TESTAMENT, OVERKILL & DESTRUCTION – The Ramova Theater, March 22nd 2026

In my mind, the music scene is once again growing. New venues keep popping up all the time and the old places are starting to get back into the act. Now is the time to jump back into the mix, I have a feeling this is going to be an eventful year.

As you probably know Covid-19 killed live music across the world. Believe it or not, that was way back in 2020! Finally, six years later, I feel like the live music scene in the Chicagoland area is finally back on track.

I tested the waters last month when I found myself at a new venue named the WC Social Club (920 Roosevelt Rd, West Chicago, IL 60185). We saw Exhorder and were very impressed with the turn out. We decided to do it again for Testament, Overkill & Destruction at another new venue named The Ramova Theater (3520 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60609).

It was a lazy Sunday so The Metal Channel Editor, Roger Schultz and I decided to hang out in downtown Chicago for a bit before we made our way to The Ramova Theater for the evening show.

The afternoon started at Meteor Gem Records (3082 N Elston Ave STE A, Chicago, IL 60618). This shop is filled with music in any form you desire. Vinyl, compact discs and cassettes as well as T-shirts, stickers and other music memorabilia. The owner Mike (Mikhail Fedyukov), is a true death metal aficionado. He suggested some local bands to us. I walked out with current efforts by Berator and Degenerate Synapse which I plan to review for the site. It’s great to hear Chicago bands are pumping out some quality metal again.

From there we walked over to Bucket O’ Blood Books and Records (3182 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618) where Roger tried again, unsuccessfully, to purchase an Iron Maiden barstool he spied last time we were in the store. The owner, Grant McKee, politely told us there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d sell us the chair but didn’t blame us for trying. Roger, of course, vowed he’d be back!

Bucket O’ Blood is a sinister store filled with enough metal and horror to make any headbanger happy. I noticed on the store’s website that Jeremy Wagner the famed guitarist and founder of the death metal act Broken Hope had written a new book called Wretch. Grant said he was currently reading the book which he referred to as extremely gory and graphic.

After hitting up Bucket O’ Blood we decided to grab a bite at Kuma’s Corner (2900 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618), a hand-crafted burger joint known for its propensity to cater to a heavy metal/horror crowd. I enjoyed a Mastodon burger while listening to Sodom “Agent Orange” and watching The Evil Dead. Our waitress, Heather, was very accommodating and made sure we got out in time to catch our Uber headed towards the new Bridgeport venue.

The Ramova Theater reminded me a lot of a bigger version of The Vic Theater (3145 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657). It was easy to see and the sound was great. The downside was actually finding the band merchandise tables, this turned out to be on the second floor, tucked away in a corner. In addition, the bathroom lines were excessively long, and the beer selection was slim. Twelve bucks for a cup of some self-brewed IPA was ridiculously discouraging. Ten bucks for a can of Old Style did not make things any better. I heard the Ramova Grill and Taproom are supposed to be decent but I’m not holding my breath. After spending twenty-five bucks for two beers, it was time to take in the show.

I haven’t seen Destruction since Mike Sifringer left the band. He’s such a great guitar player, it’s no wonder it takes two men to replace him. Nevertheless, Destruction as a four-piece was better than I expected. It was great hearing songs like “Nailed To The Cross, “Mad Butcher” and “Bestial Invasion” with a twin guitar attack. I’m a fan of this lineup now. It’s clear, Schmier, isn’t ready to call it a career. The man definitely knows what he’s doing.

Overkill was up next and I must admit I’m proud of their metal legacy. I’ve been enjoying this group live since I saw them open for Megadeth (Peace Sells) back in 1987. Overkill had just released Taking Over and the quality metal has never stopped. That was nearly forty years ago, and the voice of Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth is as strong as ever. It was great hearing classic tracks like: “Rotten To The Core”, “Deny The Cross” and “Elimination”. Overkill knows what you want and doesn’t have a problem letting you have it.

Testament was the final act of the evening, and I must admit I thought the setlist was a bit strange. I realize in 2024 they played The Legacy (1987) and The New Order (1988) complete. Last year they did Practice What You Preach (1989) so I understand why this year’s song selections encompassed a lot of ‘new material’ but I was disappointed the setlist did not include anything from The Gathering (1999). The band sounded fantastic. Chuck Billy hasn’t lost a step, and you don’t truly realize the impact of Alex Skolnick (Guitars) and Steve DiGiorgio (Bass) until you hear them live. Highlight tracks for me were: “Into The Pit”, “Infanticide A.I.”, “So Many Lies”, “Sins Of Omission” and “Over The Wall”.

After the show we snuck over to a local bar we kept hearing about called Electric Funeral (3529 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60609). True to the Black Sabbath song the establishment was named after this place was off the hook. If you like a creepy voodoo-style atmosphere that includes caskets and Ouija boards this is definitely the establishment for you. We got a chance to chat with the owners January and John who are also the duo behind Jackalope Coffee (755 W 32nd St, Chicago, IL 60616).

They told us the bar has been around for approximately two years, and business has been climbing since The Ramova Theater started booking metal shows.

We ran into The Chicago Metal Factory (https://thecmf.com) website founder, Rodney Pawlak, who was hanging out with Lethal Shöck guitarist, Steve Beaudette.

We had a couple of drinks and shot the shit while we waited to see if any members of the groups playing tonight were going to make an appearance. Electric Funeral had some ‘Reserved Tables’ set up exclusively for the bands. We ran into a couple of members of Destruction just as we were leaving.

As I rode home that night, I considered the future of metal in Chicago. In my mind, the music scene is once again growing. New venues keep popping up all the time and the old places are starting to get back into the act. Now is the time to jump back into the mix, I have a feeling this is going to be an eventful year. I don’t know about you, but I am glad Covid-19 is vanquished and metal is back! \m/