Valley of the Wolf was mixed and engineered by Dave Kaminsky at Studio Wormwood, with Üga Büga and Kaminsky sharing production credit. Mastering was handled by Brian Williams at Augmented Audio. The album is set for release on vinyl and digitally on June 5. You can place your preorder here. And check out the band’s upcoming live dates (below) in support of their new release.

Calloway Jones had this to say about the new track:

“The song is the beginning of chapter two, picking up several months after the events of our first album Year of the Hog. It was the first song we wrote for this record. The song is an account of the Hog army performing a ritual at a backyard barbecue to raise the ancient demons from the earth. It sets the stage for the whole album as we dive deeper into the chaotic world of evil hogmen armies, opposing factions, a mystic witch, a power-hungry snake-wizard, and an anti-heroic wolfman all under the watch of Lovecraftian beasts.”

The post Track Premiere: Üga Büga – “Divine Slaughter (Backyard Barbecue Bonanza)” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

MAY 2 TICKETS
MAY 3 TICKETS
TWO-DAY TICKETS

MAY 2
Municipal Waste (special The Art of Partying set)
Cro-Mags (special The Age of Quarrel set)
Kylesa
Haggus
No/Más

MAY 3
Power Trip
Cryptopsy (special None So Vile set)
Necrot
Spirit Adrift
Blood Monolith 

The post $30 Decibel Metal & Beer Fest: Philly Tickets Now Available as Part of ‘Summer of Live’! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Formed in 2020 in Gloucester City, the quartet has been steadily building a name for itself through a mix of modern slam brutality and early deathcore bite. That momentum has already carried them further than most bands at this stage—onto festival stages, into collaborations with heavy hitters like Eddie Hermida (Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish) and Don Campan (Waking the Cadaver), and, increasingly, across the Atlantic. Now, they’re doubling down.

“It’s our second time going over to Europe in under a year, and all of us still can’t believe it ourselves,” says guitarist Jonathan Stauffer. “First time we did seven countries, this time twelve. We absolutely love it over there and can’t wait to see our friends and fans again.”

That same intensity fuels ‘Parasite,’ a track that feels less like a calculated release and more like a pressure valve finally blowing.

“We were really angry as we were creating it,” Stauffer explains. “You might hear ‘the anger’ within the song itself. But what’s cool about music, especially this genre, it allows us to vent. Whether we had a bad day at work or this or that, the beauty in music is its magic power, freeing ourselves to escape within it, and forget about life for a while.”

That balance—between chaos and catharsis—is exactly where 9 Dead thrives. There’s a rawness to ‘Parasite’ that doesn’t feel overly polished or overthought; it’s immediate, physical, and built for impact, whether that’s through earbuds or in the pit.

And with a 12-country European run on deck, they’re about to test that impact the hard way. If ‘Parasite’ is any indication, the response won’t be subtle.

The post Track Premiere: 9 Dead – “Parasite” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

I Hail I is the first Lair of the Minotaur record to feature bassist-producer extraordinaire Sanford Parker, who previously engineered and mixed various Lair of the Minotaur releases. On I Hail I, Parker handles engineering and mixing along with bass duties alongside founding member Steven Rathbone—who handled mastering—and longtime drummer Chris Wozniak.

The songs on I Hail I have a distinctly grim and evil vibe, culminating on the final song, “Tartarus Apocalypse.” Standing in stark opposition to the record’s fast pace, “Tartarus Apocalypse” slows things down, stretching out to nearly a quarter of the album’s runtime. It’s jarring in the best way possible, making the listener appreciate the previous speed and the current nastiness.

“I HAIL I is intended to be listened to all the way through, at maximum volume on real speakers,” Rathbone instructs. “A thirty-minute thoroughly cathartic experience.”

Hail the minotaur and listen to I Hail I below. It’s out on Friday, May 1 via the band.

The post Full Album Stream: Lair of the Minotaur – “I Hail I” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

3 FLOYDS BREWING
Pre Game Pils (Municipal Waste collab) / Pilsner / 5.2%
Floyds Deluxe / Lager / 4.5%
Zombie Dust / Undead Pale Ale / 6.5%
Turbo Reaper / IPA / 7%
Dark Lord Scepter of Power/ barrel-aged Imperial Stout / 15% (Saturday Only) *
Dark Lord Munster Punch / barrel-aged Imperial Stout / 15% (Sunday Only) *

WARPIGS BREWING
Foggy Geezer / Hazy IPA / 7.3%
Lil’ Geezer / Hazy IPA / 5%
Bouffant Jellyfish / Sour Ale / 5.5%
Drain the Skull (Necrot collab) / Kölsch Style Ale / 5.2%

BRIMMING HORN MEADERY
Un-Pearable / Pear Cider / 6.5%
Cotton Candy / Session/Carbonated Mead / 8% (Saturday Only)
Blood of Cemunnos / Mulberry Mead / 8%
Mango Mead / Session/Carbonated Mead / 8% (Sunday Only)

BEAR CULT BREWING
Age of Pilsner (Cro-Mags collab) / Czech Pilsner/ 5.2%
Appalachian Strong / Strong Ale / 7.5%

NEPENTHE BREWING CO
Alpacas Fracas / Double IPA / 8.1%
Space Jellyfish / American IPA / 7%
Mallet / American Lager / 4.3%

NEW TRAIL
Running Red (Kylesa collab) / Amber Lager / 5%
24/7 / Hazy Session IPA / 4.27%
Crisp Lager / Golden Lager / 4.8%

MAGNANIMOUS BREWING
Touch of Death (Fulci collab) / Italian Pilsner / 5.5%
New Lord / Double Dry-Hopped Hazy / 7.5%
Dragonaught / Fruited Sour / 6%

IMPRINT BREWING CO
Sunkissed / Triple IPA / 7.7%
Schmoojee Metal AF / Fuited Sour Ale / 6.5%
Lagerrr / Golden Lager / 4.4%
Release the Mounds / Stout / 12% (Saturday Only) *
Banana Thickr Than Snickr / Stout / 12% (Sunday Only) *

XUL
Hornet’s Nest (Power Trip collab) / Pilsner / 4.4%
PB&J Mixtape / Fruited Sour / 6.5%
Wicked Sound of Doom / IPA / 6.66%

REQUIEM BIER
Hop Mincer (Haggus collab) / Belgian IPA / 7%
Dead Stroke / Pub Ale / 4.1%

NECROMANTIC
La LLagerona / Mexican Lager / 5.5%
Show Me The Way To Gose Home / Lemon Gose / 5%

GHOST HAWK
Updraft / Maibock/ 7.5% (Saturday Only)
Cherry Daedalion / American Wheat / 4% (Sunday Only)

LITTLE COTTAGE
Haze of the Fathers (Cryptopsy Collab) / Triple IPA / 10.5% *
A Local Lager / Lager / 4%
Jory’s Battle / Hefeweizen / 5%

Limited tickets are also still available for next weekend’s Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly on May 2-3 at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, featuring the return of Power Trip, special sets from Municipal Waste (The Art of Partying), Cryptopsy (None So Vile) and Cro-Mags (The Age of Quarrel) as well as killer performances from Kylesa, Necrot, Spirit Adrift and more! Daily lineups and all ticket option details for Metal & Beer Fest Philly 2026 can be found below:

MAY 2 TICKETS
MAY 3 TICKETS
TWO-DAY TICKETS

MAY 2
Municipal Waste (special The Art of Partying set)
Cro-Mags (special The Age of Quarrel set)
Kylesa
Haggus
No/Más

MAY 3
Power Trip
Cryptopsy (special None So Vile set)
Necrot
Spirit Adrift
Blood Monolith 

The post Full Beer Menu for Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly 2026 REVEALED! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Why the hype?
Killing Pace are another finest example of that micro-genre of hardcore bands that integrate blast beats and overall fast parts into their malignant stew of modern hardcore a la Ingrown, Shackles and most famously Nails (YOU WILL NEVER BE ONE OF US!). This might not appeal to grindcore diehards (aka nerds) but to quote Marge Simpson “I think it’s neat!” Every song here feels fast, pissed-off and like it was shot out of a cannon.

Latest Release?
HCPM out now on Triple B Records. The cool thing about bands that mix hardcore and grind is always the feeling of intense urgency. Every song here is so in-your-face and relentless, it’s like getting a colonoscopy at 100 miles per hour and the blast parts aren’t merely transitional, they provide an intensity only matched by the unrelenting severity of the beatdown parts. I’m gonna listen to this over and over while I watch all of my professional sports teams fail me in various ways.

The post Blast Worship: Killing Pace appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

In July 2025, Grindmother announced that the Grindmother herself had been diagnosed with advanced dementia and, as such, the band would play two final shows in order to allow the vocalist to take a final bow and celebrate her achievements, rather than fizzling out. Because of her health issues, the set featured a variety of guest vocalists, including Chelsea Marrow (Visitant), Liz Selfish (Brat) and Alissa White-Gluz (ex-Arch Enemy, ex-The Agonist). After White-Gluz’s section of the set, The Grindmother takes the stage to perform the title track of Grindmother’s 2016 album, Age of Destruction. After the song, White-Gluz thanks the older vocalist and takes a final bow.

The set is a touching 20-minute farewell. Far too often, bands that find their footing or popularity in a niche area flame out or break up in obscurity. In the case of Grindmother, the opportunity to play this final show with Cattle Decapitation, Aborted, Frozen Soul and Tribal Gaze was a chance to say goodbye and thank you, as well as a chance to etch their name in the historical record one final time.

“These final shows were an overwhelming reminder of why we did this in the first place,” Forster tells Decibel. “After seven years away from the stage, coming back for one last stand felt like a far-fetched idea, but it turned out more amazingly than we ever could have imagined. We wanted our exit to be our most intense moment yet, and it truly was.

“Grindmother started as a project that gave everyone a good laugh, but it eventually turned into something much deeper. I was so moved by how inclusive and accepting the metal scene was of her. It evolved from people being curious to a community that truly cared for her as an artist and a person.

“Montreal was the perfect city for this goodbye, and the night felt like a genuine celebration of that community. It was loud, emotional and exactly how I wanted my mom to step away from the stage. This couldn’t have happened without the direct support of our guests and a massive group of people working behind the scenes. It was the absolute perfect way to say goodbye. This premiere is for everyone who supported us from that very first video to this final scream.”

You can watch the entire set below, courtesy of HI Multimedia and Grindmother.

The post Watch: Grindmother Play Their Final Set (12/5/2025) appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Mournhold was produced, recorded and mixed by Scott McLean at Neon Fable Studios in Edinburgh. Mastering was done by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. It’s set for release on vinyl, cassette and digitally via True Cult Records on May 15. Place your preorder here.

Callum John Cant described the new track as such:
“‘Flesh Eternal’ is a song that digs under the concept of romantic love and goes into the primal body horror which results from the feeling of yearning being taken to its most extreme. We often look at the people we want to be with and love and make proclamations of ‘together forever.’ This is a sardonic take on that concept where the saying is taken literally and the results of flesh between two people merging physically.The composition represents everything Tyrannus is and has been in our style of aggression and atmosphere building, and shows starkly that we will pull from unexpected sources where appropriate.

For this song, I pulled on my personal love for post-punk and wrote it to be very focused on the relationship between the bass guitar and drums, with the guitars and vocals acting as delicate layers increasing in intensity with the lyrics and the song’s progression. The heavy post-punk influence gives the song the intimacy which the lyrics convey in their imagery before exploding into full blown black metal fury. That tension of the cherished familiar corrupting into something painful and deeply unsettling is exactly what Tyrannus and our album, Mournhold, is built to achieve.”

The post Video Premiere: Tyrannus – “Flesh Eternal” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Austin—who was born in Lebanon, Tennessee with familial ties to Appalachia—grew up with outlaw country and bluegrass music, inspired by the albums he heard and by his father, honky-tonk musician Tillman Austin. Despite nearly 35 years as the brain behind Today is the Day (plus production credits including New American Gospel and When Forever Comes Crashing), the allure of outlaw country remained and Austin wrote his first record in the style. 

 The 11-track album is stripped back and raw, following closely in the tradition of Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. It has a sense of real authenticity, blending catchiness (“Long Way to Hell”) with ballads (“The Rain Keeps Comin’ Down,” “I Won’t Make It Last”) and occasional bursts of upbeat chicken pickin’. Austin is assisted on the record by drummer Colin Frecknall (Today is the Day), fiddle player Ryu Bennett and pedal steel legend Dana Flood (Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, and George Jones). 

 Decibel spoke with Austin about the new style, using vintage equipment and if listeners can expect more in the style. Read it below after pressing play on a full stream of Marked Cards and Loaded Dice. The album is officially out on May 1 via Austin’s own label, Supernova Records.

What led you to writing and recording an outlaw country record?
I came across a set of lyric books that belonged to my father, Tillman Austin, from the early 1950s. By day, he was a machinist at Chrysler, and at night, he played guitar and sang in a honky-tonk band. I read through all of his songs and it was heartbreaking stuff. The loneliness and pain that he was livin’ through filled every page. It made me think about how much I missed real country music—music from the heart that’s honest and real. So, I started writing what would be the 1st song on this record. 

Are these songs you’ve been writing for years or were they written with the express intention of going on this album?
The first song I wrote was “Am I Just Crazy,” during COVID lockdown in 2020. After being in isolation in the woods for months with the world crashing in, I was depressed out of my mind. Late one night, I played my song for Hanna [Austin’s wife]. It was emotionally heavy for both of us. She cried, and then I cried. I realized how important this was to me. These songs made me feel hope. They brought me back to my roots and the Austin family from Appalachia in Chestnut Mound, Tennessee. They made me wanna live when everything seemed so hopeless.

You used all vintage equipment for the recording of Marked Cards and Loaded Dice. How did using that specific gear help you to develop the sound you had in mind?
I wanted Marked Cards and Loaded Dice to sound as real as possible. I love the classic sounds on records like Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd and The Beatles’ White Album. I wanted Marked Cards and Loaded Dice to sound true to the old-school bluegrass and traditional country albums I grew up on. I love the way it came out and the down-home sound of the album. Just real songs and real playin’ from the heart about living through life.

You and Colin from Today is the Day played most of the instruments, but you also have Dana Flood and Ryu Bennett on the record; were they actively involved in the songwriting process or did you connect with them after songs were written?
After I had demoed all of the songs, I began a search for the sickest pedal steel and fiddle players I could find. Luckily, country music pedal steel legend Dana Flood lived only 45 minutes away. Dana had toured and played with all the greats during the outlaw country days in the 1970s. To me, he is a virtuoso and the Randy Rhoads of pedal steel. He plays some of the most beautiful steel guitar and dobro parts I’ve ever heard. He was a protégé of Don Helms, Hank Williams Sr.’s pedal steel man. Don called Dana the greatest there ever was.

I was honored that, after I showed him the songs, he was so inspired and excited to rock this thing with me. Ryu Bennett, who plays the fiddle, is a classically-trained symphony performer that loves Appalachian music. She has a very hypnotic and psychedelic style that reminds me at times of the strings on the Beatles’ acid-era albums. She rips some wicked old-time fiddle playin’. Colin totally rocked it on the drums. He has a great feel and lays down a rocking groove that works perfectly with the tunes. They all three came up with amazing jams, and I couldn’t have been more proud of their approach to these tunes.

A lot of your career has been spent in the heavy and extreme music arenas, playing in TITD and producing various records, but you grew up with old-school and outlaw country music. Do you feel like Marked Cards was a sort of return to your roots as a musician or person?
Yes, I do. During COVID, I had a lot of time for introspection. I grew up in Lebanon, Tennessee. I live in the woods in Maine now, and have a barn and some chickens. I burn firewood to heat our house and live a primitive life. I fix our cars, sweep the chimney, repair anything and everything at our pad. I enjoy arborist work and love being in nature, away from towns or cities. When I was a kid, my parents would drive me crazy. I’d get home from school and go way out in the woods and creeks, exploring caves, shooting persimmons off of trees with my .22 rifle. I’d take off riding on my horse. It was peace and solitude that was calming from the insanity going down at my house. Truly a kid’s dream. Just me and my dog and a forest playground with total freedom and escape. I feel lucky to live where I do now as well, and I’m proud of my Appalachian family. They work hard, live good lives and are there for anyone who needs a hand. The most important thing in life for me is my family, friends, animals and being the best man I can be. I’m grateful for my life and everyone in it. 

Is this a one-off excursion into the country music genre or should we expect more Steve Austin records in a similar vein?
Hell yeah! Last October, I recorded a Magnolia Session Album in Nashville with Dan Emery from Anti-Corp Records at his studio for album number two. It’s a binaural live recording with no overdubs and me singing and playing guitar. It has songs from Marked Cards and some new ones. I’ve already written four new songs for the next album after the Magnolia release. I love playing mountain music and the feeling it brings me and the people. Gonna keep pushing myself to play and sing what I feel inside. From now until I head off into the sunset.

The post Full Album Stream: Steve Austin – “Marked Cards and Loaded Dice” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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