FEBRUARY 2024 // No. 232
$10.00US $10.00CAN
E XT RE M ELY EXTREME
February 2024 [R 232] decibelmagazine.com
upfront 8
metal muthas Blood of her (hopefully) fake blood
14 carnation Far from clean
10 low culture Say no more
16 demoncy They came from beyond the black stars
11 no corporate beer Pick a card
18 lord dying Something to live for
12 in the studio Inter Arma go through hell to find New Heaven
20 obroa-skai Evolution through death
features
reviews
24 q&a: ulver Frontman Kristoffer “Garm” Rygg takes a not-unwelcome trip down memory lane
65 lead review Presumed to have ridden off into the sunset, Job for a Cowboy follow the moon to return with their first LP in a decade
28 exclusive:
decibel presents the top 21 most anticipated albums of 2023 The only list you won’t give us shit for releasing early
40 the decibel
hall of fame
22 vemod Don’t call it a comeblack
66 album reviews Records from bands that don’t worry about their riffs and/or heat, including Ceremonial Bloodbath, Goetia and Lucifer 72 damage ink Somewhere over the melting rainbow
Sharing Kerrang! Kerrang!’s ’s dubious honor of “worst band in existence” with little known upstarts Hellhammer, Italy’s Bulldozer would similarly go on to influence Norway’s second wave of black metal with debut LP The Day of Wrath
The Devil Made Us Do It COVER STORY COVER PHOTOS BY VIOLETA ÁLVAREZ, BLOOD COUNTESS, GENE SMIRNOV AND LIANA RAKIJIAN CONTENTS PHOTO BY VIOLETA ÁLVAREZ ADDITIONAL PHOTO EDITING BY ESTER SEGARRA Decibel (ISSN 1557-2137) is published monthly by Red Flag Media, Inc., P.O. Box 36818, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Annual subscription price is $34.95. 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. © 2024 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.
2 : FEBRUARY 2024 : DECIBEL
www.decibelmagazine.com
REFUSE/RESIST
February 2024 [T232] 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
tim@redflagmedia.com
What’s old is n w
Our fearless leader (l) with the true star of dBMBF Denver 2023
The amount of people I hadn’t
previously met who took a moment to personally thank me for bringing Metal & Beer Fest back to Denver this past December proves that 1) you guys are definitely more polite than we East Coasters, and 2) I’m not sure you understood how happy all of us were to be there. Trust me, that genuine appreciation is reciprocated. I know that the breweries, sponsors, magazine contributors and bands who flew or drove (KEN mode might still be driving) absurd distances to support this crazy endeavor felt that love just as much as we did. There are too many of them to thank here, but I promise I’ll do that in person when I see many of you in Philly in April. I’ll get the rest of you next December. Until then, eternal hugs ‘n’ hails to Aaron, Mike, James, Em from Decibel, every single ridiculously awesome person at TRVE Brewing, and the tireless, exceptional and just genuinely lovely Summit staff. If you see any of them at next year’s fest, please be sure to thank them, not me! Oh, and to the guy I met wearing the O.G. Decibel logo T-shirt—that reversed “E” cutting through the crowd like Jonathan Davis after spotting a buffet table across a crowded room—dude, please email me. We’re gonna need a Reader of the Month for our 20th anniversary issue before you know it. albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief
patty@decibelmagazine.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 Nathan Carson 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 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 JC Carey Shane Gardner Hillarie Jason Shimon Karmel Scott Kinkade Katja Ogrin Ester Segarra Hristo Shindov Gene Smirnov 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 $34.95. 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 ©2024 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
READER OF THE
MONTH death/doom metal flag. A lot of the local scene is centered around Boggs Social & Supply, a really cool bar/show place. And you can’t forget Mass Destruction Metal Fest every November. You’ve been a Decibel reader since issue No. 11, but didn’t subscribe until issue No. 189. We appreciate that you did, but can you explain the 178-issue courtship?
Joel Gazaway Gay, GA
You’re a lifelong (we think) Georgia resident. We know all about Mastodon, Kylesa and, um, Jackyl, but tell us about the current metal scene down there these days.
Yes, with the exception of a couple of years in Florida, I’ve been a lifelong Georgia resident. Those bands were all a big part of Georgia metal, but the scene today is very strong, with bands like Father Befouled, Malformity, Cemetery Filth, Sewage Bath and Withered, among others, carrying the
6 : FEBRUARY 2024 : DECIBEL
Honestly, I’ve always hated subscribing. I can’t really say why. Plus, Decibel was always available at the local bookstore. Then, with COVID, print took a hit and distribution got slow, so I decided to finally subscribe. Glad I did! And can’t wait every month for that little bit of vinyl heaven (hell). You’re a big music biography fan. Have you checked out any Decibel Books titles yet? We’ve got a number of those, including our latest, The Scott Burns Sessions: A Life in Death Metal 1987 – 1997.
Reading has always been a big part of my life, so hell yes, I have several Decibel Books! Of course, Choosing Death (both editions), USBM, Denim &
Leather, Precious Metal, Turned Inside Out: The Official Obituary Story and, of course, The Scott Burns Sessions. All great books!
With COVID, print took a hit and distribution got slow, so I decided to finally subscribe. Glad I did! And can’t wait every month for that little bit of vinyl heaven (hell). The issue includes our Top 21 Most Anticipated Albums of 2024 feature. What new albums are you looking forward to most in the new year?
Oh yeah, always looking for new releases. I think right now the ones I’m most looking forward to are the new Necrot, Funeral Vomit, Judas Priest, the Black Dahlia Murder, Broken Hope, Dripping Decay and Deicide. Plus, I can’t wait to see what Kerry King actually has up his sleeve!
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 finding out that we were just confirmed to play Hellfest.
Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell
This Month’s Mutha: Lisa Marie Fullerton Mutha of Jake Murphy of Final Gasp
Tell us a little about yourself.
Jake is my world and I’m very happy to be doing this! I sing and play a bit of guitar, have been in and out of bands since my early teens, and occasionally write my own material. I grew up in Stoughton, MA, bought a home in Raynham 16 years ago, and was an executive assistant in the corporate world for most of my working life. The money was fantastic, but it’s a soul-sucking environment and I don’t recommend it to anybody. I relocated to Cape Cod 14 months ago, where I began and continue my journey of sobriety. I’m thankful everyday that alcohol didn’t grab me until after Jake was out on his own, so I was sober while raising him and he didn’t witness much of the ugliness that goes along with alcoholism.
I see that the lesson it taught me was to never do the same thing with my son. I always allowed him the freedom to express himself, whether through music, hairstyle choices or clothing preferences. Jake’s fifth grade school picture is him wearing a Misfits T-shirt. It’s fantastic! His band has performed doused head-to-toe in blood. What are your impressions of their stage show?
Jake wasn’t a big reader growing up, but he did like horror movies at an early age. At times it amazed me that he didn’t have nightmares or trouble sleeping. He understood and accepted that it wasn’t real, whereas I, on the other hand, can’t watch anything like that.
My first impression was seeing pics on Instagram of the sickle (first thought: “Jesus, he’s gonna poke his eye out with that thing!”). The blood? First thought was that I needed to call him. And it went like this: “Jake, PLEASE tell me that’s not real blood. PLEASE tell me that thing (sickle) is dull. Are you okay? Did I not hug you enough when you were little?” Kinda my same thoughts about him watching gory movies. It’s all good. Same idea as KISS back in the early days, and Ozzy, and Alice Cooper. The list goes on. All I can say is, as always, not only do I accept what Jake is doing with his music, I understand that it makes him happy. It makes him happy because he’s expressing himself to other like-minded fans, and that makes me happy, too.
Did you have any influence on Jake’s interest in dark, gothic art?
What’s something that most Final Gasp fans would never suspect Jake enjoys?
Possibly. Jake’s dad and I met while in a band that was considered thrash metal in the late ’80s. So, yes, I believe both myself and his dad influenced Jake’s interests in the music department on some level. I was raised in a God-fearing environment and had to hide what music I was listening to from my parents. Looking back on it now,
Well, I caught him listening to John Denver a few years ago and that surprised me. Jake has been skateboarding since he was 5 years old, and still does whenever time and the weather allow. It’s probably one of the most important items he takes with him while touring. Well, that and the sickle! —ANDREW BONAZELLI
The Final Gasp track “Blood and Sulfur” was inspired by a uniquely morbid short story. Was Jake a big reader growing up?
Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f Hulder, Verses in Oath The Keening, Little Bird Deceased, Supernatural Addiction Krypts, Unending Degradation Agalloch, The Mantle ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e SS Decontrol, The Kids Will Have Their Say Virulence, If This Isn’t a Dream OFF!, Free LSD Dream Unending/Worm, Starpath Wire, Pink Flag ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s Hulder, Verses in Oath Dream Unending/Worm, Starpath Ulver, Vargnatt Agalloch, The Serpent and the Sphere Deicide, Once Upon the Cross ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r Umbra Vitae, Shadow of Life Hulder, Verses in Oath Svalbard, The Weight of the Mask Houkago Grind Time, Bakyunsified (Moe to the Gore) Nails, You Will Never Be One of Us ---------------------------------Aaron Salsbury : m a r k e t i n g a n d s a l e s Sonja, Loud Arriver Will Haven, El Diablo The Hope Conspiracy, Confusion/Chaos/Misery Enforced, Kill Grid Botch, American Nervoso
GUEST SLAYER
---------------------------------Jason Walton : a g a l l o c h / s c u l p t u r e d /m o o n b l a d d e r
Suffocation, Effigy of the Forgotten Amorphis, Elegy Spirit Possession, Of the Sign Oxbow, Love’s Holiday Tyler, The Creator, IGOR
PHOTO BY
8 : FEBRUARY 2024 : DECIBEL
SHIMON KARMEL