Fear, Emptiness, Decibel: A Comprehensive Oral History of Metal Maniacs
Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…
There are a lot of important precursors to both Decibel and MetalSucks (we cross over best at Cat Fancy, print and online editions), but Metal Maniacs is at the top of the list. Chugging along for just over 20 years was an impressive accomplishment even when people actually bought niche magazines (other than ours). You also have to consider that Metal Maniacs had five editors-in-chief over that often tumultuous timespan (as opposed to our one over what’s fast approaching a decade), so there were all sorts of subtle and sizable shifts in coverage. But what’s cool about Maniacs is, once it got its bearings, it concentrated predominantly on the underground. I mean, yeah, there was a nü-metal hiccup there for a while, but we’re lucky enough not to have existed when all that was happening, so they get a pass.
It should be clear enough to all you old heads that Decibel thinks highly of Maniacs—you can find two of those five EICs on our masthead. But to seal the deal, the always inquisitive Chris Dick interviewed, like, everyone for our comprehensive Metal Maniacs oral history, which sits alongside the Pig Destroyer Hall of Fame and Amon Amarth cover story in the August issue. Since back issues are a bit pricy on eBay (well, generally in the $10-$15 range, which is three cocktails, for fuck’s sake), take this opportunity to read about the unlikely rise and fall of one of the rare legitimately good domestic metal magazines. Brian Austin Green even makes a cameo, and is promptly belittled—which he duly avenged by having sex with Megan Fox for the rest of his life. Check it.
The August 2013 issue of Decibel also features Amon Amarth, Death Angel, and an awesomeDark Tranquillity flexi disc. You can purchase it here. But why not just get a full subscription to ensure that you never miss an issue?
