Fear, Emptiness, Decibel: GO!!! to The Decibel Magazine Tour 2015
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…
Usually it’s a source of great consternation coming up with a tagline for whatever artist Decibel puts on the cover. You want something snappy and informative that alludes to the story without being too sensationalistic. Our semi-infamous Burzum cover was a particularly delicate situation. Albert vetoed my suggestion, “Out of the Bowl and Out of Control,” in favor of “Facing Off With Metal’s Most Controversial Figure.” But I can’t be too bitter. The same man also came up with “Mastodon Delivers a Mast-O-Piece” back in 2006. Geniuses at work, everybody. But you knew that already.
As you can see above, we took the minimalist route for the April issue, starring Decibel Tour 2015 frontmen Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates), Jacob Bannon (Converge), Brett Campbell (Pallbearer) and Greg Mackintosh (Vallenfyre). If you don’t know what “GO!!!” means, you probably should GO!!! here immediately, wait six seconds, then thank us for changing your life (although those of you in the know will surely agree that it’s not quite as awesome without “Blinded by Fear” prefacing it).
Anyway, as we do every year around this time, Chris Dick corrals the tour’s biggest personalities to get their unique perspective on a bill that should provide the most accurate reflection of the magazine yet. “There’s the thrash thing, the hardcore thing, the death thing,” notes Mackintosh. “And Pallbearer bring a new element to the tour. Diversity is a good thing.” And because that—plus features on Enslaved, Nergal, Cattle Decapitation and Night Demon—is never enough, we give you the 411/straight dope/d.l. on regional openers Cormorant, Auroch, Theories, In the Company of Serpents, Phobocosm and Krieg. Spoiler alert: Everybody’s ready to… you know.
The April 2015 issue of Decibel also features Liturgy, Bang, and Ruby the Hatchet, and can be purchased here. But why not just get a full subscription so you never have to GO!!! to the newsstand?
