Saturday, March 12, 2016

Winkstinger Updates, An Inactive Band, And New Videos!!

After a rare day on the SMS with three posts, let's quiet things down on this Saturday night with just one, as we tackle some updates from 4 local metal bands, including new videos and recent happenings from two of them, a move to our inactive band links for one, and first, a band member search and concert removal for one, so here's what you should know!

Reunited extreme metal band Winkstinger are looking for a new lead singer! As per guitarist Jesse Cook's Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Thursday, they need someone in time for the Gorod/Bookakee show at The Algonquin Pub on April 15th, and "you can scream and flap around all you want" and take liberties with the lyrics in concert. Winkstinger had been fronted by ex-Issues frontman Alan Wells during their original 2010-2013 run, and while it's unclear if he was the intended frontman for the reunion, drummer Jonas Gasperas noted in a personal posting that their singer "bailed", so read into that however you want. No word yet either on who their new bassist is, or if they have a rhythm guitarist again, but we'll let you know if we hear anything. Winkstinger's recent material has been a little more technical and progressive, so they could lend themselves to a few different singing styles, so message Jesse at this link or above if you're interested in trying out!

Also, the Gorod show will indeed be their first gig since their reunion, as they have dropped out of the third installment of Six, Two, Oh.'s punk rock bingo series at The New American Pub this coming Wednesday, as per the Facebook event page in the past week or so. A reason for Winkstinger's withdrawal wasn't announced, but again, they have no singer at the moment, so that could be related. They're not being replaced, so with no other bands, it's no longer on our concert listings, but expect a great night of bingo and random punk themed prizes for winning contestant! Keep it in mind if you're not planning to attend night #2 of the VM Radio Battle on Wednesday!

Next up, we have a band to soon add to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, they being local sludge/doom metal band Giwakwa, who last posted on their Facebook page one year ago tomorrow. Active since the summer of 2012, Giwakwa opened for Striker, The Rabid Whole, and Sleep When You're Dead during their early-mid 2013 heyday, and were the runners-up in the third semifinal for that April's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands. However, Giwakwa haven't played live since that July's Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up, where they opened for outgoing members Josh Stephney & Nolan Rainville's one-off reunion with Bring The Fallen. Though returns to the stage and new media has since been teased, the band's new lineup never visibly got off the ground. Giwakwa were a brutal band that had a lot of promise, so best of luck to Chris, Mitch, Chris, and other former members in the future! Hopefully they come back down the road, but check out member's current work in The Bear Hunters, Project 421, and Eclipse!

Closing today with new videos, here's the latest from local "grind/death/tech/thrash" band Them, so what have they been up to? While searching for shows as of January 29th, the band featuring Bring The Misery, Strange Coyotes, Revolution, and Infamous alumni revealed on their Facebook page that they're working on "teasers and updates" to be unveiled over the coming month, and the first of that was a new original song called "Moosejaw Boudreau" (referencing drummer Anthony Boudreau), which is featured in this jam video featuring Anthony and singer/guitarist Tyler St. Amour. Sort of harbouring a Shit Liver-meets-Rotopsy vibe here, the song has promise, but I'd be interested to hear it with Chase and Rainey involved as well, and the vertical camera angle does no favours to the view of the performance. A new Them track was teased for yesterday, which came and went, but stay tuned for more from Them when it comes in, and here's their newest track "Moosejaw Boudreau"!



Lastly, here's the latest from local atmospheric black metal duo Dullahan, who made their first public update in 4 months on their Facebook page last month, explaining that personal commitments (including family members falling ill) helped stall band activity, including recording sessions for a planned EP. Wyrn & Sevriz had recorded a new Dullahan song entitled "The Sea of Depression" last fall that will be among the planned EP's tracks, as uploaded to their YouTube channel last month. Cryptic postings on their pages note that this was intended to be the title track originally, but now, the EP "is in the air with the prospect of new material on the way", and "although the lakes are frozen now and there is snow on the ground, the tragedy in both our lives are in this song." Set to nature video footage, "The Sea of Depression" is well written and fits their genre, but I do wonder how it would sound with vocals & extra instruments. Hopefully things level out and turn upward for the guys, and for now, here's Dullahan's newest track!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and updates next week! Thanks everyone!

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