Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: NeanderTHRALL

It's time once again for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile, our first of two special feature posts this week! This month, we're looking at another band from a prolific Saultite who's carving his name in the Windsor music scene in numerous bands, and they definitely deserve some local attention! Remember, this series details bands and projects featuring at least one Sault Ste. Marie-area native, though the band itself isn't from here. So I hope you guys enjoy this month's profile in this series, but of course, if I have any mistakes or omissions you'd like to see addressed, please tell me! (Updated on November 26th, 2014)
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NeanderTHRALL (Windsor, Ontario)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics) 

Kris Kerr (vocals/guitar)
Paul Maricic (lead guitar)
Ash Richtig (bass/formerly drums)
Mike "Mihilo John" Kryworuchko (drums)

Alex Petrovich (vocals/rhythm guitar)
Chris Wilkins (vocals/rhythm guitar)
Kyle Paulton (bass) 

Official MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/neanderthrall
Official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/neanderthrall
Official Reverbnation page: http://reverbnation.com/neanderthrall
Official YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/neanderthrallwindsor
Official Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/neanderthrall

Local Info: The only Saultite in NeanderTHRALL is drummer Ashley Richtig, a Sault Ontario native who's become a frequently seen sight in the Windsor music scene for his drumming and bass talents! I don't know much about Ash's local music background, but he's definitely from here, and his local roots are evident on his online pages! Now in Windsor, he's best known as drummer for the punk influenced metal band The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles, but can also be seen on bass & drums in bands like Repetitions, The Line Drawn, and of course, as in NeanderTHRALL!

Band Bio: Formed in October 2010, NeanderTHRALL is a side project from 3/4ths of The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles that allows them to try some different genres in their spare time, namely sludge and stoner metal, as influenced by bands like Black Sabbath, The Melvins, and Kyuss. The band enlisted Gypsy Chief Goliath frontman Alex "The Yeti" Petrovich the next month to round out their lineup, and have mostly focused on jamming and recording original material since. Seven original songs, all with "thrall" (a term for slaves in the Viking age) in the title, have been posted on their internet pages, although only one currently features vocals. NeanderTHRALL finally debuted at The Coach & Horses in Windsor on August 4th as the opening band for Gypsy Chief Goliath's headlining concert that night, though just two months later, Alex was replaced by Davis Block frontman Chris Wilkins, who debuted with the band on October 30th, but departed the following year. After a quiet 2012, NeanderTHRALL returned in 2013 with a new Isis-inspired sound and new songwriting plans, so stay tuned for updates!

If you like stoner and sludge metal, you'll enjoy NeanderTHRALL! The posted songs all have that raw unpolished sound coupled with some heavy grooves and catchy rhythms, giving us a sound we don't hear enough of! Alex Petrovich's vocals perfectly suited the songs we heard from their original lineup with many low tones and punk-tinged sections, though Chris' more punk-inspired singing added a nice layer as well! The rest of the band show their appreciation for stoner metal on the posted songs, and though Ash's drumming & Paul's riffing aren't as rapid fire as we've seen before, NeanderTHRALL's material stands on it's own with it's unique style that is well worth checking out, like on the droning epic "Thrall From Grace" and the heavier and more melodic "Thrill Of It Thrall"! I probably would lean more towards THSMM if I had to pick a preference of these two Ash Richtig-featured two bands, but NeanderTHRALL are a very promising band that can make some real waves in the Windsor scene if they keep up with what they're doing, as you don't hear this kind of stuff every day!

NeanderTHRALL's Reverbnation and MySpace pages linked above will lead you to their original demos, but as for videos, the band's official YouTube channel is loaded with demos and videos from shows with both of their first frontmen! Decent quality overall, and a good preview of their future material and live shows, so definitely give them a look! Here's the first chunk of Chris Wilkins' debut with NeanderTHRALL, but check out their other material at the above links!


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There we go, hopefully you guys liked this month's Out Of Town Profile! Next month, we'll take a well-deserved look at Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom (as seen at LemmaFest), featuring Sault High graduate Dillion Semasky on vocals! Look for that between August 23rd and 29th, though likely on the 26th. That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new post featuring a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT early tomorrow, and yes, our review of Gates of Winter's "Lux Aeterna" on Thursday! Thanks everyone!