammerhedd’s musical evolution to this point?
It has been really fun to watch. They have really morphed into something that’s hard to put into a genre. Henry (the oldest) used to be the driver of the creative process, but that has changed. All three of them now bring in their individual tastes and opinions, which is why the sound continues to change. —ANDREW BONAZELLI
Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f Wayfarer, “Night Shift” Decibel flexi Venomous Concept, The Good Ship Lollipop Botch, We Are the Romans Blackbraid, Blackbraid I ISIS, Panopticon ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e Cro-Mags, The Age of Quarrel Agression, Don't Be Mistaken Sick of It All, Sick of It All Subhumans, The Day the Country Died Crass, Best Before 1984 ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s Blackbraid, Blackbraid I Mystic Circle, Erzdämon Sanguisugabogg, Homicidal Ecstasy Street Tombs, Reclusive Decay Cryptopsy, The Unspoken King ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r Botch, We Are the Romans Botch, An Anthology of Dead Ends The Acacia Strain, Step Into the Light Gel, Only Constant Drain, Living Proof ---------------------------------Aaron Salsbury : m a r k e t i n g a n d s a l e s Night Demon, Outsider Venomous Concept, The Good Ship Lollipop Squid Pisser, My Tadpole Legion L.O.T.I.O.N., World Wide W.E.B. Smells Like Paint, The World Is a Technological Wasteland and I'm Tired of Living In It
GUEST SLAYER
---------------------------------Justin Cory : u s n e a Mizmor, Cairn The Soft Moon, Deeper Grouper, Shade Mortiferum, Preserved in Torment Dream Unending, Tide Turns Eternal
PHOTO BY
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ORION LANDAU