American metal is thriving like never before, and Chicago has one of the country’s strongest scenes. Almost every small to midsize venue in the city regularly hosts metal shows: the Empty Bottle, Bottom Lounge, Subterranean, House of Blues, Reggie’s, the Logan Square Auditorium, Double Door, the Beat Kitchen. Metal Shaker—true to its name—books almost nothing but metal. Even the Hideout, with an established identity as a home for rootsy music and indie fare, gets in on the action from time to time. Local labels like Seventh Rule, Hawthorne Street, Hewhocorrupts Inc., and Battle Kommand specialize in heavy music. Emperor Cabinets, which builds lustworthy gear for metal bands nationwide, has its workshop in Humboldt Park. Metal-themed burger joint Kuma’s Corner is so popular it’s a serious pain in the ass to get a table. Specialty record store Metal Haven is in the process of shutting down, but it’s stayed in business longer than the Virgin Megastore or Tower Records thanks to Chicago’s metalheads.
Honestly, I was more intrigued with the whole Wax Trax industrial scene from this city. . . . That’s what drew me here. In about the mid-90s, I started getting into more aggressive music that had elements of that industrial sound—Neurosis, Buzzov-en, and bands like that. Since I’ve been here, I’ve definitely learned more about [Chicago] metal history. Now I’m friends with a lot of those bands that helped form the whole metal scene back in the late 80s and early 90s.
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When I first moved here, there wasn’t [much of] a metal scene. The Fireside Bowl did a lot of punk, hardcore, and metal shows. Outside of that, there was really no other metal venue, or any venue for any sort of extreme music, unless it was a house show or something. The south-side death-metal bands—Cianide, Cardiac Arrest, Morgue—have always been around. But as far as the north side it was mostly geared toward indie rock and more experimental types of music. About five or six years ago, there were some bands like Pelican and Buried at Sea, which I started doing around that time. That drew some attention toward the metal, or “heavy,” scene. Out of that a lot of other bands started to form.
How did Chicago metal change in ten years from one venue to a thriving scene with many successful bands and venues?
Is being in the same city as Steve Albini and Electrical Audio an influence for you?
I try to go for a more organic sound. I’m not into overly processed drums and real midrangy, high-end guitars. I try to go for something with a little more life to it, something that sounds a little more real. I try to create atmospheres within music as far as using effects and delays. I’ve even started building a reputation as “the synth guy.” I have bands coming in all the time wanting me to do synth stuff on their records, which is kind of funny because I’m not a keyboard player at all. But I do have a decent collection of analog synthesizers and crazy pedals.
This other project I have called Circle of Animals that also features Bruce Lamont is total straight-up Killing Joke, Swans, early Ministry, Foetus-type of stuff, total throwback to the early-90s industrial movement. Every song features a different drummer: Dave Witte from Municipal Waste, John [Merryman] from Cephalic Carnage, Steve Shelley played on it, Zack [Simmons] from Goatwhore. I had a lot of friends come through and lay down drum tracks. I would create loops and write the songs from that.
