For most heshers, releasing a 12-inch solo EP and scorching splits with satanic Ohio squad Midnight and legendary Sabbat front man Gezol in one year would count as productive. But Chris Black has already done all that, and his 2018 is just getting started. He has one of metal’s most diverse discographies—the Reader has covered his groups High Spirits, Superchrist, and Dawnbringer for years and only scratched the surface. On Friday, October 5, he’ll outdo himself by dropping three full-lengths—which he describes as “distinct and separate in terms of the music, lyrics, and atmosphere”—under the name Professor Black. The instrumental Lvpvs features Circle leader Jussi Lehtisalo and former Agalloch bassist Jason Walton on four swirling, long-form jams; Sunrise, performed entirely by Black, recalls Dawnbringer’s most yearning, melodic riff quests; I Am the Rock, recorded with local guitarist Mark Sugar, is stuffed with hard-charging, Motörhead-esque bangers.
On Thursday, September 27, Chicago hardcore heavies Harm’s Way played Las Vegas before meeting LA band Terror for an 18-date tour. In Vegas their trailer was stolen, and with it their merch, instruments, and amps. In their public statement about the theft, the band stoically declined financial help, but on Friday, September 28, their friend Colin Young (front man of Twitching Tongues) set up a GoFundMe for Harm’s Way. By Sunday afternoon it had raised most of its $25,000 goal. They haven’t missed a gig, and their tour stops at Subterranean on Wednesday, October 10.
Former Rabble Rabble members Ralph Darski and Andrew Kettering have cooked up a bonkers cosmic psych-pop band called Twila Bent with Jered Gummere (Ponys, Bare Mutants) and Phil Karnats (Secret Machines, Tripping Daisy). On Monday, October 8, at the Empty Bottle, they play their first gig, a free show that’s also a release party for LWAS, their first album. v
Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf or e-mail gossipwolf@chicagoreader.com.