Local Loft Episode 210

Winter is here, and not everyone enjoys the sight of large snow accumulations, or the great feeling of driving on an unplowed main road thoroughfare of ice (yeah, right!). Here's a forecast not to fear., but to savor. A little bit old school, and a lot new wave, not only heavy metal, but punk, power pop, alternative , and progressive rock from all over Chicagoland and Illinois.

Reflexicon from Chicago's far Southwest town of Blue Island first came together during the peak of the new wave of British metal. From the ashes of Slauter Xstroyes, also started by Paul P.K. Ripper Kratky. One listen to their melodic sound and you'll swear you're back in the biggest period of Iron Maiden. Singer Fred Morg has a familiar Bruce Dickinson emotional adrenaline injected rage to his vocals. He talks with me about the music connection and previews their upcoming show at Blue Island Beer Company on Friday, February 4th.

Misfire also began with a distinctive old school 80s thrash metal style, when Tommy Denninger, singer for the all teenage throwback metal band, End Of Anarchy, came along as lead singer. He's out, and the three remaining members, including new singer Jay Johnson (himself coming from the retro thrash metal band, Diamond Plate) are getting ready to release thier debut full length record, Sympathy For The Ignorant, and rock the roof off The Forge in Joliet on Groundhog Day, February 2nd. I've got a skull crushing ( really bone crushing anywhere in the body as the title implies) cut from it.

There's plenty of music to test the punchy extremes of your speakers, including the once punchy, pile driving sound of Fist to The Sky. I first talked with their killer singer (and his last name stresses kill) Mickey Murder, nine years ago this week for the first time in The Kat 105.5 studio.

Along with these, you're feeling the wave of sonic  splash of Chicago area and Illinois metal and Punk   as you soak your ears and subconscious with:

Reflexicon-Grasp At The Sky

Reflexicon-Nightmare

Slauter Xstroyes-Winter Kill (title track to their 1985 debut album)

Misfire-Fractured

Orinoco-Waste

Satanic Hispanic-Dios De Los Muertos

Cyanotic-Order Out Of Chaos

The Decayed-Bite The Bullet

Mustard Men- I.D.C. Ideology

Fist To The Sky (Mickey Murder interview in The Kat 105.5 studio-1/24/13)

Fist To The Sky-Another Lesson Learned

Fist To the Sky-Bad Karma