WORDS BY GREGG BAMBULE and PHOTOS BY ROBERT A. CHADWICK | Go Venue Magazine
October 31, 2018 – What’s a more appropriate way to spend a typical chilly Halloween night in the Chicago area than to attend Doyle’s Halloween Bash? Horror Punk guitarist of the Misfits Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein is in the midst of his “As We Die World Abomination Tour” which continues through the end of the year. Tonight’s show consisted of 4 opening bands and finished off with the man himself at the Forge in Joliet, Illinois.
The Forge has been open since mid-2017 and has hosted a myriad of metal and hard rock bands. It is exactly what is needed for any headbanger in the Chicago area. It holds around 900 people, so wherever you are, you have a good view and are close to the stage. There is an old saying that “the freaks come out at night”. Whether it was the bands or the fact it was Halloween, it was definitely true tonight. There were plenty who participated in dressing up for the occasion, from Son of Svengoolie to Michael Myers and Vampira to Little Red Riding Hood. The Forge hosted a contest where the winners got money and tickets to upcoming shows. The night started with a small crowd that swelled as the night went on, culminating in a packed house for Doyle.
The opening bands all had around 30–40 minutes to show off their brand of music and prepare the crowd for Doyle. The first band was The Illogical, skull faced youth, playing along the horror punk line. They described it as Metallica meets Nirvana. They were a decent young opening act to get things started. The second band was Secrets of Skeletons. I don’t know if they always look like characters from Alice in Wonderland or if it was only for Halloween, but it worked with twin Alice’s on guitar and one of them on vocals. The Mad Hatter was on drums. They were originally a Wednesday 13 tribute band, so they continued in that style. They did a few cover songs that were good: White Rabbit, Cherry Bomb, and Living Dead Girl stood out. The third band, Sinister Fate, were another decent opener that kept the place moshing and frenzied while waiting for Doyle to appear. The most memorable thing about Sinister Fate was the metal hooks in the singer’s back and him being pulled around by them during one of their songs. The final opener was a band called Blood People. Led by a screamer vampiric female lead singer/guitarist Aly Jados, they were another good band to keep the thrashing Halloween mood going.
Now that the crowd was whipped into shape, it was time for Doyle and band to hit the stage. They played a 13 song set that consisted of cuts from the 2 Doyle albums Abominator and As We Die. Every song featured the powerful chugging guitarwork that Doyle is known for. Openers “Abominator” and “Beast Like Me” started the set-off and set the tone for the rest of the night…brutal. Even though singer Alex Story introduced most of the songs as “love songs that you can dance to”, this is true only for a couple of them: “DreamingDeadGirls”, “Cemeterysexxx”, and “Kiss Me As We Die” (there is sort of a love theme there). They finished off the night with “Hope Hell Is Warm”, a parting shot to keep the juices flowing even after the show was complete.
Overall, it was a great night of music. I have been listening to Doyle from his Misfits days in the beginning and in the 90s when they restarted with Michale Graves on vocals, but this is the first time to see Doyle the band. If you don’t have the albums, get them. If you can catch them during the rest of the tour (of which there are many dates left), see them. You will not be disappointed.
Doyle
Blood People
Sinister Fate
Secrets of Skeletons
The Illogical
