2019 metal is off to a solid start, with an enormous amount of releases cropping up every week – so much that you couldn’t possibly hope to cover them all. The world that I cover – Chicago doom – is much smaller, however, and so here I have cobbled together a roundup of all the releases I’m aware of so far, presented in chronological order. Please enjoy!

Spillage – Blood of Angels

LP, released January 11th



Spillage is a traditional doom outfit based in Chicago that I suspect might not be on everyone’s radar – for one, they tend to play shows more in the Chicago suburbs and in the Milwaukee area than in Chicago itself, and secondly, “traditional doom” has sort of been left by the wayside recently in the midwest – New England is probably the biggest exporter of the genre these days.



Nevertheless, Spillage is here to help Chicago regain its dominance in this arena, following in the footsteps of bands like Trouble and heavily inspired by 70s and 80s metal.



“Blood of Angels” starts off with a cool organ intro – always a plus – and swiftly proceeds into some quality riffs. It’s worth mentioning that Bruce Franklin of Trouble produced this album, so maybe it’s not surprising that you might think it sounds like classic Trouble at points!



The instrumentation and vocals definitely follow the traditions of early metal heavyweights like Rainbow and Uriah Heep, and it’s a satisfying listen – strong performances across the board and the production is top-notch without losing the humanity of the music. I do think that some songs here could have been a bit shorter to break up the flow of the album a bit, but it’s not like there’s any point where it really drags.



If you’re a fan of Trouble (okay, fourth time I’ve mentioned them so far), Candlemass, and other traditional doom bands you owe it to yourself to check out “Blood of Angels” – and if you’re not a fan of traditional doom metal, I’m slightly concerned, but accepting nonetheless.



Chrome Waves – A Grief Observed

LP, released March 1st

Chrome Waves is a band that’s been around for about 8 years now, but somehow I only heard of them earlier this year, and then I wasn’t able to attend their album release show. Sucks, man. How many bands are hiding inside this damn city? Good thing I figured out how to use Metal Archives this year.



“A Grief Observed”, the band’s first full-length, is an emotional blend of black and post-metal. Swelling, introspective instrumentals break into atmospheric black metal segments with all the black metal touches you expect – blast beats, gut-wrenching vocals that are more shriek than scream, and plenty of dark aesthetic touches throughout. Everything’s woven together expertly and I especially appreciated the use of strings throughout the record as a force of both melody and atmosphere.



The chorused clean vocals were almost harder for me to understand than the screams, which often twisted from guttural growls into fragments of understandable English – like a mental patient lapsing into sanity for a brief moment, it’s almost more unsettling to understand (if only a fragment) than to be left in confusion.

Sacred Monster – Worship the Weird

LP, released March 1st



Well, uh, this is my band, but fortunately my friend and fellow CDC contributor Chris reviewed it earlier this year. Let’s see what he has to say:





“The Devil is always in the details, and it is this level of attention to detail that shows a maturity of craft in Sacred Monster’s songwriting that younger bands should pay close attention to. […]

2019 is shaping up to be a banner year for heavy music, and Chicago’s scene in particular is poised to break out. Sacred Monster’s Worship the Weird is the first salvo of this year. Buy it March 1st and let it explode all over you. “ -Christopher Tedor – Chicago Doom Confederacy

Fun fact – this album was recorded and mixed by Pete Grossman, who plays in both High Priest, who’s releasing an album next month, and Something is Waiting, who shows up a couple paragraphs after this one.

Bible of the Devil – Feel It

LP, released March 12th



Out of all the bands I listened to while writing up this roundup, Bible of the Devil was probably the standout. Obviously, all very good stuff here, but coming from a band I’d seen live before and hadn’t really remembered all that well, “Feel It” really stuck in my head.



First off, let’s just note that this is BOTD’s 7th full length album over a 20 year career – that’s some serious dedication! It was also engineered and mixed by Sanford Parker, so that’s pretty cool.



Immediately, the album starts off with a soaring guitar harmony backed by what has to be the fattest kick drum sound in existence – turns out this is just the intro track, though, and we have to listen to a sample of a motorcycle revving up before the album itself revs up into some solid fuckin’ rock.



We’ve got huge, hard-driving riffs here with truly magnificent bass and drum tones that add a heartwarmingly dirty undertone to the dual guitar attack that makes up the core of the sound. If you’re a fan of twin guitar harmonies, you should probably already be clicking on the BC player to check this out. The vocals, having accumulated twenty years’ worth of various gig-enhancing substances, are also nice and gritty with plenty of power.



Midnight Dice – Demo

EP, released March 27th

Midnight Dice is, for all intents and purposes, brand new, with their initial offering – titled “Demo” – releasing just days ago. Featuring some of the members of Satan’s Hollow, they play traditional heavy metal with an emphasis on the ‘traditional’ part – the last song on the demo, and the standout in my opinion, is a cover of a Sweet song from 1974.



I would like to see where the band takes the concept in full-length territory, but if you like acts like High Spirits, Traveler, etc – you’ll like this.



These Beasts – EP

EP, released March 29th



Following up their 2016 release, “Salvor” (reviewed here), These Beasts have unleashed another primal cut of noisy sludge rock, this time self-titled. Instrumentally focused around some of the most rhythmic and hypnotising riffs you’ll find in the greater Cook County region, the Beasts top things off with fuzzed out, clipped vocals to add another layer of ferocity to the mix.



Having seen These Beasts live before, I think this EP does a great job capturing the live sound they offer, especially the tightly-coupled rhythm all three members work together to generate. I have no idea where they’re pulling these songs names from, but they’re assuredly memorable – the general disdain for logic and order bring to mind The Melvins, and some of the riffs in here evoke thoughts of earlier Melvins work (Gluey Porch Treatments, etc).



What sets These Beasts apart from other sludgers and noise rockers is their ability to start off a song with an unassuming, nifty stoner riff, only to take a sharp turn into a downright sinister progression that deposits the listener into a hellish soundscape. I’d really like to see a full-length from these guys that takes even more risks, but it’s quite a solid EP. And did I mention there’s cats on the cover?

Something is Waiting – Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion

LP, released March 29th

Something is Waiting closes out my list here with the longest album title AND the longest band name. This information provides literally no value to any of you, but it’s a lot easier for me to write about than attempting to sum up what you’re in store for with this album. But, here goes.

Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion is a self-aware implementation of multiple heavy metal concepts – you’ve got your sludge, you’ve got doom, and then you’re also wondering why you’re kind of reminded of White Zombie and some other metal bands from the 2000s your newfound hipster identity has tried its best to bury. All of this is blended together seamlessly with a tongue-in-cheek attitude and a general sense of fun that’s pretty hard to find these days.

Vocalist Eddie Gobbo gives one of the more unusual vocal deliveries you’ll probably ever hear, and then it gets even more unusual, because instead of some bullshit about Satan or rehashing Twilight Zone episodes (making fun of my own band here, it’s okay), we’re told stories about AirBNB stays, unusual workplace dynamics and uh… stamps? All of this is backed up by significantly downtuned guitars plunking down suspiciously catchy riffs and pummeling, punchy drums. You’re probably not going to hear something else like this drop this year, so you might as well get on it.

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That’s all I’ve got for Q1, but there’s some good stuff on the horizon. Brace yourself for a jam-packed April!

