Acumen Nation is an alternative metal/industrial rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. Formed in the late 1980s as Acumen by Jason Novak and Ethan Novak , the band released several cassette demos before self-releasing the CD demo "Transmissions from Eville" in 1994. The two along with Greg Lopez put the record out themselves on the infamous Robot Records moniker. During shows for this period, the band added guitarist/engineer Jamie Duffy. Although the glory days of the Industrial rock scene in Chicago had faded by this point, through constant touring and sheer hard work on a number of different projects the duo have since established themselves as favourites in the US underground scene. The Iron Lung Corporation was a band comprised of Acumen and The Clay People from Albany, NY. Their first record 96's 'Big Shiny Spears' featured a blistering cover of Nitzer Ebb's seminal dance hit 'Join in the Chant' . In 1997, the band were forced to