Last Month's Poll Results And Our Poll On Your Favourite Local Metal CDs of 2011!!

It's poll day at The Sault Metal Scene! Today, we have our first "Favourite ___ of 2011" poll to launch, but before all that, our last poll of 2011 has now closed, and thanks to all 73 of you who voted! That total actually outperformed my estimate for it, so thanks again! In case you forgot, last month's poll question was this: Which ACTIVE out of town band with a Saultite in their lineup do you most want to see next at a local concert? Without any further adieu, here's the final results!

Infathom (41 votes)
Other (9 votes)
Maximum RNR (6 votes)
Gravity Crash (4 votes)
Phatstick (4 votes)
The Lust Boys (3 votes)
Fifth Way (2 votes)
Mark Rand [with The Mark Rand Band] (2 votes)
The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles (1 vote)
Summon (1 vote)
Age of Days (0 votes)
Beyond Haven (0 votes)
NeanderTHRALL (0 votes)
RedStone Riot (0 votes)
Repetitions (0 votes)
Violet Fuse (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, in ascending order, I'm glad to see that only 6 bands got no votes (I assumed more bands would in the poll.) I'm most surprised that RedStone Riot and two of Ash Richtig's bands got no support from voters, but in time, hopefully all of these bands have greater local recongition beyond their membership! Of the bands with 1-2 votes, they got support like I assumed, but maybe less than I thought going in, especially for Mark Rand's solo project. The Lust Boys finished 6th with 3 votes, and luckily, they are indeed coming to town in March, which is a great sign! Phatstick's 5th place finish with 4 votes is a good sign for their local popularity, though I wish they played their originals live again. I was most surprised to see Gravity Crash finish in 4th place despite never playing locally before, but they are talented, and maybe Paul will bring them home at some point for a show! Third (and highest for Canadian choices) was Maximum RNR, and after their well recieved concert here in February, it's hopefully only a matter of time before Brent & Curtis bring them back to the area! Second with 9 votes was "Other", which could mean a lot of things, from longing for certain band's reunions or wanting a band with no Saultites to play locally, but I can't say for certain what people had in mind here.

But the overwhelming winners with 41 votes were Munising metal band Infathom, who did attain some local prominence last year at LemmaFest, among many other Upper Peninsula gigs! I know that the band jumped on this poll and promoted it on band pages, which likely helped their high vote totals, but their sound is exciting and they have lots of promise, so it's a clear sign that fans do want them to play a local concert again down the road! Check them out at the above links, stay tuned for news on frontman Dillion Semasky's new local band Half A Man, and thanks to everyone for voting!

As for this month's poll, we're back into the swing of things for your top picks of the past year, so I'm posing this question to you guys: What was your favourite new local metal album of 2011? Last year saw a decent amount of new CD releases from some prominent local acts, so I'm curious to see what your respective favourites were! Note that I'm only counting albums that were first released between January 1st and December 31st, 2011, so the re-releases of Woods of Ypres' "Woods IV: The Green Album" or Theatre of Night's "Christmas Night" aren't official choices in the poll. As well, no albums that haven't been officially released for purchase are being counted, so the leak of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" or Sykotyk Rampage's "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts of Intellect" aren't on the poll, as neither was officially released as of New Year's Eve. Just brand new CDs that you could actually buy last year are counted, but you can be creative with your picks if one of the above was your favourite in the "Other" section! This poll will run until February 18th, and like last month, you can pick multiple choices, but you can only physically vote once. So, what are your choices for this poll of favourite local metal CDs in the past year? Read on to find out!

Clownsack - Funny Farm: The only Sault Michigan metal CD to see an in-store release in 2011 that I know of, Clownsack's second CD and first EP gained some good notoriety upon it's release this past spring. I personally missed the funk elements compared to "Rotten Candy", but I enjoyed it! However, did you think "Funny Farm" was your favourite new local CD of 2011?

Destroilet - EP: Despite a very quiet release in May with no attached in-store sales or CD release show, Sault Ontario hardcore quintet Destroilet delivered a nice EP of old school hardcore for their debut disc, including some well received covers of other local bands! However, does this top all other new CD releases from area metal bands last year?

Garden of Bedlam - Everything Will Die: After months of anticipation, Garden of Bedlam successfully launched their first full length album and second disc at a Boxing Day CD release show last month at The Canadian Nightclub, and it's since gotten some great responses! It may have been the most eagerly awaited of last year's released CDs, but was "Everything Will Die" your favourite of them all?

Either of Mike Haggith's new albums: Ever the prolific artist, Sault Ontario solo musician Mike Haggith put out two new solo albums in 2011 through Rotten Records, including his latest studio album "Suspended Animation" and his most recent compilation CD "The Best Of Mike Haggith, Volume II", featuring top songs from his 2009-2011 solo albums. Both are choices in the poll, so if you liked either one the most last year, vote for it!

Any of Sykotyk Rampage's new albums: In one of their most creatively prolific years to date, the original crash band themselves put out no less than FOUR new digital albums in 2011 for online purchase, including "Karrs", "Bucket of Ham", "Space", and "Zombiez", each with their own creative flourishes and running themes! With more to come in 2012, are any of these new Sykotyk Rampage albums your top picks of last year?

Woods of Ypres - Home: The last brand new Woods of Ypres release during David Gold's lifetime, this vinyl single unveiled two songs from the band's "Woods 4.5" sessions in August 2010 through an independent release in the spring on Practical Art Records. Despite it's length, was "Home" your favourite new local metal album of any kind from 2011?

Other: Do you have another CD or album in mind as your favourite? Are you more for the rereleases of "Woods IV: The Green Album" or Theatre of Night's "Christmas Night"? How about a non-metal CD release, or one that was merely leaked prior to it's scheduled release in 2012? If any of the above apply, vote here!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until February 18th to make your voices heard, at which point we'll likely launch our "Biggest News Story of 2011" poll! Stay tuned for that next month, but vote in this poll while you have the chance, and stay tuned for Sault Ontario weekend concert previews in our next post!