Author: Bradley Zorgdrager

Monument of Misanthropy took their name literally on sophomore LP Unterweger. The album is a chronicling of serial killer Jack Unterweger, whose hatred of human was impressed upon his victims’ necks. Unlike his chosen ligatures—straps removed from the victims’ bras—the band’s music is razor sharp. It’s the kind of death metal born from brutality but executed with precision perfected by bands like Cattle Decapitation, Aborted and Benighted.

In fact, the vocalists of the latter two perform guest spots on the album. They’ve also added Putridity drummer Cédric Malebolgia and De Profundis guitarist Shoi Sen to the line-up. All of which is to say, they’re approved by some of the best, and with good reason—they RIP!

The band explains the brutal video and story upon which it’s based.

“‘The Legacy of a Malignant Narcissist’ is one of the more complex tracks on Unterweger. It starts pretty atmospheric with just two guitars, but picks up the pace quickly after the first verse. Finally, it collapses into total destruction toward the end of the song. It’s the perfect video song, as it details horrific murderous events from start to finish, albeit in a compressed manner. It tells the story of Jack Unterweger, who was found guilty of 11 accounts of murder. The video and lyrics depict the gruesome brutality of his crimes. He strangled his victims with a special kind of ligature. After Unterweger’s trial and conviction, the clip focuses on the serial killer’s suicide in his prison cell. The ligature used was finely crafted; it’s one the sadist had used on his female victims.”

Vocalist George Wilfinger delves into the release at large.

“We are very proud to release our best and most brutal material through the passionate, supportive and amazing Transcending Obscurity,” exclaims Wilfinger. “Producer Kristian ‘Kohle’ Kohlmannseder of Kohlekeller Studio Germany (Aborted, Benighted, Cytotoxin etc.) delivered a brutal and punishing mix. We also have friends Julien Truchan (Benighted) and Sven De Caluwé (Aborted) lending their vocal skills to a track each. This recording definitely takes everything up a notch for Monument of Misanthropy, and we could not be happier with the results!”

Check it out in the player below.

Unterweger is out November 12 via Transcending Obscurity. Customers can pre-order it on vinyl or CD, including a limited version housed in a coffin-shaped wooden box set. There are also a variety of wearable merchandise options. U.S. customers can head here, while EU ones can purchase here. The label also has their own store and a Bandcamp, so the options are as plentiful as the riffs.

The post Video Premiere: Monument of Misanthropy – “The Legacy of a Malignant Narcissist” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Slamming brutal death metal is an inherently cartoony genre, focusing on the most knuckle-dragging elements of a knuckle-dragging sound. The ultra gory lyrics make it even more so. Blood-soaked diatribes and bludgeoning noises are so intertwined that headbangers often let the ridiculousness go in one ear and out the other. Inebrious Incarnate refuse to let that happen, turning to the bottle to smash it into metalheads, well, heads—while getting smashed.

Let’s just hope the Brits don’t practice what they preach and get annihilated before playing. The music on “Altars of Intoxication” is razor sharp, like a beer bottle broken just right, and needs the kind of precision NOT displayed in the accompanying lyric video. People fall all over the place, all over the video. Perhaps it’s a harbinger of what’s to come in the mosh pit. Hopefully those worshipping the “booze gods” don’t spill everything and make it even messier.

The band explain their religion and its hymns.

“‘Altars of Intoxication’ is the second track from the album Abstemious Genocide and features everything that characterizes the band. It sets the tone for the album, featuring insane fast passages, mid-tempo hardcore sections and annoyingly catchy slams.

“Lyrically, the song focuses on our church, which is a pub, bar, club, our front room—wherever! The one rule being, if you’re not willing to consume in vast quantities, you’re not fucking welcome.”

Assuming you’ve got a beer to crack, feel free to hit play below. Otherwise, go get one and come back. The party don’t start until the booze is flowing like blood, apparently.

Abstemious Genocide is out October 15 via Ultimate Massacre Productions. Pre-order it on CD, alongside album merch, on their store.

The post Track Premiere: Inebrious Incarnate – “Altar of Intoxication” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Man Must Die is a direct name for a direct band. The Scottish tech death band go for the throat with the intensity of grindcore, a la Aborted, Cattle Decapitation, Misery Index, etc.

New single “Bring Me the Head of the King” wastes no time getting into ridiculous blasts, which continue throughout. That is, until the breakdown-esque section. However, in typical tech death fashion, it’s not the dumbed down chugfest often associated with the term.

Melodic elements peek through. The solo section is beautiful and takes the listener on a journey through its musicality. Hell, there’s even some pitched yelling, which could become their answer to Travis Ryan’s goblin screech singing. Again, intensity is the name of the game, so worry not about them going soft.

Guitarist Alan McFarland explains the new track.

“Our new single is a representation of the last year-and-a-half of frustration and isolation. We’ve channelled all the negative energy into something positive and ultimately cathartic.”

Another positive thing to come out of all of this is the launching of a new record label. Distortion Music Group is led by Kataklysm and Ex Deo vocalist Maurizio Iacono, who also runs/owns Hard Impact Music Management, Continental Touring and Decibel Touring.

The metal lifer discusses his first release—at least from the label side of things.

“I’m extremely excited to launch my own imprint today. Distortion Music Group is focused on the artist and development. What better way to celebrate this day with the release of Man Must Die’s new single ‘Bring Me The Head Of The King’? It’s a ferocious and powerful track coming from Scotland’s finest! I have been a fan of Man Must Die since their beginning. I’m honored to have them as part of our roster and growing family.”

Check out the family’s first not-so-home video below.

“Bring Me the Head of the King” will be part of a forthcoming Man Must Die release. For now, it can be snagged digitally.

The post Video Premiere: Man Must Die – “Bring Me the Head of the King” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

The suffix “er” creates nouns of agency. For example, the person writing this becomes the writer. With that knowledge, there’s likely not a more appropriate name for Nightmarer, who create nightmares. Their technical prowess only allows them more tools from which to create terrifying cacophony. That they comprise current and former members of Gigan, the Ocean Collective, War From a Harlots Mouth, Conquering Dystopia and Merrow only adds credence to their abilities.

There’s major appeal here to fans of “Ul” bands (Ulcerate, Ulsect), as well as “I” death metal kings (Incantation, Immolation). Basically, it’s filthy enough to be extra terrifying because you can’t see clearly through the grit.

Guitarist Simon Hawemann explains the goal of the seamless EP from which “Ekstasis” comes, Monolith of Corrosion, and how they’ve somehow managed to out-nightmare themselves.

“Monolith of Corrosion features three seamlessly transitioning pieces, forged into one mammoth composition spanning 13 minutes of Total Dissonance Worship. ‘Ekstasis’ represents the fastest and most chaotic end of Nightmarer’s spectrum, but don’t let that deceive you—the EP sonically descends all the way into an oppressive crawl of industrialized misery from there.

“The concept for this EP goes all the way back to late 2018. While it didn’t materialize then, we could never let go of it and decided to see it through before the release of our next album in early 2022.”

Now go be a listener.

Monolith of Corrosion by Nightmarer

The Monolith of Corrosion EP comes out August 27 via Total Dissonance Worship. Pre-order on vinyl or cassette via their store in North America or Deathwish Inc’s Europe store. There’s also a brand new shirt, and the EP will naturally be available digitally, too.

The post Track Premiere: Nightmarer – “Ekstasis” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

You’d be forgiven for thinking Kryptik Mutation were thrashers through and through. Just look at the errant Ks in their name and the angular logo that shows them off. Hell the album name Pulled from the Pit could be the kind of moshpit referencing fodder Exodus mastered. Though its cover looks the part, the first hint that everything is not what it seemed is the sheer brutality.

Yes, the pit is one of spikes and the impalements upon them are grotesque. Somewhere between all that, Kryptik Mutation stand. It makes sense, them being from Texas and all. Given the state produced Pantera, Devourment and Power Trip, it makes sense its output would fall somewhere between. Stop and think about one of those pillars and any given moment will touch on it, if not multiple at once.

Vocalist Christopher De Leon explains the ooze from which they came.

“Pulled From the Pit is an album made for fans of brutal sounds over not-so serious topics. Taking inspiration from all kinds of fun and gory things visually while taking in inspiration musically through our favorite bands growing up. That formula is what we ball up together as a band and then roll with for the Kryptik Mutation sound and vibe. It’s Tales from the Crypt meets Suffocation; it’s Alien vs. Predator meets Morbid Angel; it’s Splatterhouse crossed with Municipal Waste! We are a horror movie playing through your eardrums. We are a scary tale being told to you in the dark. And we are revving up a chainsaw to tear up riffs to serve for everyone who loves headbanging to death metal and circle pitting to thrash!”

Listen to the groovy brutal death thrash in the player below.
Pulled From the Pit by Kryptik Mutation

Pulled from the Pit drops May 7. Pre-order it digitally or on CD via Bandcamp or the Redefining Darkness Records webstore.

The post Full Album Premiere: Kryptik Mutation – ‘Pulled from the Pit’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Gears of War shredded. Seriously, the Xbox 360 franchise’s trademark weapon was an assault rifle loaded with a flesh-tearing chainsaw bayonet. The bloody kills it produced made it even more metal-adjacent than fellow Microsoft property Halo. Given that Shadow of Intent already took lyrical inspiration from Master Chief and co., it was only a matter of time until someone plundered the memories of Marcus Fenix. Hammer of Dawn are that band.

Musically, the slightly symphonic, shredding style ain’t that far off from those peers. Hammer of Dawn perform technical death metal under a sky blackened by Reavers. A slight core inclination peaks through, but this definitely steers closer to the death side of the equation.

The band’s prowess makes sense, as Hammer of Dawn count members of Aborted, Hideous Divinity and Krosis amongst their ranks. Lead single “Fleshless” is a higher concept look of the Locust Horde. Other songs from six-track EP Ketor dive deeper into the lore, with help from Aborted’s Sven de Caluwé and Hideous Divinity’s Enrico H. Di Lorenzo.

Concept mastermind and vocalist Mac Smith spoke of the project, birthed of a childhood video game love.

“‘Fleshless’ was our first production as a band, so it was the obvious choice for our introduction to the masses. We matched our thematic direction with musical intensity and really enjoyed the challenge of doing so. Its huge atmosphere is packed with crushing riffs, over-the-top vocals and blast beats. We feel it’s a proper tribute to Gears of War and encompasses everything we love about music.”

Ketor by Hammer of Dawn

Ketor is out May 28 and can be pre-ordered digitally on Bandcamp. Merch is available on Hammer of Dawn’s store.

The post Track Premiere: Hammer of Dawn – “Fleshless” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Purity is an apt name for a band that serves as the purest distillation of nu metal’s heyday. Well, the aggressive side, that is. (They are named after a Slipknot song, after all). In a world where every nu metalcore band simply replaced power chords with single note riffs, Purity dug deeper. The Las Vegas collective even added a master of noises to sample, and electronics and DJ.

The turntables appear throughout the video for “Serpentine,” the second single from upcoming EP Animus. Keeping in-line with the best case scenario, they use the additions subtly and tastefully. Mononymously monikered frontman Worm explains the addition as a logical extension of their love of industrial, ’90s club music and more. He and guitarist Jett Stotts decided it was the best way to incorporate those influences without a massive sample pad and backtracks.

It’s both practical and more. It spices up the stompy grooves, but also engendered the closing industrial outro. The whole song is a pissed off attack, complete with panicked breakdown, and the music matches that energy.

Worm puts it bluntly:

“‘Serpentine’ is easily the most venomous Purity has ever been, which makes it a fair representation of Animus. It’s the angriest music we’ve ever made, all piss and vinegar, which is a fair bit different than our last EP. ‘Serpentine’ in particular came about from having seen so many people do nasty shit to one another, being stung by people we thought we could trust, and seeing people play social games to gain success, validation or ‘clout’—whatever you wanna call it. This is a testament to just keeping true and pure to who we are and not tolerating anything less from anyone. We wrote it for everyone who can identify with that mindset. It’s like we’ve always said: it’s for the freaks, fuck the fakes.”

Get your freak on with the Errick Easterday-directed video below.

Pre-order the Animus EP digitally and merch on Bandcamp. Cassettes are forthcoming. The EP drops March 19.

The post Video Premiere: Purity – “Serpentine” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Silenus are building their own world from Long Island. Their imagery and art feels like the Hell in the religion of a tribal cult that worships the ground, fully aware of what’s underneath. The video for “The Garden Is Burning” pulls the imagery from “The Calf” from the dark into a more complete light.

In their own words, “This is raw, a true reflection of self. This is us from root to limb.” Whether that quote refers to this video, song or the EP for which it serves as title track matters not. One view will enrapture you in what they call “this primal force that is Silenus.” The band, formed in 2015, continue, “We’ve finally created something that matches how we feel as a whole. There’s an energy to Silenus and each of us feel it every time we play, write and record. We want other people to feel that too.”

They’ll also feel off-put, as the video brings to mind 2019 horror cult classic (in the making) Midsommar. The panic-inducing metallic hardcore also features some haunting vibes. Far from what metalcore became, the singing is low and rumbling, yet similarly effective—a spectre hovering in your peripheries.

Silenus’ goal is much more direct, yet insular.

“The differences between our previous release and The Garden Is Burning are time and concept. Our previous release focused on our conflict with environment, while The Garden focuses on the growing conflict with self: the subtraction of the outside world and into our own. This project takes all that we were trying to convey with our previous release and amplifies it, This is not only a more enraged Silenus but a matured one as well. If Life Out of Balance was a flesh wound; this is the deathblow.”

Listen and watch at your own risk in the player below.

The Garden Is Burning EP is out tomorrow via Daze Records. You can buy it on CD, as well as a poster and Silenus shirt, via the label.

The post Video Premiere: Silenus – “The Garden Is Burning” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Black Sheep Wall imploded following 2015’s prophetically titled I’m Going to Kill Myself and its hilariously cartoon-cute artwork. Now, half-a-decade and a rejuvenated reformation later, they’re keeping their art otherworldly on Songs for the Enamel Queen. This is exemplified in the still cartoony, yet hardly cute cover (once again by Jeff Rogers) and the music. “New Measures of Failure” finds the Californian sludge lords wading deeper into the surreal swamp.

The song is 13.5 minutes and feels like it—a compliment here. Many descriptions of long songs wax poetic about how quickly they pass, but this makes full use of its runtime. Yet it doesn’t get boring, instead going from sludge rumblings through similarly murky tones played in a frantic manner. A third of the way through, they go into a self-described Slint-esque talking part—the kind chaotic metalcore bands adopted. And so it goes, from rambling ranting to rumbling reverb, tiring out the listener throughout.

It’s a feeling appropriate to the message of the song, as told by vocalist Brandon Gillichbauer (Rowsdower, ex-Admiral Angry).

“‘New Measures of Failure’ was one of the last songs that I finished writing lyrics for on this new album. The title is derived from a conversation between myself and original vocalist Jeff Ventimiglia regarding our current life situations. ‘New Measures of Failure’ is a reflection on the process of drying-out, the realities of relapsing, and the subsequent sexual desires that come with chasing any form of serotonin. The song was written in part after a long term on-again off-again relationship had gone belly up for the last time and the cathartic release that comes from the desire and acceptance of being loathed by someone who once loved you.”

Bathe in that hatred below.

Songs for the Enamel Queen is out February 26 on Silent Pendulum Records. Pre-order it on vinyl or digital here.

The post Track Premiere: Black Sheep Wall – “New Measures of Failure” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Since releasing their eponymous debut EP in 2010, the Brisbane, Australia-based black metal duo Spire have become a force of torrential and punishing black metal. Their debut album, 2016’s Entropy, marked the band’s arrival on the world stage, but now that everyone believes that they understand Spire and what to expect from them . . . Things are about to get really interesting.

According to the band, their sophomore album, titled The Temple of Khronos, is “the ultimate culmination of hysterical delirium, collective choral madness, and grand composition.” The band calls their second album, “A liturgy to Time itself. To further fan the flames of excitement surrounding The Temple of Khronos, out February 19 on tape, CD and 12” vinyl from Sentient Ruin, we have the pleasure of presenting our readers with “Hymn IV – Puissant,” the album’s insane, penultimate track.

The band warns: “The fourth Hymn to Immortal Khronos—Puissant—is a gauntlet to the face of all non-temporal faiths.”

“Hymn IV – Puissant”

Preorder Temple of Khronos from Sentient Ruin

The post Track Premiere: Spire – “Hymn IV – Puissant” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.