As spring winds down we return to Milwaukee, as we have done that past two years, for Milwaukee Metal Fest! It’s become an annual must see festival for us. Not only because it's held at one of our favorite venues of all time, The Rave, but because we know that Jamey will pack the line up with must see bands from the bottom of the bill to the top. T…

Arch Enemy returns to one of our top venues in the city, The Vic. With support from Fit For An Autopsy (our first time seeing them since the inaugural Headbangers Boat), Baest, and Thrown Into Exile. All things considered for Brian, it was a great night of heavy riffs and good vibes.By MetalVice

Most of the time, the shows we go to, we know at least one of the bands. On a rare occasion we will go to a show where we know none of the music. However, when we do this its because we know the music is metal, and of course we will have a good time. Well not on this night. Sort of. Brian knows only two Nick Cave songs; Red Right Hand (because of S…

We have already seen some amazing shows where bands are celebrating their 20th or 25th anniversary of key albums. From brands like Slipknot, Lamb of god, Mastodon, and Disturbed. This tour, The Poisoned Ascendancy Tour, is no different. With both Trivium playing Ascendancy and Bullet For My Valentine playing The Poisoned in full. With these two ban…

It was almost a year ago, at Milwaukee Metal Fest 2024, when we saw Paleface Swiss live for the first time. It was one of the best performances of the fest, leaving wanting more. So when they announced their headlining tour ending in Chicago we were excited. Then we saw the venue, Thalia Hall. This is a venue we have known about for some time. Most…

Most of the time, it's the top of the bill that draws you to the show. On this night it was the bottom, the first opener that brought us out. While we have seen Vended more times than we can remember, and each show is almost exactly the same, it’s a killer show every time. Regardless of the size of the crowd. This show was no exception. An added bo…

It seems like most shows are going to the four act structure. The days of the three band bill seem to be not the norm. We are not sure why. But when it comes to a tour with three older bands like Meshuggah, Cannibal Corpse, and Carcass what more could you want. Well, unfortunately for us, we only got to see 2 out of three. Which we hear is not bad.…

House of Blues Chicago was one of our favorite venues in the city for many years. Over time though we have come to lowth the place. For many reasons. For instance if you are not on the main floor it's easy to find yourself behind a pole without a view of the stage and piss poor sound. Let's also not forget it's a LiveNation venue. For Karen, it’s o…

Our friends in Trash Of The Titans have started a new band, MegaBallad. Instead of a tribute to the Big 4, it's a night celebrating the Hard Rock Power Ballads of the 80’s. Playing decade defining songs from Def Leppard, GNR, Skid Row Bon Jovi and so many more. When we heard they were playing Sherwood Forest Event Center in their home town of Des M…

When a show is announced and tickets go on sale we will jump on them as soon as we can. Mostly to ensure we get tickets before scalpers grab them all up and resell them for a huge markup. Fuck scalpers. This means that we will have to skip any show that is announced after the first. That's exactly what happened with Dream Theater’s 40th Anniversary…

Out of all the subgenres of Metal, Folk Metal is one of our favorites. Each band in this subgenre brings their own take and sound, based on who they are, where they are from, and what their unique experience/culture is. While this is true for all Metal, Folk Metal will also bring unique instruments you don’t hear anywhere else in Metal. So when we …

25 years ago Disturbed released their debut album, The Sickness. This album, and band, has had a huge impact on both Karen and Brian's lives and musical journey. To celebrate, Disturbed, went on the road to play the album in full for all the fans who are like us and love this album. Not only was the entire Sickness album going to be played in full,…

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 w…

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.By MetalVice

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 ahe…

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 u…

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 S…

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…

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, w…

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 …

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, …

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…

Music is a huge part of Christmas and the holiday season. Everyone knows the classics and everyone has their own favorites. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra introduced their take on some of these classics, with some of their own music too, nearly 30 years ago. Their show and music instantly became a holiday tradition for many people. For us, it has bee…

Beer and music go hand and hand. Unless - of course you don't drink. In that case you can just enjoy killer music. That's just what Decibel offers twice a year when they meld two great types of festivals into one. Join us as we look at our time at the 2024 edition of Decibel’s Metal and Beer fest.By MetalVice

We return again to the Subterranean for a vastly different show. The first time we were here, just a month earlier, was for a hardcore show. This time it was for some metal infused darksynth with a little electronic pop. While we knew what we were getting ourselves into with Dance With The Dead, their opener, Korine, was a surprise for sure.…

When Hatebreed announced their 30th anniversary tour, Chicago was left off the list. At first we were a little disappointed, but then we calmed down because we would be able to see them at MKE Metal Fest. Sure not quite as good as seeing them at their own headlining show, but at least we got to see them and help celebrate 30 amazing years. However,…

We made it to yet another show for a band from both the OG Headbangers boat and Jasta’s first MKE Metal Fest, Dying Wish. Since both of these killer fests, Dying Wish has been through Chicago a number of times, and we just miss out every time. This time though at Subterranean… Well the show sold out too. But! There was a second show added that we w…

After seeing Gatecreeper a number of times at festivals, we finally got an opportunity to see them on their own headlining tour. Supporting Gatecreeper on this journey we had Frozen Soul and Worm. While the music was great this was one show where the crowd energy and pit took us out of the show some.…

Here in part two we wrap up our experience on the 2024 lamb of god Headbangers boat. On the last few days of the cruise we were able to catch some great sets and some fun Halloween pits. In this episode we also take a look at some loot we found and just give our overall final impressions of the journey. With all of the schedule and line up changes …

It’s time to set sail again with the Headbangers Boat. For the second year in a row we left Miami, but this time we make port in the Dominican Republic at Puerto Plata. Of course this cruise was captained by lamb of god with support from Dethklok, Chimaira, Poison The Well, Carcass (they replaced At The Gates), Soulfly, Exodus, Napalm Death, Corros…

There're many ways to consume music. Our favorite is live. For us, the live aspect of music offers so much more. From the energy of the crowd to the unique performances a band will bring to help enhance or even bring their music alive. This is definitely the case with Till Lindemann. Till’s solo shows are very much an extension of his other small b…

Kittie comes to Chicago! Joining them in support at Concord Music Hall we also got VCTMS and Conquer Divide. It was definitely an anticipated show for us, as we have never seen any of these bands before and have wanted to see Kittie for quite some time. It was definitely a fun night for metal.By MetalVice

We're back at Bottom Lounge. This time, for Norma Jean and their 1994 North America Tour. Joining them in support was Darkest Hour and two local Chicago bands who tore up the stage, We Weren't Invited and Suncrusher. Join us for our second show in a row at Bottom Lounge where the majority of the acts were from our home town of Chicago.…

Every band says goodbye at one point or another. After 40 years, it's that time for the metal lords from Brazil, Sepultura. To celebrate their career and to say goodbye to their fans, Sepultura embarked on a multi year multi continent tour. Aiding in this celebration they brought along their friends in Obituary, Agnostic Front, and Claustrofobia. W…

Power metal is not always our go to subgenres of metal. However, the shows can be an absolute blast, and that's just what we got when we saw Powerwolf for the first time. It was part of their second US tour, with support from Unleash The Archers. The Riviera Theater was packed with ravenous fans who let their voices be heard all night long. It was …

When Slipknot announced the return of Knotfest Iowa we were a bit weary to say the least, after the shit show that was Linefest Iowa 2021. Also, we already had tickets to see Slayer at Riot Fest. That, though, turned out to be a cluster too. So the first opportunity we had, we got a refund for our Riot Fest tickets and picked up some for Knotfest. …

As part of their M72 tour, Metallica set out to takeover each city they stopped at. An ever expanding concept that started as part of their S&M2/40th Anniversary shows. Each takeover allowed for unique experiences where fans could dive not only into the vast history of Metallica, but also the city they were in. One such experience was a Metallica t…

On this episode we are heading home after a quick trip to Omaha. There, we caught the last show of Lamb of god and Mastodon’s co-headlining tour, Ashes of Leviathan. Where they played Ashes of the Wake and Leviathan in their entirety. To our surprise, this was not only the last show of the tour, but also the exact day both corner stone albums were …

Episode 100! To celebrate we talk about our biggest adventure, in terms of live music. Our recent trip to Madrid to see Metallica on their second European leg of their M72 tour. While we were definitely there because of Metallica, and the show was so much fun, we found that the people were the key to this trip. Join us while we look back at this am…

What's better after a long drive home? A concert of course. We just couldn't pass up seeing our first Orbit Culture headlining show. While we have missed past opportunities to see their headlining shows, this one was not going to be one of them. Joining Orbit Culture at Bottom Lounge in Chicago, we got two local bands; Repentance and Burned In Effi…

Driving home from Iowa we look back at our show in the capital city, Des Moines. As part of the city's local radio station's 28th birthday (LAZER 103.3), they helped promote Five Finger Death Punch’s summer 2024 U.S. tour. Joining in support was Marilyn Manson, Slaughter To Prevail, and The Funeral Portrait. Before the show we were unaware that it …

Almost always we go to shows with someone else. If its just the two of us or with friends. From time to time though, we find ourselves going to a show alone. At first it was a little intimidating, but we quickly learned to love it just like any other live experience. Join us as we look back at some of the shows we have seen solo.…

Small club/bar shows have quickly become our favorite type of shows. They're more intimate and less polished. We went to reggies expecting a small show on their biggest stage. However, ended up at the small bar stage for a fun night with Heavy Temple, Valley of The Sun, Vanishing Kids, and Insomniac on their NOTION of heATheNs Tour.…

As I Lay Dying have been around for a bit by now. But for some reason they have never been a band we have listened to all that much. We are not sure why that is. So when they came to Chicago as part of their US Summer ‘24 tour with support from Chelsea Grin and Entheos we decided to check it out. Without question we will definitely be listening to …

Co-headlining shows seemed to be on the rise in 2023. At least from our perspective. We assumed we would see many more in 2024. At the end of May we went to our second co-headlining tour, the Common Enemies tour. At the top of the bill was Bodysnatcher and Spite. Joining them in support was Mouth For War and THROWN. This show also marks our first s…

In late 2021 thousands of Metal Heads descended upon San Francisco for one purpose. To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of one of the most influential Metal bands of all time, Metallica. Tickets were offered through a raffle to 5th Members (Metallica’s fan club) only. We won the lottery and got to go. It was one of the best shows we have ever been ab…

For the 20th anniversary of the original S&M, Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony joined forces again to open the newly built Chase Center in San Francisco. With the first night selling out so fast, a second night was quickly added solely for Metallica fan club (5th Member) members. We were lucky enough to be in a place in our lives where we w…

For the first time since the Headbangers Boat Brian got to break out his orange battle vest for another show. Vio-lence put together a killer tour and made a quick stop in Chicago at Reggies. Joining Vio-lence in support we had Exhorder, Deceased, and Mortal Wound.By MetalVice

If you asked Brian, he wouldn't consider himself a Deadhead. But since 2019, whenever Dead & Co. make their way to Chicago he's there with a group of friends. Then in 2023 they announced it would be their final tour. However, many people knew the music would never stop. Sure enough it didn't. When Dead & Co. announced their run of shows at Sphere i…

The category is Before and After. I’d like to solve Pat. Death, Metal, Core. In this episode we head home after a quick trip north to Wisconsin for two shows. The first show, in Green Bay, was a Metal Core heavy night with Wage War, Nothing More, Veil of Maya, and Sleep Theory. Following this show was a short drive to Madison, where we had a killer…