UNSIGNED SPOTLIGHT

Impale

Chicago's very own Impale deliver the metal. Branding their own melting pot of metal, Impale hone their energy by infusing different elements of metal and other musical backgrounds. Meet Impale.
By: Gian Erguiza

Gian: Who is Impale, where are you guys originally from and how did you guys begin?

Impale is a metal band from Evergreen Park, IL, a suburb on the southwest side of Chicago. The band originally began with Frank Shannon on guitar and Phil Messina on drums. Ed Cichon later came into the band on bass. We started jamming in Phil’s garage and basement at first. We had another guitarist named Tony, who was later replaced by Kenny McClarin. We have also had a revolving door of singers, but have finally settled on Jay McGury. I stress we are a Metal band because we can’t put a finger on what genre of metal we are. We are a big melting pot of different metal genres.

Gian: What best describes the music that you guys play and what are the bands influences or inspiration for songwriting?

The music is one big combination of influences and styles. We like to say we combine metal with metal. We have hints of death metal, thrash metal, groove, melodic, etc. We take a little bit from each metal genre, mix them together, and out comes an Impale song. It takes us a while to write new material sometimes, but that’s because we want to combine all our ideas to create brutal music. The bands that have influenced us range from Slipknot, to Alice in Chains and Primus, to Dying Fetus, Between the Buried and Me, Metallica, and The Black Dahlia Murder. The list is endless. We have backgrounds in jazz, acoustic music, death metal, groove metal, and even country and classical music! Our main goal is create music that will stick in people’s minds, and when they see us live, we want them to feed off our energy, go crazy, and leave wanting more.

Gian: If there was any artist or band that you guys would like to share the stage with one day, who would you guys choose and why?

Well, each person has their own band or bands they would choose, but one would definitely be Slipknot. That band has influenced us all in one way, shape, or form.

Gian: What is the message that your band is trying to convey or what are you guys trying to accomplish?

We really don’t have a message. We just want to play our music, and go somewhere with it. It could be getting a record contract and playing to sold out crowds, or it could be something as simple as being recognized and respected for our art. We are 5 guys who pour our hearts and souls into our music, and we wear our hearts on our sleeves onstage. The first gig this band ever had was on June 15, 2002, so you can see we have been going at this for quite some time. We have had our ups and downs, but we have always persevered and have come out stronger. We want our lives to be IMPALE. We want this not only for ourselves, but also for all the people that have helped us out over the years.

Gian: Any additional comments or shout-outs?

To take a quote from one of our songs...”There’s only one path you can follow, that lays within your heart.” (www.myspace.com/impale1)

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