I’m glad there’s still a scene for us to enjoy. I was pleased to see so many young headbangers in attendance. In a world full of hermits, sitting at home playing video games, it was cool seeing them get off their sofas and into the pit!

I view the ‘Metal Scene’ in Chicago like a huge spiked wheel. Music venues and band appearances represent the different sized spikes. The circle is constantly moving. Headbangers jump in and out of the scene as they make it to live events. The pandemic may have slowed the turns, but this wheel keeps grinding…

As we get older our chances to jump diminish, we’ve got to do it while we can. I had a chance Friday 8/26/2022.  Roger picked me up in his Chevy Blazer and we headed downtown. Despite the late start we found our way to The Bottom Lounge – (1375 W Lake St, Chicago, IL) in record time.

There was a parking garage a block away which eased our concerns over finding a space. There was a decent sized crowd on hand. Death metal still has a following in the Windy City. We grabbed a drink and checked out the opening act:

Inhuman Condition is a death/thrash band from Florida. It was formed by ex-members of Massacre, Taylor Nordberg (Guitars – Decide) and Jeramie Kling (Drums – Ex Deo) after they departed the band in 2020. Also, part of the group is legendary Death bassist, Terry Butler (Bass – Denial Fiend).

You’d think with a pedigree like this, Inhuman Condition would be more well-known. The band definitely showed potential, but I feel they were missing a key ingredient, originality.

The music sounded stale. The group seemed stuck in the ‘90s. Don’t announce your song might sound like Cannibal Corpse, create your own sound. Add some complexity to your choruses, concentrate on what you do best…

In between sets we headed outside for a smoke and ran into Jimmy (James Genenz/Bass – Jungle Rot) and Rick Hernandez (Drummer – Withering Soul).

Jimmy told us Jungle Rot’s new record, A Call To Arms (Unique Leader Records) was doing great but the tour had been cancelled due to travel issues. Fortunately, some live shows have been booked. Their next appearance is: Thursday September 22nd 2022 – Jungle Rot at Reggies Rock Club – (2105 South State Street Chicago, IL).

Rick Hernandez told us he left Blood Of The Wolf but things are still going strong with Withering Soul. Their next live appearance is Thursday September 8th Reggies Rock Club – (2105 South State Street Chicago, IL 60616). Rick is also in a new thrash band called Imminent Terror. I grabbed a copy of their latest EP and plan to review it, stay tuned…

Kataklysm is a death metal band hailing from Montreal, Quebec Canada. Established back in 1991, the band has released a whopping fourteen studio albums.

Although the act’s style has changed over the years from the ‘Northern Hyperblast’ sound to a more groove-oriented style of death metal, the band is still aggressive as ever. Their latest studio album, Unconquered, was unveiled in September of 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records.

I haven’t seen the group live since their 2018 release party for Meditations.  Kataklysm seemingly always has drummer problems. They’ve been through 7 since 1991. Oli Beaudoin recently left the band and was replaced by James Payne. I’m a big fan of Kataklysm and wanted to see if James could execute the classic material live. The band played Serenity In Fire complete and I wasn’t disappointed! James was great, they even let him do a mini drum solo!

The set was razor sharp with just enough fan interaction to keep you interested. Vocalist Maurizio Iacono is a master of hand gestures, pumping up the crowd like an evil maestro. Highlight tracks for me: “Ambassador Of Pain”, “As I Slither”, “Serenity In Fire” and “The Tragedy I Preach”.

Deicide are the undisputed kings of Satanic death metal. Deicide live is a ‘no nonsense’ event. For those of you who’ve never seen this band, there’s little crowd interaction. Glen Benton appears onstage and his blasphemous vigil begins.

It was the 30th anniversary of Legion and the band performed the album in its entirety. Legion is the second full length album by Deicide. It was released by Roadrunner Records in 1992. Considered the most musically ambitious of all Deicide albums. It sets technical riffing, odd time signatures and complex song structures to speeds not previously experienced. The album is fan favorite and is regarded as the best Deicide album. Despite the praise Legion receives, “Dead But Dreaming” is the only track that has remained a part the band’s live set.

It was a sacrilegious event. I haven’t heard these songs since I saw Decide on the Legion tour with Cancer (Death Shall Rise) at The Vic – (3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Chicago, IL) back in 1992. Highlight tracks for me were: “In Hell I Burn”, “Repent To Die”, “Satan Spawn The Caco-Daemon”, “Trifiction” and “Dead But Dreaming”.

As I drove home that night, I thought about Maurizio Iacono throwing the horns to the rabid crowd.

“This is your freedom!” he said, and I knew he was right.

Metal has always been my escape. It’s the part of my life that made me different. It gave me an unfound confidence and it gave me a family. I’m glad there’s still a scene for us to enjoy. I was pleased to see so many young headbangers in attendance. In a world full of hermits, sitting at home playing video games, it was cool seeing them get off their sofas and into the pit! \m/

 

Deicide (2022):

  • Steve Asheim – Drums
  • Glen Benton – Bass, Vocals
  • Kevin Quirion – Guitar
  • Taylor Nordberg – Guitar

 

Kataklysm (2022):

  • Maurizio Iacono – Vocals
  • Jean-François Dagenais – Guitar
  • Stephane Barbe – Bass
  • James Payne – Drums

Inhuman Condition (2022):

  • Jeramie Kling – Vocals, Drums
  • Taylor Nordberg – Guitar
  • Terry Butler – Bass
Share this: