MONSTER MAGNET TRAINING FOR DYSTOPIA
HELLOWEEN THROW AWAY THE KEYS
T
K
M
IM
DAR
ES
ENSLAVED BEYOND THE PERMAFROST
E D I E VA L
FLEXI DISC
INCLUDED Don’t see it? Then subscribe!
AMENRA
JULY 2021 // No. 201
Beyond Critical Mass
EXTREMELY EXTREME
July 2021 [R 201] decibelmagazine.com
upfront
features
reviews 63 lead review Dripping with pustule gore, quickly rising Northwest newcomers Cerebral Rot show Album of the Year potential with sophomore release Excretion of Mortality
8 metal muthas Love from within
16 silver talon Clawing forward
28 helloween Smashing, pumpkins
10 news Explore beautiful downtown Hatröss
18 bushido code Live by the axe
30 q&a: monster magnet Dave Wyndorf has the soundtrack to the devolution
12 low culture He still doesn’t like it when we call him daddy 13 no corporate beer Last call 14 in the studio:
spirit adrift
The future is indeed bright
20 red fang Get to the point 22 vincent crowley Evil never dies
34 enslaved Ground control to Major Ivar
24 crypta Quelling nerves
38 the decibel
26 somnuri A new wave you want to catch
50
hall of fame Legendary duo Satyricon look backwards to their bleak Norwegian heritage to kindle their bright future together on Dark Medieval Times
64 album reviews Releases from bands that are looking forward to the (hopefully) live 300th Issue Show, including Cirith Ungol, Fear Factory and Portal 80 damage ink Questions need answers
AMENRA Strength in Weakness COVER STORY COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS BY JEROEN MYLLE
Decibel (ISSN 1557-2137) is published monthly by Red Flag Media, Inc., P.O. Box 36818, 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, P.O. Box 36818, Philadelphia, PA 19107. © 2021 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 : J U LY 2 0 2 1 : D E C I B E L
www.decibelmagazine.com
REFUSE/RESIST
July 2021 [T201] PUBLISHER
Alex Mulcahy
alex@redflagmedia.com
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Albert Mudrian
albert@decibelmagazine.com
AD SALES
James Lewis
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
james@decibelmagazine.com DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND SALES
ART DIRECTOR
Aaron Salsbury aaron@decibelmagazine.com
Michael Wohlberg
michael@decibelmagazine.com
Back at the start of this mess—you know exactly what I’m talking about— I had zero interest in ever watching a livestream concert. The wound of having to postpone our 2020 Metal & Beer Fest: Philly and being forced to cancel the 2020 Decibel Magazine Tour the day before it was scheduled to begin was still fresh when the first metal livestreams of the pandemic were announced. At the time, these new events felt like a reminder of what was lost, rather than recognizing a new format that could virtually unite still-grieving music obsessives. To their credit, Norwegian legends/Decibel faves Enslaved recognized the latter well before most and curated an ambitious cinematic “tour” featuring four distinct livestreams shot in different locations last summer—you can read more about it in Sean Frasier’s excellent piece in this issue. Before long, heavy hitters like Clutch, Behemoth and Amorphis were embracing ticketed streaming performances while sites like Metal Injection developed their free Slay at Home collaboration series with less established acts. Still, I wasn’t able to get over my own bullshit until last October when Obituary announced a streaming concert series, which included full performances of their death metal classics Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death. Having previously booked the band to play Cause of Death in full at the most recent Philly Metal & Beer Fest in 2019, I grabbed a virtual ticket, knowingly in danger of descending into a new sublevel of nostalgia. It may have taken “Chopped in Half” (in full!), but I was now fully on board with concert streams as a legitimate live music placeholder. Within a few weeks, the skeleton of Decibel’s 200th Issue Show Extremely Ex-Stream came together. Over the next several months, dozens of artists, engineers, directors, record labels and longtime friends invested their time and energy into contributing to a massive project that Decibel art/show director Mike Wohlberg elegantly fashioned into a program that not only celebrated 17 years of the magazine, but nearly everything about the underground metal community that spawned it. I never imagined that a streaming event could actually make me feel something, so thank you to everyone who tuned in, participated in the online chat, or texted/emailed us about the show. Now, please, get vaccinated and take care of your neighbors, and maybe—just fucking maybe—we can all be in one room together again staring at our phones before you know it.
albert mudrian, Editor-in-Chief
Patty Moran
CUSTOMER SERVICE
patty@decibelmagazine.com
COPY EDITOR
Andrew Bonazelli
BOOKCREEPER
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
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 Courtney Iseman Neill Jameson Sarah Kitteringham Scott Koerber Daniel Lake Andrew Lee 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 Bradley Zorgdrager 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 Dave Creaney Ester Segarra Hristo Shindov Josh Sisk Gene Smirnov Levan TK 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 $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, P.O. Box 36818, Philadelphia PA 19107. Copyright ©2021 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 smaller bands, you help encourage the next incarnation of the scene and help spread the word about a lot of undiscovered talent! Most recently, I’ve been getting into black metal act Departure Chandelier, for example. We know you have Opeth and Skid Row tattoos. Any other band-related ink we don’t know about?
Chris Wheeler La Prairie, Quebec
You’re a schoolteacher in the Montreal area. How have your young students been doing at this point in the pandemic?
I teach high school kids from grades nine through 11, and it’s been getting better on my end. At first, it was hard to juggle “how” to teach online with two small kids in the house and everything else in between; but with time, things have fallen into place. As for my students, it’s been frustrating somewhat for them because here in Quebec each grade alternates one day out of two from being at school to learning at home. That complicates things when you have assignments to hand in, distractions at home, work, etc. So, you
6 : J U LY 2 0 2 1 : D E C I B E L
have to be hyper-organized and -motivated, which at times can be challenging. I sympathize. I try my best to be accommodating and understanding of their point of view. It’s not easy for them. Amenra are the cover of this issue. Do you prefer when Decibel goes more underground with our cover stars, or do you think we’re pushing it too far?
No, not at all! As a HUGE Metal fan, I’m ALWAYS searching for more obscure acts. I’ve been dedicated to extreme music since 1992, so for me it’s exciting to “dig and explore” the small crevasses within the scene. By reading and hearing about
Yes, absolutely! Around my left forearm is the cover to Testament’s Souls of Black album, while my right shoulder and upper arm has Italian power metal band Operatika’s The Calling cover in full color. Not all of my music tattoos have any special significance. Some are purely aesthetic and I love the way they look. My next tattoo won’t be music-related, however. It’ll be the head of the Frankenstein monster with a small ink bottle and quill to represent my love of literature. Our 200th Issue Show Extremely Ex-Stream airs shortly before this issue goes to print. Are you tuning in or what?
I most certainly will! I wouldn’t miss it! I’ve seen a couple of the packaged Decibel Tours with At the Gates and Carcass as they rolled through Montreal, so it’ll be great to tune in on the 30th for the 200th issue show! It’s also an honor to support the magazine and the people who make it possible every month! Of course, seeing the awesome bands perform is a given, too.
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 thinking of more Trivium cover-related jokes for the next 100 issues.
Because not all of us were spawned in the darkest recesses of hell
This Month's Mutha: Brenda Morotti Mutha of Eric Morotti of Suffocation
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a bit of a rebel at heart. A mix of hippie-dippy and biker chick! Music has always been a big part of my life. (My saving grace in many ways.) It’s not surprising that I married a musician and had these two amazing boys. I’ve always been passionate about encouraging others and finding ways to be of service. Especially with young people. My nature is to nurture. We understand your Instagram handle is “metalmommorotti.” How have we not interviewed you for this series before?
I have inherited the title of MetalMom because I’m always helping young people through hardships and encouraging them to find their passions and pursue their dreams. But I tend to keep a low profile. Eric’s brother Stevie drums for Obey the Brave. When did the boys first express an interest in drumming, and were you always comfortable giving them the proper space to practice?
The boys were raised in the country with a house full of instruments. Their dad had a recording studio and they were kept busy creating music. As they got older, our home became the place for all the kids to come jam. I’d count the sleeping bodies in the morning to see how many pancakes I needed to make! [Laughs] 8 : J U LY 2 0 2 1 : D E C I B E L
When Eric joined Suffocation in 2016, were you aware of that band’s popularity and legacy?
I had no clue who Suffocation was at the time. I liked the heavier side of music, so it didn’t take long to see these guys had mastered their art. How big they were never really mattered to me. What did matter was what kind of influence they would have on my son. And I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know these guys and they’re genuinely sweet dudes. Eric tells us he brought you on an extreme metal cruise and you were “not prepared for it.” Please elaborate!
The cruise was amazing! The energy, the sense of family, um... the insane partying, the incredible connections I made there! I was so elated when Eric invited me to join him as his guest! We were always close, but this brought us to a whole other level. Wow! So blessed. What’s something most people wouldn’t know about your son?
Well, he’s super bright. Funny AF. GREAT at everything he tries—except bowling. He was a star hockey player. Has a huge heart. Always helps the underdog. Fiercely loves his family, and dirt bikes. —ANDREW BONAZELLI
Albert Mudrian : e d i t o r i n c h i e f Cerebral Rot, Excretion of Mortality Fear Factory, Aggression Continuum Spirit Adrift, Forge Your Future EP Satyricon, Dark Medieval Times Horrendous, Decibel’s 200th Issue Show Extremely Ex-Stream set ---------------------------------Patty Moran : c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e Flipper, Album - Generic Flipper OFF!, Wasted Years Perverts Again, Our Big Party Metallica, Master of Puppets L7, Smell the Magic ---------------------------------James Lewis : a d s a l e s Khemmis, Hunted Cannibal Corpse, Violence Unimagined The Crown, Royal Destroyer Judas Priest, Firepower Blazon Stone, War of the Roses ---------------------------------Mike Wohlberg : a r t d i r e c t o r Midnight, Decibel’s 200th Issue Show Extremely Ex-Stream set Khemmis, Decibel’s 200th Issue Show Extremely Ex-Stream set Full of Hell, Decibel’s 200th Issue Show Extremely Ex-Stream set Horrendous, Decibel’s 200th Issue Show Extremely Ex-Stream set Wake, Decibel’s 200th Issue Show Extremely Ex-Stream set ---------------------------------Aaron Salsbury : m a r k e t i n g a n d s a l e s Steel Bearing Hand, Slay In Hell Human Obliteration/Vile Species, Split Year of the Knife, Internal Incarceration Blood Has Been Shed, Novella of Uriel Drowningman, How They Light Cigarettes In Prison EP
GUEST SLAYER
---------------------------------Laurie Shanaman : a i l s Opeth, Blackwater Park Dreams of the Drowned, Missed Springs EP Witching, Vernal Henrik Palm, Poverty Metal Lankum, The Livelong Day