MY FAVOURITE CONCERT MEMORY – Lee McKinney of Born of Osiris


As part of the build-up to the release of the Ghost Cult approved new Born of Osiris album The Simulation (Sumerian) you can read our review here – guitarist Lee McKinney reflects on a pivotal moment in his life – his first, and favourite, concert memory and how it led on to influencing his own playing. Continue reading


FESTIVAL REVIEW: Riot Fest 2017 – Douglas Park, Chicago


Nine Inch Nails at Riot Fest 2017, by Omar Cordy/OJC PICS

Riot Fest was started a few years back in the grand spirit of the old school one-off festivals of lore. It was intended to be special from the get-go and they have done a reasonable job of sandwiching themselves into a busy summer of Lollapalooza, Chicago Open Air, and many other destination festival shows. Having a mix of alternative rock, metal, Hip-Hop, indie rock, and more has helped carve out its own niche, and between special performances, varied food and beer options, late-night after parties, and basically the cool factor Chicago offers as one of the best cities in America, it’s no wonder fans flocked to the event from all over the world.Continue reading


Riot Fest 2017 Announces Full Schedule, Late Night Concerts


Riot Fest is coming next month in Chicago with headliners, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age and Jawbreaker. The festival has announced the full set times and stages for the event, as well as the late night concert series. All times and ticket link details can be found below.Continue reading


Mastodon To Headline A Benefit Show For Suicide Prevention And Mental Health Education In Chicago


Mastodon has revealed that they will be headlining a special benefit show for suicide prevention and mental health education non-profit Hope For The Day on September 9th at the Metro in Chicago. Continue reading


Rise Against – Wolves


Death, taxes, an underwhelming New Year’s Eve and Chicago melodic punk quartet Rise Against delivering the goods. Them’s your guarantees. And it is to the elation of my ears that the latter continues to ring true on eighth album Wolves (Virgin).Continue reading


Doro Pesch Presents Warlock’s Triumph And Agony 30th Anniversary Tour


Doro Pesch is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Warlock‘s Triumph And Agony album in a big way. Continue reading


Wormwitch – Strike Mortal Soil


I went into Wormwitch’s Strike Mortal Soil (Prosthetic) with a groovy attitude. I thought it clever that it opens with ‘As Above’ and closes with ‘So Below’. The first words spoken were, “I stand on the precipice. And I leave my body to wash away in the current of time. Pour your wisdom into me. Repent into me. And prepare for total annihilation.” In my mind I swear I heard Arthur Brown starting to sing ‘Fire’. I tried to sing ‘Fire’ whilst listening to ‘Howling From the Grave’. In a very scary twist of musical fate, it worked!Continue reading


Rob Zombie To Release Live Album Of White Zombie’s Astro-Creep: 2000 Performance


Rob Zombie performed White Zombie‘s entire 1994 album, Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs Of Love, Destruction And Other Synthetic Delusions Of The Electric Head, live at last year’s Riot Fest in Chicago, and according to a new post on his Instagram account, the set was recorded for an upcoming live release in the Fall.Continue reading


Novembers Doom – Hamartia


A band like Novembers Doom could only come from a cold place, where nights are long and bleak and depression stalks you like some winged, fork-tongued creature straight from a Clive Barker novel. And if you’ve ever felt the wind blowing off of Lake Michigan in winter, you’ll know the cold, bleak Chicago from which Novembers Doom hails.Continue reading