Fear, Emptiness, Decibel: The October Issue is Chock Full of Cool Shit

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…

The October Decibel is inundated with so much cool shit that the Kerry King Q&A is almost an afterthought. It shouldn’t be. J. Bennett grills the Slayer guitarist on pretty much everything imaginable pertaining to the thrash legends forging on without Hanneman and Lombardo, and it’s fun trying to read between the lines of his diplomatic, total-pro replies. King has developed an ability to deftly sidestep intra-band shit-stirring in (most) interviews, while still making his feelings on certain matters abundantly clear. He’s revelatory in what he doesn’t say—it’s kind of a lost art.

Elsewhere, you already know about the My Dying Bride cover story and flexi, and you certainly know about Shane Mehling’s hilarious and comprehensive nü-metal feature. In addition to MDB and Slayer, we cover a couple other huge names: veteran Nile snake-charmer Karl Sanders does the Call & Response, giving props to Fear Factory, who seem less fractious than usual in describing the Terminator-nodding origins of strong new effort Genexus. We double down on Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats coverage with both a feature interview and a glowing lead review. And if you prefer your heaviness more jagged and obscure, check the Hall of Fame on Tad’s 8-Way Santa, a don’t-call-it-grunge alt-metal reckoning. Get your end-of-summer bathroom reading in order.