Decibel’s Kory Grow has posted interviews with Xasthur and Von, both claiming to be the artists’ final interviews, on his blog Sadness Is Delicious. In Von’s case it’s because they broke up, with frontman Goat apparently done with the metal scene for good. As for Xasthur, Malefic probably just doesn’t want to talk about it—whatever it is. His one-man project is still quite active, though, with new LP Defective Epitaph out September 25th.

Are there any Lars von Trier fans in the house? Are there any Lars von Trier fans period? It’s a pity that Swedish writer/director Steve Ericsson’s career seems to have stalled out after 2002’s Lyckantropen; his lush 28-minute short is a perfect marriage between Breaking the Waves and The Howling. Even better: the (mostly) silent psychodrama incorporates effects and music from Ulver, some of which is reprised on the soundtrack Lyckantropen Themes. That record isn’t essential — it actually may portray the Norewegian trio at its most ponderous and ambient WTF? point — but the listening experience definitely improves with the added context of seeing/hearing how the music is incorporated within the film. New Ulver full-length Shadows of the Sun is scheduled to be released on October 1st, and if you liked Blood Inside, you’ll totally dig this one, too. In the meantime, here’s the not-released-on-DVD Lyckantropen (in three parts) to whet yer appetites:

OK, I didn’t say anything when a disc from Hemlock showed up in my mailbox and it turned out not to be from the black metal Hemlock from New York City with Dan Lilker (as “Balth”) but from some guys who wear Hatebreed shirts. To be fair, how many people have heard the black metal Hemlock, who also had vocalist Lino Reca, formerly of The Dying Light and currently in Villains? Thanks to the Internet, at least five or six more, ’cause here’s “We Attack, We Fight, We Win,” from their 1997 split with Black Army Jacket.

So I was going to let the Hemlock thing go until this hit my inbox:

In other news, in case you hadn’t heard, a revolution has happened in modern music - a revolution in the shape of a band. That band is, of course, TRAGEDY - the tri-state area’s #1 metal tribute to the Bee Gees.

YOUR STUPID FALSE IRONY/NOVELTY COVER BAND IS NOT FUCKING TRAGEDY. TRAGEDY FROM PORTLAND IS FUCKING TRAGEDY. THE AWESOME ONE WITH THE GUYS FROM HIS HERO IS GONE AND DEATHREAT. THE ONE WHOSE LP NERVE DAMAGE SCORED A 9 IN ITS DECIBEL REVIEW AND RANKED AT #9 IN OUR TOP 40 ALBUMS OF 2006. THAT’S TRAGEDY, FUCKERS. YOU ARE NOT TRAGEDY SO STOP CALLING YOUR DUMB HIPSTER NOVELTY ACT FUCKING TRAGEDY. I BET YOU’RE NOT EVEN FUNNY AND THE PEOPLE WHO GO SEE YOU (IF ANY) ARE DOUCHEBAGS WHO NEVER GO TO ANY ACTUAL METAL SHOWS BUT WILL GO SEE SHIT LIKE THIS AND BEATALLICA (WITH WHOM THE SHITTY FAKE TRAGEDY ARE PLAYING SOON) AND THOSE OTHER WEAK “METAL PARODY” BANDS THAT DOUCHEBAGS GO TO SEE.

Thanks for reading, everybody!

I’ve already gushed about Austin’s Brown Jenkins a couple of times, and now they’re justifying the love by making their self-released EP Dagonite available for free download. Five songs of cosmic death/doom, directly inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft - and none of this “Ktulu” bullshit, Brown Jenkins know their stuff. No doubt they approve of the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society’s silent “Mythoscope” adaptation of “The Call of Cthulhu.”

Also keeping it unspeakable and unnameable is Iä, a project of Decibel contributor Matthew Widener (Exhumed, Citizen, Cretin) based on Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. But more on that in the December issue….

The Deciblog’s salute to the unsung women who allow us to say “hey, it’s not a total sausage party” and technically not be lying.

Lee Aaron
I’ve never heard a Lee Aaron song in my life. I don’t think I even know anyone who’s ever heard a Lee Aaron song. Yet somehow her name is inextricably linked to ‘80s metal magazines in my mind, so someone must have heard her. Or maybe not. If I had to guess (which I don’t, because I could go to Wikipedia and YouTube and know everything I need to know in 10 seconds, but I’m still going to), I’d guess that she was some kinda MOR “rock” that just barely nudged at “hard rock.” My theory is that she was accepted into the metal pantheon just because she was female, so that when magazines had to list the best or sexiest female metal musicians, there was somebody besides Lita Ford and Doro Pesch. She was probably Canadian, and maybe looked a little like a “metal chick.” Let’s find out if I’m right.

Lee Aaron (born as Karen Lynn Greening on July 21, 1962 in Belleville, Ontario) is a Canadian rock and jazz singer known as “The Queen of Metal in Canada”. She had several hits with titles such as “Metal Queen”, “Whatcha Do to my Body”, and “Sex with Love”. Aaron is now entirely devoted to jazz singing.

Did I fucking call it or what? Now, let’s break the shameful cycle of nobody ever actually hearing a Lee Aaron song. Together. Shit, it’s called “Metal Queen,” it might not be as MOR as I thought.

Betsey Bitch
When you’re 12 years old, the cover of Bitch’s Be My Slave will give you pause every time you’re flipping through a rack of metal LPs. But let’s compare the cover of the Damnation Alley EP from ’82 with that of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ first EP. LAWSUIT!

Cycle Sluts From Hell

Finally, someone whose music I’ve actually heard a little, if only the “Wish You Were a Beer” video on Beavis & Butthead. The Cycle Sluts were more notable for appearing on talk-show blowhard Morton Downey Jr.’s show on metal, alongside Joey Ramone, Ace Frehley, Scott Ian and others, and for being the female equivalent of Circus of Power. Or maybe Zodiac Mindwarp, I don’t know anymore.

Mythic

Now we’re talking! Death/doom from Pittsurgh, maybe not so forgotten since Relapse reissued their Mourning in the Winter Solstice 7″ as part of Single Series Vol. 5. Rumor is that one of the ladies of Mythic was involved in serious white power bands and activities post-Mythic (they were from Pittsburgh, after all), but you can hear the three tracks from Mourning on the unofficial Mythic Myspace.

13

FUCK. YES. I had never actually heard 13 until I learned (just now) that they too have an unofficial Myspace, offering up selections from their splits with Grief and Eyehategod and from compilations Step on a Crack Vol. 2 and the series that gave J. Bennett’s Decibel column its name. I was mostly familiar with 13’s vocalist Alicia Morgan as an editor of Metal Maniacs when it was really fucking cool, but the stuff on Myspace is great. So’s this live video of “Wither” from ‘93.

For a much more comprehensive view of women in metal, Blood Sisters: Women in Heavy Music is as authoritative as it gets. Confidential to T.G.K. in Long Island: Please don’t kill me, thanks.

By Mike Thompson, Withered

You know, as I sat down in my cigar room with a snifter of brandy and contemplated all the possible things that I could write about and how it could potentially impact the lives of readers, I realized that I’m carrying a great responsibility and should not take this assignment lightly. I mean, if I don’t speak up, who will? Seriously, who? I considered many political and social issues before deciding that the topic of today’s list should be something that will make people really think and challenge your intellect. It should also be something that we all have in common and brings us together. So, with that in mind, the only possible topic is for me to catalogue all of the amazing beers that my band mates and I are fortunate enough to enjoy on tour. Many times, show promoters like to illustrate the charm of their fair cities by offering us a taste of small local breweries or rare regional beers, like these:

5. GIVE THAT BAND A BLUE RIBBON!: You just can’t go wrong with Pabst. It’s Withered’s good ole faithful beer. It never steers us wrong, always tastes great, and you can’t beat the price – especially if a club promoter is giving it you.

4. WHAT’LL YA HAVE?: You know, PBR is just an all-around great American tradition. This fine ale has been brewed for almost 150 years now. It has great body and it’s been with me just about every time I pass out on some stranger’s floor or couch.

3. AMERICA’S BEST SINCE 1882: When we’re rockin’ at a crowded show, especially in the summer months, there’s only one beverage that can satisfy the thirst of this gross, smelly, and sweaty metal band. We’re talking about the only tried and true beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon. Whether on tap, in a can, or in a bottle (my personal favorite), it always brings a smile to my face and quenches my thirst.

2. THE FIRST CANNED BEER IN AMERICA: You may not realize that Pabst was the first beer to be canned, originally in olive drab cans for military consumption during WWII. This just goes to show the kind of innovation and trend setting that earns this beer the #2 slot on Withered’s Top 5 Beer list. It’s second only to one beer…

1. PABST BLUE RIBBON: That’s right, folks. It may come as a shock to some of you, but the #1 beer that’s given to Withered on tour is the one and only Pabst Blue Ribbon. It may be hard for you to believe that none of the previous 4 beers could add up to our longtime friend, but it’s true. I have been through countless drunken marathons and PBR always sees me through the tough times. There are plenty of other beers that claim to be America’s Best, but I have yet to experience any. It may have not won the title of “America’s Best Beer Since 1882″ in some official, fancy-pants contest, but you can bet your ass it tastes as good as it tasted then! If you’re on a budget, you can’t beat it. If you’re not on a budget, it’s still tough to beat. Yeah, I’m a wealthy rock star, but I still have a 12 pack of PBR in the fridge…to go along with my vintage lighted PBR sign, PBR serving tray, 70’s-era pilsner glasses, and tons of other great memorabilia. I even have a laminated membership card from their website. That’s right, I’m a total dork. Ask me to see it sometime. Oh, and they have a bitchin’ chili recipe on their site too. PBR 4 Life!!! The crazy thing is I’m not even getting paid to say any of this — the taste is rewarding enough! But if someone from the Pabst Brewing Company is reading this and would like to gimme some free stuff, that would be righteous.

What is it about metal dudes and He-Man collections? As if playing in symphonic/ Gothic metal group After Forever wasn’t dorky enough, here’s a picture of guitarist Sander Gommans’ pride and joy, an obsessively organized and catalogued collection of every He-Man and She-Ra figure, vehicle and playset ever made. Dude’s especially lucky that he gets to spend all day around hot chicks like Floor Jansen, because what woman could possibly compete with the joy of owning the ultra-rare Eternia playset? Punchline courtesy of Loana of Nuclear Blast: “I think this qualifies him for the GEEK hall of fame.”

Be sure to check out the slide show for more hot Trap Jaw-on-Beast Man action. Yes, OJ from Byzantine is green with envy.

High on Fire and drunk on shitty beer.

It’s funny because it’s true. Dave Laster wins High on Fire’s Death Is This Communion and Coliseum’s No Salvation. Burak Tansel doesn’t win anything, but was kind enough to send us evidence of a Converge t-shirt briefly on display on How I Met Your Mother. If anyone is able to provide screen grabs of the kid on Home Improvement wearing a Neurosis shirt or the fabled shot of Missy Elliot wearing a Code 13 shirt, The Deciblog will pay handsomely (in CDs or something).