Metal Shows in Chicago

21+ // 8pm doors

CASTLE CASTLE was forged in San Francisco in 2009 and released their debut full-length, In Witch Order, on Germany’s Ván Records in 2011. The album brought light to the newly-formed band and earned them “Album Of The Year” honors from Metal Hammer Norway, as well as Roadburn Festival’s “Newcomer Of The Year.” Shortly thereafter, the band joined the Prosthetic Records roster in North America and released their critically-adored sophomore album Blacklands. The record left to a Canadian JUNO nomination for “Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year.” CASTLE performed over two-hundred shows worldwide in support of the release alongside the likes of The Sword, Conan, Intronaut and Pentagram among many others as well as appearances at some of the underground’s largest fests including Roadburn and the London and Berlin Desertfests. Since the release of Under Siege in 2014, CASTLE, which consists of vocalist/bassist Liz Blackwell, guitarist/vocalist Mat Davis and drummer Al McCartney, has maintained a relentless touring schedule with multiple expeditions throughout the US, Europe and Canada including stops at the 2015 edition of Heavy Days In Doomtown Fest in Copenhagen, Denmark and the Acherontic Arts Fest in Oberhausen, Germany. CASTLE, who recently announced a three week run of tour dates around their appearance at the Maryland Doom Fest on June 24 will continue touring across the U.S. throughout July and August with the announcement of 32 additional dates. The month-long headlining trek, which follows the release of “Welcome to the Graveyard”, commences July 17 in Fullerton, CA. Expect Canadian and European dates in support of Welcome To The Graveyard to be announced in the coming months. Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Band Website Facebook Instagram Twitter VANISHING KIDS “Serving up glittery goth vibes and heavy, acidic, dream-doom soaked in psychedelia.” From Emili Earhart/ Tone Madison. Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Spotify Facebook Instagram ON THE SUN “For those that like to rock, On the Sun (OTS) salutes you! Plant your feet and put your fist in the air for some prime Chicago hard rock. Formed in 2018, OTS has forged many influences into one big power punch. They melt your face with a hot blast of modern riff rock mixed with old school ass kickin’ reminiscent of Stoner pioneers Kyuss and Black Sabbath. Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Facebook

Babe WAKE UP it's time to head back to school! Get your uniform on — up to interpretation — put the strap in the Jansport, put the poppers in the lunchbox, get ready to have your yearbook photo taken upon arrival because Principal Dyke did say there may be some yearbooks coming later this year? Spin the bottle IN A GAY WAY like you couldn't in middle school and PLEASE be careful to not get dress coded, that's actually so embarrassing. Please don't spit your gum in the drinking fountain or get a swirly (unless you're into that kind of thing? we don't judge). Don't dress in theme? There will be a tax at the door, you've been warned, bad girls go to detention and you know this. Hosted by Winter Diorr. Performances by Rachel Slurrz, Secret Queen, Annie Andrews, and Claire. DJ'd by DJ Ca$hEra and Starstruck. Read our code of conduct and/or house rules! Tickets are non-refundable. 21+ always. By attending you consent to being photographed and used on socials. Here's some pinterest inspo if you need help with your look 😉 https://pin.it/69EdfsoxH

MARIACHI EL BRONX Mariachi El Bronx is the acclaimed mariachi alter ego of the Los Angeles hardcore punk band The Bronx. Formed in 2006 and debuting in 2009, the eight-piece collective swaps punk distortion for traditional Mexican instrumentation, earning global festival slots, TV placements, and critical praise across multiple studio albums. Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Band Website Facebook Instagram MAX DIAZ CHICANO COWPUNK FROM TEXAS. Band Website Spotify Facebook Instagram

Riot Fest presents... Yard Act The Armed $42 ADV // $46.50 DOS - All Ticket prices inclusive of taxes and fees. What you see is what you pay, no surprises later.

Over the last decade, Chicago quartet REZN have carved out a unique place in the landscape of heavy music, chiseling away at the crude formations of the topography, mining the most concentrated metallic ore from the dirt, and shaping it all into something monumental, imposing, and divine. While REZN has always fused seismic riffs with effortless beauty and grandeur, their shifting strategies for wielding that polarity have involved varied compositional and stylistic decisions, most notably the light-and-dark contrast of companion albums Solace (2023) and Burden (2024). But with their newest full-length offering, Cycles in the Infinite Dream, REZN masterfully harness the oppressive weight of their full sonic armory to celestial melodies and sublime synesthesia-inducing atmospherics in a manner so seamless it feels otherworldly, as if occupying a liminal space between two realities.While REZN traffic in the unbridled realms of metal and untethered reaches of psychedelia, their latest release showcases a band working with discipline and intention, even when those intentions are rendered to be purposefully cryptic. As the album title implies, Cycles in the Infinite Dream explores the nexus of our waking and nocturnal worlds. We moved towards the dream and subconscious state as a lyrical concept and melodic theme, the band explains. The pseudo-waking state is a reflection of a second existencesomething that you can flee to or be imprisoned by. Much like the subconscious-guided work of David Lynch, Cycles in the Infinite Dream exists as parallax between the artist and the audience, creating an obscured and distorted space that is both familiar and alien, like a corridor into our past where we recognize our surroundings but somehow still feel lost within its warped geometry.REZN have long operatedand thrivedin the subterranean realm of music heads who crave the aural equivalent of altered states. And with Cycles in the Infinite Dream, they have created their most psychotropic work to date.- Written by Brian Cook

Riot Fest presents... The Bouncing Souls w/ special guests Human Issue $60 ADV // $66 DOS - All Ticket prices inclusive of taxes and fees. What you see is what you pay, no surprises later.

RAVIV Instagram

SHOW ME THE BODY Show Me The Body (SMTB) was formed in New York City in 2009. They released “Yellow Kidney” independently in 2015 followed by the “SMTB” EP released via the Letter Racer Collective that same year. After signing with Loma Vista and releasing their debut album “Body War” in 2016, SMTB began touring the US and Europe. Upon returning home the band began a collaborative mixtape project called “Corpus 1” released in 2017. The mixtape featured a broad range of artists and friends who SMTB felt were comrades and innovators, marking the beginning of a community effort spearheaded by SMTB known as Corpus. In the same year, SMTB released a two song Ep called “Challenge Coin”, recorded at Electric Lady Land not far from where the band originated. Between the fall of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 SMTB produced and recorded three projects. All projects; “Grudge 2” by Dreamcrusher, “Machines Smoke” by Tripp Jones, and “Enemy” by Dog Breath, were released via Corpus. In 2019 SMTB presents their sophomore album, “Dog Whistle,” produced by Chris Coady, Show Me The Body, and Gabriel Millman (original drummer and in-house producer). Dog Whistle was written in Long Island City, Queens and recorded in Los Angeles California in the summer of 2018. Band Website Spotify Facebook Instagram WHISPERS Self-designated as “Bangkok Evilcore” Whispers, based out of Thailand, are bringing an immense sound to modern metallic hardcore. Originally formed in 2014, the band picked up steam in 2021 with the release of their Narok Bon Din EP grabbing international attention. Now Whispers join the growing roster of pivotal heavy music label Flatspot Records for the release of Yom-Ma-Lok. Hitting the studio in Spring 2024, Whispers set out to make a heavy, intense record that connects on an emotional level. The band worked with Suchai at Sixthirty Recording Studio in Bangkok to hone in on their sound, before sending the EP to Andy Nelson at BrickTop Recording for mixing and Brad Boatright at Audiosiege mastered it. Influence from bands like All Out War and Merauder comes through across the seven songs, giving a tough as nails delivery packed with menacing riffs. Thematically, Yom-Ma-Lok addresses realism and human nature through a global perspective. Over the years, Whispers has brought their menacing live show across Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe, and will return to the latter this fall on the Flatspot World tour. With the release of Yom-Ma-Lok, Whispers are setting out to spread the message and sound of Asian hardcore far and wide. Spotify LIP CRITIC Legs in a Snare out now Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Facebook Instagram

Dark Industrial techno. The 3rd Friday of every month, the replicants emerge from the shadows to unleash a hard-hitting assault of industrial, EBM, and hard techno. Featuring Nexus residents DJs Licious, Flesh_Bot, and Sprite. Nexus 6 is a queer-friendly space: no bigots, no fascists, no bullshit. DJ Bios: Sprite - For two decades, Sprite has mixed the industrial techno rhythms and dark electronic melodies that rumble the fault lines of civilization. A former resident of Chicago’s legendary Neo nightclub, he also produces robot riot music as Anarchotech on the label HANDS. https://linktr.ee/anarchotech Flesh_Bot - DJ Flesh_Bot has been feeding the industrial oontz machine with her hard-hitting, energetic sets. She's played at venues throughout the US, Europe, and Japan, including Super Swartz Mannheim, Cold Waves, Sanctum (Chicago), Wasteland Weekend, and Wave-Gotik-Treffen. https://linktr.ee/djfleshbot TICKET EVENT INFORMATION: This event is 21+ All sales final, NO refunds or exchanges, events are rain or shine. Door times are subject to change without notice. Tickets purchased at box office will be inclusive of fees. Once you’ve purchased, you will receive an order confirmation email from See Tickets on behalf of ‘Beat Kitchen’ or 'Subterranean' with your eTicket(s) attached. *IMPORTANT: If you do not see your order confirmation in your inbox, make sure to check your junk/spam folder. If you still do not see your order confirmation or have any other technical ticketing-related issues with your order, click here to access the See Tickets help center. We take pride in creating a space where everyone feels welcome and safe, and we strive to provide accommodations for all guests to the best of our ability. While we commit to doing everything in our power to accommodate when given advanced notice, guests who require accessibility accommodations should contact us at info@subt.net or info@beatkitchen.com . Staff can provide assistance when possible. If you have tickets to an upcoming event and require special accommodations, or have questions, please contact info@subt.net or info@beatkitchen.com at least one week prior to the event.

Sunday, September 20, 2026Queen! Featuring Bradley Zero * Derrick Carter * Michael Serafini Hosted by Lucy Stoole * Nico Guest Host: Jock The Stripper$15 Early / $20 Advanced / $20 Door / $15 Student Door (before 12am with valid ID) / 21+ / Doors: 10PM

Riot Fest presents... The Flatliners w/ special guests Dave Hause $33 ADV // $40 DOS - All Ticket prices inclusive of taxes and fees. What you see is what you pay, no surprises later.

Tuesday, September 22 Hail The Sun * A Lot Like Birds * Blight Town * Diver $32.50 Adv. / $35 Day of / 18+ / Doors: 6PM / Show: 7PM. Anybody familiar with Hail The Sun will know there's always a great deal of meaning beneath the surface. Theirs are songs that probe the very nature of existence, that strive to find the answers to the fundamental questions that being human raises, and that don't flinch away from any form of self-reflection whatsoever. That's been the case since the band—lead vocalist Donovan Melero, guitarists Shane Gann and Aric Garcia, bassist John Stirrat and drummer Allen Casillas—formed in Chico, CA in 2009, but which is especially the case on cut. turn. fade. back, their seventh full-length. Indeed, even for a band whose album titles veer between being suggestive of something more and existentially profound, this record truly goes the distance, encompassing the complete cycle of life with its four monosyllabic words.

21+ 8pm Doors. This is a 21+ event. Presented by Personal Space Booking.

Truck Violence's second full length record, The weathervane is my body, is an attempt to answer, an attempt at conciliation through refusal. Karsyn Henderson and Paul Lecours grew up in a French Canadian town of 600 people... Rooted in the noise rock and post-hardcore traditions, and steeped in a DIY ethic that runs deep in Canadian underground culture, the record is uncompromising in its refusal to be anything other than what it is: immediate, self-determined, and built entirely by the hands that imagined it.

Empire Productions presents... Soul Exchange Out 4 Blood w/ special guests TBA $20 - All Ticket prices inclusive of taxes and fees. What you see is what you pay, no surprises later.

Empire Productions presents... Soul Exchange Out 4 Blood Hate and Discontent Knavish Soaked In Torment $20 - All Ticket prices inclusive of taxes and fees. What you see is what you pay, no surprises later.

21+ // 8pm doors

VOLCANDRA Following the release of their well-received Border World EP in 2022, VOLCANDRA breathed life into their continually evolving universe of myths and extreme metal fantasy epics across stages in North America. Amassing tours alongside labelmates Tómarúm, multiple solo headline runs, and a support stint with The Convalescence, VOLCANDRA’s dynamic as a unit in 2024 is one of unwavering confidence and lofty ambition. Galvanized by their growing rapport and momentum from the road, The Way of Ancients’ writing process came quickly and naturally to the band in the winter of 2022. Vocalist and lyricist Dave Palenske’s affinity for concept albums led to The Way of Ancients’ creative decision to implement an overarching story, with particular influence from the classic early Diablo video game series as well as the escapism found in sword and sorcery eighties films such as Conan, Clash of the Titans and Excalibur. Commencing production in January 2023 with Mike Low (Cattle Decapitation, Khemmis, INFERI) at the helm for tracking, mixing and mastering, VOLCANDRA also enlisted Entheos’ Chaney Crabb and Navene Koperweis for drum recording. Further contributions also see choral singing throughout the release from Oubliette’s Emily Low. Whilst The Way of Ancients retains VOLCANDRA’s inclination for melodicism, both in songwriting and production value, guitarists River Jordan and Jamie DeMar’s synergy and growing desire for a more bellicose approach to the blackened aspects of their sound is evident throughout the near 40 minute runtime. Intent to keep aesthetic continuity of their established narrative thread, longtime collaborator Varises Otak (Cryptopsy and Amon Amath) masterfully brings The Way Of Ancients’ visual identity to life with the cover art. Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Band Website Spotify Facebook Instagram GRAVERIPPER Indiana Blackened Thrash N’ Roll Corey Parks Jacob Lett Steven Garcia Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Spotify Facebook Instagram BEYOND DETH Death/Thrash Metal with Black and Melodic Metal traits. Raw, fast and steadily evolving Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Spotify Facebook Instagram Twitter

LEFT LANE CRUISER Headed by singer/guitarist Freddy J IV, Left Lane Cruiser is a bona fide blues rock band from the American mid-west. Far from pretending to be rambling hobos for the sake of a manufactured image, Left Lane Cruiser has been genuinely living the blues for over a decade, bringing its freestyle jams to crowds all over the world. Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Spotify Facebook Instagram Twitter 20 WATT TOMBSTONE 20 WATT Tombstone are Wausau Wisconsin’s hard touring death blues saviors They have played hundreds of shows over the past few years, and are now looking at embracing European shores this summer. Fusing the sounds of ZZ Top with Kyuss by way of Robert Johnson and Black Flag, the band has continually outdone themselves since their formation in 2011. The band built their name on the road, but it was a split with Left Lane Cruiser that propelled them to the next level. Now they seek to grow upon all of this and bring the entire stoner rock scene to a new frontier. This is the sort of band who remain devout to their community no matter the consequences. The stoner rock underground has allowed them to make a living from this, and they are determined to give back. Frontman Tom Jordan is even stepping in as an organizer of Wisconsin Doomed & Stoned Festival. Their DIY aesthetic has impressed fans across the world, all of whom are eager to see the band’s next steps. This dedication has paid off in other ways too and won the band endorsements from Gretsch Guitars, Saluda Cymbals, Scorpion Drum Sticks, Lava Cables, SIT Strings and Rock Relentless Clothing. With a dedication to writing good music and spreading their message across the globe, 20 Watt Tombstone refuse to give in. Fresh off their first European tour the intrepid duo continually pushes for opportunities to show the world what they are made of, be that crucial opening slots or driving 16 hours to play a dive bar. Remember – this is a group who records everything live in the studio. There’s no room to mess around in 20 Watt Tombstone. Instead they are doubling down on their live magic and are eager to delve ever deeper into this scene. With loud guitars and a passion for the music what could go wrong? Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Band Website Spotify Facebook Instagram Twitter UNTO THE EARTH Inspired by a diverse group of influences like Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu, Kyuss, Hum, Elder, and others, as well as giants such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, Unto the Earth writes songs that feature heavy riffs, soaring guitar harmonies, and droning, melodic vocals, interspersed with atmospheric interstitials and psychedelic interludes that all combine to take the listener on a cosmic journey. Autumn Sky Passage by Jeff Scott Castle Band Website Spotify Facebook Instagram

It's time for another Spybar Thursday Social - a night for our community focused on music, art, fashion, cocktails and conversation. Hosted by Kevin Alvarez and House of Jandra. Open Decks (25 min slots chosen at random, Recordbox USB only, Dedicated Slo...

Friday, September 25 Cold Waves XIV Afterparty… Cyanotic * DJ Flesh_Bot $10 or Free with Cold Waves Wristband / 21 & Over / Doors: 12AM / Show: 12:15AM

Cold Waves XIV featuring STABBING WESTWARD (30th Anniversary of Wither, Blister, Burn & Peel) • PIG • ACUMEN NATION (30th Anniversary of Territory) • 16 VOLT (30th Anniversary of Let Down…) • PUREST FORM • KAPUT. $55 Adv. / $65 Day of / $145 3-Day Metro Pass / 18 & over / Doors: 6PM / Show: 7PM. Portion of proceeds to benefit Darkest Before Dawn and other non-profit organizations. Cold Waves Single Day VIP Tables available here.

21+ 8pm Doors