BARONESS TRIBULATION OCEANS OF SLUMBER RED ALBUM HALL OF FAME
IN THE STUDIO
THE GREAT AWAKENING
MICHAEL
REFUSE/RESIST
NORTON 19 87 - 2 0 2 0
w i t h
PRIMITIVE MAN THE ACACIA STRAIN SKELETAL REMAINS PERSEKUTOR UNLEASH THE ARCHERS UMBRA VITAE
OCTOBER 2020 // No. 192
EXTREMELY EXTREME
October 2020 [R 192] decibelmagazine.com
upfront 8 metal muthas It runs in the family 10 low culture From the dungeons of Hyrule 11 no corporate beer What are you so afraid of? 12 in the studio:
tribulation
Thirsty for more
14 the glorious dead From the forest to the crypt
22 intoxicated Building walls to tear them down
16 persekutor Truly huffings success in the US and As yes
24 the acacia strain Future imperfect
18 primitive man Immersed in critical success
26 rebel wizard Is that a staff in your pocket or are you just happy to see us?
20 unleash the archers A new fantastical power
28 skeletal remains A lifetime of death
features
reviews
30 q&a:
51 lead review Napalm Death find yet another modern classic in their already stacked discography with Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism
oceans of slumber Cammie Gilbert won't let you sleep on her experiences
34 the decibel
hall of fame Baroness find widespread success in spite of their efforts with Red Album
52 album reviews Releases from bands who knew Taylor Swift was a huge Ihsahn fan all along, including the Ocean, Sumac and Spirit Possession 64 damage ink Ready to rumble
42
For I'm Eternal Night COVER STORY
COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY ADRIANA MICHIMA
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 : OCTOBER 2020 : DECIBEL
www.decibelmagazine.com
REFUSE/RESIST
October 2020 [T192]
PUBLISHER
“I have Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
I’m supposed to be dead, but metal and beer keep me alive!” A few years ago, I received that message from a subscriber named Michael Norton, affectionately known to many in the metal scene as the “Heavy Metal Cripple.” Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an incurable degenerative muscular disease that severely restricts mobility, often resulting in wheelchair confinement. The average life expectancy is just 26. Despite his condition, Michael still accomplished more than most “able-bodied” people you will ever meet. That included the co-writing and co-directing of a documentary honoring his late brother T.J., simply titled Brothers. The trailer for the film is on YouTube. You should stop reading this for a few minutes and watch it now. Michael was defined more by the “Heavy Metal” part of his selfchristened nickname than the latter. A Decibel subscriber for well over a decade, a fairly recent Reader of the Month and an obsessive metalhead who regularly attended concerts in New England before the pandemic forced all of us to feign enthusiasm for live streams, he was pretty much just like you or me. Michael passed away a few days before this issue went to print. This morning, I took a moment to scroll through the comments in our memorial post about Michael on Decibel’s social media accounts. I rarely look at comments these days. If you’ve used the internet and are literate, I don’t think I need to explain why. What I read was a universal outpouring of love and support from friends and strangers alike. For a brief moment, it reaffirmed my faith in decent people—or, at the very least, the metal community. “I would like to be known as a hard worker and that I never give up,” Michael said in his Reader of the Month interview. “Remember me for being funny and creative with my art. I don’t want to be labeled as inspirational just because I have a disability and use a wheelchair.” Rest in power, Michael. Wherever you are, we hope you’re tearing shit up with your brother. This issue is for you. albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief
A few housekeeping items: • Deluxe subscribers will notice that there is no flexi disc in this issue. COVID-19 cases at the plant where the flexis are pressed halted all vinyl production. As a result, we were unable to press DB118 in time to be included in this issue. Issue No. 193 will include both DB118 and DB119. We apologize for the inconvenience. • After a nearly four-year run, we say farewell to Ed Luce’s Double Negative. But don’t worry, Ed is sticking around the back page to illustrate Eugene S. Robinson’s new column, which debuts this month. • This issue marks Decibel’s 16-year anniversary. There’s no party, obviously. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have cupcakes.
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@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 Sarah Kitteringham Scott Koerber 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 Eugene S. Robinson Adem Tepedelen Jeff Treppel J Andrew Zalucky CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
MAIN OFFICE
1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Tel: 215.625.9850 / Fax: 215.625.9967 www.decibelmagazine.com RECORD STORES
Jason Blake Gobinder Jhitta Ester Segarra Hristo Shindov Josh Sisk Gene Smirnov Levan TK Hannah Verbeuren Frank White
To carry Decibel, call 1.215.625.9850 x105 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., 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 OF THE
MONTH
Mark Rohrer
Chestnut Hill, MA At 74, you’re likely one of our oldest subscribers. When did you first get into metal and what about it do you find most appealing now?
I have been into music—especially guitarbased music—since about the age of 6 or 7. My father loved honky-tonk and rhythm and blues, and I grew up with the wilder side of rock ‘n’ roll (Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis) as a pre-teenager in Southern California in the mid-to-late 1950s, turning 13 in 1959. I was drawn early on to rockabilly, and then in the mid-1960s to psychedelic music—the louder the better! I suppose I first got into metal or early metal-like bands with
6 : OCTOBER 2020 : DECIBEL
groups such as Blue Cheer in 1966. The moment I heard the first great British bands such as Sabbath, Priest and Deep Purple, I was forever after a huge metal fan. What I really find appealing are several factors. First of all, most of the current great metal bands—no matter the genre they represent—remain true to what I would call the roots of metal-heavy, sometimes brutal, usually guitar-sourced and often very complex music. Secondly, the variety and quality of contemporary metal bands—especially death and thrash—are incredible! Decibel serves a great purpose in keeping me up to date, as I can find time for bands both old and new and their new recordings. I am equally impressed at the amount of metal on sites such as Amazon Music, which does a great job with new releases and many bands’ back catalogs. Believe it or not, I often do work in my home office listening to metal, which both energizes me as I work and seems to help deal with the stresses of my profession.
And finally, I have seen many incredible live performances from the early 1970s to literally the present day. It’s really kind of neat to be carded for proof of age and to be frisked when going to a concert such as the Palladium in Worcester where I am probably twice the age of a lot of the audience! You’re a geriatric medicine specialist. Are any other physicians in your field aware of your musical tastes? Do any share them?
Many of my colleagues are aware of my musical tastes … if [they’re] into metal at all, they usually are frozen in time just as thrash came in (everybody knows Metallica, for instance), but really have no clue regarding death metal, black metal, goth, etc. They do know that my lifetime goal is to go to Wacken for my birthday one August! What would you tell someone who doesn’t believe it’s important to wear a face covering when social distancing isn’t possible?
I have told numerous people—and will continue to do so—that cloth or surgical masks reduce by some 97 percent the chance of getting coronavirus infection from droplets, and likely from the less common airborne particles. I have shared stories with young people of my experience on the front lines, and they definitely do not want to experience what I have seen. Masks greatly reduce their chances for infection.
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
Another profound work from this shape-shifting musical collective. Feat. vocals from members Justin Greaves & Belinda Kordic + Vincent Cavanagh (Anathema) Kristian “Gaahl” Espedal (Gaahl's WYRD), Jonathan Hultén (Tribulation), Ryan Patterson (Coliseum/Fotocrime) & more Coming Oct. 9 on CD, Ltd. Ed. gatefold 2LP, digitally & more
Verily, the vital energy of the devils blood flows 'Through the Hollow' of MOLASSES' first evocation. Feat 4 members of THE DEVIL’S BLOOD incl Farida Lemouchi on vocals Coming Oct. 16 on 2CD, Ltd. Ed. gatefold 2LP, & digitally.
merch available at: season-of-mist.com
WHERE DEATH LIES g comin 5 2 t Sep
VENOMOUS CONCEPT Politics Versus the Erection
SEPTICFLESH Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX
These hardcore punk / grindcore A milestone live recording capturing their brutality and bombast in vets return with a full-length tandem with the Symphony frontal assault of short, sharp Experience Orchestra and Mexico blasts resonating with the Children’s & Youth Choir! worldwide chaos of today.
g comin 5 2 t Sep
VOUS AUTRES Sel de Pierre
OBSIDIAN KINGDOM Meat Machine
GAEREA Limbo
A sweeping and dramatic piece of work that shines like a dark constellation in the black heavens.
Meat Machine is a harsh sonic journey, abject and stentorian like a love letter from a school shooter.
'Limbo' devours the listener with misanthropic catharsis and cinematic agony.
MORA PROKAZA By Chance “It incorporates bizarre
textures…that surprisingly works in evocative ways. …make room for By Chance at the top your Weirdest Shit of 2020 list.”
NOW SLAYING Wonder what Decibel world HQ has been rocking for the past month? Well, here are the CDs that we spun most while booking David Solomon as a DJ for the next Metal & Beer Fest.
Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell
This Month's Mutha: Linda McKenzie Mutha of Mike “Gunface” McKenzie of Umbra Vitae/the Red Chord
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a pastoral minister at a large independent retirement community just north of Boston. I have always lived in Massachusetts. I was born in Cambridge, grew up in Stoneham, and now live in Reading. I did spend one year living in Okinawa, Japan when my husband was stationed there with the Air Force. It was a wonderful experience living on the other side of the world and learning another culture. I am happy that I was able to be a stayat-home mom for my kids, Mike and Carolyn. I earned my college degrees while my kids were in middle school and high school, so we often spent time working together. From the Red Chord and Stomach Earth to Wear Your Wounds and now Umbra Vitae, your son has an extremely diverse c.v. How much influence did you have on his developing musical taste?
Yes, isn’t he amazing? I don’t know except that we always had music playing in the house and although they weren’t the types of music that Mike is working on, music was an important part of our household. Also, I think we encouraged our children to find their own types of music and gave them the room to enjoy music in their own spaces. I would hope that my influence on him encouraged him to allow his creativity to lead him. And hopefully it helps that he knows that I believe in him as he continues to develop each new project. 8 : OCTOBER 2020 : DECIBEL
Which of Mike’s many projects is your favorite and why?
That’s a hard question. They’re all so good and unique to one another. If I had to choose one, it would be the Red Chord. The Red Chord was really fantastic and I loved seeing him perform with those guys who were so good together. How do you feel about your son having the nickname “Gunface”?
That’s funny: I forgot how he got that name. It was from a cable access TV show in Reading that he did. Later, they used the name to distinguish the two Mikes in the Red Chord. When you look at Mike’s work, you can see that he brings something from each project that he does into his latest project. Have you had the opportunity to see him much during the pandemic?
Zoom dinners! It’s the way we’re all doing it right now. Not the same. I sure could use a hug, but it won’t last forever. We can do hard things, right? What is something most people don’t know about Mike?
I am a little biased, but Mike has a remarkable ability to remember music and musicians from a huge variety of genres. And he has a great respect for all other musicians. That’s always evident when he speaks about them. In case you haven’t noticed, I am very proud of Mike. And something you might not know is that he doesn’t kill spiders. He captures them and releases them outside. Really. —ANDREW BONAZELLI
Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f Napalm Death, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism Uada, Djinn Night Demon, Vysteria Jesus Wept, Apartheid Redux Krieg, Transient ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e Catherine Wheel, Chrome The Kundalini Genie, You Are the Resurrection Emma Ruth Rundle, On Dark Horses Marissa Nadler & Stephen Brodsky, Droneflower My Bloody Valentine, Isn’t Anything ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s Uada, Djinn Necrot, Mortal Clutch, The Elephant Riders Lo-Pan, Subtle Yawning Man, Macedonian Lines ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r Various Artists, Katamari Damacy Original Soundtrack The Acacia Strain, Slow Decay Napalm Death, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism Gulch, Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress Akira Yamaoka, Silent Hill 2 Original Soundtrack ---------------------------------Aaron Salsbury : m a r k e t i n g a n d s a l e s Greg Puciato, Child Soldier: Creator of God Napalm Death, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism SGURD, The Beginning of the End Combatwoundedveteran, I Know a Girl Who Develops Crime Scene Photos Supermachiner, Rise of the Great Machine
GUEST SLAYER
---------------------------------Colin Young : t w i t c h i n g t o n g u e s / g o d ’ s h at e Hans Zimmer, Live in Prague Lady Gaga, Chromatica Death Threat, Peace & Security Genesis, Wind & Wuthering Into Another, Omens
Summertime Hostility t goes without saying that the last few
months have been fucking aggravating for a mountain of reasons. I’m willing to bet if I asked why, I’d get two distinct sets of answers, largely depending on how you plan to vote this autumn (should there still be an office left for which to vote). There’s also the third group of you out there who listen to a washed-up supermodel for your medical advice, and frankly, I don’t know what the fuck to tell you. Either you’re right and you’ll be fine or you’ll die of some disease leftover from the fiefs. The optimist in me says both are winning outcomes. Anyway, when I’m not getting my cat an abortion or explaining the differences in the severity of petty versus grand larceny to the beach ball filled with vinegar that is my coworker (this is a real conversation that happened), I’ve been driven to escapism through excessive consumption of 16-bit video games, dungeon synth and Danish black metal. It’s like high school, only with less sex. And since the corpse of Henry VIII just quit to get a job where she has to move less—meaning I’m about to have a lengthy period without time off from work—I figured I’d take a moment to bitch about these hobbies while I can still remember what free time is. And if anyone brings up that fucking Rollins “there is no free time” quote, I hope you slip and fall asshole-first onto a fence post. It’s easy for him to pontificate with six figures sitting in his bank account. First thing is my journey into nostalgia with old video games. I picked up some of those mini systems that were marketed to assholes like me who had a miserable childhood made only worse by being unable to afford the fucking things when they were shot out during the holidays like reindeer shit. Took some time, but I got the NES, SNES and Genesis, and goddamn is that exciting. I mean, I don’t have any fucking time to play them, but I’ve got them modded with every 10 : OCTOBER 2020 : DECIBEL
game I ever loved... and this is now the saddest fucking sentence I’ve ever typed. I figured I’d check out some videos and groups for retro gaming because I completely forgot what that scene was like over the years, and holy shit. I thought I’d find people talking about how cool shit like Faxanadu is (and I have), but also the amount of talking about wanting to fuck video game characters and the just overall awkward interaction makes me embarrassed to have a dick. You can just see the pulsing undertones of pent-up neediness, the objectification of women and the inability to socialize in what researchers would call a “human” manner. Christ. Dungeon synth should be better, right? With some of the artists and labels on these forums, it absolutely is. Until you realize there’s now hundreds of projects for every niche fetish possible, and if there isn’t, some guy is going to inquire, “Is there dungeon synth that’s perfect for LARPing in my mom’s backyard on March 12, but on a leap year?” The conversation occasionally includes the word “thee” and gets so specific it’s like the scene in Rain Man when Dustin Hoffman counts all the toothpicks. One guy actually took pictures of all the stickers, pins and shit (dungeon synth labels send a lot of extra odds and ends; please investigate the Hollow Myths Discogs page for proof), and asked what he was supposed to do with it all. It’s basically like the video game groups, only with way more self-fellatio involved if someone was quicker on a preorder than everyone else. I’m going to be 42 in a few weeks. This is what I spend my time doing. I also think more people should have me as a guest on their podcasts, and coffee companies should sponsor me. I hope this lottery ticket I bought is a winner. Regarding Danish black metal, I actually have nothing to bitch about. The Korpsånd acts, in particular, are all fucking excellent. Go listen to the new Fanebærer—it’s insanely good.
TRAPPIST FRONTMAN crafts a monthly journey through
MORBID ALES BY CHRIS DODGE
The Pandemic Creates a Cliffhanger at Dirk’s Terror Tavern
F
our days before our first soft opening—we were stocked with beer, kitchen was full, ready to go—my friend walked in and said, ‘They just shut down every restaurant!’” Dirk Rogers says of the anticlimactic unveiling of his horror-themed beer hall, Dirk’s Terror Tavern. Tragically scheduled to open the same week as the COVID-19 shutdown, this spot in Studio City, CA is a one-of-a-kind medieval dungeon, forged of suds and stone, packed with special FX props from legendary nightmarish cinema and TV. Where else could you sip a stellar saison next to the iconic bald, bloodied and flanneled zombie from Romero’s Dawn of the Dead? Rogers continues: “For a place like this, the restriction on indoor seating is devastating—you can’t even see the inside now.” Rogers entered the world of prop-building and special makeup FX directly out of high school in 1988, fulfilling his destiny early in life. “I had a conversation with my grandmother about 10 minutes before she died and she said, ‘How do you like being in the biz?’ I told her, ‘I love it, I’m doing the right thing.’ She said, ‘I’m so proud of you,’
This blood’s for you
Dirk Rogers (l) is eager to share his mischief brew with the undead masses
and then she died. So, I realized, ‘Well, now I’m fuckin’ stuck. I have to do this.’” He currently collaborates with a team at KNB EFX Group. “We do everything from The Walking Dead to the Watchmen TV series to the Evil Dead series to every Tarantino film… we’re always busy.” Just check Rogers’ IMDB page for evidence. Alongside endless credits are a growing list of acting roles, featuring character names like “Alien Bartender” in The Orville and “Skinny Devil” in the series Legion. Referencing his lanky build, Rogers confirms, “I’ve moved into ‘suit acting’ because I’m built for it, playing zombies and creatures.” For decades, Rogers has hosted annual Halloween bashes, which, in his words, are “immersive, adult and hedonistic,” drawing guests from around the globe. When L.A. indie beer impresario Tony Yanow attended one, a partnership was born with a proposal to create a destination taproom designed around Rogers’ FX expertise. After losing a few years to other false starts, they settled on a rehab of the existing Bluebird Brasserie. “All of the brick was already here,” Rogers recalls, “and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I already feel like I’m in the cellar of a European cavern, or under a cemetery.’” The room was aesthetically perfect, and it already contained a seven-barrel brew house for cranking out proprietary beers.
General Manager Sean Phagan adds, “All the beers we brew here we focus on superclean West Coast style.” I got to sample every house beer and goddamn they’re good—even the Showtime Blonde, which is a style I usually consider a throwaway. “The reason so many blondes are like that is because so many brewers are brewing without respect for the people drinking their beers,” Phagan continues. “We’re proving you can brew to style and you can brew quality.” Ales and apparitions are in place for the public, but the creepy virus had other plans for this creepy venue. “We fucking killed ourselves to get this done in a month and a half,” Rogers laments. “Then we took a huge hit.” Aside from a few outdoor tables and take-out offerings, Dirk’s Terror Tavern currently stands like a mausoleum, a time capsule taunting unviewable contents. As frontman for oddball grind unit Bad Acid Trip, Rogers has experienced his fair share of simultaneous celebrations and defeats in the past. System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian signed BAT to his record label Serjical Strike, which led to a spot touring with Ozzfest in 2006. According to Rogers, “They told us, ‘Everyone will hate you—you will play in front of 10,000 people and only 10 will like you, but you will change the lives of those 10 people forever.’”
DECIBEL : OCTOBER 2 0 2 0 : 11