Chicago hardcore
Chicago hardcore is the hardcore punk scene of Chicago and its surrounding area. It began in the 1980s with post-hardcore bands Naked Raygun, Big Black and the Effigies. By the 1990s, the scene had developed two separate sizable scenes: a straight edge metalcore scene including Arma Angelus and Racetraitor; and a thrashcore scene based on the South Side, including Los Crudos and Charles Bronson. During this time, Victory Records was founded in the city. They would go on to be one of the most prominent record labels in hardcore, releasing albums by seminal metalcore bands Integrity, Hatebreed and All Out War, as well as emo and pop-punk groups including Taking Back Sunday, Hawthorne Heights and A Day to Remember. Chicago hardcore experienced a mainstream crossover in the 2000s, when bands originating from the scene, including Rise Against, Fall Out Boy and the Lawrence Arms, received international success.
History
Origins (1980s)
, Big Black and the Effigies were popular at the emerging of the hardcore scene. These acts have also been seen as important to the development of the post-hardcore genre, as well as for fusing the hardcore sound with influences from the late 1970s and early 1980s British post-punk sceneDuring the 1980s, the majority of Chicago hardcore shows were held at Medusa's, at 3275 North Sheffield Avenue. Many of these events were organized by promoter Sean Duffy, who employed physically abusive security and inflated prices. At a Duffy organised event headlined by a number of Revelation Records in the Summer of 1989, the bands were paid insufficiently. After word spread of this, many touring bands refrained from playing the city. In reaction, Ben Weasel started booking shows at Durty Nelly's in Palatine which instead became the centre of the local scene. By the end of the decade, touring bands began playing the area again, instead playing Mcgregor's in Elmhurst.
Developments (1990s)
Straight edge metalcore
In 1989, Tony Brummel opened the venue Club Blitz at 417 North Cass Avenue in Westmont. At the time, Brummel was the vocalist of Chicago's first straight edge band Only the Strong, who quickly became prominent figures in the scene and his venue became of the main locations for local bands. Only the Strong soon morphed into Even Score, and Brummel founded Victory Records. The number of straight edge bands increased significantly by the early 1990s. These bands originally played fast punk-leaning hardcore. In the following years, this scene became increasingly influenced by Integrity from Cleveland, leading to the embrace of slower tempos and influence from heavy metal by bands including Even Score and Bloodthirst. Perceiving the Brummel and Victory Records scene as unwelcoming, a younger group of bands including Icepick, Restraint, Corner Stone and Silence dissociated themselves from them. These continued playing their metal-influenced style.By the mid-1990s, Chicago's hardcore scene had waned. The scene's most popular band at the time was Everlast, who would often only play to twenty people. Concerts became more infrequent, with as long as six months between shows. Because of this, Jim Grimes, vocalist for Extinction, and Carey Housen began booking. By the end of the decade, bands including Arma Angelus, Racetraitor, the Killing Tree and Extinction were fronting this scene and touring nationally.