MetalVice

Episode 126: Rock Orchestra

Taking two, and sometimes even more, genres of music and melding them together will often result in something very good. That was the case with the Rock Orchestra presented by Candle Light. A melding of some of Rock and Metals biggest hits with a Classical twist, and even a hint of Jazz. Even with the unique sound and venue, the energy in the air was definitely a familiar one.

Episode 125: Book Club - Dark Days by D. Randall Blythe

Welcome to our first Book Club episode. Join us as we look at Randy Blythe’s first book, Dark Days. A memoir surrounding the events that lead to his incarceration and subsequent trial.

Episode 124: Apocalyptica Plays Metallica

What do you get when you ask classically trained cello players to cover one of the greatest Metal bands of all time? An insanely good time that’s what! To support their newest album, Apocalyptica returns to Chicago to play some of the best Metallica songs out there. Along for the ride Nita Strauss and company helped prep the crowd for the night ahead. While Apocalyptica only played Metallica covers, they definitely left us hungry for another set. 

Episode 123: Immortal Bird/Mother Of Graves Album Release Show

We first saw Mother Of Graves at their first show outside of Indianapolis opening for Khemmis, and we were hooked from the start. A little while later they announced they were working on their second album, The Periapt Of Absence. Around the same time, the Chicago band Immortal Bird, also released their new album, Sin Querencia. Both bands teamed up to celebrate with two album release shows. The first in Mother Of Graves' hometown, with the second in Immortal Bird’s hometown. While we were unable to make the first, we were not going to miss the show at Reggies where our obsession with Mother Of Graves began. Tagging along to help celebrate these two amazing bands, the bill included Payasa and Apophy as support. Unfortunately, Payasa was unable to play, but it would still be an amazing night of music.

Episode 122: 10 Years

Karen went to her first show roughly 20 years ago. The very first opener that night was 10 Years. The only other time we have seen 10 Years was at RockFest 2023. So one show every 10 years or so. Well, when they came through Chicago as part of their most recent tour we decided that was a tradition we wanted to break. We made our way once again to Subteranian’s upstars venue for 10 Years, Keith Wallen (from Breaking Benjamin), and Kamenar. While the music is not our go to knuckle dragging Metal music, it was definitely a good night for live music.

Episode 121: Trouble Live At Cobra

Mother of Graves is definitely one of our favorite bands we have discovered. Every chance we get we will go to see them. So on a blisteringly cold night in late January we ventured to Cobra Lounge to see them. They were not the headliner, but they were the main attraction for us. Headlining the bill was Trouble with Fer de Lance as the first opener. Just like the many many subgenres of Metal, it turns out Doom Metal has many flavors too. For this night all three bands offered a unique sound of Doom. Join us as we ponder which flavor is our favorite.

Episode 120: Lornashore - Pain Remains Tour

In late 2024 Karen finally made it to her first show of the year at one of our favorite venues in Chicago, Radius. It happened to be our first sold out show at this venue too. Headlining was Lornashore, playing their album Pain Remains in full. Along for support we had Whitechapel, Kublai Khan TX, and Sanguisugabogg. With the show being sold out, we got to experience this venue in a whole new light.

Episode 119: Cheap Chicago Concerts

We start 2025 off working on one of our goals for the year, see more cheap shows around Chicago. So, over the first weekend of the year we were able to catch two shows for only $15 each. No fees, just $15 at the door. For the first, we saw a Zeppelin tribute band, Kashmir, at Reggies. The second saw us checking out a venue for the first time, Live Wire Lounge. The show was headlined by Wraith, with support from Traitor and Chemical Dependency. Regardless of our thoughts on each show, it was a killer weekend of shows. At only $15 a pop!

Episode 118: Uncasted Shows - 2024

In 2024 we saw more shows than we ever have in a single year, 67 shows in total. That's more than one a week. While a few of our episodes did cover more than one show, we did not do a Podcast on every show. In this episode we briefly recall each of these uncasted shows. At least we recall what we can, in some cases it's not a whole lot. In others, there were some fun moments we almost forgot.

Episode 117: Year End Review - 2024

With 2024 in the books, we can look back and reflect on the year that was. Again, we saw more shows than ever in a single year. We discovered some amazing new music, and met many beautiful kind souls along the way. We saw new places and new acts in killer new venues. We did this all while pursuing one of our biggest loves, music. Happy New Year and let's hope for an even better 2025!
 
Concert Setlist Playlist (2024):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/785lDYbr2XemCKBG2qLV53?si=b2860e515d0f496f 
Concert Setlist Playlist (2023): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5EA7vhe7eOcgTWUkkrYObD?si=8ba09f1f335b489c
Concert Setlist Playlist (2022): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bAn2cg15hzyArXLXjQ2gQ?si=59c4058b410046c8