Formed in 2008, Earthen Grave is a six-piece Chicago metal band that marries the sounds of metal past and future with a sweaty, pummeling live show. Bassist Ron Holzner served a 15-year sentence with Chicago doom legends Trouble and Rachel Barton Pine brings her frightening classical chops to a relatively new instrument, the Viper. Finding groups like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Saint Vitus, Trouble, Pentagram, Candlemass and Slayer to be common influences, the band wrote and played shows around Chicago for the first half of 2009, culminating in the release of the “Dismal Times” EP in June. Featuring three original songs that meld classic, crunchy doom and NWOBHM vibes with a solid dose of thrashy bludgeoning alongside covers of two choice doom classics by Pentagram and Witchfinder General, the EP was hailed by critics as “astounding, ” and “pure, head-banging bliss” (MaximumMetal.com).

Chicago based three-piece doom/stoner/rock/drone/ambient.

After leaving The Chasm in 2003, bassist Alfonso “Poncho” Polo (left) felt that after almost 20 years of playing in different bands, the whole “music thing” began to feel more like a chore or a job. Rather than quitting the music business for good, Poncho decided to take a break from music completely. But in the spring of 2009, Poncho’s love for his music resurfaced but rather than just joining a band, he decided to work on his own project. Harnessing musical inspiration from bands like Root, Candlemass, Mercyful Fate, Solitude Aeternus, Trouble, Black Sabbath, My Dying Bride, Cathedral and Bolt Thrower, Poncho incorporated lyrics based on reality, fantasy and personal experiences into his songs. After forming the basis of the sound he was after, Poncho named the project Question Of Madness.