Windy City Invitational Review

“The Tour de Could”

Reviewer: Karma E. Omowale

Photos: Vivianne J. Odisho & Erika Kristen Watt

On October 1^st. 2005, the legendary Metro played host to the Windy City Invitational, part of the nationwide tour entitled the International Extreme Metal Fest. This event was more like the United Nations of metal all strategically housed underneath one roof: Sweden, Greece, Holland, Germany, Austria, Norway, Canada, and of course the “good” old U.S. of A were all representin’. Chicago figured prominently in this blockbuster lineup featuring hometown heroes of Macabre, Novembers Doom, Hurtlocker, and Acumen Nation. Canada’s Kataklysm gets an honorable mention as their transplant/lead vocalist Maurizio Iacono, lives here in our fair city now.

This event would have been the hit of the year, however due to a plethora of factors; it became the immense sleeper of the year. If properly promoted there would have been no way this show would have gone underneath the metal detector radar! Never could we recall seeing an ad anywhere locally where this show would have received proper visibility. For those that were somehow lucky enough to mysteriously find out about this extreme wonderment, it was an intimate showing of some of the more obscure and harder to see acts in metal such as Atrocity/Leaves’ Eyes, God Dethroned, Nightrage, Novembers Doom, Lilitu, and the legendary Macabre. Too bad not many people laid witness to this all out daylong marathon. One thing that can be said is that the IEMF served as a platform or missing link between extreme metal fans and the aforementioned acts. Okay, damn near the entire bill at this point, right? Literally, we are talking about a bare minimum of a 3-5 year absence from the U.S. The guys from Lilitu said their turn out was better for them at 12:20, the time they were told to go on by the venue. By the time Leaves' Eyes/Atrocity to Nightrage performed 5:00 on, the crowd had thinned down to 50-60 people. All that remained were diehard fans.

Some acts (Epoch of Unlight and Thine Eyes Bleed) fell victim to unfortunate circumstances and were unable to perform due to a plethora of reasons ranging from woes with transportation to not being able to clear Customs in Canada at the last minute (Kittie). But the best part of this intimate gathering was the extreme accessibility of the bands. The majority of them could be found mulling about the hallways, drinking with their fans, hanging by their merch, all were more than willing to talk turkey with their fans. It was a glorious site!! At this point we'd like to mention how cool and accommodating the following bands were: Leaves' Eyes, Lilitu, God Dethroned, Nightrage, and Hell Within. All interviews did not according to plan, however touching base with these bands was pretty awesome to say the very least!

Promotions during the event were at an all time high as giveaways ran plentiful. The first 100 people to cross the threshold received commemorative t-shirt with all of the scheduled bands on the bill. To the left is the front of the t-shirt and to the right is the back; this tee offers a slice of collectible history all unto itself. Vendors such as Metal Maniacs and Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles gave away current issues of their publications. The wealth of knowledge and rather infamous Chicago Metal Factory was there as well, selling Macabre gear, making their presence known. All merch transactions were conducted in The Metro Store; a newly revamped space dedicated to band paraphernalia and snacks. Guess it’s been a while since we’ve been to the venue. Something else that caught our eye was that the venue decided to sell…FOOD (for the day), don't get too excited! Such a novel idea, as it didn’t seem like it was a bad one. For under $5.00, you could get a slice of pizza, a pop, and possibly some candy. What a way to take care of the crowd since they would be there for the majority of the day. Way to go Joe, as in Mr. Joe Shanahan, owner of The Metro! Hopefully feeding the weary along with it the price remaining cheap will become a staple for the venue for larger shows unlike larger venues that capitalize off unsuspecting concertgoers!

Having said all of this, we would like to report that the bands we were able to see were amazing. Unfortunately, not all ran smooth in the ticket department and other outside factors prohibited us from getting to the venue earlier. This brings us to the introduction of our new field photographer, Vivianne J. Odisho, owner of Kickass Photography. As for the bands, we were unable to see and shoot, for that matter! Hopefully the bands we missed Atrocity/Leave’s Eyes, Epoch of Unlight, and Lilitu will come back through town in the not so distant future. Ms. Odisho did one hell of job so much of the performances can be told through the lens of her camera.

God Dethroned and Nightrage were truly a welcome sight. It was our first time catching both acts. God Dethroned played as if it were to be their last set on earth. There were a many GD fan present for this marvelous feat as the ever faithful lined the first four rows on the floor. Headbanging and singing along to every tune, the devoted minion were just as happy to watch the band perform as the band were just as equally thrilled to be there showing their wares to the audience. Vocalist and guitarist Henri Sattler smiled during their set scores of times, understand this could be quite confusing all things considering. If you were to quickly study Sattler, his countenance is quite austere, not to mention the anti-religious/agnostic lyrics. However, he transcended any and all preconceived notions that one could foolishly gather from listening to their music. Later, we saw Henri in the backstage area allowing a fan to play his guitar. Truly, how cool is that?

 Nightrage blew us away! The band recently had undergone another personnel change, this time at the helm is one Jimmie Strimell (vocalist of Death Destruction), replacing the legendary ex-At The Gates frontman Tomas Lindberg. As much as we love us some Tompa, Strimell fits this band like a glove! He hit notes the monotonous ex-screamer could not. He definitely adds to the intensity of the band. This memorable performance is soon to be forgotten! Mr. Strimell really put his all into “Phantasma”, from the band’s latest album, Descent Into Chaos.

For those in the crowd who could discern the vast difference between Lindberg and Strimell, they nodded their heads in approval and while others loudly spoke out during the performance. From what Nightrage showed their adoring public, this band has long, illustrious career ahead of them!!

Most Precious Blood was fired up, guessing they would be with the release of the their brand new album Merciless. Their performance lived up to their title!! To see their latest single “Shark Ethic” was nothing short of electrifying. Their new release was not the only thing that has changed in the life of the band since the last time we saw them during the Compassion Over Fashion Tour. Vocalist Rob Fusco is sporting a new do, as his head is full of curly locks.

Macabre, what can be said about local heroes other than they are loud, crass, and talented all rolled up in one. Their music is as painful as it is original. Hailing murders, dubbing their music as such “murder music”; this trio makes a lot of noise for only three members. Please do not misunderstand this review; we are not slamming them by a long shot. For those that can stomach this sort of music, they reign supreme, for others you may want to take a pass but not before you have witnessed this band at least once. They are quite entertaining to say the very least.

Well this concludes this tail, will be interesting to see if the IEMF/Windy City Invitational happens again. If so, here is a suggestion fellas, aggressively promote the absolute fuck out it locally as well nationally next go round. I am sure the turn out will be close to a sell-out! But before we sign out, we'd like to extend thanks to Michelle over at Metal Blade, Nathan at Napalm Records, Adrian at The End Records and to Hill and Lloyd at Digger International for making this all a possibility!

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@ 12:20 – Lilitu Lineup: Derek Bonner – vocals; Jason Piona – guitar; Jonah Weingarden – keyboards; Noah Martin - bass; Corey Long - drums

Setlist: Keyboard Intro, Strike Another Promise, Delores Lesion, Even the Vultures Have Moved On (A Tragic Love Story)

@ 12:50 – Novembers Doom Lineup: Paul Kuhr – vocals; Lawrence Roberts – lead and rhythm guitars; Vito Marchese – guitars; Brian Whited – bass; Joe Nunez - drums

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@ 1:25 – Hurtlocker Lineup: Grant Becher - vocals; Tim Moe - guitars; Dan Manzella - bass; Dan Ditella - drums

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@ 2:00 – Hell Within Lineup: Isaias Martinez – guitar; Brian "Bubba" Joyce – drums; Tony Zimmerman – guitar; Matt McChesney – vocals; Joe "The Ham" Martinez - bass

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@ 2:35 – Manntis Lineup: Jake Sirokman - vocals; Adair Cobley – guitar; Jeremy Swanson – guitar; Clint Gregory - bass; James Sanders - drums

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@ 3:50 – Atrocity / Leaves’ Eyes Lineup: Liv Kristine Epenaes Krull – vocals (female); Thorsten Bauer – guitar; Mathias Röderer – guitar; Chris Lukhaup – bass; Moritz Neuner – drums; Alexander Krull – vocals (male)

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@ 4:30 – Acumen Nation Lineup: Jason Novak – vocals; Jamie Duffy – guitar; Eliot Engleman – drums; Dan Bril – bass

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@ 5:20 – Nightrage Lineup: Jimmie Strimell – vocals; Marios Iliopoulos – guitars; Gus G. – guitar; Henric Carlsson – bass; Fotis Benardo - drums

* Due to technical difficulties we could only get these two photos...which can only mean one thing, you need to get your asses to town soon so we can get more!

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@ 6:05 – God Dethroned Lineup: Henri Sattler – vocals, guitar; Isaac Delahaye – guitars; Ariën Van Weesenbeek – drums; Henk “Henke” Zinger - bass

Setlist: Nihilism, Boiling Blood, The Warcult, Villa Vampira, Sigma Enigma, The Art of Immolation, The Serpent King

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@ 6:55 - Most Precious Blood Lineup: Justin Brannan - guitar; Matty Miller - bass; Rachel Rosen - guitar; Rob Fusco - vocals; Drummer #12 - drums

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@ 7:45 - Kataklysm Lineup: Maurizio Iacono - vocals; Jean-François Dagenais - guitar; Stéphane Barbe - bass; Max Duhamel – drums

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@ 8:25 - Bury Your Dead Lineup: Rich Casey – bass; Mat Bruso – vocals; Slim B. – guitar; Mark Castillo – drums; Eric Ellis – guitar

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@ 9:20 – Macabre Lineup: Corporate Death - guitars, vocals; Nefarious - bass, vocals; Dennis The Menace - drums

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Interviews

Didn't think you were gonna skate out of it were ya?

Atrocity - Alexander Krull

Bury Your Dead - Rich Casey

Thine Eyes Bleed - Justin Wolfe

2005 International Extreme Metal Fest Tour Dates

Sep. 08 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Ten Bells
Sep. 10 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird
Sep. 11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Combat Academy
Sep. 12 - Boise, ID @ The Core
Sep. 14 - Seattle, WA @ The Core
Sep. 15 - Portland, OR @ Rock and Roll Piazza
Sep. 17 - Long Beach, CA @ Vault 360
Sep. 19 - El Paso, TX @ Lucky Devils
Sep. 20 - Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
Sep. 22 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's
Sep. 23 - Seminole, FL @ Boomerz
Sep. 24 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
Sep. 25 - Jacksonville, FL @ Jackrabbits
Sep. 27 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
Sep. 28 - West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Sep. 29 - Charlori, PA @ VFW
Sep. 30 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
Oct. 01 - Chicago, IL @ Metro (Windy City Invitational)
Oct. 03 - Rochester, NY @ Penny Arcade
Oct. 07 - Toronto, ONT @ Opera House
Oct. 09 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium

All photos Copyright © 2005. Pictures may not be used without the written consent/permission of FourteenG