David Halbe 
I had never heard of the band before and had no idea they were from Chicago, but the songs were so heavy and catchy, it was hard not to get caught up in the ferocity the group clearly brought.
There’s something about Chicago thrash bands that just get my blood flowing. The music is always extreme, it’s like artists in the Midwest naturally feel like they have something to prove.
Whether it’s the street metal style of Barry Stern’s Zoetrope.
The intense vocals of Debbie Gunn in Znowhite
Or the emotional guitarwork of Greg Fulton’s Cyclone Temple
Chicago has always paved its own way when it comes to playing quality thrash metal. That trend has seemingly continued with a new thrash metal act known as Misfire.
Misfire has been around since 2018 but, I really hadn’t heard of or seen the band play until I saw them open for Death Angel at The Forge (22 West Cass Ave Joliet, IL) on the Act III tour. (November 28th 2025) I’ll admit, I was there to see Death Angel and one of my favorite thrash acts of all time, Vio-lence, but Misfire caught my attention.
I had never heard of the band before and had no idea they were from Chicago, but the songs were so heavy and catchy, it was hard not to get caught up in the ferocity the group clearly brought. I picked-up both releases: Sympathy For The Ignorant (2021) and Product Of The Environment (2025), deciding to review the latter for this article.
Product Of The Environment is chock full of quality thrash metal. Solid riffing and mind-blowing solos are at the forefront of this attack. The songs are all structured in the ‘classic thrash’ sense. The music is catchy as hell and laced with a punishing intensity. All of this is set to lyrics which seemingly enhance the overall product. The choruses have that sing-a-long vibe which makes each effort unique and memorable. Highlight tracks for me are: “All Over The Place”, “Living The Dream”, “Left For Dead”, “Privacy” and “Artificially Intelligent”.
Product Of The Environment seemingly continues right where Sympathy For The Ignorant leaves off and while both albums are solid, I consider Product Of The Environment to be slightly better. Nevertheless, both albums are awesome contributions to the Chicago metal scene, and I am proud to have a band like this representing my city.
Misfire has proven they are a force to be reckoned with. Check out Product Of The Environment and let the backfire thrash of Misfire prevail within you! \m/
MISFIRE is:
- Tim Jensen – Vocals
- Dan Stapinski – Bass
- Konstadin Kostadinov – Guitars
- Jim Nicademus – Drums
