Saturday, August 26, 2017

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Blood Shed

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our randomly selected look at 1-3 (one this month) YouTube channels whose content is at least 50% devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists and concerts! This month's random selection is of the channel of a local indie label whose content isn't for all tastes, visually or sonically, so bear that in mind just in case. That said, they have a loyal fanbase, many talented musicians within, and are celebrating their fifth anniversary this year, so read on below for this month's YouTube Channel Profile!
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Blood Shed (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Dw5V-Z54Mc2NNVv6sbDhQ)

Owner: Blood Shed Productions co-founder Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson, also well known from his vocal and multi-instrumental work with label-signed grindcore and metal projects Crucify the Whore, Rotopsy, Brutally Fatal, and Malignant Neoplasm, as well as bands like The Noochin' Lanterns, Tomgrindy, and T.E.N.

Channel Timeline: Launched on November 13th, 2012; Videos posted from that day through November 2016.

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for local independent grindcore/horror rap label Blood Shed Productions, this is one of the most prolific channels for uploaded content from local musicians, featuring (at last count) 227 individual videos! While some live performance videos have been included from jam sessions and concerts alike, including select performances from non-label acts, most content (especially earlier uploads) has been of audio content from released demos. About 2/3rds of the channel focuses on Blood Shed metal projects (largely projects featuring Tyler), with the remainder focusing on the label's rappers.

Why You Should Watch: While the divisive lyrical content, cover artwork, and presented metal subgenres will definitely not be to all readers' tastes (tread lightly if easily offended), the Blood Shed Productions channel will be essential viewing for long-time fans of the label, not to mention horrorcore rap, goregrind, and death metal, especially if you like your metal bands to have 2 members or less! It's very hard to single out individual videos on a channel this big, so if you're a fan, you'll have a good time combing through this one! That said, while the label is still active, 2017 has been a quieter year for the Blood Shed, and that has helped lead to no new uploads on their YouTube channel yet this year.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

Crucify the Whore - People These Days: The most viewed video on Blood Shed Productions' channel (and 6 of their top 10) comes from C.T.W.'s debut demo, though all of these songs have names and an album cover subject that may offend some readers, so I've chosen not to embed them here. Instead, here's the channel's most popular video with more a more benign title & visuals, and it's the October 2013 upload of C.T.W.'s song "People These Days", posted to preview the goregrind solo project's 2014 release "Welcome to Earth". This is quintessential C.T.W., with Tyler's brutal guitar work meshed effectively with programmed drums and pig squeal vocals, and while Blood Shed loyalists will be right at home, this will definitely not be all readers' cup of tea. The full album can be heard on this channel as well, but be warned that some song titles and the cover artwork may be offensive.



Rotopsy - Cops N Moms ( Uninvited Uninvited ): Most concert videos on the Blood Shed channel come from Oddfellows Hall concerts or house parties, but this video is featured here due to it's improved lighting and stage set-up, giving us a better look at goregrind/death metal duo Rotopsy playing their fan favourite original "Cops 'N Moms", inspired by noise complaints at a house party set of theirs. Filmed at The Primavera Hall during their set at November 2014's Sault Band-O-Rama concert, this song is one of Rotopsy's more accessible originals, with shouted vocals from Tyler and lead singer Dylan Taylor rather than growling, but it's an amusing number that easily gets a good response during Rotopsy sets! The studio version of this song has also been uploaded to this channel, courtesy of the label's 11-way split release in 2015, as have other live renditions.



Brutally Fatal - Stomp Your Feet (Live): I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Blood Shed Productions co-founder Austin McCrae in this profile, given his own deep roots with the label as rapper Miracle Man and via his work in two different versions of his death metal project Brutally Fatal (initially spelled "Brutaly"), though each version's brief runs as Re-Born & The Revolution aren't documented on the channel. Otherwise, Austin's Blood Shed work is well represented here, including via jam session and live videos of both versions, with Austin on vocals & guitar or bass, and Tyler joining on drums for two stints with Mk. I. This video comes from a basement jam at label-signed rapper Phat Boii's residence in June 2015, capturing more of a punk-flavoured original that has lots of aggression and a unique side-stage angle! Videos of C.T.W. and Rotopsy have also been uploaded from this event, albeit with different camera angles.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll be taking a look at another randomly selected YouTube channel, and that random choice will be ForAllThatIsLost Fatil, better known as the official channel for the defunct early 2010s Central Algoma death metal band For All That Is Lost! Sticking with death metal here to kick off the fall, so look for that on or around September 26th, and stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

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