Skramz, Mathcore, and Industrial Darkwave: Chicago’s Loudest Sub-Basement Ceremonies This Week

Chicago’s basement-dwelling faithful are in for a punishingly beautiful week. We kick off at the Bottom Lounge with a masterclass in modern isolation, courtesy of fifth-wave emo pioneers your arms are my cocoon and South Korean shoegaze/slowcore mastermind Asian Glow. This isn't your older sibling's midwest emo; it's a lo-fi, blown-out bedroom symphony that transitions seamlessly into visceral skramz shrieks. If you prefer your misery weighed down by absolute gravity, head to the Burlington the following night. There, sludge metal titans Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean will team up with the caustic, mathcore-fueled noise rock of Intercourse. Expect feedback-drenched doom tempos and throat-shredding vitriol in one of the city's best intimate dive backrooms.

Friday night brings a holy grail for devotees of Chicago's historic, abrasive post-hardcore lineage. Sleeping Village is hosting a stellar lineup featuring the return of seminal math rock and noise rock pioneers Dazzling Killmen, alongside local legends Big'n. Dazzling Killmen laid the blueprint for the jagged, complex, and deeply unsettling sounds that defined 90s underground heavy music. Their live performances are notoriously tight and violent, utilizing complex time signatures and dissonant tension to create an atmosphere of pure, calculated chaos.

Finally, purge your sins on Sunday at Reggies with a lineup designed to provoke and destabilize. Norwegian feminist black metal collective Witch Club Satan will descend with theatrical, ritualistic fury, sharing a bill with the sleazy, industrial darkwave project Patriarchy. Patriarchy’s frontwoman Actually Huizenga is known for confrontational, performance-art-heavy sets that blend pounding, EBM-adjacent beats with raw, subversive sexuality. It's the perfect, pitch-black conclusion to a week of uncompromising sonic extremity in the Second City.