Opinionated Metalhead: Preparing to Submit- Chicago Domination Fest 666

Festival Season is in full swing and, so I will once again be embarking on another journey to enjoy further carnage and brutality in Chicago (Berwyn), IL. Plane tickets have been purchased and hotel reservations have been made. It will be another 3 amazing days of hard hitting death metal. More music, more photos, more playlists, more merch, more band interviews…the whole thing is going to be an absolute blast.

From what I have read, heard and seen so far, Chicago knows how to rage and gets down with some gnarly pits. I may not be medically cleared to go in them but I sure as hell will enjoy watching and living vicariously through those that join in the slam dance party.

Chicago Domination Fest 666 is on its 6th year run brought to you by Miguel GoreGrinder Medina the Organizer of the festival itself in addition to being Owner and Designer at Abhorent Apparel Co and Vocalist for Chicago bands Virulent Excision and Asphyxiator.  The festival is sponsored by Metal Monkey Brewing, Blakhart Guitars and Trick Drums USA.

In early July there was a post on social media to announce that this will possibly be the last year of CDF. The fest which was inspired by the Central Illinois Metalfest and was without question the destination festival for brutal death metal in the Midwest for many years dating back to the mid ninety’s, which Miguel helped with a tiny bit on the design end for the final few years before it ended. Chicago Metal Devastation Fest. CMDF 2005-2008 was the pre-curser to what would eventually become CDF a few years later, became the new sought after brutal music festival destination of the Midwest. It would be a shame to see it go, but if it does in fact go away it will be going out with a bang! Only time will tell if another festival will eventually come to take its place or if CDF will live to see further editions. Fan support is crucial to having gatherings such as this continue because ultimately they are a labor of love for this otherwise obscure genre.

Much like Las Vegas Deathfest this festival is a huge undertaking for the people running it. It’s not just all fun and games where you pick a band and they just make their merry way down to come play. Festivals involve heavy logistical coordination with venues, vendors, getting flights and hotel accommodations lined up, festival merch and stage banner designs made and printed, not to mention they are doing all this for a large variety of bands coming from multiple places inside and outside of the country. With all that being said, this line up is going to be killer and it’s all thanks to Miguel, the bands and the sponsors and their love and support for this community.  

CDF has had some great bands on stage, some of which have been repeat performers.

Year 1 featured Devourment, Gorgasm, Unmerciful, Incinerate, Human Bashing, Asphyxiator & Delusional as they started out with a 1-day festival at the Underground Lounge.

Come year 2 they bolstered the bill with a few more bands while featuring Necrophagia, Waco Jesus, Immortal Suffering, Ton, Disinter, Putrid Pile, Rupture Christ, Gut Rot , Against the Plagues , Asphyxiator (2^nd time) and Mouthing the Offal moving from the Underground Lounge to The Abby.

Year 3 was the year that the fest moved to The Wire. They added a 2^nd day and even more bands with Brodequin, Kill Everything, Malignancy, Lividity, Inherit Disease, Dehumanized, Goragasm (2^nd time), Lust of Decay, Sikfuk, Mass Murder Messiah, Towering Abonination, Limbsplitter, Deteriorate, Kataplexy, Rottenness, Cerebral Incubation, Elbow Deep, Visceral Disgorgement, Asphyxiator (3^rd time) and a few more even my eyes cant make out from old flyers.

Year 4 Featured Bands : Splattered Cadaver, MAGGOT TWAT, Cephalotripsy (OFFICIAL), Embalmer, Guttural Secrete (OFFICIAL), Sexual Atrocities, Diabolic,Hate Storm Annihilation, PaRtY-CaNnOn, Cesspool of Vermin, Coathanger Abortion, CREPITATION,Putridity, Gruesome, Engutturalment Cephaloslamectomy, Asphyxiator, Goratory,Torturous Inception, Parasitic Ejaculation, Human Infection, Nader Sadek : In the Flesh, Rotting Obscene, MORTAL DECAY, Incinerate, Delusional Parasitosis, Indecent Excision, Splattered, Sarcophagy, Fetal Disgorge (Official), Desecrate the Faith and Necrotic Disgorgement.

Year 5 Featured Bands:  Inebriated, Abuse, Cranial Engorgement, Korpse, Asphyxiator, Post Mortal Possession, Abnormal Inhumane, Carnivore Diprosopus, Relics of Humanity, Odiusembowel, Darkall Slaves, Septicemic, Cognitive, Stages Of Decomposition,Created To Kill, Vomit Remnants, Brodequin, Epicardiectomy, Putrid Pile, Flesh Hoarder, Whore of Bethlehem, Slamentation, GORGASM(official),Carnal, Wounds, Wormhole, CONDEMNED,Thanatology, Gravitational Distortion, Introvert Perversions, Broken Hope, Vituperate andDehumanized (OFFICIAL).

For year six, It’s hard to choose which bands I am most excited to see. Devourment kills it, but you also have Decrepit Birth and I can never see Pathology too many times. The first time I saw Cephalotripsy was amazing and I have been dying to see them again since then (its been like 3 years). Not to mention Malignancy, Narcotic Wasteland, Lividity, Embludgeonment, Motherfucking Dysentery and so many more. I’ll let their music speak for itself with a little taster playlist at the bottom of this page.

CHICAGO DOMINATION FEST 666’s Full Line-Up:

:::THURSDAY AUGUST 8TH 2019:::
1. REVILED (Texas)
2. DEFILED CRYPT. (Texas)
3. MEATHOOK (Arizona)
4. VOMIT FORTH (Connecticut)
5. LIVIDITY (Illinois)
6. UNMERCIFUL (Kansas)
7. PATHOLOGY (California)
8. NARCOTIC WASTELAND (North Carolina)

:::FRIDAY AUGUST 9TH 2019:::
1. MAGGOT FACTORY (Illinois)
2. HATE ICON (Ohio)
3. GORGATRON (North Dakota)
4. VIRULENT EXCISION (Illinois)
5. DEPULSED (Nevada)
6. SHAWN WHITAKER (Texas)
7. MOLESTED DIVINITY (Turkey)
8. INDECENT EXCISION (Italy)
9. MALIGNANCY (New York)
10. CEREBRAL EFFUSION (Spain)
11. DESPONDENCY (Germany)
12. DECREPIT BIRTH (California)

:::SATURDAY AUGUST 10TH 2019:::
1. NECROSADIST (Kentucky)
2. IMPLEMENTS OF HELL (Nevada)
3. ATOLL (Arizona)
4. LIMBSPLITTER (Ohio)
5. TORN THE FUCK APART (Kansas)
6. HOLY COST (Canada)
7. DYSENTERY (Massachusetts)
8. EMBLUDGEONMENT (New Jersey)
9. MORTAL TORMENT (Greece)
10. CEPHALOTRIPSY (California)
11. INTERNAL BLEEDING (New York)
12. DEVOURMENT (Texas)

Into the Pit with Annie currently has 7 interviews set up that you can look forward to being posted after the festival. I am stoked to be able to come out and support my local Las Vegas bands to top it all off, Depulsed and Implements of Hell, who just played for Las Vegas Deathfest XI. Sporting the same front man on vox Clayton Mead with his low heavy growls that hit you just right.

Tickets are still on sale. Don’t miss your chance to rage out if you are in the area or willing to make the trip. It’s going to be one hell of a party.