Hardcore and heavy music have had a strong and thriving underground scene throughout Illinois since the late 1980s. Venues like the Metro and the now closed Medusa’s hosted shows during the early days of punk before the scene expanded outwards to the suburbs and beyond.
Some of the most notable bands to emerge from the Illinois heavy music scene include Chevelle and Rise Against, but five (mostly) lesser-known modern bands are making solid tunes and representing the Land of Lincoln well.
Harm’s Way
The most popular band on this list, Harm’s Way has become one of the most widely recognized bands in the modern hardcore scene as a whole. Hailing from Chicago in 2006, they began as a powerviolence side project but eventually took themselves more seriously as they migrated to Deathwish Inc., the record label of Converge member Jacob Bannon.
They eventually settled on Metal Blade Records as they moved to a more industrial and groove-heavy sound with their two most recent records, “Posthuman” from 2018 and “Common Suffering” just last year. As an aside, the vocalist, James Pligge, is probably one of the most shredded people to grace heavy music, and he serves as a substitute P.E. teacher throughout some Illinois suburbs whenever Harm’s Way isn’t touring.
Frail Body
The band with the most recent release on this list, Frail Body has been turning heads lately with their very well put together blend of screamo, post-metal, and blackgaze. Formed in Rockford in early 2017, the band released their sophomore album “Artificial Bouquet” at the end of March, which has landed itself at the number eight spot on the rateyourmusic.com top albums of the year for 2024 with over two thousand reviews.
I’ve found that groups in this style typically create massive soundscapes and get lost in the idea of making the sound of the music as large as possible as opposed to honing in their songwriting skills along with it, but Frail Body defies that trend. Each song on their latest album has a distinct personality and driving creative force behind it, along with extremely harsh and disorienting instrumentation and vocals that make it a climactic experience.
Buggin
Another Chicago band, Buggin are among many modern hardcore acts like JIVEBOMB, Outta Pocket, Weekend Nachos, Gel, and more that prioritize fun and energy over anything else.
The band was formed in 2018 and only have one album and a few additional EPs and singles, yet they have achieved a name for themselves in the name of fun-loving, unserious hardcore. They put on a great show, and proved that youthful hardcore is still alive and well.
Sector
Formed in 2019, Sector makes it more than obvious that they are from Chicago. Nearly every release of theirs emphasizes that fact with undeniable energy and all-around good songs.
So far, the band has one full length album titled “The Chicago Sector” as well as an assortment of EPs, and each of them are absolutely worth checking out.
Crowning
The final band on this list is also the most unique sounding. Formed in Chicago, Crowning has five EPs and one full-length release, each of which display a very satisfying blend of emo-violence and post-hardcore.
This band has some incredible potential and is absolutely an act to pay attention to over the next few years.
My name is Austin Lamb and I am a senior at Oswego High School. This is my third year with 42Fifty, and I can't wait to get back into writing and reviewing. I greatly enjoy playing and listening to music, as well as writing. I've always been interested in writing, especially about things that can be critiqued and looked at subjectively. I play the guitar in a band with my friends and primarily listen to metal music but enjoy and appreciate all genres. I hope that my editing abilities, writing knowledge, and leadership skills will pay off for the publications.
