RULE BELL WITCH THEOF THREES THORR’S HAMMER DOMMEDAGSNATT HALL OF FAME
REFUSE/RESIST
REVIEWED
FLEXI DISC
INCLUDED
CREEPING DEATH PERSEKUTOR
BONGZILLA PUPIL SLICER DEATHGRAVE THULCANDRA NECROFIER SATURNUS
JULY 2023 // No. 225
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July 2023 [R 225] decibelmagazine.com
upfront 8
metal muthas All hail
10 exclusive:
decibel magazine metal & beer fest: philly 2023 review Drunk on riffs... and beer
16 low culture Back in my day 17 no corporate beer A storm of lite
18 bongzilla Not your kids’ dab 20 thulcandra New wave of blackened heavy metal 22 deathgrave There goes the neighborhood 24 necrofier Heard loud and clear 26 blood ceremony What’s old is new again 28 vhs Be kind please don’t just rewind 30 saturnus Decade of introspection 32 pupil slicer Flowers bloom
features
reviews
34 bell witch Doomed forever
67 lead review Funeral doom darlings Bell Witch prove that time is on their side with the beginning of their new audio trilogy Future’s Shadow Part I: The Clandestine Gate
36 creeping death Bound to succeed 38 q&a: persekutor Masked frontman Vlad the Inhaler is makings sure you get shit-hammered on fun 42 the decibel
hall of fame Before the sunn rose on a new era of doom metal, Thorr’s Hammer crashed like lightning into the small scene of the Pacific Northwest for two shows and sole legendary release Dommedagsnatt
68 album reviews Records from bands that are already demanding to know next year’s Philly fest line-up, including Immortal, Metal Church and Xasthur 80 damage ink Drop like flies
Pure Relief COVER STORY COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY KATJA OGRIN
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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REFUSE/RESIST
July 2023 [T225]
“I don’t even want to play this show.”
It’s November 12, 1996, and Justin Broadrick is clutching his guitar and kneeling on the tiniest of stages in Moosic, PA, telling me this a few minutes before Godflesh’s scheduled set time. His dread is palpable. Moments earlier, metallic hardcore upstarts Vision of Disorder obliterated a packed Sea-Sea’s—a shithole we locals less-than-affectionately referred to as “feces”—but they’ve already loaded out and taken most of the audience with them. There are maybe 20 of us left. Earlier in the tour, drummer Ted Parsons sustained a serious foot injury that required him to use crutches when he’s not performing. The tenuous relationship with Godflesh’s record label has only deteriorated since the quiet release of their fourth LP, Songs of Love and Hate, about three weeks earlier. Things are not going great. Did I mention there are like 20 people here? My largely uninspiring pep talk is a non-factor, as Godflesh take the stage and launch into the opening three tracks from Songs of Love and Hate. They crush. After the show, I accompany them to their fleabag hotel accommodations, where they smoke up and we shit-talk a select few of their then-labelmates. Justin remains gregarious well into the night, but still somewhat anxious about the road ahead. We watch an episode of CHiPs with the volume completely muted, and I leave before overstaying my welcome. A month later—despite a couple cancellations and one physical altercation with an opening act—Godflesh completed that run. It would be the band’s final U.S. tour for 18 years. They’ve been back here a few times since. The most memorable for me came when I booked them for the inaugural Los Angeles edition of Metal & Beer Fest in 2018: Justin and bassist Ben Green showed up 45 minutes before their set time, the former passing his social anxiety along to me for one fist-clenching evening! When Godflesh return to tour the States this month, it will be the first time since Justin’s autism diagnosis, a condition he discusses in great detail in this month’s fantastic cover story, courtesy of Dan Lake. I’m not sure knowing/understanding Justin’s circumstances would have made a grueling U.S. tour at extreme metal’s commercial low point any less uncomfortable, but it will hopefully help him when he faces the chaos that surely awaits.
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
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tim@redflagmedia.com CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Chuck BB, Ed Luce Mark Rudolph
Online DECIBEL WEB EDITOR
Albert Mudrian
DECIBEL WEB AD SALES
James Lewis
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Emily Bellino Adrien Begrand J. Bennett Dean Brown 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
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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
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Like (pack) rats Our editor’s autographed Godflesh poster emerges from the closet for the first time since 2008
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
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READER OF THE
MONTH
Ron Kaiser
West Berlin, NJ You recently attended the latest Philly edition of Metal & Beer Fest. What were your thoughts on the event?
As a seasoned veteran of the Metal & Beer Fest, it’s so great to have this in our city every year. And it’s something I look forward to, even with the inevitable hangover [courtesy of] all the breweries from all over the country! This year was so much fun, from bands such as Undeath and Frozen Soul (who I helped to book their first-ever Philly area shows). Seeing them grow in their relative short histories and play great fests like this is amazing. I FaceTimed my 16-year-old son during Eyehategod’s set since he wanted to see them. (In five years, he’ll be able to join us all there!) Gorguts, Drowningman and All Out War made me feel young
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again. The Black Dahlia Murder did a great job to honor Trevor Strnad’s legacy! The way Suicidal Tendencies had people onstage to close out the fest was a fitting moment. But I don’t think there will be anything (past or future Metal & Beer Fests) that could top what happened towards the end of Worm’s set. (If you know, you know! And if you don’t know, YouTube is your friend.) You're a pretty enthusiastic home brewer. What got you into that, and do you have aspirations to move beyond brewing in your kitchen someday?
When COVID hit, I was looking to do something creative. I couldn’t get together with my band, Blasphemous, or throw shows. And as a healthcare worker, I wanted something I could do to take my mind off of the stress of my job. Right before the world shut down, I went to a class at a local brewery, and they showed the process of a brew day. And I was hooked. Not long after that, I got a homebrew kit for Father’s Day. There has been a lot of trial and error, the biggest error being a nearly full bottling bucket crashing on my kitchen floor. In spite of that, my wife has been encouraging and involved. Eventually, I would love to go beyond the kitchen [and] incorporate my love of brewing and metal into a brewery/venue of my own.
Godflesh are on the cover of this issue. Decibel is in the minority believing that Pure, not Streetcleaner, is the band's high-water mark. What's your fave release from the Birmingham legends?
I had to take a deep listen to Pure and Streetcleaner based on this question. And it is kinda close, but I’m on Team Streetcleaner still. Wonder if anyone remembers them appearing in the movie Hideaway? I do plan on seeing them in September in Philly right before my birthday (if anyone wants an idea for an early birthday present). As a Philly sports fanatic, it’s been a year of close calls for our non-Flyers locals. Which of the major Philly teams will bring home the next championship for the city?
For those readers that may not know, Philly is the only city to have lost three major championships in the span of three months. The easy answer is to say the Eagles since they came the closest. The Sixers are about to start the second round of the playoffs, but just as Metal & Beer Fest happens every year in Philly, so does a Joel Embiid playoff injury. And getting through round two has been something they have the most trouble with. Maybe as this issue goes to press, we will have a different result and the Sixers will be on the brink of an NBA championship.
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
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NOW SLAYING Wonder what Decibel world HQ has been rocking for the past month? Well, here are the records that we spun most while wishing Seth Binzer was from Pittsburgh so he could be Seth Yinzer.
Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell
This Month’s Mutha: Kay Maynor Mutha of Jacob Curwen of All Hell
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in North Carolina, and moved to the Asheville area when I married Jacob’s father. I worked various jobs and am now retired after working for 30 years in the electric motor industry. I am a mother of five—four sons and one daughter, with Jacob being my youngest child. My parents were both musicians and played country and bluegrass music.
both enjoy some old country music like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Marty Robbins. I also like to listen to movie scores and soundtracks. We used to listen to the original Star Wars trilogy soundtracks on long car rides or vacation trips. If we ride somewhere together nowadays, we’ll sometimes still listen to those, and Jacob has also recently shown me albums from John Carpenter.
Your son has written some truly bleak and vivid lyrics. Did he express an interest in poetry or fiction when he was younger?
All Hell played the second-ever Decibel Metal & Beer Fest back in 2018. Do you have a favorite beer (or adult beverage)?
Growing up, Jacob always loved books, as I read to him a lot—he loved the Goosebumps books especially. His dad would also read him some of Grimms’ Fairy Tales and tell him old mountain folk tales from the area. Jacob learned to read and write at a very early age, and was very talented in reading, memorizing and writing poetry.
I don’t drink, so coffee is as adult as it gets for me. Jacob’s grandpa (on his dad’s side) was a moonshiner, though!
All Hell pull from a variety of extreme metal influences, from punk and thrash to death rock. Do you share any of Jacob’s musical tastes?
I’m not really into the more extreme stuff, but we do have some common ground. We 8 : J U LY 2 0 2 3 : D E C I B E L
At the time of this writing, All Hell’s new EP, All Hail the Night, will come out in just under a month. Does Jacob share new music with you when it’s ready?
Jacob has always been a little secretive with his creations, whether it’s art or poetry or music, until he’s finished with them. But when he’s ready, he will show me things or sometimes play some parts for me on his guitar, and I always enjoy that. —ANDREW BONAZELLI
Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f Godflesh, Purge Tsjuder, Helvegr Persekutor, Snow Business Escuela Grind, Memory Theater Eyehategod, Take as Needed for Pain ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e The Black Delta Movement, Recovery Effects Rudimentary Peni, Death Church Paradise Lost, One Second The Cure, Disintegration Cult of Dom Keller, They Carried the Dead in a U.F.O. ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s Godflesh, Purge Incantation, Diabolical Conquest Deathgrave, It’s Only Midnight Bell Witch, Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate Enforced, War Remains ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r Frozen Soul, Glacial Domination Undeath, It’s Time... to Rise from the Grave Godflesh, Purge The Black Dahlia Murder, Nocturnal Calligram, Position | Momentum ---------------------------------Aaron Salsbury : m a r k e t i n g a n d s a l e s Heroin, Discography Funeral Leech, Death Meditation Bonegraft, Craniosynostosis Ritual Mass, It Ever Turns Death, Fate: The Best of Death
GUEST SLAYER
---------------------------------Katerina Economou : escuela grind
Jesus Piece, …So Unknown Bbymutha, Muthaleficent 3 Bonginator, The Intergalactic Gorebong of Deathpot The Acacia Strain, Step Into the Light / Failure Will Follow Mac DeMarco, One Wayne G
PHOTO BY A.J. KINNEY