OF SIN UNDEATH CHAT PILE ARCH ENEMY WAGES HALL OF FAME BETTER WITH A SMILE
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RIPPED TO SHREDS ESCUELA GRIND MOTHER OF GRAVES BETTER LOVERS VOMIT FORTH MAUL DREAMLESS VEIL KANONENFIEBER THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR
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NOVEMBER 2024 // No. 241
D E A T H
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November 2024 [R 241] decibelmagazine.com
upfront
features
reviews 71 lead review Chat Pile give us more of the same—and that’s not a bad thing—with sophomore offering Cool World
12 metal muthas Let the son shine
18 regional justice center Slam poetry
28 the flight of sleipnir The forest and the trees
36 chat pile Movie night
14 live review:
20 mother of graves Midwestern charm
30 avernus Airing of the grievances
22 kanonenfieber Living hell
32 dreamless veil Everything went black
38 escuela grind Like, comment, subscribe?
24 vicious blade Nothing is sacred
34 vomit forth Fear and loathing
beyond the gates 2024 The return......
16 low culture Fixation on plastic 17 kill screen:
better lovers Dream team
26 maul Grown ass men
40 undeath Ghouls just want to have fun 42 q&a: ripped to shreds Main man Andrew Lee lets us know that we’re full of worms 46 the decibel
72 album reviews Records from bands that can’t wait for Decibel’s 30th Anniversary Show, including the Crown, Glacial Tomb and Opeth 80 damage ink But why tho
hall of fame Arch Enemy utilizes a feminine touch to crushing effect on breakout album Wages of Sin
58
Elsewhere and Now COVER STORY COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY ALVINO SALCEDO
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.
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TERRIFIED OF GOD
Vomit Forth’s sophomore full-length, Terriied of God, isn’t merely a benchmark for the Connecticut-born extreme metal squad but also for Northeastern death metal itself!
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SHINING “Shining” encapsulates the profound duality of the human experience and the band's enduring brilliance.
“SHINING” ENCAPSULATES THE PROFOUND DUALITY OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND THE BAND'S ENDURING BRILLIANCE.
OUT 10/18
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JOIN SWALLOW THE SUN FOR THEIR US HEADLINING TOUR IN FEBRUARY/MARCH 2025!
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Our friend in the Great White North Panko (c) as the meat in a nice™ sandwich, flanked by Immolation’s Dolan (l) and Vigna
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November 2024 [T241] 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
By the time you read this, we’ll have
sent the 15th(!) Decibel Book to print. Hopefully. I mean, Jesus, give us a break; we just finished this issue in your leathery paws a mere five days after hosting our blowout 20th Anniversary Show in Philly, featuring several Decibel favorites including the subject of said book, death metal legends Immolation. I wrote about my feelings for the four dudes in Immolation over seven years ago in this bit of real estate, so I won’t regurgitate those here. Just know that their reputation as The Nicest Guys in Death Metal™ has been well-earned over the past 36 years. I’ve had the pleasure of covering them in the magazine, booking them at our events and genuinely enjoying being in their presence for 22 of those, only slightly longer than I’ve been working with original Decibel contributor Kevin Stewart-Panko. If you’ve read Decibel with any regularity for the past 20 years, you’ll recognize his name—that’s because he’s contributed to every single issue of the magazine! In addition to his aptitude for filling Decibel with more Melt-Banana reviews than I imagined possible, Kevin’s developed a burgeoning second career as a professional death metal T-shirt slinger, spending most of his time on the road anchored behind the merch table of our mutual Yonkers native pals. So, a few years ago, when he pitched me the idea of him authoring (and Decibel publishing) a book on the history of Immolation, I was on board quicker than a Bob Vigna ninja stage maneuver. Not only was their story of the hard-fought journey from the earliest days of the New York underground scene to their current standing as one of the most beloved bands in death metal history compelling, I understood that the combo of Immo and Panko was perfect. At the risk of stating the obvious, writing a book—a good one anyway—is fucking hard. And without the commitment of the right author, it’s nearly impossible. There are many supremely talented people who contribute to this magazine, but I don’t think anyone else is capable of consistently producing the volume of compelling writing that Kevin has for the past two decades. Through his unprecedented access to band members (past and present), tremendous attention to detail and signature humor, Into Everlasting Fire: The Official History of Immolation is easily one of my favorite works Decibel has ever published. And I can’t wait to be finished with it. Not just because I have a million other things to do, but so you can experience it, too. albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Patty Moran
COPY EDITOR
Andrew Bonazelli
BOOKCREEPER
Tim Mulcahy
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Chuck BB, Ed Luce Mark Rudolph
Online DECIBEL WEB EDITOR
Albert Mudrian
DECIBEL WEB AD SALES
James Lewis
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Anthony Bartkewicz Emily Bellino Adrien Begrand J. Bennett Dean Brown Liz Ciavarella-Brenner Chris Dick Sean Frasier Nick Green Raoul Hernandez John Hill Jonathan Horsley Neill Jameson Kim Kelly Sarah Kitteringham Daniel Lake Cosmo Lee Jamie Ludwig Shane Mehling Tim Mudd Justin M. Norton Dutch Pearce Forrest Pitts 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 $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
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