MetalVice

Episode 70: Machine Head - Non Three Hour Tour

Machine Head, or Machine Fu¢kn’ Head (depending on your pronunciation), returns to Chicago! Unlike the last time we saw them, back in 2022, this was not one of their 3 hour tours. Instead, they followed a more traditional tour format where they dragged a few friends of theirs along for the ride. For this installment we were graced with killer performances from Fear Factory, Orbit Culture, and the new kids - Gates To Hell.

Episode 69: Klash Of The Titans - 2023

When two titans of Metal go on the road as co-headliners, you're in for a hell of a show. That's just what we got in the summer of 2023 with Kreator and Sepultura. Death Angel and Spirtworld joined the titans for this tour. While this was our first time seeing all of these bands, we definitely hope it will not be our last. But for Sepultura it just might be.

Episode 68: Static-X Killer - Machine

Early in 2023 we went to see Static-X when they came to Chicago for their Rise Of The Machine tour. This was our last rescheduled show from 2020. Unfortunately, due to Brian’s old a$$ limp dick of a foot, we did not stay for Static-X. Then, as luck would have it, Static-X announced another tour, the Killer Machine tour, with a stop in south Chicago (aka Gary Indiana). This tour, though, was a co-headlining show with Sevendust. With additional support from Dope and Lines Of Loyalty. For this show, we did stay till the end.

Episode 67: Poison The Well

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their album ‘You Come Before You’, Poison The Well took to the road. While we were not familiar with Poison The Well, they were announced as one of the bands for the second Headbangers Boat, so we know they have to be good, and luckily a few of the stops were in Chicago. Unfortunately, both were sold out. But one of the shows, at Cobra Lounge, uses an app called Dice as their ticketing distributor and reseller. Just a few days before the show we got the email saying a pair of tickets was up and we could go. So we did. And what a great decision. Not only to see Poison The Well but also SeeYouSpaceCowboy.

Episode 66: Zakk Sabbath

The odds of seeing another Black Sabbath show are near zero, if not already at zero. So what are new or younger fans to do if they want to see the band that started this amazing thing we call Metal music? Well a tribute band of course. That’s just what Zakk Wylde, one of the greatest guitarists of all time is doing with his band, Zakk Sabbath. For people who have never had the opportunity to see Black Sabbath, Zakk Sabbath is the third best thing. An Ozzy show is second. Joining Zakk Sabbath we also got a the unique musical style that is Thrash-grass, with a killer performance by The Native Howl

Episode 65: Psycho Thunder Tour

Co-headlining shows seemed more common in 2023, at least for us. The Psycho Thunder tour was just another one of these shows. The Hu and Asking Alexandria set off at the end of summer in 2023 with support from Bad Wolves (unfortunately they were unable to make this show) and Zero 9:36. While we have seen all of these bands in the past, we left this show with a new outlook/appreciation for them.

Episode 64: Year End Review - 2023

And there we have it, 2023 is over. This was by far our biggest year, in terms of the number of shows we have ever seen, over 52. Join us as we take a look back and go over our concert setlist playlist (linked below) and 13 other categories where we rank our top six items in each. Some of our categories include our top new bands, songs, concerts. We even take some time to look at the coming year, 2024, and rank our biggest hopes and expectations. We hope it was an amazing year for you too in your musical journey and can’t wait to see what's next.    
 
Concert Setlist Playlist (2023): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5EA7vhe7eOcgTWUkkrYObD?si=8ba09f1f335b489c
Concert Setlist Playlist (2022): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bAn2cg15hzyArXLXjQ2gQ?si=59c4058b410046c8

Episode 63: Swinin’ Holiday Party With BBVD

It’s the holiday season. The days are shorter and the nights are colder. Live music seems like a good solution right? How about some swing music? Everyone will be dancing and enjoying the music and each other. Well that was our thought when we went to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy as part of their Swinin’ Holiday Party tour. It wasn’t quite what we expected, but it was also exactly what we expected at the same time. Swing along as we look back at this unique experience and revisit some memories from our early days with music.

Episode 62: Decibel - Metal And Beer Fest (Denver 2024)

How do you make a metal festival even better? You add on a beer festival of course! That's exactly what Decibel Magazine has been doing for a few years now. With shows coast to coast, LA to Philly, and everywhere in between. This time, the fest stopped in Denver for the second year. Decibel continues to highlight the outstanding sounds of Black Metal, Death Metal, and Doom Metal. Headlined this year by Khemmis and Agalloch it was two killer days filled with amazing music, beer, and people.

Episode 61: M72 - Detroit

Metallica is Brian’s favorite band without question and they can do no wrong in his eyes. Well, mostly no wrong. So when Metallica announced a tour the first thing to do was check what the Chicago dates were. Unfortunately, in 2023, Chicago did not make the cut, but Detroit did. A quick drive down, to a new city, to see five amazing bands with two guaranteed unique sets by Metallica? It was a no brainer. The only question that remained, what ticket option to get. Did we make the correct choice?