Cover Story: May 2025 • Crimson Glory Co-Headlines Reggies’ Storied Legions of Metal Festival 2025
Crimson Glory (photo: Jim Wilkinson)
The Chicago metal festival tradition continues with the seventh annual Legions of Metal Festival triumphantly returning to hallowed ground at Reggies on Friday, May 2nd, and Saturday, May 3rd.
Friday night’s headliners are Portland, Oregon’s speed/thrash wrecking machine, Toxic Holocaust, preceded by Boston’s symphonic power metal darlings, Seven Spires, as the co-headliners. Saturday night’s lineup sweetens the pot even more with a special and rare reunited appearance by Floridian progressive/power metal legends Crimson Glory as the headliners. Unfortunately, Californian metal veteran Heathen, who was supposed to be performing a classic album set, had to cancel due to visa problems. However, with Legions of Metal’s promoters left to scramble for a replacement, they thankfully have procured energetic female-fronted power metal band Seven Kingdoms in the co-headlining spot instead.
IN THE BEGINNING
Legions of Metal originally began as Ragnarokkr Metal Apocalypse Festival in 2012 at Reggies. Robby Glick—owner of Reggies, Shane Merrill—a long-running promoter in Chicago, and Robert Byrne—another area promoter, renamed the festival and kicked off the inaugural event in May of 2017.
Legions of Metal has become a favorite destination for bands and fans alike, something that has grown all of its own. “This year we really have something for everyone from classic metal to power metal to doom to thrash and from old to new bands,” Legions of Metal festival promoter Robert Byrne explains. “It is amazing to have after many decades to finally have Crimson Glory playing. Plus, newer bands like Seven Spires and Toxic Holocaust. It is great to honor the older bands while opening the door for many newer bands to get the spotlight as well.”
Byrne’s partner in crime for the festival, Shane Merrill, believes that Reggies is the perfect spot for a US festival of this caliber. “Reggies supports the Chicago metal community more regularly and fervently than any other spot in Chicago and has for nearly twenty years now. Therefore, a showcase like this really feels perfect.”
Anyone who has seen a show at Reggies or any band that has played there knows that it’s a well-revered metal institution. From the sound team to the wait staff to the crew watching the parking lot, Reggies is the perfect place to see an underground metal show. With two stages, an upstairs VIP area—including a food buffet, band meet and greets (although no specific bands or band members are promised), and a bar/restaurant, fans don’t even need to leave the venue.
GLORIOUS RESURRECTION
Crimson Glory, which formed in 1983 in Sarasota, Fla., has endured many ups and downs over the past four-plus decades. Having survived three hiatuses, numerous lineup changes, and the death of original vocalist Midnight, Crimson Glory is a testament to endurance and longevity. The band’s first two records—1986’s Crimson Glory and 1988’s Transcendence are bona fide progressive/power metal masterpieces. From the band’s inception, the introduction of the chrome masks the band wears on stage created an interesting and mysterious visual element, while its intricate and melodic instrumentation creates a cosmic ambiance.
The band’s classic line-up featured vocalist Midnight (real name John Patrick McDonald, Jr., R.I.P. 2009), guitarists Jon Drenning and Ben Jackson, bass guitarist Jeff Lords, and drummer Dana Burnell. With this line-up, Crimson Glory rose to International fame in the mid-1980s and were considered one of the pioneers of the American progressive metal movement alongside bands such as Queensrÿche, Dream Theater, Fates Warning, and Watchtower.
After Jackson departed the band in 1989, the rest of the members went on to record their third full-length album Strange and Beautiful, which was a major departure in sound compared to the band’s first two records. The years following Midnight’s death, vocalists Wade Black (Seven Witches, Leatherwolf, Deux Monkey) sang on 1999’s mostly underwhelming Astronomica, while Todd LaTorre, who left the band in 2013 to join Queensrÿche, only recorded one single with the band, entitled “Garden of Shadows.”
The current lineup, which recently reunited in 2023, features three original members: Lords, Burnell, and Jackson, joined by new guitarist Mark Borgmeyer (ex-Steel Angel, ex-Ben Jackson Group) and vocalist Travis Wills (Infidel Rising, Nightsteel, ex-Millennial Reign).
Now in his fourth stint with the band, Jackson was determined to resurrect Crimson Glory once again. “I’ve really been wanting to bring Crimson Glory back for a while, ever since Todd left to join Queensrÿche,” Jackson explains during a recent phone interview. “It just seemed like now was the right time. Dana and Jeff both felt the same with me on it; we’re all on the same page. We wanted to do something musically again, although not with Jon Drenning. He’s been away from it for quite a while and retired 10 to 12 years ago. We wanted to do something new.”
With the current resurrection complete, Crimson Glory released its first new song in 11 years in 2023, “Triskaideka,” which manages to capture the band’s original vibe and spirit. Decorated with their trademark, piercing dual guitar harmonies and thunderous bass lines, new vocalist Travis Wills delivers the closest in range and essence to Midnight than any other past vocalist and fills his shoes with honor. “It seems like a lot of people are saying that,” Jackson admits. “The one album we did with Wade Black, Astronomica, was cool, but Wade was really a completely different type of singer than Midnight was. And the era with Todd LaTorre was really cool, and all the fans were really accepting him and embracing him quite well, too. But I do agree with you that I think Travis fits better with us than either of those guys. He comes closer to the vibe that we had with Midnight in the early days. Not that he sounds exactly like Midnight—he has his own voice. But he sort of catches some of the essence of Midnight here and there without trying to totally mimic him.”
Seven Spires
Further proof of Wills’s dynamic singing chops can be heard on a video of the band’s spot-on performance of “Painted Skies” from the Keep It True festival in Germany in 2024. “That was our first show in many years, and it was the first show with the new members,” Jackson says. “We put on a pretty strong showing that night. We’ve had about six shows since then, and we’re just getting better with every show. The band’s really just starting to come together as a live unit, and we’re building strength as we go. I think a couple of the other shows we probably even did that song better.”
Jackson promises that the band’s performance at Legions of Metal will be playing a setlist with a great choice of songs, the best of what everyone will want to hear from the band’s first two records. Jackson has fond memories of playing Chicago over the years, and the headlining set on Saturday should be absolutely fantastic. “I remember we played Chicago back in ’89 on the Transcendence North American tour and played in a place called The Thirsty Whale,” Jackson reflects. “I remember that day pretty well. We actually did two shows there on the same day. We did one underage—or 18 and up show—a little earlier in the evening for people that weren’t of drinking age, and then we did the repeat show later that evening. I think that’s the only venue we ever did something like that. I have good memories from that. It’s definitely a cool town.”
In between several shows overseas (including recent stops in Denmark and Poland), the band has been putting the finishing touches on its first new full-length album in 26 years with a tentative late Fall release date. Jackson promises that the album’s musical direction will be in line with the band’s earlier releases. “It’s going to have 10 songs, and if you liked what you heard with “Triskaideka,” there’s a lot more like that coming your way; good songs, interesting sound effects, hooks, and parts that are pretty progressive. It captures a lot of the same vibe as the first two records. You can definitely tell it’s Crimson Glory when you hear it. It’s got that sound from *Transcendence* almost, but a little more modern, a little more progressive.”
LOCAL FLAVOR
So far, every year of the festival, Legions of Metal likes to spotlight influential local bands, and this year is no exception. Chicago hard rock/heavy metal band High Spirits—the one-man band consisting of prolific multi-instrumentalist Chris Black (Pharaoh, Dawnbringer) and his live band—will flaunt its NWOBHM/’70s hard rock/’80s metal hybrid on Saturday night. “Chicago has a deep pool of talent going back many decades, so we are honored to get the call to represent our city at the festival this year,” Black says through email. “We keep our local gigs to a maximum of once a year, but we always try to make them special in some way. So this one was a no-brainer.”
Toxic Holocaust
Black’s involvement in the Chicago metal scene goes way back, and his fondness for playing at Reggies is highly justifiable. “Reggies shoots straight and doesn’t cut any corners,” he admits. “It is the rare venue that is unanimously loved by bands, bookers, and most importantly, the people who buy tickets and come out ready to go. Continuity and tradition are important factors for any annual festival, and location plays a huge role in that. Reggies is a relatively young venue but nevertheless has a ton of unique character and history, and now Legions of Metal is part of that, and vice versa.”
Another Chicago band who will be performing on Saturday is the underground cult favorite heavy/power metal band Slauter Xstroyes. The local quartet has endured several hiatuses over the past few decades, but the band has been on a steady incline since its 2013 reunion. Making its return to the festival (last appearing at the inaugural festival in 2017), the band will be performing material from its two legendary albums, 1985’s **Winter Kill and 1998’s Free the Beast. Original bassist Brent Sullivan couldn’t be happier. “It’s always great to play a fest in your hometown. Plus, we haven’t been together since 2011 or so. It’s good to be back.”
BEST OF THE REST
Friday night’s opening acts at Reggies Rock Club are a diverse mix of metal subgenres that includes Indiana’s electrifying heavy/thrash metal quintet Sacred Leather, female-fronted, occult-laden heavy/doom metal duo Castle, Finnish witchy doom metal trio Cardinals Folly, and Philadelphia female-fronted gothic metal band Sonja. While over at Reggies Music Joint (21+), will be European-style, female-fronted progressive/power metal sextet Queen Of Dreams, Rochester traditional heavy rock band Tykin, Denver classic heavy metal quintet Eaglewing, and Dallas retro heavy metal beast Myth Carver.
Joining High Spirits and Slauter Xstroyes on Saturday’s bill is heavy operatic symphonic metal band Aftertime, death metal band Crossspitter (featuring Melissa Moore of Sonja under the alias of Donna Violence), Sacramento symphonic metal band Graveshadow, and Los Angeles-based classic ’80s heavy metal newbies Intranced. Meanwhile, Saturday over at the Joint will be Psychoprism, Oracle, Mystigaard, Valkyrie’s Fire, and longtime Virginian power metal band Division.
INTO THE UNKNOWN
Since Crimson Glory’s latest reincarnation in 2023, the band’s legacy has gotten a monstrous reboot and will continue as far as the members feel that they can deliver inspiring music in the form of their classic lineup and original ethos. “We want to bring back that vibe and that chemistry that we had with the early Crimson Glory that the fans love so much,” Jackson assures me. “To all the fans that have been missing us, we want to bring joy to their ears and just come back strong. We want to get all the old fans back on board and digging us again, and maybe make some new fans at the same time. We want to be perceived as a band that’s growing with the new times and the changes and putting out modern, new, great music. So with the release of a new record, we hope it’ll be well received and get great reviews, and more and more opportunities will come our way to play some big and interesting festivals.”
For more information, lineups, and ticket prices, please visit www.reggieslive.com.
– By Kelley Simms
Category: Cover Story, Featured, Monthly
