LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dopethrone), A New Local Band, And The Pop Evil Concert Preview!!

Today's post is stacked with big news and notes from the past week, including a very notable LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for extreme metal fans next month, our slightly delayed preview of a big headlining concert on Sunday night, and leading off, a very delayed addition to our Sault Ontario band links, so here's what you should know on this Friday night!

Local metal quintet With Gunfire have finally launched a Facebook page, so we can finally add them to our active band links! Why it took this long, I don't know, especially as their first gig was in July 2024, but better late than never! Originally known as The Sault Side Squad (a parody of The Suicide Squad) before adopting their current name in December, With Gunfire's lineup is (as far as I am still aware) comprised of The B.A.G.'s Spencer MacGillivray on vocals, A Dire Setback/Big Finish Band guitarist Chris Nielsen, former Jack Spades/Sativa Rose guitarist Anthony Orazietti, A.S.D.P./ex-Stoned To Deaf bassist William Wardlaw, and former Soldiers Of Misfortune/Elements drummer Jonas Gasperas, who played with Anthony in Winkstinger. The original Sault Side Squad singer was ex-As It Stands frontman and rapper Justin "Nadj" Pregent, who quietly left this band by September 2025.

Brand new content is slim on With Gunfire's Facebook page, but two new "Shorts" videos were shared from Jonas' YouTube channel, including this slideshow with silent live footage set to their studio original "M.F.C." (ignore the AI-generated image claiming a title of "A Hate Supreme"), but embedded below is a performance at the Fist Magnet/Spigots reunion concert at Soo Blaster in December that they opened and debuted their new name at. Some of the vertical videos here were uploaded as plain videos, so I don't know why this is a "Short", but the song here is promisingly thrashy despite some fans being in the road of the camera. Give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more new content from Jonas' channel!

Next up, here's that LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Montreal "slutch metal" trio Dopethrone will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a headlining concert at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Monday, May 25th! Readers may recall seeing this long running doom metal outfit at the former New American Pub on Victoria Day in 2019, and while the same holiday is a week prior this year, it is great to see Dopethrone back after just over 7 years away, and they should keep things down and dirty (yet still brutal) at the former Roosevelt Hotel! Also joining Dopethrone on tour is Vancouver gothic/doom metal quintet Tribunal, a majority-female and cello-infused band that should turn heads with their brutal and atmospheric sound in their local debut, so don't bypass them! While most of this tour is a co-headlining jaunt with Portland black metal project Mizmor, they are not advertised for the Soo date.

The local openers are extremely notable on their own, even without the touring bands, starting with the surprise reunion of local/St. Catharines grindcore trio Shit Liver, whose last concert of their original run was the Dopethrone show at The New A! Concert advertising specifies that they are only playing a 15 minute set, so I'm reading this as a one-off reunion and not the start of anything major (remember, the now-short haired Josh Penno is largely focusing on The Golden Scoundrels nowadays), but this is a fitting way to see Shit Liver (at least) one more time! The other opening band is named Eden Plague, who are the renamed and relaunched local death metal band The Bear Hunters! A reason was not publically announced for the name change, but a fresh start after a year+ hiatus is as good a reason as any. Guitarist Mitch Sirie previously used the Eden Plague name for a short-lived black metal project in 2010 & 2011, distinct from his other solo work.

Of course, Mitch is no stranger to being in bands who had late period name changes (i.e. Stillbroke/Borderline Divine and The Suicide Kings/Beaumont Avenue). No word on if there will be any other changes to the band in sound or lineup, let alone if their 2023 "final album" plans are still around, but we'll let you know when we hear more from The Bear Hunters Eden Plague! A rare promotional effort by the aforementioned Josh Penno, this Memorial Day concert is a 19+ affair at 7:30 PM, and $20 advance tickets are on sale at Jay's and The Rad Zone (the door charge jumps to $25). A nice throwback death/doom metal show will be well worth seeing next month, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Finally for today's post, here's our preview of this weekend's main event, as Muskegon, Michigan hard rock quintet Pop Evil will return to our area for a headlining concert at The Machine Shop in Sault Ontario on SUNDAY NIGHT! Buzz for this show hasn't been as high as I had assumed, but this is notable because Pop Evil have a lot of Billboard rock chart success in the US, get frequent airplay on Rock 101, and have played in Sault Michigan seven times in the past decade & a half, most recently at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino just over three years ago. With hit songs like "Footsteps", "Skeletons", and "Waking Lions" in their back pocket, it will be interesting to see Pop Evil on the Canadian side of the border, and hopefully there's a strong turnout for their catchy original rock! Your openers on Sunday are Waterloo hard rock quartet Sierra Pilot (a former band of ex-Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin).

Expect a diverse but explosive set of rocking originals from them in their local debut in three nights' time! This stop on Pop Evil's What Remains Tour is an all ages event at 8:00 PM, and tickets run for $45.20 (plus processing fees) at this link, at the door, or at the in-person box office at Station Mall. If you're curious, the ticket price is comparable to Pop Evil's 2023 show in Sault Michigan after you convert this ticket cost from CAD to USD. Hopefully this show (the third hard rock headlining event at The Machine Shop in less than two months) is a success, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Pop Evil live at Kewadin Casino the last time out!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Crush & Headrush) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

(Updated at 10:45 PM) Another quiet weekend for hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults is upon us, so we can fit almost everything in this post with the exception of Sunday's Pop Evil concert, which will absolutely be in our next news post. As always, we'll start with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on this Thursday night, along with new videos from two of the bands in question!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced by drummer Tony Santoro on the band's Facebook group this past Friday. While the band connection isn't reflected in Searchmont's recent postings, TOMORROW'S show is well timed, as Generations are playing at the resort during the final weekend (the "season ender bender", if you will) of the C.S.R.A. Snowcross Championships, and Searchmont is getting a festival to go along with the snowmobile racing ahead, including DJs, pig roasts, and vendors from TOMORROW through Sunday, so click here to see what all is taking place! There will be different musical acts at The Kiln on Saturday night and in an 11:00 AM-5:00 PM Sunday matinee timeslot, but I don't know who is playing on those days.

If you want to see Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony's old school rock covers at Searchmont, they'll take the stage tomorrow at The Kiln from 8:00-11:00 PM with no announced age limits, and while there are ticketing fees to see Snowcross races, I don't believe you have to pay to just see Generations live. I admittedly don't get too engrossed into the winter sports scene, but Snowcross weekend looks pretty packed, so see above for more on everything going down while it still looks like winter outside! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live!

Next up, fellow local classic/ hard rock cover quintet Headrush will set up shop at The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced via their official Facebook event page on Monday. Marking their first concerts outside of the Full Throttle Saloon since they last rocked The Esquire Club in late November, it will be good for west end fans to see this skilled 1980s-leaning cover rock group back at it this weekend, and expect a nostalgia rush along with the Headrush TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! The Johns, Wes, Gino, and Frank hit the stage both nights at 9:30 PM, these are 19+ events, and there are no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts, and for a preview, here's some brand new videos of Headrush live at The Full Throttle Saloon two weeks ago!

Publically shared by bassist John Amendola to their Facebook group, these were filmed by frequent local concert attendee and supporter Audrey Marshall for her personal Facebook page. She filmed the guys covering Journey's "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" and, as embedded below, Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me". While both are incomplete (90 seconds or so apiece), Audrey was filming horizontally, and had a close tight angle of the band, though I will note that they do seem really cramped on the stage at the former Primavera Hall. Sound performances of these late 1970s classic rock staples, so give them a watch above & below!

Also, we'll head to Sault Michigan briefly, where local hard rock trio Crush will play their second show of the year on SATURDAY at The Merchants Bar! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was only announced via this comedy video on their Facebook page on Tuesday (I won't dare try to describe it). While the show was only announced on five days' notice, at least it got that much, unlike their Savoy Bar show in February, which neither they nor About:Blank publically acknowledged on social media at all! Unless they had another unadvertised concert in the past six months, this will be Crush's debut gig at The Merch, though members have played there in the past with their sister band Tarnished (remember, Crush basically took over as Alex & Josh's outlet for both original music and comedic viral content after Tarnished shifted to a covers-only focus in 2024). 

It's good to see Crush back at it, and hopefully the guys rock The Merch well with their nicely developing original slate on SATURDAY NIGHT! Note that I saw reference on their Facebook page last month to a pair of shows downstate next month but I can't find the post that mentioned the dates and locations. The video above notes that SATURDAY's show has a relatively short run-time of 10:00 PM-12:00 AM, it is a 21+ affair at The Merch, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Crush live in their local concert debut last year!

Finally for today, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for a show that did get advance notice before this week, specifically at The Water Tower Pub, where reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will take the stage for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their most recent gig at the Boots & Saddles Roadhouse, this will be Quite Frankly's first show at this central venue in three months. If you haven't see the new look Quite Frankly in recent months, why not make a trip to The Water Tower Pub for their rocking cover slate on Saturday? As always, this venue hosts different nightly acts, and tomorrow's band is veteran country cover quintet Out & Out Country (featuring former That's Chester/Double Down drummer Ric Datson). There's no cover charge on Saturday, a 19+ age limit, and an 8:00 PM start time as usual here. Visit the above links for more details!

For a preview, here's a brand new video of the band at Boots & Saddles two weeks ago, courtesy of their Facebook page, and it features their cover of Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet". Like with the Headrush videos above, this is horizontal but incomplete (a minute long this time), and while this isn't exactly a surprise pick or a deep cut, it's well performed with Linsaey L.W. delivering strong vocals, so give it a watch for yourselves below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Pop Evil preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

Spades GT Videos That We Never Shared Here Before!!

To break things up a tad before following up on yesterday's all-video post, I wanted to discuss dormant local/Barrie crossover thrash group Spades GT today, as I realized that there may be more public media of theirs online that they never promoted on social media, either because it fell through the cracks or because they decided not to share it from the filmer's account. As it turns out, there are some public videos of them live that never found their way to the band's Facebook page before what happened internally in December, so let's work our way through these in descending order by length. First, remember how ZigSeven's Dave Galante occasionally filmed lengthy videos featuring most of the musical performances at multi-band events that Spades GT played at? Well, we missed one that the guys never plugged on social media, as Dave was on hand for a "ZigView" at their all-ages headlining concert at See-Scape in Toronto on June 27th.

The 90 minute video starts with Dave setting up the show ahead and arriving at the venue, complete with his very stylish sunglasses, while he and his partner (wife?) scout a pre-concert meal. He did film all three openers, so you can get a glimpse of the whole night, but if you want to jump straight to Spades' set, that begins at the 56:18 mark. In order, the guys played "Hands", "Cenobites", "Final Girl", and "Sewer City Radio" (which was introduced reflecting its local inspiration), before the show abruptly paused while they dealt with technical difficulties. Guitarist Daniel Horton's amplifier appeared to disconnect or stop working mid-guitar solo, so they dealt with fixing that for a few minutes after the song ended, but J.D. and gang filled time as best they could. I wonder if this was why they never shared the video on Facebook? The set resumed for four more songs: "Red", "United", "They Live", and "Rise".

Note that the "United" album release party was the following week, so the former Jack Spades opted to save that album's songs (save the title track) until that show. Amp replacement aside, this is a quality set from all involved, and J.D. was particularly loose and animated throughout, so kudos to Dave for shooting so much footage, and give this a watch for yourselves below!

Next up, this Facebook video of Tyler Reiner's drum solo when they opened for Anvil (his dad Robb's band, of course) at The Rockpile in Toronto on November 17th, 2023 was uploaded by the Facebook page Reviving The Rock, and while the band did comment on it, we never mentioned it on the SMS at the time, so I don't think they shared it on their own. This 35 seconds-long square video solely focuses on Tyler, and it's a solid drum solo while it lasts, so give it a watch for yourselves below!

Lastly, the most recent of the new-ish Spades GT videos comes from their October 26th concert opening for The Exploited at The Piranha Bar in Montreal, where Caro Thibault filmed them playing "United" for the YouTube channel ChicksRockMedia. If the band was aware of this video, I assume it was never shared because it's a 30 seconds-long sidestage clip with very dark stage lighting late, so even when Dan (in the foreground) is playing his solo, you don't see much after the first 18 seconds. What we hear does sound good, so give this one a watch below, and click here to check out more videos from the other bands at The Piranha Bar that night!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

Demon King/Celestial Scourge Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post takes us to Christopher Paci's excellent YouTube channel for the first time since late last year for some new concert videos, and while I don't know where he has been since October, it's good to see him back with his camera rolling! His first concert videos of the year were actually at The Irish Rovers' concert on March 14th, but 10 days later, he was at Soo Blaster for that night's Demon King-headlined concert from Underground Events SSM, and he filmed all five bands there across seven videos! We'll hold the Pillory video for our next post of videos from Chris' channel to keep things at a consistent length, but let's start with the headlining Nashville death metal band, who got two videos here. Chris filmed Demon King playing their set-closer "Tyrannical Reign Of The Deciever", and as embedded below, their set-opener & new album's title track "Death Knell", so how do these videos turn out?

Effectively in the "second row" for the last two bands (with zoom deployed), Chris got some solid footage of Demon King that accentuates their brutally crunchy sound well, and the bass resonates nicely in particular, so give their Soo Blaster videos a watch above and below!

Next up, Chris also filmed two videos from co-headlining Norwegian tech death metal quartet Celestial Scourge on March 24th, including their set-closer "Ancient Forms" and, as embedded below, their first song "The Advent Of Deities". Definitely a more progressive and mathy sound, but with more guttural vocals than we saw with Demon King, so note your death metal preferences accordingly, but Celestial Scourge definitely melted faces at Soo Blaster, if these videos are anything to go by! Check them out as well!

For the opening three bands, Chris only uploaded one video apiece, and for the night's other touring band, he filmed London, Ontario death metal quartet Sentiment Dissolve playing their song "Omnipotent Panopticon". If you look them up and are curious, no, guitarist Nicholas Luck is not the same-named local musician who fronted Aldous in the early-mid 2010s. If you saw Sentiment Dissolve at Jay's last year, this won't be a surprise, but they are clearly having fun up there (look at their attire!), and they deliver an intense tech metal sound with enunciated growling vocals that will appeal to many metalheads, so don't bypass their video below either!

We'll close this post with the later-slotted local opener, namely progressive metalcore quartet Convergence in their first live concert set of 2026! I am not immediately certain of this song's name, as it doesn't match their two released studio singles since Stephen joined, but to be fair, I can't check if it's a song that was previously on "Dead And Dreaming" because they delisted that instrumental EP. Effectively complex and brutal sound here with very skilled guitar work and strong harsh and clean vocals, and it's good to see some all-too-rare live video of Convergence, so give this a look below!

That's all for now, but when we pick things back up from Chris' channel (ideally soon), we'll look at the Pillory video and what he shot at his most recent hard rock concerts, so stay tuned for all of that in the near future, plus more recent news and notes! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Sky Pilots), A New Local Band, And More Recent Updates!!

I hope everyone is having a good Easter Sunday! Whether you could call a new SMS post an Easter treat is debatable, but I do have a new news post to check out, including new videos and updates from two bands featuring Fitswitch alumni, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the E.U.P. next month, and leading off, a new addition to our Sault Ontario band links, so here's what you should know, whether you'd found your Easter eggs or not!

Fresh off of their live concert debut yesterday at Beck's Bar, we can now add new local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe to our active band links, as they have launched a Facebook page! They were already on Instagram and TikTok, but neither platform is as feature-rich and intentionally designed for usage as a formal band page. There's not much on their Facebook page yet, but a video of them covering 3 Doors Down's "Loser" at Beck's is floating around on personal Facebook accounts. While they have more unexpected band choices in their repertoire, how often to you see 3 Doors Down covers locally? It is a well done cover if you can find it, and R.I.P. Brad Arnold, of course. In terms of new public content, 5.D.B. did post some new "meet the band" images on Instagram where you can learn more about the members' favourite bands (Tyler pulls some real deep cuts!) and other roles.

Their only new video since we first spotlighted Five Dollar Bribe on the SMS is embedded below, where half of the band do a comedy sketch to promote the matinee gig at Beck's and a contest to win an official band t-shirt (had you liked and tagged the post on Instagram or TikTok, you'd have been entered for a chance). Fun for what it is, so give it a watch below, and we'll have more from 5 Dollar Bribe when it goes live!

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Next up, here are those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as Munising, Michigan classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots will return to our area for concerts on Friday, May 29th and Saturday, May 30th at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! The only brand new hard rock-leaning shows announced in either regional Kewadin branch's entertainment pages through the next two months, these will be The Sky Pilots' first St. Ignace shows since early November, though I must profusely apologize, as they also returned to The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie for concerts on March 13th and 14th, as per their Facebook page. I've gotta keep better tabs on The Sky Pilots, especially as they played in the E.U.P. five times last year, and they are fronted by former Electric Motor Fish/Swayze Train singer Melissa Strand, so I am sorry for missing last month's gigs, but I hope they were a huge hit!

Of note, last month's shows were actually the Pilots' first concerts of 2026, regardless of locale. Next month's shows do not fall on the Memorial Day long weekend, which is the week prior this year. As usual for Kewadin lounge gigs, these are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on what should be a fun weekend of old school rocking covers from this talented U.P. band!

Also today, here's an update from a band that we haven't talked about on the SMS in months, namely Sault Ontario/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT! There is a reason why updates dried up from their camp, and while I have not seen an official public statement about what happened, what I would characterize as "sudden personal differences" arose in mid-December, and I'll leave it there pending 100% public word from the band about their future or lack thereof. Their last show (to date?) was at C.W. Coop's in Barrie on December 13th where they opened for Pale Horse Ritual, and what happened internally arose before they could post a recap video from that show or their November 14th gig with Anvil in Delhi. However, I did find something brand new that I'm surprised that the former Jack Spades never promoted, as they featured on a live album last year! Fans will know that Spades frequently travelled to Meyersburg in Southern Ontario for the annual Spiderfest, which is the basis of this Bandcamp-exclusive album.

The "name your price" album "Spiderfest 2024 RP001" was released on June 11th, and it features one live cut each (in performance order) from the 2024 festival lineup, with past local headliners Random Killing, The Ripcordz, and The Bunchofuckingoofs among the 23 included bands. This rendition of "Succubus" from 2023's "Sewer City Radio" features the band's summer 2024 lineup, including then-new guitarist Matthew Voros and the soon-to-depart James Roy Daley on bass. Strong (if quick) performance with really nice recording quality across the board, so give this punk compilation a listen above, and we'll let you know if Spades GT clarify their status publically!

We'll close today with new videos from local doom/sludge duo The Spaceship Opening's Facebook page! One of the videos features an off-camera Andrew MacDonald testing his new bass cab, and while the musicality of it is debatable, he is getting deep powerful bass out of it (ask what appears to be a burned out match midway through!) The other video is another live recording from the same concert seen in their first two official public videos (which is apparently "all we have" as of Friday). I did want to clarify as to what event their three performance videos actually came from, as the event took place before I could verify The Spaceship Opening's sound/genre. This was a fundraiser for the Sault Theatre Workshop on November 29th, where they and DJ Seith opened for comedy rock band The Floor Between Us, who also headlined a show there the previous day with a different opener lineup.

No word on who November 28th openers A.D.H.D. are, but that name alone will make it hard to look them up! Kudos to all involved for supporting the Sault Theatre Workshop and their programming, and you can see videos of The Floor Between Us that weekend on their new Facebook page! As for The Spaceship Opening, this video actually features Andrew on vocals, so they're not an instrumental-only band. It is a little faster and punkier than their prior two songs, but it's hard to get a sense for Andrew's vocal capabilities, as he sings in a relative monotone that, while well suited to alt-rock, may not show his full range. Not a bad drum-and-bass number, so give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Andrew & Ralph!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

Where Are The New Albums? (April 2026 Update)

After a slight delay following weekend concert previews, here's our monthly "Where Are The New Albums?" post, featuring the most recent public updates on the whereabouts of announced upcoming albums and EPs from local metal, hard rock, and punk acts! This month, we're adding one upcoming album, and to note that and an entry with updated info, look for titles in italics. So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!

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The BAG - Sacculus

Rumoured Songs: "Eccentric Refuge", "Our Rock"

Background: Immediately launching in the summer of 2022 with original music in their back pocket, local metal trio The BAG (featuring With Gunfire and Jupiter Marvelous members) quickly released their first studio single "Eccentric Refuge" to major streaming services, with "Our Rock" following in 2023. The BAG didn't confirm that an album was in the works until October of 2025, when they revealed the cover artwork for their debut album "Sacculus" on their Facebook page, also confirming at the time that the whole album was already done mixing and mastering. These were the band's only proper updates about their own activity, album or otherwise, in the second half of 2025. It's not clear if their first studio singles will be included on "Sacculus", and if so, if they were re-recorded in last year's recording sessions.

Current Release Status: The BAG confirmed in December that they will release "Sacculus" on Saturday, April 18th via an album release party at Soo Blaster, though specifics on the track listing, price, and formats are all forthcoming. It will be great to see the fruits of Spencer, Austin, and Bradley's quiet work last year finally out for fans to hear in two weeks, so stay tuned for more updates on the impending release!

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Bone Yard 225's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "F.A.F.O.", "Gypsy Spell", "Fuck!", "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" (Mike Posner cover)

Background: After months of teasers that they were planning to record original music, local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225 began releasing their own songs on major streaming services in July 2024, fifteen years after the pre-225 band debuted as a country cover quartet. Their first three singles (all recorded at their home studio) were posted online by January 2025, though it took until May for the band to confirm on their Facebook page that they were indeed working on a proper album. It's not immediately clear if their existing three singles will be included, but it's not a given, as Jonesy Land fans saw with "Zoom-Out". As of August 11th, it was reportedly "album tracking time", while this video from three days later shows bandmates Alex D'Ettore & Warren Reville recording backing vocals for their cover of Mike Posner's "I Took A Pill In Ibiza". That will be one of "a couple of covers" for the album, as confirmed by frontman Greg Simpson during recent concerts. "Fuck!" was renamed "The F Word" on streaming services in December, but it's not clear if the less explicit name will stick on the album. The band was still "in the studio finishing shit" as of December 4th, source here.

Current Release Status: In that Facebook post from May 30th, your local 225 said that "the album is coming along nicely", and they hoped to release it "by the end of 2025", but Greg has since adjusted the timeframe to "early 2026" when mentioning it during live shows. While singer/drummer Greg Simpson did release an EP with his old band Stiffler's Mom, it's hard to compare the release methods and schedule given that "The Demo" came out in 2004. It is neat to see that Greg, Alex, and Warren are going all in on a studio album, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

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Chase James Wigmore - The Chaotic Rite

Rumoured Songs: "The Cities Alive & It's Angry"

Background: Ever the prolific artist & songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore has been working on an extensive rock opera for years (once claimed to be a 33 part work), originally named "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". Worked on in between his other unrelated solo albums, released for sale or otherwise, Chase posted a lengthy elaboration of the rock opera in 2022, now titled "The Chaotic Rite", outlining its concept, recording plans, and long-term release timeline. Clips of songs have surfaced on his Facebook page, as have full songs not explicitly tied to the album, as well as the final artwork. In more recent promotion, Chase has hinted that "The Chaotic Rite" might be his final solo album as part of aims to focus on his personal life more than his prolific original material. Regardless, the final product has been pared down to 25-30 minutes.

Current Release Status: Chase elaborated on Facebook in mid-2024 that the album was 95% done earlier that year when the files "got trapped on my desktop's hard drive", and he had been unable to procure a backup of the material or recover the files as of that post. In any event, three of the full songs uploaded to Facebook in 2023 were clarified as not being planned for "The Chaotic Rite", but they could surface on a separate EP. Fingers crossed that Chase is able to save this album and put it out when able, especially given the years that he's put into the making of it!

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Convergence - In Bloom

Rumoured Songs: "Gemini", "The Ebb", "In Bloom", "Breaking News", "It Ate The F&$%ing Moon", "Kraken Mara", "You Are Not Flesh", "Dead & Dreaming", "Dig Up Your Ghost", "Glass Statues", "Awake"

Background: Just over a month after releasing their sophomore EP "Dead And Dreaming", local progressive metal band Convergence announced in February 2024 that EP #3 would be named "Gemini", with its cover artwork being released at the same time. Teaser clips of most songs from the EP were posted on their Facebook page and their YouTube channel throughout much of 2024, but most prior media was wiped as they retooled as a full band, now including singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio and drummer David Peredun. Convergence worked in studio last year with producer Dustin Goodall at Unsalted Audio, documenting the sessions in Facebook "Reels", eventually confirming in concert that the EP (now named "In Bloom") is still in progress, with Adam Roxner mixing the songs in Sweden. A new version of "The Ebb" (from "Dead And Dreaming") was released to streaming services on Christmas Day, while the song "Gemini" followed last month. As "Dead And Dreaming" was delisted from streaming, the possibility of Convergence doing full versions of its other four songs for this album has been hinted at, and other songs from that EP have been played live with the full band.

Current Release Status: No clue, and given the complexity of their music yet their independent studio trappings so far, that could bode a quick or lengthy timeline for "In Bloom" to come out, depending on what angle you take. Since their modern studio cycle commenced in 2023, things have been relatively steady for Brendan and Jake as a recording act, and here's hoping that Convergence keep that up for their third offering! 

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Fort Creek's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "One For The Road", "Sweet Rosie"

Background: Local southern/hard rock band Fort Creek have sporadically teased plans to record an EP since February 2020, but they wouldn't release any samples until almost two years later when they shared (now-deleted) clips of their original song "Hammer Down" on their Facebook page. The guys would play it regularly at concerts from 2022-2023, with studio sessions taking place in early-mid 2023 as well. After the departure of bassist Robin "Bones" Lee and drummer Anthony Fabiano in the fall of 2023, Fort Creek opted to abandon material recorded with them "as a show of good faith", and have been working on new material and rebuilding their studio over the past two years. Now featuring Phil Greco on drums, their first single (the acoustic "One For The Road") was posted online in January 2025, with the band confirming plans to now record a 10 song album at Jettison Studios prior to returning to live concerts. Their new single "Sweet Rosie" was being recorded as of August 31st, and a teaser of the song was posted to their Facebook page on New Year's Eve.

Current Release Status: Prior release timelines for their debut EP reflected their early 2020s lineup's material, and Justin, Shane, Bill, and Phil have largely kept things somewhat close to the vest prior to putting out "One For The Road". There are a lot of unknowns, especially given the 6+ years of production time and their decision to basically start over in 2023, and that this is a band that was primarily known for their work on the weekend cover circuit before their rhythm section left. It will be interesting to see how things develop, so stay tuned for updates!

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Mike McCleary's new album

Rumoured Songs: Unknown

Background: Background: A talented studio hard rock musician who has released multiple solo albums in the past (albeit almost entirely delisted from streaming services as his musical approach and personal life changed), Mike McCleary announced plans to record an instrumental album in 2023, but after a year+ public hiatus, he opted to shelve that unfinished album in 2025 in favour of a new album with vocals. He signed with Swedish indie label Rexius Records, with plans to put out an 8 song album covering "a variety of topics" and featuring "some fun, catchy, and energetic rock music for everyone to enjoy". A teaser video from the sessions was posted onto his Facebook page on December 6th, and in his most recent update from February, the planned first single had been recorded and was in the mixing process.

Current Release Status: Your guess is as good as mine, but as this is is a one-man project likely aimed at streaming services, this album could pop up at any time. The Rexius Records connection is a variable though, but Mike is a strong musician with morals and a lot to say about himself, and hopefully this album comes out successfully in the near future!

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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, which will return on or around May 2nd. Our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next week, so look for that and more on the SMS in the week ahead! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (B.A. Johnston, Bone Yard 225, Generations, And Soundcheck!!)

Plans to put up this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post today have been slightly delayed due to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on that front today as well as some other newly announced shows taking place later this spring!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place for Easter long weekend concerts TONIGHT (yes, they're open for Good Friday) and TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook page at 12:47 PM today, and Reggie's never corroborated them on Facebook. These will be the second and third shows from Soundcheck in a six day span, following their also-announced-that-day concert on Monday at Beck's Bar as an unofficial Goo Goo Dolls replacement event, and yes, they did indeed have Separate Wayz frontwoman/bandmate Nicole Thibodeau on hand that night for an "epic crossover". Kudos to all five members of the two sister bands for jumping on board that short notice gig, and hopefully there was a decent turnout despite the work night scheduling! TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows appear to be Soundcheck only.

Two weeks removed from Travis, Terry, Jim, and Johnny's last shows at Reggie's, TONIGHT & TOMORROW's concerts will see the classic and hard rock cover attack take the stage at 9:30 PM with no announced cover charges and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, we have a couple of new show announcements for later this month of the cover-leaning persuasion at The Water Tower Pub, who posted their April concert calendar on their Facebook page earlier today! We already knew about Quite Frankly's show there on April 11th thanks to that band's own advertising, but SMS readers may want to circle the following weekend on their calendars, starting with the return of southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 on Friday, April 17th! Last seen at Smitty's for St. Patrick's Day, this will be Greg, Alex, and Warren's first show at the Great Northern Road nightclub since late January. Your local 225 have been oddly quiet since mid-February, only playing the one "uncorked" concert in the interim (the April 17th show will also be acoustic, as usual there), and only having plugs for that event and a couple of frontman Greg Simpson's new "Ranting Rockstar" social media posts since, where he offers his own pearls of wisdom about life and music.

No word on when we'll see the full electric Bone Yard show again (last seen on Valentine's Day at Beck's), but hopefully their Water Tower Pub show is a sign of more gigs to come, and that their album is still in progress! As usual for this venue, expect an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover on the 17th. See above for more details!

As usual, The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly acts, and the Saturday, April 18th booking belongs to local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations! Now, I will preface this by noting that the band has not yet corroborated this booking on their Facebook group, and haven't even posted there since March 9th, despite playing at The Kiln in the interim. Assuming all is well in their camp, this will be Generations' first show at this venue since late February, and hopefully fans get another entertaining classic and hard rock mix from this union of Jus' Chillin and Obsession alumni! Like with Bone Yard 225 the previous day, expect this to be a 19+ event with no cover charge and a start time of 8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Generations when announced!

We'll close with a newly announced concert from a familiar touring artist, but not at a venue you may expect, as Hamilton outsider folk/acoustic punk musician B.A. Johnston will return to the Soo on Saturday, May 23rd at... The Esquire Club? It is very strange to see a touring act, let alone a show expected to have at least one opener, at this Second Line West mainstay, but B.A. is infamous for never playing at the same venue twice in his Sault Ste. Marie stops (seven by my count, at least sixteen by his). B.A. last played at Venue on Queen Street East in May of last year, and if you're unfamiliar with his shows, expect his proudly Canadian, self-deprecating, Hawkins Cheezies-loving, and deeply humorous live set to turn heads once again, and my description of his shows will never do them justice. Click here to sample B.A.'s show last year via SooToday's coverage, where he even played on top of a car at one point!

The support act (if not acts) is to be announced, but note that Silent 9 have been scheduled for May 22nd and 23rd at The Esquire Club since last year. We'll keep their May 22nd show in our calendar for now, but we'll let you know if the May 23rd gig's status is clarified. Despite the proximity to May 24th, this show does not fall on the Victoria Day long weekend. It is a 9:00 PM concert with a 19+ age limit, and while his Venue show last year had an admission fee, this year's B.A. show will have no cover. This should be a fun time next month, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and go check out his videos on YouTube to get a better sampling of his live experience! That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's almost-completed "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!