Cradle of Filth 2/20 at House of Blues
Sunday night droves of metal fans celebrated Presidents Day Eve by packing the House of Blues for the Creatures of the Black Abyss Tour, headlined by Cradle of Filth. The venue filled up early and the place was full of eager metal fans, all dressed in black and some even wearing makeup. Daniel Lioneye got [...]
Whitechapel drummer leaves band
Metal heavyweights, Whitechapel and their drummer Kevin Lane have parted ways. The split, said to be amicable, apparently has led to all kinds of rumors and speculation as to the real reason of the separation. Kevin Lane, in an effort to set the record straight, had this to say. “Over the past years I’ve had [...]
Earache releases Extreme Stage Diving app
Earache Records has joined the app craze by releasing one of their very own. Exclusive to the Apple App Store, Earache Extreme Stage Diving allows you to play along to a killer soundtrack of thrash, death and heavy metal as you throw a pesky stage diver off a festival stage and as far into the [...]
Neurosis – Live at Roadburn 2007
Neurosis – Live at Roadburn 2007 CD Neurot Recordings Neurosis celebrated their 25th anniversary as a band this year meaning they have outlived most bands who started around the same time as them, not to mention they’ve outlived most bands in general. Unlike most bands whose best work was their first couple of records, Neurosis’ [...]
Winterfylleth – The Mercian Sphere
Long, complex black metal with actual melodic parts and harmony mixed in. Wonderfully fresh seasonings on a solid black metal foundation. Rating: Winterfylleth – The Mercian Sphere Candlelight Records Winterfylleth in Old English means “winter full moon” which I particularly hate due to my hatred of snow and cold weather. Thankfully the hatred doesn’t extend [...]
The Secret – Solve et Coagula
Metallic grindcore from Italy that is short, fast, and punishing. A couple of slower numbers show promise of experimentation. Rating: The Secret – Solve et Coagula Southern Lord Recordings The Secret is a band from Italy who have been around for about seven years now and this is their third full-length, and first for an [...]
Krieg – The Isolationist
An excellent album of black metal that isn’t afraid to get experimental, resulting in a very interesting collection of songs that really shine. Rating: Krieg – The Isolationist Candlelight Records Krieg is a black metal band that has been around since the mid 1990s and this is the band’s sixth full-length album. The Isolationist features [...]
Immolation, Vader, Abigail Williams 10/28/10 at Reggies
Last Thursday night was another big night of metal in the South Loop as Reggies once again was the place to be. Long time metal acts Immolation and Vader made their respective returns together and played to a pretty full and excited audience of headbangers. Abigail Williams played a strong set of black metal. Their [...]
Gwar 10/26/10 at House of Blues
Halloween means two things: free candy if you are a kid, and the return of Gwar to Chicago. The band has done a show around the week of Halloween nearly every year since they’ve been a touring band. It is one of the better fall traditions here. This year’s visit was held once again at [...]
The Ocean robbed in Spain
This is something that just hurts to read. The Ocean, who are on tour overseas with The Dillinger Escape Plan, were robbed on a highway in Spain. That is a shitty thing to have happen to anyone, especially a band trying to earn a meager living touring the world and having to live off their [...]
Righteous Fool – 7″
A strong debut effort from two members of COC and one from HR’s band who deliver a two-song single of strong metallic rock. Rating: Righteous Fool – 7″ Southern Lord Righteous Fool is a new band featuring Mike Dean and Reed Mullin from Corrosion of Conformity along with Jason Browning who played with HR. This [...]
Earth – A Bureaucratic Desire for Extra Capsular Extraction
A great collection of Earth’s first recording session from 1990. Experimental doom/grunge/drone metal that sounds fresh even by today’s standards. Rating: Earth – A Bureaucratic Desire for Extra Capsular Extraction Southern Lord Before Earth became the masters of drone, they spent the beginning of their career with a different lineup (guitarist/founder Dylan Carlson has been [...]
Riot Fest 2010: Torche and Kylesa 10/10/10
As the week came to a close so was Riot Fest as the final shows of the week were taking place on Sunday. The show at the Metro was a Riot Fest first in that it was a show full of metal bands, and damn good ones at that. This was the first time Riot [...]
Nachtmystium, The Atlas Moth, Dark Castle 10/2/10 at Reggies
Those folks who opted out of going to see Primus Saturday night had a better show option over in the South Loop. Reggies was the host to an epic night of metal bands, three of which were concluding their tour here in the Windy City. Local black metal band, Komandant, got things started. All the [...]
Buzzov•en 9/29/10 at Reggies
For the second week in a row, Reggies put on a show that started kind of late for a school/work night but the headlining band was a big lure away from the comfort of sleep. This week’s lure was the long-overdue return of Buzzov•en, who have not toured in a very long time. They were [...]
The Atlas Moth – The One Amongst the Weed Fields
Chicago’s best kept secret take three classic rock songs and one newer song and make them their own in a very satisfying and superior way. Rating: The Atlas Moth – The One Amongst the Weed Fields – Digital EP Candlelight Records The Atlas Moth is one of the heaviest bands Chicago has ever produced. They [...]
Corrosion of Conformity – Your Tomorrow
The Animosity lineup returns with a two-song single of modern stoner rock. The best COC record since Technocracy! Rating: Corrosion of Conformity - Your Tomorrow 7″ Southern Lord Corrosion of Conformity started way back in the early 1980s as a hardcore punk band who had one of the coolest logos in the world. Their music [...]
Weedeater 9/21 at Reggies
Last night sludge metal icons, Weedeater, made their return to Chicago to headline a show at Reggies. They were part of a four-band bill full of a variety of metal styled bands. The storms outside were no match for the power emanating from the stage though as each band brought something different and heavy to [...]
Suicidal Tendencies – No Mercy Fool!/The Suicidal Family
A re-recording of songs from their second album and some unreleased No Mercy songs that while not terrible, was completely unnecessary. Rating: Suicidal Tendencies – No Mercy Fool!/The Suicidal Family CD Suicidal Records Suicidal Tendencies has the distinction of releasing one of the most popular and excellent punk rock albums of all time, their self-titled [...]
The Acacia Strain – Wormwood
Punishing metalcore with super heavy down-tuned guitars. A non-stop crushing attack on the senses. Rating: The Acacia Strain – Wormwood Prosthetic Records MA natives, The Acacia Strain return with their fifth full-length album as they are heading into the end of their first decade as a band. The band has gone through a few lineup [...]
Riotgod – CD
Side project from two members of Monster Magnet who mix up hard rock, space-rock, and stoner-rock into a solid debut album. Rating: Riotgod – CD Metalville Riotgod is a new project that was started by Bob Pantella and Jim Baglino, both of whom play in stoner-rock legends Monster Magnet. They planted the seeds for Riotgod three [...]
Horseback – The Invisible Mountain
A combination of Earth inspired drone and Om flavored doom with lots of other elements thrown in resulting in a very interesting and enjoyable ride. Rating: Horseback – The Invisible Mountain Relapse Records Horseback is a project by a man named Jenks Miller who plays nearly every instrument known to man sans-horns to create these [...]
Neurosis – Enemy of the Sun reissue
Neurosis – Enemy of the Sun reissue CD Neurot Recordings When Neurosis released Souls At Zero in 1992 they went from being a rather mediocre hardcore band to something awesome that defied description. When I spun that LP for the first time I was floored and never heard anything like it at that time. I [...]
Enthroned 8/25/10 at Reggies
Wednesday night was a big night of Metal at Reggies as bands from all across the globe converged for a show. Enthroned made their long-awaited return to headline a four-band bill. A local band named Cardiac Arrest opened the show. They played some really speedy death metal with thrashing guitars and guttural vocals. They were [...]
