The U.S.’s No. 1 Extreme Music Magazine!
REFUSE/RESIST
AT THE GATES & DISSECTION the Year of Melodic Extreme Metal WITH
PARADISE LOST EARTH CRISIS DOWN MONSTER MAGNET FEAR FACTORY DEADGUY ULVER
JULY 2020 // No. 189
FLEXI DISC
INCLUDED Don’t see it? Then please speak with your newsagent...
BLACK METAL DEATH METAL DOOM HARDCORE INDUSTRIAL & MUCH MORE!!
EXTREMELY EXTREME
July 2020 [R 189] decibelmagazine.com
upfront 8
metal muthas This little piggy
10 low culture Bruce almighty 11 no corporate beer Water into wine is for chumps
features 12 1995: the year in
death metal Major pains
14 1995: the year in
black metal
Orthodox black metal is so 1994 16 1995: the year in
doom metal
When slow was really low 18 1995: the year in
industrial/noise
The future was then
reviews 20 q&a: phil anselmo Metal’s most prolific vocalist remembers when he was really down 24 the decibel
hall of fame Earth Crisis exhibit the new ethic and discipline needed to become the gold standard of vegan straight edge hardcore with Destroy the Machines
34 the top 40
albums of 1995 Number one may shock you! (Spoiler: it won’t)
53 lead review Old Man Gloom surprises with the brutal one-two punch of Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning and Seminar IX: Darkness of Being 54 album reviews Releases that wish they could party like it’s 1995, including -(16)-, Lamb of God and Paradise Lost 64 double negative Murder in the front row
42 The Dissonance of Melody COVER STORY CONTENTS ILLUSTRATION BY MARK RUDOLPH
Decibel (ISSN 1557-2137) is published monthly by Red Flag Media, Inc., 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor, 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, 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia PA 19107. © 2020 by Red Flag Media, Inc. ISSN 1557-2137 | USPS 023142 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. 2 : J U LY 2 0 2 0 : D E C I B E L
www.decibelmagazine.com
REFUSE/RESIST
July 2020 [T189]
PUBLISHER
Alex Mulcahy alex@redflagmedia.com
What were you doing in 1995?
Obviously, depending on your age, the answers can be pretty varied. For example, our art and ad sales directors are both in their mid 30s, so back then, Mike Wohlberg and James Lewis were each regularly involved in spirited bouts of Street Fighter and Super Mario World, respectively. One of our elder statesmen, Kevin Stewart-Panko, was editing his infamous Doomhauled zine and “working in the first (and final) year of my PhD.” While Decibel’s youngest contributor, Vince Bellino, was such a poser that he wasn’t even born for part of 1995. What a Johnny-come-lately! Me? I was practicing old-school social distancing at college with the aid of what’s likely a now-valuable collection of black and doom metal longsleeves. When I wasn’t invisible on campus, I worked in a record store warehouse, generally despising 99% of the stock sold. I’m not proud to say it, but I had completely embraced underground elitism in 1995. Of course, digging deeper into the underground unearthed a number of precious gems that I would have otherwise never encountered in the pre-internet era. Fortunately, a few of those albums I ignored in 1995 ultimately became some of my all-time favorite records years later upon finally excavating my head from my ass. No matter what trip you were on 25 years ago, Decibel’s Yearbook: 1995 issue is designed to transport you back. Part history lesson, part welcome escape from our unpleasant current reality, this issue examines a year where four of extreme metal's flagship genres—death metal, black metal, doom metal and hardcore—splintered into subgenres and scenes that still dominate the pages of this magazine today. Though it’s rarely mentioned in the same revered breath as 1983, 1986 or, really pretty much any year from the 1980s, 1995 should rightly be considered a landmark year in extreme metal. There are a dozen albums from ’95 already enshrined in our Hall of Fame and a few more currently in production. So, if you’ve never battled in the north or you just want to destroy the machines one more time, take the 25-year-old advice of one formerly dreaded Swedish frontman and go! albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief
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@redflagmedia.com
Patty Moran
CUSTOMER SERVICE
patty@decibelmagazine.com
COPY EDITOR
Andrew Bonazelli
BOOKKEEPER
Tim Mulcahy 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
Vince Bellino Adrien Begrand J. Bennett Dean Brown Louise Brown Chris Chantler Richard Christy Liz Ciavarella-Brenner Chris Dick Chris Dodge Sean Frasier Nick Green Raoul Hernandez Jonathan Horsley Neill Jameson Scott Koerber Sarah Kitteringham Daniel Lake Shawn Macomber Shane Mehling Justin M. Norton Andy O'Connor Dutch Pearce Forrest Pitts Greg Pratt Jon Rosenthal Joseph Schafer Rod Smith Matt Solis Kevin Stewart-Panko Adem Tepedelen Jeff Treppel J Andrew Zalucky Bradley Zorgdrager 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
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., 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor, 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, 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia PA 19107. Copyright ©2020 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
MONTH find them) long before there was the internet. I have always wanted to know more about the bands I listen to. There is still a sense of excitement each month when I know a new issue will be arriving in my mailbox. At this point there is also a sense of growing a collection and being a completist.
Michael Hanson Lewistown, ME
According to our admittedly spotty records, you've been a Decibel subscriber since issue #16. First, THANK YOU! Second, why?
Why do I read? Because you are all that is left. Honestly though, it is the unwavering commitment to quality. Every journey is paved with missteps, but it’s obvious the destination has always been the same, a quality product. Decibel’s passion for heavy and extreme music is always clear. It never feels like the magazine is pandering to the readers, band or label. That devotion gets me to read the whole magazine, thereby introducing me to new— and new-to-me—bands not on my radar. Plus, I’m an “aging metalhead” (copyright pending) that grew up with an obsession for magazines like Circus, Hit Parader, Creem, Metal Edge and Rip (Kerrang! and Metal Hammer when I could
6 : J U LY 2 0 2 0 : D E C I B E L
As of this writing, we’re into week seven of the social distancing and self-quarantining. Rather than dwell on the obvious negatives, what's been one positive for you that's come out of the last two months?
Working from home. I have had the option for a couple of years now and finally my hand was forced. I doubt I’ll go back to the office when this is over. I love being able to listen to my tunes without earbuds. Reaffirming heavy and extreme music can bring a sense of comfort during uncomfortable times. I have been busier than usual facilitating my son’s “distance learning,” so I haven’t been able to use this time for musical discovery, but reaching out for bands I know or are still getting to know. It helps to calm the waters for me, personally. Bands like Enslaved (loved the recent cover story), Wormrot, Sleep, Cattle Decapitation (Death Atlas is the soundtrack of our times), Clutch (kudos for the recent HOF induction on my favorite album by them),
Cannibal Corpse, Conan, Napalm Death, Kadavar, Amenra, Monolord and Bongripper. Another plus has been finding and catching up on some killer high quality live performances on YouTube and a few of the streaming sets some bands have done since the pandemic began. This issue is a special “Yearbook” issue of Decibel devoted to 1995. What records were you spinning most 25 years ago?
First of all, 1995 was 15 years ago at most. Seriously though, 1995 was a weird time. It was a time of transition for music (grunge was already on the way out) and for me, personally. I was still heavily into more mainstream metal acts at the time like Rollins Band, Megadeth, Testament and Pantera. I wish I could say I was listening to more extreme stuff back then, but Slayer was about as extreme as it got. My favorite album from that year was, hands down, Monster Magnet’s Dopes to Infinity. I was living in Dave [Wyndorf]’s part of New Jersey during the ’90s and that enhances my connection to it. I still love that band. When this is all over, what’s the first venue you wanna see a show at?
It’ll depend where the shows are happening. Living in Maine, I have to take what I can get, but I imagine it will be at Geno’s In Portland. John Morse and Last Mercy Emissions have been putting on some amazing shows there in the last few years and it’s the venue/organization I would most like to support. Maine needs them to be able to continue to bring the metal to northern most New England.
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
PHOTO BY TOM COUTURE
OF THE
NOW SLAYING Wonder what Decibel world HQ has been rocking for the past month? Well, here are the CDs that we spun most on our PlayStation console when we weren’t working through a marathon session of Wipeout.
Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell
This Month's Mutha: Rhonda Stone Mutha of Travis Stone of Pig Destroyer
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was a military brat. I have lived in Georgia, Florida, Washington state and Southern California. Me and my sisters would sing with my mom using records and a record player. I had the best time ever in Washington. Lots of plays and talent shows and competitions. Moved to Southern California [when] they cut all of the music programs. I got married, had my girls and then, surprise, here comes Travis. I am a very lucky mom to have such talented and creative kids! Travis tells us you used to sing in musicals in high school and do a lot of karaoke. What were your go-to karaoke songs?
I have a wide range: Melissa Etheridge, Gladys Knight, Alanis Morisette. All-time favorite has to be Heart’s “Dog and Butterfly.” Is it true you taught him how to harmonize listening to Boston on the way to school every morning?
This is true; we listened to them a lot. Noisem actually let me sing with them years ago. When I was still taller than them. 8 : J U LY 2 0 2 0 : D E C I B E L
Were you surprised that Travis got national notoriety at such an early age when he played guitar in Noisem?
Was I surprised? Nope. His first real taste of music in a large setting was [Washington D.C.’s] HFStival in 1999. Yep, he was 4. He was a big hit with everyone. Everyone gave him high fives and bottled water. What were your thoughts when you learned your son was joining a band called Pig Destroyer?
My thoughts on Pig Destroyer—I had heard him talk about them before. I trust my son. He knows I support him regardless. Oh, I have also told the band that I am always available for cowbell. But seriously, these guys look after him. What is something most people would be surprised to know about your son?
He cooks with me. I’m not trying to embarrass him, but he got his nickname “Bud” because when he was very short, he would not lay down until he watched Urban Cowboy. And he watched the whole thing every night! —ANDREW BONAZELLI
Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f Fudge Tunnel, The Complicated Futility of Ignorance Earth Crisis, Gomorrah’s Season Ends Down, NOLA Paul Chain, Alkahest The Gates of Slumber, Conqueror ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e The Black Angels, Passover Grand Blanc, Mémoires Vives The Blue Angel Lounge, The Blue Angel Lounge Slowdive, Slowdive Sonic Youth, Sister ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s Blut Aus Nord, Ultima Thulée Dimmu Borgir, For all tid Deicide, Once Upon the Cross Maleficarum, Across the Heavens The Gathering, Mandylion ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r Necrot, Mortal Svartidauði, Revelations of the Red Sword Deadguy, Fixation on a Co-Worker Zous, Pandemicon Nifelheim, Nifelheim ---------------------------------Aaron Salsbury : m a r k e t i n g a n d s a l e s Against All Authority, Destroy What Destroys You Violent Society, Not Enjoyin’ It Converge, Caring and Killing Swing Kids/Spanakorzo, Split Angel Hair, Insect Mortality
GUEST SLAYER
---------------------------------KW Campol : v i l e c r e at u r e SEA, Impermanence Former Worlds, Iterations of Time Elizabeth Colour Wheel, NOCEBO Bismuth, The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef Cavernlight, As We Cup Our Hands and Drink from the Stream of Our Ache