WonkZilla'z Zombie Experience Performing at Rascal's October 22

Another calendar page has turned with the season, bringing with it a loaded month for live music in the Quad Cities. Looming large among the many shows scheduled for October is Judas Priest's October 29 appearance at the Vibrant Arena at the MARK, with Queensrÿche in tow. While most rockers and metalheads in the area are no doubt aware of the metal gods' imminent arrival, there are several other smaller shows happening this month -- including on October 21 and 22 -- that are equally worthy of consideration. Whether or not you have tickets for Priest, these displays of heavy metal thunder will make October 2022 a heavy and memorable month.

Bongzilla

On October 8, Wake Brewing is throwing one last outdoor show before the armies of winter claim the Mississippi Valley for their grim and frostbitten kingdoms. Oktoberfest 2022 features a customarily stacked lineup with representation from a diverse array of metal sub-genres. Legendary weed-metal pioneers Bongzilla are headlining, marking a triumphant return to the Quad Cities. The Madison, Wisconsin-based band have been laying down resin-sticky overamped doom riffs since the early '90s, long before the style had a name. Their sludge-thick Sabbath riffs are topped with ridiculous, near-comedic lyrical celebrations of marijuana, with titles like “666lb. Bongsession,” and “Amerijuanican.” The band has played multiple Wake events in the past several years, and recorded their most recent record (2021's Weedsconsin) down the street at Future Apple Tree Studios, under the helm of late local legend John Hopkins.

Also on the bill are Bastard from St. Louis, whose stock in trade is fast, gleefully evil blackened thrash, highly recommended for old-school Motörhead and Venom fans as well as modern worshippers of extreme metal. Evil and fun? See for yourself. Graveripper sound like their name: fast and profane, an obscene cloud of corpse miasma and dust from a pilfered mausoleum kicked up by a tomb-robber's motorcycle as it roars off into the night. Dust Biters are a gang of degenerates from Chicago who lay hooks over their riffs like punks spilling Old Style on their dad's Thin Lizzy records. Local support is provided by Phantom Threat, whose “neck breaking riffs” kick off the day's musical entertainment with a brutal hardcore blast.

Oktoberfest at Wake begins at noon, with music beginning at 3 p.m. True to form for Wake's outdoor events, tickets are only $5 at the gate. However, Wake is offering a special VIP package, limited to 100 tickets – in addition to show admission, purchasers will get an enormous 32 oz. Wake beer stein as well as a complimentary pour of Wake's Iron Fest festbier. VIP tickets are available at MidwestTix.com, with more information available on Wake's Facebook page. QCA Darkside will be providing food on site.

On October 22, a group of Quad Cities metal veterans are getting into the spirit of the season with a metal masquerade at Rascals in Moline. WonkZilla'z Zombie Experience was founded a year or two back to bring the music and stage show of Rob Zombie (and White Zombie) to the people of the QCs, scaling Zombie's arena-sized show down to a local size, with no loss of power. Response to the project has been positive and enthusiastic, with the band sharing bills with other regional tribute projects as well as original bands.

The Halloween Spookshow Costume Ball, sponsored by I-Rock 93.5, features another tribute band: Red Hott from Des Moines. Red Hott bring a scorching Mötley Crüe set. Opening the show is Got Your Six, a local cover band providing a solid catalog of radio rock from the 1990s and early 2000s.

Attendees are encouraged to show up in costume, and not just because of the season – there will be a costume contest sponsored by Shock House haunted house, with a variety of prizes available.
Additional prize contributors and sponsors include O'Tool Custom Tattoo, Wake Brewing, The Rust Belt, Midwest Monster Fest, Lobo's Salsa, SaByL Tech, Abernathy's, the Daiquiri Factory, and Obsidian and Sage Metaphysical Boutique. Among the wide range of prizes are tickets for Judas Priest on the 29th, concert passes to the Rust Belt, and a guitar giveaway. Doors open at 7 p.m., with music beginning at 7:30 p.m.. Tickets are $15 at the door, with advance tickets available for $9.35 at Rascals.yapsody.com/event/index/747237/halloween-spookshow-costume-ball-with. Rascals is located at 1418 15th Street in Moline.

Two other heavy shows in October are worth noting. The first is a major hardcore show at Skylark in Rock Island on October 8. Too Pure To Die, described as “legendary” hardcore from southeast Iowa, are returning from an extended absence to headline a customarily packed six-band bill at the Quad Cities' best combined recording studio and event space. The other five furious bands are Disdain (“QC beatdown”); DOSE from Des Moines (ominously advertised as lacking a china cymbal); Minnesota's Fail to Decay; Iowa hardcore from Hardship; and Concrete Sleep, a new Quad Cities hardcore band featuring members of King of Clubz, Still Standing, and Kings.

Skylark is located in a converted church at 4401 Seventh Avenue in Rock Island, right on the Rock Island-Moline border. Doors open for the all-ages show at 5 PM. Advance tickets are available for $13 plus fees at RiverCityCollectiveRCC.bandcamp.com/merch/rcc-presents-too-pure-to-die-w-disdain-dose-fail-to-decay-hardship-concrete-sleep.

Hardcore rears its screaming head yet again across the river at Davenport's Raccoon Motel on October 21. Rather than the straight-ahead slam of the Skylark show, the bands playing on the 21st augment their brutality with elements of noise, grindcore, and, in the case of headliners KEN mode, saxophone and keys. KEN mode were founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1999 by brothers Shane and Jesse Matthewson, taking influence from metallic hardcore to create a style self-described as extreme noise rock. The band has gained respect from disparate corners of the extreme music world, even winning a Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) in 2012. A succession of bass players led to the inclusion of Scott Hamilton, and last year's addition of multi-instrumentalist Kathryn Kerr brought synths and a saxophone into the howling mix for the first time.

Illinois' Frail Body and Minnesota's Wanderer take the night into different directions with their own twisted styles of screamo and grind, respectively, but the main event for many will be the return of southeast Iowa powerhouse Closet Witch. It's been nearly a year since the grindcore band's terrifyingly intense stage show has been unleashed onto an audience. The band channel trauma, loss, and the desperation and decay of the burned-out industrial river towns they call home into a cathartic live show that has struck a chord nationwide. A Closet Witch set could be the most intense 15 minutes of your life – miss it at your own risk. Doors are at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are available online at Tixr.com/groups/raccoonmotel/events/ken-mode-w-frail-body-closet-witch-wanderer-48298.

Loren Thacher writes about music and hosts a regular show on 107.7 FM (WQUD Vintage Radio) each week. Correspondence, music recommendations, and live show information can be sent to Lthacher13@gmail.com.

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