The Daily Rock

A Small, Dumb Part of Me, Reborn

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:15:01 +0000

If trends and interests and habits and all that sort of bullshit moves in cycles, I guess I’m presently going through the second phase of voraciously listening to a bunch of stuff that’s borderline unlistenable. And loving it. Let me explain… If you were a tape trader back in the 80s, you’ll remember scoring N [...]

STREAMING: Borknagar “Roots”

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:15:01 +0000

By now, Norway progressive/black-ish/folk-ish metallers Borknagar should be a familiar entity to most ‘bangers. They’ve managed nine quality albums — including new long-player Urd — across a 17-year timeline and had the balls to recall and then host former frontman ICS Vortex alongside screamer/crooner Vintersorg, which is something most bands don’t do unless they’re on [...]

Decibel’s Bruno Guerreiro All-Growed Up Art Show

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:15:02 +0000

Decibel illustrator and layout guru Bruno Guerreiro is curating his first art show in Philadelphia. Huzzah! Held at Kung Fu Necktie, a neighborhood-centric watering hole/club, Guerreiro is aiming for the highest highs, displaying his illustrations to a backdrop of outer space heavy — in the form of local astro rockers Rosetta and Restorations, Brooklyn-based doom [...]

Decibel’s “Braintrust” Sees the Darkness in Philly

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:15:01 +0000

I didn’t watch the Super Bowl. I’ve died many small deaths with the loser-ass Jets for 26 years and really wasn’t in the mood for one more dick in the ear. Instead, I Netflix Instant-ed this… … which had its moments, but wasn’t long enough to sufficiently ignore the entire game. And so just as [...]

No Chimes in Decibel-land

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:15:01 +0000

About two weeks ago, a massive set of Bob Dylan covers compiled to honor 50 years of Amnesty International—4 discs, 73 tracks and 73 different artists—hit shelves. Sure, it’s fascinating to see an expansive and eclectic roster that includes old-timers like Pete Townsend, Jeff Beck and Mark Knopfler alongside relative newcomers like The Gaslight Anthem, [...]

The Devil Sends the Beast With…Beer

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:15:01 +0000

It’s a well-established fact that Satan is responsible for all the best bands. Without His presence in the music—from AC/DC to Zyklon B—it wouldn’t be as dangerous, wicked or br00tal. Every metal band worth a damn has in its own way paid the devil his due. Like Diamond Head, for instance, who wrote a song [...]

Top Five Tru Metal Moments in the Metal Screamer Episode of Made

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:15:02 +0000

So Alissa White-Gluz of The Agonist recently appeared on MTV’s Made to wear odd tiny hats and dispense life advice as a quote-unquote “Queen of Scream.” Her disciple is a lil pious church mouse named Julia, a sixteen year-old so terribly cyberbullied that by her own admission the only places she feels safe are “church, [...]

Q&A: Municipal Waste frontman Tony Foresta on new crossover project Iron Reagan

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:15:01 +0000

The phone just kept ringing out and going to Tony Foresta’s voicemail. We tried a few times, on each occasion considering leaving a “horny message” at the beep, as requested by the Municipal Waste frontman. It feels now like an opportunity missed. Ach, no matter, it was all cool. Foresta wasn’t dogging the call, obviously, [...]

CONTEST: Win Free Warbringer Swag!

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:15:01 +0000

Teaming up with Warbringer and label home Century Media Records, we’ve been able to score — for you, of course — a pretty swell prize pack for doing almost the same amount of work as flipping over a couch cushion. See, the Californian thrash outfit are currently on tour, in support of new album Worlds [...]

The Lazarus Pit: Demilich’s Nespithe

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:15:01 +0000

Welcome to The Lazarus Pit, a biweekly look at should-be classic metal records that don’t get nearly enough love; stuff that’s essential listening that you’ve probably never heard of; stuff that we’re too lazy to track down the band members to do a Hall Of Fame for. You people can’t bitch that I picked the [...]

Q&A: Testament’s Chuck Billy checks in from the road and talks about forthcoming album

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:15:01 +0000

Currently tearing across the States with fellow thrash vets Anthrax and Death Angel, Testament will be releasing their tenth album in spring. Entitled The Dark Roots of Earth, Testament frontman Chuck Billy has intimated that it’ll go atomic in the pit much in the same fashion as 2008′s The Formation of Damnation did. Hmm… Good [...]

ANATOMY OF A RIP-OFF? OR DID SOMETHING GET LOST IN TRANSLATION? A.K.A. I’LL MEET YOU BY THE SWINGS AFTER SCHOOL!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:15:02 +0000

First of all, let me say that I think one and all will agree: no one likes being ripped off. There are a lot of things we haven’t experienced in life and a lot of things we never will experience, but I don’t think anyone wakes up in the morning and thinks to themselves, “Shit, [...]

Bitches, Listen… to the New Robocop Jam “Word Virus”

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:15:01 +0000

A sharp blast of powerviolence and sludge, with intricate lyrics and a pitch-perfect cover of Napalm Death’s “You Suffer,” Maine trio Robocop’s 2011 full-length Robocop II is easily one of the best releases on Grindcore Karaoke to date. Maybe we’re a little biased, because Robocop guitarist Ryan Page is consistently one of the most droll [...]

Not Exclusive- Scourge Schematic: ‘Life Savings’

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:15:02 +0000

The name of Scourge Schematic’s debut is not exactly cryptic. Life Savings is what the four-piece cashed in to record this EP, hoping somebody out there would give a damn. Money well spent, dudes. Clearly influenced by the death and grind giants of the 90s, the band has soldered elements of thrash and punk rock [...]

STREAMING: A Liquid Landscape “The Unreachable”

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:15:13 +0000

To honor national prog day — yes, it really is 2.1.12 here in the United States, where we don’t mess up the date by transposing the month and day — Decibel was originally going to get Rush to perform Opeth covers in our offices, but logistics proved the event’s undoing. They were all up for [...]

R.I.P. Riot Guitarist Mark Reale (1955-2012)

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:15:01 +0000

We’re obviously not breaking the news that Riot guitarist, Mark Reale (far L in photo), passed away on January 25 from complications from Crohn’s disease. Nonetheless, we wanted to pay tribute to a musician—and more importantly, a band—that hasn’t gotten his/their due in American metal history. Reale was not only a founding member of Riot, [...]

Not Dead Yet

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:15:02 +0000

Get ready to put whatever trivial bullshit you were planning to bitch and moan over today on hold: The upcoming documentary Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet is imbued with the kind of uplifting against all odds triumph and spellbinding never-say-die persistence that reorients perspective in a serious way. After making a name for himself in [...]

HYSTERICAL: Hysteria – The Def Leppard Story, awful biopic, comedy gold

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:15:01 +0000

Firstly, kudos to Ben Ward of Orange Goblin for posting this on Facebook today and reminding us that This is Spinal Tap doesn’t have a monopoly on eliciting belly laughs at the expense of rock and metal’s superstars. You may like Def Leppard, and even those who don’t may still appreciate “Rocks Off” from On [...]

Murder Death Kill Mired In Controversy? No, Stupidity.

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:15:01 +0000

Metal writers (sorry, not journos) are subjected to a slew of email proclamations from publicists, labels, and other label-centric interests. Stuff like “on tour now”, “new promo materials”, “x band celebrates the release of y album”, and so on. Basically, every day it’s email after email of one band’s new album release after another. Well, [...]

Say hello to the weekend with RED FANG’s “Hank is Dead” video

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:15:02 +0000

Oh praise be! The most miserable month of the year is all but over and it’s the weekend. This has been such a dry-mouthed hump of a month, but when Red Fang released their video for their super-catchy loose-minded stoner jam “Hank is Dead” the Deciblog made like Barney Gumble with the non-alcoholic champagne and [...]