Theatre Of Night - "Christmas Night 3" Album Review!

It's now time for our 198th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and in a seasonal break from our recent run of reviews of backlogged new albums in chronological release order, we're looking at Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's new album "Christmas Night 3"! This way, our string of new album reviews will continue unabated, while we'll be able to look at this album in a timely fashion, as Theatre of Night's prior two Christmas albums (2011's "Christmas Night" and 2022's "Dreams Of Winter") were also reviewed here in December. If I kept it in our regular album queue, we wouldn't be able to get to it until the summer, so tis the season! No Arrow's "Souls For Sale" (released in July) will 100% be our first album review of 2026, so look for that next month. Independently released to the band's Reverbnation page on Friday, "Christmas Night 3" reunites Theatre of Night with German session vocalist and former permanent band member Gaby Koss, who resumed working with the band last year on new material.

While she had sang on one-off singles in the early-mid 2010s, Theatre of Night and Gaby released a "Celtic Christmas metal EP" exclusively to YouTube last year, and built on that for the full "Christmas Night 3" this year with five new recordings supplementing the EP's initial five songs. Compared to their prior Christmas albums, "Christmas Night 1" from 2011 was an instrumental effort, while "Dreams Of Winter" (effectively considered "Christmas Night 2") featured re-recordings of all ten songs from the previous album, plus two new cuts, as well as former lead singer Rachel Mender on vocals on seven of the songs. "Christmas Night 3" drops things back to ten songs, six of which are returnees from "Dreams Of Winter", but there are four new songs/carols here that Theatre Of Night never included on a prior paid album. Instrumentally, guitarist Steve Giles and keyboardist Craig Harrison are back as expected, though bassist credits were not given (note that Luke Bernard was their most recent live bassist for their early 2020s tours).

On the five songs carried over from last year's free Celtic EP, "What Child Is This" and "Carol Of The Bells" feature archival recordings from original drummer (and Steve's brother) Greg Giles, while current drummer Erik Sales drummed on the other three songs. One could infer that Erik that he drummed on the five new songs too, but again, credits were not given for the album proper. While you can stream "Christmas Night 3" for free on Reverbnation and YouTube, it is formally on sale via the former site for $7.99, so consider buying it to support Theatre of Night's work for the holidays! For the six songs previously heard on "Dreams Of Winter", I will offer comparisons between the 2022 and 2025 versions. 

Featuring 10 songs running for about 47 minutes, let's begin this festive review with the opening song "What Child Is This", which has led off all three Theatre of Night Christmas albums. The new version largely retains the same structure as the 2022 version, with a somewhat louder and more dramatic introduction, though the vocalist is the key difference. Gaby and Rachel have similar vocal performances here, but Gaby (who is classically trained) does hit higher operatic notes on her verses, and there is some multi-tracking here to make it sound more like a choir of vocalists. Otherwise, this remains an effective opener on par with the prior version! The first brand new Christmas song on offer is next, namely "The First Noel", which has a slow dramatic and symphonic opening before the first verse, and it maintains a serious but grand tone throughout. Gaby's sharper and more pointed tone of voice is very clear on this track.

I got kind of an "On The Turning Away" vibe from Steve's guitar solo here, which Pink Floyd fans may appreciate! The lyrics of this carol are somewhat repetitive, but that's not the band's fault. If you like your Theatre of Night in a more serious and orchestral mode than even their normal Christmas output, you should take to this song! Another new cover is next, namely "O Come Emmanuel" (note that they omitted a second "O Come" from their titling). A spare piano intro from Craig leads into a slow and very drawn out rendition of this somewhat lesser known carol, and while the music slowly builds in stature, the song never really gets out of second gear and remains really laboured in pacing. I've heard this cover done with more life while still being approached traditionally, so while technically sound, it's not a favourite of mine here. Next up is the second returning song from prior seasonal releases, namely "Silent Night". 

This is the shortest song on "Christmas Night 3", and it retains a similar structure and pace to the 2022 version. The big difference is the vocals, and here, Gaby does dial things back to sing this one at a more reserved pace than Rachel did, which suits the delicate and melancholy vibe of this carol a little more. Otherwise, if you like traditional "Silent Night" renditions with a slight rock kick, you'll like this! The first half of the album ends with "Little Drummer Boy" (no "The" at the start), which was also heard on Theatre of Night's prior Christmas albums. Functionally, the 2022 version is almost identical instrumentally, but the big difference is that Gaby sings the "rum-pum-pum-pum" parts throughout the verses, where Rachel omitted them until the title character started playing for the baby Jesus in the song's timeline. I do find that Rachel's singing fits this song a little better, but the full lyrics being restored helps a ton.

Otherwise, it's the same song, so pick and choose what you'd rather hear! Song #6 is "God Rest Ye Merry Gents", and yes, that is how they titled it for this album (under its full name "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", it debuted in their catalogue on "Dreams Of Winter"). Again, this song is basically a verbatim re-recording of the 2022 version, but similarly to "Little Drummer Boy", Gaby actually sings the full and complete verses here, where Rachel only sang the back half of most verses, something that I never understood the point of on the last album. The restored lyrics (including more outro singing) help a lot with this song, which still fits well in a metallized setting, so this is an album highlight for me! The next two songs are the other two brand new carols for "Christmas Night 3", starting with "Let All Mortal Flesh" (no "Keep Silence" in their title), By far the longest song on offer, Gaby's vocals really drive this one along for the duration.

It's very verse heavy, but the backing instrumentation has a very ominous building quality with really strong bass. I wasn't overly familiar with this carol going in, but it's way too drawn out and serious, and it leans too heavily on the singing, so while it's not one of my favourites, I do like how the band proper add to the ambiance, and the drumming steadily improves as it motors along! That's followed by "Good King Wenceslas", which is slowed down compared to traditional renditions, but it's well performed, and I honestly prefer Gaby's lower register singing here compared to her higher full voice work on most of the other tracks. Steve gets some room to show off with some guitar shredding in the background (even if it doesn't seem all that necessary), and while not the heaviest song on offer, it comes together fairly well and suits the mood of prior songs! The penultimate song here is "Hark The Herald", again shortening its title without "Angels Sing".

Once again, this song shares largely the same structure as prior carryovers from "Dreams Of Winter", including the between-verse interpolations of "The Twelve Days Of Christmas", but the retained structure is partially to its detriment, as the drawn out outro is back. The big change is vocally, as Gaby sings more and fuller verses here, whereas on the 2022 version, Rachel didn't sing on the first verse and only partially on others. That goes a long way towards making this song sound full, and it's a big improvement to one of the more grandiose and epic sounding songs here! The album closes with "Carol Of The Bells", which is done for the first time on a Theatre of Night album here with vocals, and even the 2022 version didn't have Rachel singing. As fans of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra know from "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24", this song bodes very well in a metal context, and the two versions only share minor differences from each other.

Obviously, the inclusion of vocals makes this one stand out a lot, and she really exercises her vocal range here, starting with upper register falsetto that gradually steps down and down later in the track. Thee sweet spot was in the middle, as the opening vocals were somewhat shrill and the latter ones sounded forced to get low like that, but it does show Gaby's abilities nicely! To me, the repetitive style of singing for "Carl Of The Bells" undercuts the heaviness of the guitar too much, but it's an effective capper to the album! So, three Christmas albums into their run, how does "Christmas Night 3" stack up? Really, it's not even a full sequel because it only has four brand new songs, and the only major change on the other six is Gaby on vocals, Whether you prefer Rachel or Gaby is subjective, but I appreciate Gaby's range and vocal control, while Rachel's full voice singing was a little deeper and softer edged, so both have their plusses.

Honestly, the big plus of Gaby's vocals here is that she/the band weren't pulling the "only sing half of the verses" thing like on "Dreams Of Winter", which made too many songs on that album sound incomplete. Musically, everyone performed soundly and with purpose to create classical metal magic, and while nothing major was changed for the six returning songs, the production values suited the grandiosity. Craig, Steve, and crew know what they're doing, even if we've been served most of this Christmas dinner before. I would have been curious to hear Gaby's takes on the three "Dreams Of Winter" songs with vocals that weren't carried over here (namely "Away In A Manger", "O Come All Ye Faithful", and "O Holy Night"), I did find some of the multi-tracked vocals to be a little roughly layered, "Carol Of The Bells" works better as an instrumental, and there is still a problem with some songs in terms of drawn out structures and lengthy outros.

Still, as a festive companion piece to their prior albums and a much belated end result of Theatre of Night's decade+ studio work with Gaby, this is a quality album for some heavier symphonic Christmas music, so buy/stream it above! I hope you guys liked our last monthly CD review of 2025, and we resume our new album release queue in release order next month when we look at defunct Sault Ontario grunge trio No Arrow's posthumous studio album "Souls For Sale"! Watch for that in January 2026 (hopefully early given the unexpected postponement of that review), and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone, and Merry Christmas!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Half Past, Quite Frankly, And The Guilty Party!!)

Today's post takes us to a slate of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for early next year, so here's what you should know as the year slowly winds to a close!

Local hard rock cover quartet Half Past will end 2025 with a headlining New Year's party concert on Wednesday, December 31st at Beck's Bar! Announced via their Facebook page back on December 2nd (apologies for the delay), this will be their first concert since rocking Beck's in early October, and their third at the former Vibe Lounge since debuting there in April. It is reasonable to assume that there will be some level of holiday frills for New Year's Eve, but as Beck's wasn't a thing in 2024, we don't know exactly what Becky and crew have in store to ring in 2026 with. We should know more by Monday, when the venue typically announces the week's entertainment schedule on Facebook, and this includes the potential for a cover charge if things are fancier. At press time, the show has no announced cover, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, let's head across the border for Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril's first E.U.P. gigs of the new year, as they'll headline at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino next weekend, on Friday, January 2nd & Saturday, January 3rd! Last seen there over the Halloween weekend, it will be good to see Jeff & crew deliver their old school hard rocking covers for local fans once again, especially as next week's shows will be their first anywhere of 2026, so don't bypass them if you'll be in the area! Meanwhile, they'll make their first St. Ignace stops of the year over the Valentine's Day weekend for three shows from Thursday, February 12th to Saturday, February 14th! The reason for the added Thursday booking is because Peril are playing at The Northern Pines Lounge to coincide with the annual Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Championships, taking place at Chain Lake nearby, with Kewadin hosting some official events on site.

Readers may recall that Peril's sister band Scarkazm rocked the St. Ignace Kewadin on this busy weekend in each of the last two years, so why not let Peril have a turn? All five of Peril's upcoming shows (as announced via the concert calendar above on their Facebook page) have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on their and Scarkazm's U.P. gigs in the first quarter of 2026!

Back in Sault Ontario, local classic/hard rock cover trio The Guilty Party will kick off 2026 when they rock Reggie's Place on Friday, January 2nd and Saturday, January 3rd! The Facebook event page for these shows originally had them playing a one-nighter at Beck's on January 3rd, but the venue was quietly switched out on Tuesday for unannounced reasons. After a relatively quick start to their run as a band in the fall, these will be Brent, Terry, and Jim's first public concerts since rocking Jay's Piston Broke Pub last month, and will mark the first public hard rock-leaning bookings at Reggie's since Bone Yard 225 played what they said would be their "last weekend playing there" in October. It has since came out that owner/namesake Reggie Daigle has resumed management of the 458 Queen Street East nightclub after Randy Lapossie's five year tenure there ended, so Bone Yard's finality hints about their last shows there must have reflected Randy's control of the day-to-day operations and/or a possible issue with Reggie himself.

I won't speculate, but it is only natural to see Reggie running Reggie's, and The Guilty Party's presence does hint that they're not going back to a 100% country music rotation like in years gone by! Read more on the new/old Reggie's on their Facebook page, though most updates so far relate to the menu. Note that prior hints of a female special guest for The Guilty Party on that Saturday were not kept when they revised the write-up on the Facebook event page (though that doesn't mean that she won't be present, whoever she is). Expect a 9:30 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit as usual. Visit the above links for more details, and a stay tuned for more concerts & updates from The Guilty Party!

Finally, also newly confirmed for next month is fellow local classic/hard rock quartet Quite Frankly's first date of the new year, as they'll debut at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, January 17th!  After playing their first show since their lengthy hiatus at Beck's Bar late last month, this will be just your second chance to see Quite Frankly 2.0... or is that 3.0? Just four days after announcing this show on their Facebook page, the band confirmed that Blind River singer/guitarist Linsaey L.W. has replaced Haley Alopaeus on lead vocals, so this will be her debut with the band. It will be interesting to see how Linsaey fits in with Frank, Harley, and Joe, let alone how she compares to Haley (and Jack from their original run), but you can be the first to find out mid-way through January! Remember, The Water Tower Pub never hosts the same band on Fridays and Saturdays, and this will be a 19+ show at 8:00 PM with no cover. Visit the above links for more details!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Generations), A New Local Punk Band, And More!!

Today's post wraps up this busy slate of weekend concert previews (one also being a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT), along with some assorted recent notes, but let's lead off with a new local band and album all at once!

We have a new local ska punk band to add to our band links, namely A.S.D.P.! Short for "Adam Smith Death Parade", they surfaced with a Bandcamp page on Wednesday, and while they're new to our formal coverage, we did allude to them in the summer when they played at the private Go Skate Day replacement concert in July (remember when it was rained out?). They were also scheduled to open for Krang at The Distraction in September before the venue closed indefinitely following the fire code stuff at the Ripcordz concert. Describing their genre as "crackrocksteady", they are fronted by Hails guitarist and Agnosticism frontman Mikhal Muto (credited as "Châ"), alongside Sault Side Squad/ex-Stoned To Deaf bassist William Jordan Wardlaw (a.k.a. "Glistening Williard") and Spaceship Opening drummer Ralph Barber (or "Just Ralph"). If you gleaned from the Bandcamp page's existence that they have music out there, you're right, as A.S.D.P. released their debut EP "Atom Bombs & Lemonade" on Wednesday!

Ralph told me on Facebook that the album has three bonus covers (of Leftover Crack's "One Dead Cop", No Cash's "Kill Yer Parents", and The Suburbanists' "Wait Around"), but they are exclusive to the paid copy of the album, which costs $7. It's a short listen (the seven originals run for just 14 minutes), but it's encouraging to already see studio material from A.S.D.P., even if its review around here won't be until mid-2026 due to our extensive new album backlog! No word on if we'll see A.S.D.P. on social media otherwise (members don't seem to be eager to get Facebook pages going for most of their current bands), but stay tuned for more updates and content from this new ska band when things go public!

Next up, let's resume this weekend's concert previews, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations' return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, drummer Tony Santoro announced the gig via the band's Facebook group two weeks ago, and while I listed it in our concert calendar, the idea of adding it to a post slipped me by at the time. If there's a planned final show or two for 2025, I don't know, but if you like Generations' old school rock action, you won't want to miss TONIGHT's show in the event that this is it for the year! This will be their Water Tower Pub debut with new guitarist Joe Miller, after having guest guitarist Michael Yurich when they last played there early last month (and still no public word what the "special surprise" that night was). Whether or not they have a carol or two in mind TONIGHT, this one-nighter is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Also, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock previews at Misty's Fifties, where veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will set up shop once again for a matinee concert TODAY! After skipping last week in his lengthy run of Saturday matinee concerts at the Second Line West nightclub, Tym is back today for his fifth such show there in the past six weeks, and he will be back once more for 2025 next week. Hopefully Tym gets a solid pre-Christmas turnout for his hard rocking covers from his extensive setlist once again later on! While we're on the subject, it looks like Tym's planned New Year's Eve concert at The Fraternal Order of Eagles Club has been quietly cancelled, as per its removal from his Eagles Club shows' batch Facebook event page. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but hopefully we see Tym back in Steelton in the new year!

As for today's Misty's matinee, it takes place at 4:00 PM as always, with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this and next week's Misty's concerts, and for a preview, here he is live a couple years back! 

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• Welsh punk/alternative quartet James & The Cold Gun have been added as the final openers for most of Mammoth's North American tour early next year, the Kewadin Casino date in Sault Michigan on March 28th included. Fun lively sound that adds some genre diversity to the hard rock action in three months, and how often do bands from Wales play here? Get your tickets A.S.A.P. for what should be a solid concert!
• Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly have announced the addition of Blind River folk musician Linsaey Hartford-White (a.k.a. Linsaey L.W.) as their new frontwoman, replacing Haley Alopaeus. A reason for Haley's departure was not announced, but hopefully things were amicable, and that we see her out there again soon, as she is a talented singer! Some readers may recall seeing Linsaey open the Riffs For Rememberance memorial concert for Victoria Childs at Soo Blaster in October, and it will be interesting to see how she fits in with Quite Frankly in 2026!
• Local punk quartet Room 206 will no longer be playing at next week's 1990s punk reunion concert at Soo Blaster, as per co-promoter/P.R.O.D. guitarist Christian Foisy on the Facebook event page yesterday. Their exit was "due to unavoidable circumstances", and while Christian didn't elaborate, note that Brad does live out of town. Hopefully Room 206 resurface down the road when able! Online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad will replace them on the bill as the 8:00 PM opening band, with P.R.O.D., members of The Spigots, Fist Magnet, and Ha!ls following in that order. This will still be a huge night, so visit the above links for more on next week's festivities!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished) And The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

With Christmas just a week away, there's just one more concert weekend to touch on beforehand, so that's what today's post is focusing on! It is sufficiently busy to warrant two posts though, so Saturday's Generations and Tym Morrison shows will be previewed next. Now, here's what you should know, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in the E.U.P.!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the gigs via their Facebook page yesterday, and they are late replacements for this weekend. Sault Ontario classic rock veterans Touch Of Class were originally slated for The Rapids Lounge this weekend, but they had to cancel their scheduled Kewadin dates since last month due to paperwork issues (source here), presumably related to their ability to perform in Michigan. Hopefully they get everything sorted out in time for their scheduled 2026 dates, but kudos to Tarnished for stepping in TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! With no public New Year's dates teased, these will likely be Tarnished's final shows of 2025, and their first at the Sault Kewadin in almost two months.

You can enjoy Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's hard rocking mix of covers at The Rapids Lounge at 9:00 PM as usual TOMORROW & SATURDAY with 21+ age limits. Visit the above link for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, we'll head south to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will set up shop for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not newly promoted on their Facebook page at press time, the shows have Facebook event pages linked here, and will be their first shows in our neck of the woods since rocking the Soo Kewadin three weeks ago. After tomorrow and Saturday, Scarkazm have just two other shows left in 2025 (downstate in Crystal Mountain), but they will be back in the Soo in January and in St. Ignace in April, so if you don't wanna wait, head to The Northern Pines Lounge for Adam, Dave, and Jeff's hard rocking covers and originals before Christmas! Like with Tarnished up north, Scarkazm's Kewadin dates this weekend are 9:00 PM affairs with no cover charges and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Scarkazm live!

Also this weekend, let's head north to Sault Ontario for a stacked multi-genre concert TOMORROW NIGHT at Beck's Bar named Broke & Hungry! This concert will be a Soup Kitchen Community Center benefit as part of touring rapper/host Twitchy T. Tantrum's national food drive, and entry will be via non-perishable food items. Always a wonderful cause, and kudos to Twitchy and all involved at this rare multi-band concert at Beck's! A wide swath of musicians will include two SMS-amenable bands, namely crossover thrash quartet Hails and online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad, while this show will also feature Juno-nominated Toronto rapper Unknown Mizery (a.k.a. King Mizo), local bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels (featuring Shit Liver and Handsome Sandwich alumni), and local rapper Mike "Mic Swiff" Sylvester. This is a 19+ event which starts at 8:00 PM tomorrow.

Note that Twitchy T. Tantrum has a scheduled live-stream for this concert on YouTube, suggesting that it may be played live there for remote and belated viewing, but I haven't seen any firm confirmation of that elsewhere. Keep tabs on that link just in case though!  There's a little something for multiple tastes at Beck's tomorrow, and it will be nice to support the Soup Kitchen just before Christmas in the process, so don't bypass this concert in your weekend plans! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Ha!ls live!

Finally for this preview post, it's our first ever preview of a heavier concert at The Full Throttle Saloon (well, at least since the former Primavera Hall rebranded), as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will set up shop at the Wellington Street West venue TOMORROW NIGHT! This one-nighter will see Greg, Alex, and Warren give Steelton a run for its money, and hopefully things go well there so they can bring their high-octane slate of covers and their originals to a new venue and audience more regularly in 2026! With just their ticketed Moose Lodge show on New Year's Eve ahead, Boneheads will have just this show left for the year in terms of normal nightclub gigs, and it's a normal one for them aside from the locale (9:30 PM start time, 19+ age limit, no cover). Note that the Full Throttle Saloon doesn't host bands on Saturdays at all, and is only open to the public from 12:00-4:00 PM that day (reserved seating after 4:00).

For more details on your local 225's concert tomorrow at the Full Throttle Saloon, the venue's menu options and specials, and more, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's "the dirty three" live! 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Generations and Tym Morrison previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Pop Evil), A New Christmas Album, And Mike Haggith Updates!!

We're back after a quiet weekend with a stacked post on this Monday night, including a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a brand new album release, and a new concert video & related updates, so here's what you should know!

Muskegon, Michigan hard rock quintet Pop Evil will return to our area on Sunday, April 12th, but this time, they'll be making their debut in Sault Ontario at The Machine Shop! Yes, it is 100% the local Machine Shop, not the one in Flint. Fans have seen these Rock 101 mainstays seven times in Sault Michigan over the years (all but one at their Kewadin Casino), including their most recent date here in March 2023, but if you Canadian readers were previously unable or unwilling to cross the border, then you'll want to circle this date on your calendar! Like last time, Pop Evil are touring in support of their new album, so expect to hear cuts from "What Remains", plus existing hits like "Skeletons", "Trenches", and "Breathe Again" in the spring! This will also be their first local stop since Blake Allison replaced Hayley Cramer on drums. No word on potential openers yet, but this show will not feature Sabaton, who Pop Evil are opening for on much of their early 2026 tour run.

Tickets for this all ages and 8:00 PM concert run for $40 + additional processing fees at this link at presumably at the door. We've been getting a good run of big new rock concert announcements in Sault Ontario for early 2026 so far, and this will absolutely help in that, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's a new-ish album release from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night! On Friday, they released "Christmas Night 3" to their Reverbnation page for $7.99, and it's not on other paid or subscription streaming services beyond their YouTube channel. If you're not familiar, the original "Christmas Night" came out as an instrumental album in 2011, before they re-recorded and expanded it with then-singer Rachel Mender in 2022 as "Dreams Of Winter" (I assume they're considering that to be "Christmas Night 2"). For this third go-around with a seasonal album, Theatre of Night are collaborating again with German soprano singer Gaby Koss, who was once an official (if remote) band member in the early-mid 2010s, and worked with Craig, Steve, and crew again last year for a free  "Celtic Christmas metal EP", but there were teasers at the time that Gaby would be working on more material with them.

The five songs from last year's batch are included on "Christmas Night 3" along with five new additions, and note that of the 10 songs, "The First Noel", "O Come Emmanuel", "Let All Mortal Flesh", and "Good King Wenceslas" are all brand new to Theatre Of Night's paid studio output and did not feature on the two prior albums. How do these sound, and how do the other six compare to prior versions? I think we'll find out this month, as I'm going to bump our album review queue all up a month so this can be reviewed in a timely fashion! Otherwise, it'll be blocked for mid-2026 at the earliest, nowhere near Christmas (No Arrow will 100% come next month). Stream "Christmas Night 3" for yourselves below!

Finally, let's head back to Sault Ontario for the long awaited full concert video from Mike Haggith & The Big Finish Band's outdoor-ish headlining show at the Downtown Plaza in September! Of course, this concert was released as a live album named "Under A Moonlit Sky" late last month, but Mike promised right along that the the full video would be posted to his YouTube channel, and that went live on Thursday. 705Live Sound Co. were on hand to provide sound for the concert and this album, while videography was credited to Big Finish Band backing vocalist Elly McWatters (who must have set up one of the stationary cameras), guitarist Chris Nielsen's A Dire Setback bandmate Matt Quinn, and Celeste Maurer. There's at least three stationary cameras on hand here (one pointing directly at the stage, one at a corner angle, and a drumcam for Brandan Glew's sake), while Matt and/or Celeste was roaming to capture various close-up angles. 

For what it's worth, the last two songs are solely featured via the main stationary camera with no switches to other views. Of note, the stage was tarped on three of four sides with a forest/sky motif, but the material wasn't opaque, so natural lighting is reflected in the skyline, and as the show took place during sunset and dusk, things do darken naturally. It is a neat visual! The concert proper is longer than the album, so more of the between-song banter and gaps are left in, but in tagging each individual song in the YouTube description, Mike opted not to credit the guitar adlib or the separated introductions (aside from "The Power of Community") for the video proper. As you may be aware, Mike pledged proceeds from streams of "Under A Moonlit Sky" to Christmas Cheer this month, and that includes 10¢ from every view of the concert video.

Mike was interviewed by SooToday's Darren Taylor for this article about the live album and charity drive, where Mike talks about getting the idea to support his old hometown (remember, he lives in Barrie now), where he focuses his attention for gigs when he comes back north, and the change of plans from the battle of the bands to the full concert on September 25th, apparently on just two days notice! Solidly informative article, even if The Big Finish Band name wasn't given, so read it above! I'll hold my thoughts on the concert proper for our review of "Under A Moonlit Sky" next year, but it's very well shot and edited with some neat views of the plaza stage, so give it a watch below and support Christmas Cheer in the process!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Triumph & The Nameless) And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Today's post is a little longer than expected due to a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT popping up, but with the rest of this weekend's known hard rock shows to cover, and a huge new show coming in a few months, I was too far in to try to edit things out. Here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was actually first announced via their Facebook page back on November 28th, but that completely slipped me by at the time. At least they did announce it, unlike their Brimley VFW Veteran's Ride gig last month! The Nameless last rocked The Merch (or the Soo in general) back in August, and it will be good to see their lively and hard edged slate of covers back on stage! Their own promotion for TOMORROW'S concert implies that there could be an ugly sweater party theme, but they nor the venue (who almost never promote bands playing there on social media) have outright confirmed that, so it could just be seasonal hype. Everything goes down TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview,here's The Nameless live!

Next up, reunited Mississauga, Ontario hard rock icons Triumph and Halifax hard rock legends April Wine will kick off their Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded Tour at GFL Memorial Gardens on Wednesday, April 22nd! Triumph's return has been the talk of many rock fans this week, and they remain classic & active rock radio staples to this day with hits like "Lay It On The Line", "Hold On", and "Somebody's Out There", so it will be really neat to see them back in town to begin their 50th anniversary reunion tour! Triumph last played here at the old Gardens way back on April Fools Day in 1985, so what's a 41 year wait? A lot of the discourse about Triumph in 2026 has been about who exactly is playing in the band for this tour, including rumours that some original members will only be playing select dates, but according to the band's Facebook page, original members Rik Emmett, Mike Levine, and Gil Moore will all be touring North America next year.

Joining them on tour are Bon Jovi guitarist Theofilos "Phil X" Xenidis (who was a late-era Triumph member in the early 1990s), and two members of Slash's solo band The Conspirators (bassist Todd Kerns and drummer Brent Fitz). This could imply that the touring members could fill in for Rik, Mike, and Gil on certain songs, or we could get double the bass and drums, but I know Triumph fans kinda expect to see the original band, so hopefully we get our fill! As for April Wine, we've seen them multiple times between the Twin Saults, most recently at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in 2013, but this will be their first Sault Ontario gig since headlining at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion in 1999. As fans may recall, frontman Myles Goodwyn retired from touring with April Wine in 2022 before passing away the following year, but he gave his blessing for long-time guitarist Brian Greenway to take over leading April Wine and continue touring.

As such, the lineup playing here in April will be the same as what fans saw in Sault Michigan in 2013, only with Marc Parent as their new lead singer and rhythm guitarist, but Marc has the chops to tackle classics like "Roller", "I Like To Rock", and "Sign Of The Gypsy Queen"! Tickets for this all ages and 8:00 PM concert went on sale today at 10:00 AM at this link and at GFL Memorial Gardens' in-person box office, but this is a pricey one, as the cheapest tickets run for $88.65. Many closer seats are reserved for VIP passes too, and there good perks therein, so check online for details. This should be a huge show, and it's neat that the reunion tour begins here, so visit the above links for more on Triumph & April Wine in the spring!

Now to close out this weekend's hard rock concert previews, and fittingly, what's left is all at Beck's Bar, starting with prolific local acoustic rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will play their weekly Saturday matinee timeslot TOMORROW! No stranger to frequent bookings at one locale, this will be Tym's second show at Beck's this week, having played their most recent Sunday matinee gig as well, so if you missed that performance, here's your encore! This won't be Tym's last Beck's gig of the year however, as he will be back at the former Vibe Lounge for their last Sunday matinee timeslot of the year on the 28th, let alone his upcoming Misty's and Eagles Club stops, so fans have lots of chances ahead. You can enjoy his unplugged classic and hard rock covers tomorrow at 3:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and we'll address the nightcap there in a second. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Finally, who's playing at Beck's TOMORROW NIGHT? None other than southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will be playing the rare double header at the Goulais Avenue nightclub this weekend, as they're headlining their SUNDAY matinee timeslot as well! As usual, the Sunday matinee acts at Beck's traditionally play acoustic, so that will be Bone Yard's final "uncorked" show of 2025, a fact to keep in mind when planning your live music attendance this weekend, especially if you like Greg, Alex, and Warren in this form factor! Of course, tomorrow's concert is the big one, with fully electric instruments, so if you've missed them at this venue since the Halloween weekend, then come on down for your local 225's hard rocking covers and their increasing slate of originals! As a reminder, Tym Morrison is not "opening" for Bone Yard tomorrow, he and the band each have four hour timeslots spaced two hours apart.

Tomorrow's concert is at 9:00 PM, Sunday's is at 3:00 PM, neither has a cover charge, and there's a 19+ age limit in effect. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's "the dirty three" live!

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

The First Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Let's look at another range of weekend concert previews on this Thursday morning, but with a lot to talk about, I'm holding our previews of this weekend's Tym Morrison and Bone Yard 225 shows at Beck's Bar for our next post due to the amount. Before I begin, I wanted to offer a couple of clarifications for this weekend's schedule. Regarding the now-defunct Exit 808's scheduled St. Ignace Kewadin Casino gigs on Friday and Saturday, Kewadin's entertainment page still lists "Double Jack" (their original name) as playing there this weekend. As best as I can tell, ex-band members haven't retained the booking in a new project (at least not in a publically acknowledged state), but if I hear something about a band there this weekend, I'll let you guys know! Meanwhile, Sault Ontario's Double Down (more on them in a bit) mentioned in their Facebook post on Monday that classic/hard rockers Headrush are playing this weekend at The Full Throttle Saloon?

The question mark is on their end, not mine, implying that they weren't 100% sure about if the shows were taking place. I don't know if Double Down heard about a tentative booking or not, but at press time, neither Headrush nor the former Primavera Hall have said anything publically about matching bookings this weekend. This is not to definitively say that Double Down are wrong, but we'll let you know if firm public announcements come out either way! Now, let's dive into verifiable hard rock concerts!

We'll start with Double Down themselves, as the local classic/hard rock cover quartet will rock Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be Double Down's final concerts of 2025, their first shows anywhere in three weeks, and their first at the former Roosevelt Hotel in almost a month. Should be a good way to rock out with this talented veteran quartet, who have lots of entertaining hard and classic rock covers in their vast setlist, so don't miss out in the west end! Regarding their bassist slot, recent promotional images include bassist Dan Beaupre (who has missed all of their fall gigs while recovering from an undisclosed ailment), but the band has not 100% said in writing if he will be playing this weekend or not. Granted, they never revealed who their guest bassist was at The Water Tower Pub last month either (it wasn't Lori). We'll let you know if something is said either way!

This weekend's shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on these shows, and for a preview, here's Double Down live!

Next up, we'll head to Sault Michigan, where Iron Mountain classic/hard rock cover quintet Oz will make their long awaited return to the E.U.P. TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT when they rock The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino! Like with Double Down, these are Oz's last shows anywhere in 2025, but they will be back in the Soo in two months if you can't make it this weekend. As it turns out, Oz had been on a bit of a break prior to this road trip, but they were working on new material over the fall, and fans will get the first chance to see what classic cuts are now in their setlist this weekend. Oz are a very talented band with lots of heavier covers from 1970s and 1980s rock legends, so don't miss out on this weekend's shows if you're in the region! Tomorrow and Saturday's shows are at 9:00 PM as usual for The Rapids Lounge, with no cover charges and 21+ age limits. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Oz live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll make the hour's trip south to Hessel, where local hard rock cover quartet Unfortunate Sun will take the stage for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Islander Bar! As of this writing, we're just over two weeks removed from Skip, Jody, Tony, and Jason's most recent Islander Bar show (said venue's "Drinksgiving" bash), but this is the second straight weekend where the guys have played a normal weekend gig in the E.U.P., following last weekend's Soo Kewadin stops. While not acknowledged in Unfortunate Sun's own promotion, Saturday's concert doubles as The Islander Bar's ugly sweater party, so if you have a particularly ugly Christmas sweater, this is the day to break it out, especially as a prize awaits the ugliest sweater of all! There will also be holiday cocktail specials if that's your thing. Of course, Unfortunate Sun promise "music that will melt your faces off like that poor bastard in Indiana Jones", so no pressure at all there!

As usual for concerts at The Islander Bar, Saturday's festivities are at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge, and if you believe Unfortunate Sun's AI poster for the show, you may get a Facebook friend request if you bring them cake! Visit the above links for more on this concert, and for a preview, here's Unfortunate Sun live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Beck's Bar previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!