It's now time for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, as we continue looking at the current release statuses and whereabouts of announced & upcoming albums from Sault Ontario metal, hard rock, and punk artists! Unfortunately, this installment is basically in a holding pattern, with only photo restorations and some minor date edits for this month's six entries, but remember that the ongoing pandemic may still be throwing a wrench into plans for some acts. In any event, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!
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The Bear Hunters - The Dead Testament
Rumoured Songs: "The
Void", "The Omen", "Neckbreaker", "I Fear No God", "Servitude",
"Transcend Judgement", "For Glory", "The Wrath Of Angmar", "The Dying
Den", "The Dead Testament", "Deception" (bonus re-recording),
"The Forest of Forests" (bonus track)
Background: In tentative planning
since 2014 under this title, local death metal quintet The Bear
Hunters have been playing songs intended for their second full length CD
for a few years now, but only fully began recording sessions for "The
Dead Testament" on October 2nd, 2015. Following a brief fundraising campaign
and the gradual unveiling of song titles, the band has been working
with producer Dustin Jones at
Mission Control Studios, and have shared
sporadic updates on
their Instagram page. Like on 2014's "Eternal
Hibernation", rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney has recorded parts
for the album despite living in Southern Ontario. The music video for
"I Fear No God" was posted on YouTube in December 2018, marking the first public release of a song from the CD, while
the final cover artwork and full track listing order were posted on
their Facebook page in February 2019.
Current Release Status: The Bear
Hunters haven't given any firm timetables for when to expect "The Dead
Testament"
in stores, and they have not publically referenced the album on social
media in over a year, but recording sessions are reportedly complete,
and they have played live since then.
The band is
aiming for a more professional sound and release for
their sophomore effort, and to go along with that, artwork and physical
distribution plans are ongoing, as are "a ton of cool ideas for stepping
our media game up." Keep an eye out for updates on "The Dead Testament"
when
and if they come in!
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Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide's fourth album
Rumoured Songs: "Lost & Found", "All Broke Down"
Background: After a lengthy hiatus
dating back to the summer of 2016, local Celtic punk veterans Dustin
Jones & The Rising Tide resumed public activity in early 2018, later
beginning recording sessions by that October at Dustin's own Mission Control
Studios, as per
their Facebook page.
The band confirmed that they were indeed recording a fourth studio
album (and first in 7 years) in January 2019, which will presumably be
released through
Tidal Records, and will also be their first album with second guitarist Liam Seymour and drummer Chris Johns.
A 22 second teaser
of the first single
"Lost & Found"
was posted on Facebook,
and it's official music video was released in March 2019, while "All Broke
Down" was initially cited as the first single in December 2018
(source here.)
Current Release Status: When The
Tide shared the above teaser clip, they mentioned that the album was
"coming soon", which doesn't tell us much. With recording sessions a few
months in, and it's intended song now out via the music video, it's
likely that Dustin and company aren't early in the process,
but we'll let you know when more comes out on their highly anticipated
fourth album as we proceed in the new year!
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The Elements'
debut EP
Rumoured Songs: "Liar", "G20", "Triple H", "The Rut", "I Need A Friend", "Riptide"
Background: Arguably better known
for their funk, ska, and hard rock covers, local quartet The Elements
have been adding original material to their sets since 2015, and
have since publically confirmed earlier teases that they are working on a
debut EP. Frontman Rob Speers has confirmed in personal conversations
in early 2016 that they have been working in studio on the release,
which will have at
least 5 tracks, and I believe it's being self-recorded, but further
public updates are minimal at best. A studio recording of
"I Need A Friend" was quietly posted onto
their Facebook page in February, following personal Facebook postings that revealed that EP
sessions were further along than public statements indicated, though
they have not elaborated since.
Current Release Status: At this
stage, I have no idea, but Rob sounded like things were going well in
studio. That said, these were largely personal conversations over a year
ago,
and it's anyone's guess when The Elements will provide a public
statement corroborating the private teasers. I won't go into detail on
that front unless the band does or gives permission, so we'll have to
see if updates come out on it soon!
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Mike Haggith - Bridges
Rumoured Songs: "From The 55th Parallel", "Over Indecision", "The Nature of The Times","An
Act of Strength","The Catalyst", "Dangerous
Town", "Come on Home", "Blue Highway", "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost", "Bridges"
Background: After moving to
Thompson, Manitoba in November 2017, prolific
local/Windsor hard/alternative rock musician Mike Haggith relaunched his
dormant solo project, and soon commenced work on a new CD named
"Bridges", which finished recording sessions in early 2019.
His Facebook page
has documented songwriting sessions, acoustic videos of new
original songs, plus solo concerts in Thompson largely
featuring new tracks. Despite the unveiling of the cover artwork, three
singles, and even a music video for "The Nature of The Times", Mike
indefinitely postponed the release of "Bridges" late last year due to
mixing
delays, personal life concerns, and the quick development of a new
album named
"If Ever Comes The Day", which was released last month.
Current Release Status: Mike has confirmed in his #LockdownLive concerts that "Bridges" will
be released by the end of the year, and for an album with completed
recording sessions,
artwork, and single releases, that could be a conservative guess. With Mike's candor & honesty,
you know he
won't hide anything
regarding "Bridges", so keep tabs for updates, but watch
#LockdownLive IV to hear the whole album unplugged and hear his side of the album's progress and delays as of April!
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Pillory's second CD
Rumoured Songs: "Angst of Existence", "Sculptor of Cadavers", "Wasting", "Abhorred Apprehension", "The Passing",
"Exhaustive Incarnation"
Background: After previously
breaking up in mid-2014, local metal band Pillory returned as a trio in
the fall of 2015, trading their thrash metal roots for a heavier death
metal sound, complete with a completely overhauled setlist with no
carried-over originals from their 2013 debut EP. In
March 2017, Id Iota guitarist Dustin Goodall's recording studio
Unsalted Audio
revealed that they were in pre-production for Pillory's second album,
with the band confirming that sessions were underway that summer. As of
July 2017, drum tracks were complete, though it took until November 2018
for the band to confirm that guitar tracking was underway, with vocals
& mixing to follow. It's not clear who will provide bass tracks on
the final
product, between ex-bassist Jordan Leach, his replacement Blair St.
John, frontman Robert Sartini (who played bass on their first EP), or a
combination therein.
Current Release Status: I have no
idea, and it doesn't help that Pillory have only posted once on Facebook
in the past 3 years, though their new lineup returned from year-long
hiatuses twice in that span for opening sets at Live705 death metal
shows at The Rockstar Bar. That said, with their increasingly
brutal and
technical sound, hopefully they can get this album complete down the
line!
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Treble Charger's sixth album
Rumoured Songs: Unknown
Background: While recording a brand
new album was a common teaser in Treble Charger's post-reunion concerts
in the mid-late 2010s, the local/Toronto indie punk icons only gave a
firm public confirmation that they were indeed working on their sixth CD
in
this Sault Star
article in September. The recording sessions reportedly began last
spring, and as of the interview, four or five demos were recorded,
though things were on hold at the time while they waited for studio at
the Algoma Conservatory of Music
(that frontman Greig Nori is managing) to finish construction before
final recordings take place there. Guitarist Bill Priddle's Pointless
bandmate Dustin Goodall will record bass tracks for the album, though
it's not clear who will handle drums.
Current Release Status: I am not
sure, but when the announcement is made regarding completion of the
Algoma Conservatory studio, that may give a hint as to a timeline. Also,
remember that Treble Charger do not have a regularly maintained social
media account, so things may progress faster than public statements come
out. In any event, Treble Charger will want to ensure that everything
goes perfect for the album, so stay tuned!
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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, such as it is, and hopefully we have some more additions and updates to make next month! Our next monthly feature post will be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, which will drop around one week from tomorrow. That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly! Thanks everyone!
Having a downstate band open for a local band may seem atypical, but Letters From Abel are relatively new from what I have read, and they do have a Sault tie, as their drummer is Midnight Logic alum Kade Desarmo. You can see them cover Nirvana at this link, and they are a promising young group! The other acts are solo musicians, including singer/guitarist Kevin Blakeney, who you may recognize from the last three Rudyard Musicians Festivals, and who does have grunge and alternative songs in his repertoire. The other performer is St. Ignace solo artist Austin Graham, who performs under the name Grayham Entertainment. I don't know what he plays, but you can find out tomorrow when he performs at The Club at Breakers in St. Ignace. Note that Tarnished's online ticket page advertises Illinois blues project Concreteslim as playing on July 18th, but it looks like Kevin replaced them for unannounced reasons.
Finally, let's look at ex-Tarnished drummer Tommy Korcal's current local hard rock band Project 906, who have been staying busy during the pandemic working on original songs for a planned debut EP! On June 21st, the guys revealed on their Facebook page that they hope to record it later this year or in early 2021. Fans may have seen them play originals live on occasion, but now you can hear copies recorded from their jam room (I'd guess), starting with a fully public re-upload of "It's So Easy". Other original song names include "The Comeback" (watch them perform it live here), "Walk On", and "8th and Nowhere", but embedded below is their newest song posted on Thursday, entitled "The Lonely Few". I'll hold comment on the songs for now, in deference to the album review that will follow the EP's release, but it's great to see Project 906 staying busy and productive while they can't play live! Get more updates above and below!
