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METAL ON METAL HALL OF FAME

SPRING FEST ROUND-UP ROADBURN & HELL’S HEROES REVIEWED

KHANATE CRUEL TO BE KIND

REFUSE/RESIST

A L S O

OUTER HEAVEN ROYAL THUNDER RAVEN WAYFARER GRAF ORLOCK THANTIFAXATH TSJUDER BLOOD CEREMONY AGRICULTURE END REIGN

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AUGUST 2023 // No. 226

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August 2023 [R 226] decibelmagazine.com

upfront 8

metal muthas Blood of my blood

10 hell’s heroes v review Hotter than hell 12 roadburn 2023 review Reviewing heaviness 14 low culture I was always more of a Star Trek guy 15 no corporate beer The good kind of imperialism 16 in the studio:

wayfarer

How the east was won

18 tsjuder The dream of the ’90s is alive in Norway 20 raven Can’t stop, won’t stop 22 end reign Better together 24 graf orlock Last action heroes 26 hellwitch The witch is back 28 thantifaxath Rise and shine 30 agriculture Less agony, more ecstasy 32 inferion Formulas fatal to the industry 34 vulture industries Dad deathrock 36 stinking lizaveta Smell the jazz magic

features

reviews

38 royal thunder The funeral within

69 lead review Only one year removed from their stellar debut album, USBM powerhouse Blackbraid return with a follow-up that expands their sonic power with Blackbraid II

40 outer heaven The origins of horror 42 q&a: khanate For bassist and producer James Plotkin, the band’s first record in 14 years is a big mood 46 the decibel

hall of fame Despite the killer songs, the support of the metal press and the eye of (most) girls, learn how Anvil were never able to achieve the same success as their pioneering peers with the legendary Metal on Metal album

70 album reviews Records from bands that aren’t quiet quitting so much as loudly lasting, including Church of Misery, Voivod and Vomitory 80 damage ink The art of partying

One Life to Live 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. © 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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CRaSH TESTED The legacy continues with our all-new 60 Watt 2 X12 and 15 Watt 1X10 combo ampliﬁers.

www.decibelmagazine.com

mom dropped what I’m sure was then comparable to a month’s rent on an Atari 2600. For an only child with little friends and even less ambitions to make more, those gigantic pixels and that single-button joystick soon became my most trusted companions. At least for a few years, until the Nintendo Entertainment System descended from the heavens and blew the minds of every fifth grader in North America. For me, that seismic change spawned countless solitary Contra, R.B.I. Baseball and Double Dragon marathons all the way through elementary school. By the time my early education gave way to high school, priorities shifted. Most of which required me to get my fat ass out of my room, leaving my third-gen video game console to gather dust around neglected Garbage Pail Kids and dozens of 1987 Topps Mark McGwires. Decibel art director Mike Wohlberg and ad sales director James Lewis, however, have remained resolute in their commitment to chronic eye strain. Both have been playing video games through multiple generations of consoles and platforms, nearly all of which are completely alien to a guy like me who put down his NES controller 30-plus years ago. Last November, their lifelong nerdom culminated with the Decibel online debut of their co-authored video game column Kill Screen. Unlike other metal-leaning gaming columns, Kill Screen doesn’t review new or classic games, but instead interviews metal musicians about their video game experiences. It’s created some of the most passionate and engaging—and surprisingly emotional—content we’ve ever run on the site. As of this writing, Mike and James have published over a dozen, and we’ll press start on some Kill Screen video content sometime after you read this. This, of course, inspired me to download (with significant assistance from Mike) an NES emulator. Now I’m revisiting lost classics like Blaster Master, discovering awesome games like Shatter Hand that I initially missed and studying Metroid maps so I can actually get the fuck around Zebes. But it’s all secondary to my 8-year-old son thoroughly beating my ass in Tecmo NBA Basketball, despite yours truly selecting the 1991-’92 Chicago Bulls. Mike and James, watch your backs! albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief

REFUSE/RESIST

August 2023 [T226]

I was 8 years old when my single 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 Liz Ciavarella-Brenner Dillon Collins 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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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

Based on your order history, we suspect you’re a pretty big fan of the Decibel Flexi Series. Approximately how many of those little pieces of floppy magic do you own, and which one is your favorite?

I have 79 Decibel flexis. I think I have a couple other flexis around as well. As far as favorites go, I would have to say dB26.5, Pig Destroyer live EP [given free to all Decibel 100th Issue Show attendees]. I was not in the vinyl market when this was released. I bought it secondhand on Discogs. I really hate to just say one is my favorite. Honorable mentions: Trappist “Growler in the Yard,” Agoraphobic Nosebleed “Merry Chrystmeth” (I have the green and white version of this one) and Nails “Among the Arches of Intolerance/In Pain.”

Jade Stephens Taylorville, IL

Tell us about Taylorville, Illinois. We searched for it on Facebook, and the first results were advertisements for Golden Corral and Hooters.

Taylorville is a small town in central Illinois with a population of 10,000. Not a lot to see here, really—just corn and bean fields. There once was a Golden Corral here, but it closed down in 2003. There is a Hooters and Golden Corral 25 miles away in Springfield, though. So, not that far to get a delicious, overpriced buffet meal should I ever have a craving for it.

6 : AUGUST 2023 : DECIBEL

We know you’re a big fan of Pig Destroyer’s beer collaborations with 3 Floyds. What are your other fave breweries that may or may not collaborate with grindcore legends?

Yes, I do love 3 Floyds. A LOT. They are by far my

favorite brewery. Central Illinois did not see distribution of 3 Floyds until 2020. Prior to that, I used to drive over to Indiana to get it. Still waiting on that collaboration beer with Cattle Decapitation. Anyway, I love Surly Brewing as well. Anything from their year-round list is a good choice. I did not get a chance to try the 1349 collaboration beer, but I did have the King Diamond beer and it was pretty great. I do some beer-trading sometimes and was sent a few from Pizza Port Brewing out of California. They were awesome. Mizmor is featured on the cover of this issue. As a longtime reader, are you stoked when we give emerging artists that kind of coverage, or are you just waiting around for our next Metallica cover?

I always love to see upcoming artists featured. It is a great thing you all do. Of course, I love when one of my favorites is on the cover, too! Thanks for doing what you do for the community.

There is a Hooters and Golden Corral 25 miles away in Springfield, though. So, not that far to get a delicious, overpriced buffet meal should I ever have a craving 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