Chat Pile, Mar 06, 2025, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO Photos and Recap

Chat Pile lead singer Raygun Busch set the tone right from the start at Thursday night’s sold out Gothic Theatre show, vowing to use all the gas left in the tank on this final show of their Cool World Tour. Their exploration of societal decay and personal torment through abrasive and chaotic, sludge-infused noise rock has garnered the Oklahoma City band praise from across the heavy music underground scene. And they’ve been selling out shows across the country this entire tour.

Don’t mistake the chaotic nature of their music with sloppiness. These guys are tight. Busch kept the mood light between songs, offering up plenty of banter, and rattling off random Colorado-based movie factoids between each song. He prowled the stage, serving up his wide range of spoken word style vocals, and the band was locked in on every song. There was great energy from the crowd as well, with circle pits opening up frequently, and non-stop stage diving, God’s Country standout “Why” brought the most enthusiastic response of the set. Cool World, their latest album, got a lot of action in this set. “Shame”, “Frownland” and “Funny Man” were personal standouts. Local video artist Mothpowder Light Show provided visuals, adding even more character to the experience.

Chat Pile, Mar 06, 2025, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO. Photo by Mitch Kline.

I spent the first six weeks of this year catching up on the 2024 metal releases I missed throughout last year. Chat Pile’s Cool World is toward the very top of my list of favorite albums released last year. It’s been in heavy rotation, conjuring up a lot of memories about the 90s bands that influence their sound. Those were the bands that defined 90s music for me. Seeing this band live seals the deal for me. I’m in. And by every measure, I’d say these guys gave it everything at this show. I’ll certainly be there next time they come through town.