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Awokest & Chase James Wigmore's new albumsRumoured Songs: Unknown
Background: Ever the prolific musician and songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore announced the upcoming release of two new albums for his metal/techno project Awokest on their Facebook page on July 8th, including the guitar-focused "The Majestic Seagulls of Satan's Army" (which was released for free on YouTube on Thursday under his own name) and the electronic-based "Beyonder". While "Beyonder" was allegedly awaiting a final mix & master at last report, Chase posted on his eponymous Facebook page on August 31st to indicate that it's progress was dialed back, while also announcing two more distinct acoustic albums and the long-gestating completion of his 33 part rock opera "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". He did not give specifics as to those albums' progress.
Current Release Status: Your guess is as good as mine, but remember that Chase is very prolific and varied in his musical interests, and not every album of his has seen a formal paid release, either by finishing it's lifespan as a demo, or by being released online for free. Chase himself admitted on Facebook that he was "not sure how many of these I can finish fully this year", but stay tuned for updates from his camps when they roll in!
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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 it rolls in!
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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 - BridgesRumoured 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 in June.
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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I have also opted to remove one album from this series, at least temporarily, due to the publically inactive status of the band in question, so here's what you should know in that regard:
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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 last August. 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.
Reason For Removal: While you can never be certain given Treble Charger's minimal online presence and the setbacks caused by the current pandemic, I have made the call to remove their new album from this series for now, as there have been no public updates on the album since the aforementioned Sault Star article in August 2019. It's entirely possible that Greig, Bill, and company are still working on it privately, and when/if new public word comes in on the album/sessions, I'll gladly add it back!
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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series will return on or around November 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next week. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!
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