BLOOD INCANTATION JUDAS PRIEST GATECREEPER REFUSE/RESIST
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JANUARY 2025 // No. 243
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PIG DESTROYER UNDEATH SWALLOW THE SUN THE GATES OF SLUMBER BUÑUEL BLACK CURSE KRUELTY
EXTREMELY EXTREME
January 2025 [R 243] decibelmagazine.com
upfront 10 metal muthas Lizard brain
14 haggus Mince meet core
12 low culture Conditional hails.......
16 new skeletal faces Vocalizing their praises
13 kill screen:
18 the gates of slumber Doomed to live
undeath
Word play
20 kruelty Work smarter not harder 22 buñuel Euro vision 24 black curse Super zeroes 26 swallow the sun Star light, star blight
features
reviews
28 q&a: pig destroyer Vocalist J.R. Hayes speaks from the gut on the 20th anniversary of Terrifyer
75 lead review The Gates of Slumber arise from their premature slumber, and true doom follows
32 the decibel
hall of fame New York metal lifers Krallice join the exploding ranks of forward-thinking USBM with their debut self-titled album— even if the black metal community weren’t hip to them
76 album reviews Don’t blame these records, they voted for Kodos, including Bedsore, Tribal Gaze and Panzerfaust 80 damage ink Feeling exposed
45 exclusive:
decibel presents the top 40 albums of 2024 Cry now, cry always
64
Still Alive COVER STORY COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY NIKOLAS BREMM
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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DEFY CONVENTION. EXPLORE DARK HORIZONS.
CHOICE CUTS FROM OUR DEATH’S HEAD PRESS IMPRINT
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because we haven’t shut the fuck up about it—Decibel turned 20 this year. At the risk of sounding fatalistic, it’s the kind of bittersweet achievement that reminds me that I’ve almost certainly seen more yesterdays than I will tomorrows. But if you think that I’m, uh, mature, consider that this month’s cover stars, Cirith Ungol, formed in 1971—four years before I was even born. Mind you, the Ventura, CA epic/ doom/fantasy metal progenitors took more than two of those decades off starting in the early ’90s, but since their 2015 reactivation, Ungol drummer and founder Robert Garven has made the most of the cult heroes’ second chance. After releasing a pair of stunning comeback albums and playing significantly larger shows than anytime during their initial run, the band announced that 2024 would be Cirith Ungol’s final year of performing live. This, of course, led to their current emotional run of final shows—including their first-ever Denver performance this December at Decibel’s Metal & Beer Fest—which, of course, has led to the band experiencing second thoughts about saying goodbye. That’s just one of the many ingredients in the 7-Layer Burrito of scrumptiousness that is Justin Norton’s cover story on Cirith Ungol, a band as precious to our longtime contributor as the deleted Taco Bell menu item I compared it to is your decrepit editor. As Garven, guitarist Greg Lindstrom and incomparable vocalist Tim Baker are all within spitting distance of 70, I couldn’t fault them for whatever path they ultimately choose. But if this truly is the final ride on the great black machine, Decibel is honored to be sitting shotgun in Denver. Hope to see you there. albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief
REFUSE/RESIST
January 2025 [T243]
As you may have noticed—largely 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
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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
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 Greg Kennelty 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
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TAPPING THE VEIN DELUXE EXPANDED REISSUE EDITIONS OF THEIR CULT 1992 ALBUM 3LP+2CD DELUXE BOOKPACK / TRIPLE CD / DOUBLE LP / DIGITAL OUT 15TH NOVEMBER 2024
THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION OF THE SINGLES SPANNING 1995 TO 2006 7” BOX SET / EXPANDED DOUBLE CD / DIGITAL
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THEIR CLASSIC EARLY ALBUMS NOW REMASTERED WITH BONUS TRACKS INCLUDING THE GROUND BREAKING KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS PARTS I AND II CD/DIGITAL
OUT NOW
READER OF THE
MONTH You are the founder (and we believe editor) of Dethrok magazine. Please tell us a bit about the publication and why aren’t you just doing a podcast like everyone else?
Deron Christman Kunkletown, PA
Decibel grew up in Wilkes-Barre, PA and has lived in various parts of the state, but has never heard of Kunkletown. What do we need to know about it? And why haven’t you started a beatdown hardcore band based there called Knuckletown?
Kunkletown is a very old village an hour south of Wilkes-Barre in the Pocono/Blue Mountains, and is famous for its fall foliage and a small ski resort. It’s a farmers’ area, and although there’s random automatic gunfire and loud-ass pickup trucks occasionally, it’s quiet and no one bothers you. Yes! Knuckletown beatdown! All breakdowns! Who wants in? Get at me!
8 : JANUARY 2025 : DECIBEL
Dethrok started as a radio show in 1998, which gave me access to bands for interviews and photos. I compiled tons of audio content from my time at the station, but it sat for years as I played in bands. In 2019, I put the first Dethrok magazine together as a physical format, and COVID added additional free time for production of more issues (#5 coming soon!). I didn’t start podcasting because everyone was doing it; plus, I didn’t know how (ya know, being old and all). However, I have recently figured it out and casted my first pod with Ron (RK) from Philadelphia’s Blasphemous. You’re a deluxe subscriber, which means you get a flexi disc each month. What’s your favorite entry in the Decibel Flexi Series, and what artist have we not featured that you’d like to see?
I was surprised as hell to find Undergang’s “Brusk” in the July [2024] issue! How they control the clarity of low tones in their music is amazing, and to see them recognized with a flexi makes it a standout among standouts in my
collection. I enjoy the variety of genres the series offers and would love to see bands like Peeling Flesh, Miasmatic Necrosis, Scissorfight, the Exploited and Xibalba, to name a few, enshrined on flex. In flex? bow flex? Funkmaster Flex?
Even though I enjoy a bit of hardcore, grind and slam in my metal, my family loves me just how I am, dammit. This issue features our annual internetbreaking Top 40 Albums of the Year list. Do you get angry about your favorite record not being ranked high enough, or do you have a family that loves you?
Mad? Nah. The Decibel staff are pretty accurate with reviews throughout the year. I respect everyone’s opinion regarding the year-end list, although I do like to fire one up, eat popcorn and read the comments. Yes, even though I enjoy a bit of hardcore, grind and slam in my metal, my family loves me just how I am, dammit. Especially my dad, who really gets a kick out of reading aloud band and album names from the glossary of Choosing Death!
ChuckBB.com / Instagram: @chuckbb_art
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