Saturday, February 4, 2023

Where Are The New Albums? February 2023 Update

After a delay partially due to weekend concert previews, here's this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, as we're again seeing what the current release statuses are of upcoming albums that have at least had recording sessions publically begin! This month, we have six entries, three with new or updated entries (as noted with the title in italics), but one is brand new, replacing the newly released Mike McCleary album "Fallout From Midnight Tides", which will be covered on the site shortly. Now, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!

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Chase James Wigmore - The Chaotic Rite

Rumoured Songs: Multiple

Background: Ever the prolific artist & songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore has been working on an extensive rock opera for years (once claimed to be a 33 part work), originally named "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". Worked on in between his other unrelated solo albums, released for sale or otherwise, Chase posted a lengthy elaboration of the rock opera last year, now titled "The Chaotic Rite", outlining its concept, recording plans, and long-term release timeline. Clips of songs have surfaced on his Facebook page, as well as the final artwork, while in promotion for his last release, Chase has hinted that "The Chaotic Rite" might be his final eponymous solo album.

Current Release Status: Your guess is as good as mine for when this will finally come out, 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. Regardless, he has been working on the rock opera for years to ensure a quality product, so stay tuned for updates from his camp!

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 Crucify The Whore & Molten Imp - Pyrolytic Punishment

Rumoured Songs (M): "Winter XX/XXII-XX/XXIII", "Colourful Snow (More Acid)", "Ankle Deep", "Pedestrian Blues (eyehatetrucks), "Winter XX/XXII-XX/XXIII (Reprise)"

Background: After prior teasers, a split release was announced last month that will feature local goregrind solo project and Blood Shed Productions tentpole act Crucify The Whore teaming up with a non-label act, not unlike their "A Couple of Degenerate Bastards" splits with the aforementioned Chase Wigmore. This time, their partner act is local industrial metal solo project Molten Imp in what they're considering their first EP as opposed to their prior digital 7" singles. Aside from revealing Molten Imp's side of the track listing on their Facebook page, most of the teasers have been just that, though this promotional image may tease the cover artwork.

Current Release Status: Both acts had teased releasing "Pyrolytic Punishment" on Wednesday, but that date has came and went without anything to show for it publically, with neither Tyler nor Boyd saying what happened. Given Blood Shed Productions' D.I.Y. and underground nature, the release could happen at any point now, so stay tuned to each project's social media accounts for updates!

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Fort Creek's debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Hammer Down"

Background: Local southern/hard rock quintet Fort Creek have sporadically teased plans to record an EP since February 2020, and while the pandemic lockdowns may have gave them more time to record, they wouldn't release any samples until almost two years later when they shared this snippet of their single "Hammer Down" their Facebook page, later posting this 72 second clip. The guys debuted it at their headlining concert at Soo Blaster in June, and have played it live regularly since, but they have yet to release any full tracks online. It's not clear if new rhythm guitarist Bill Brouillard will be part of the recordings, or if his predecessor Matt Sibilo's tracks will remain on the final product.

Current Release Status: Fort Creek originally planned to release the EP in "late summer", later adjusted to "late 2022", but both timeframes have obviously came and went. The band had been part of a three month hiatus late last year, but whether the break was to work on the EP isn't publically known. There are a lot of unknowns either way, especially given the 2+ years of production time and that this is a band primarily known for their work on the weekend cover circuit (though some members do have experience in name original bands, especially Tony). It will be interesting to see how things develop, so stay tuned!
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Handsome Sandwich - "Deconstructed"

Rumoured Songs: "All Or Nothing", "Bitter", "No Entry", "No Idea"

Background: After taking a year+ long hiatus during the pandemic, local "no genre" band Handsome Sandwich reunited in mid-2021 with a new lineup, with Jesse Cook & Johnny Belanger now joined by singer Taylor Emlaw, guitarist Mitch Sirie, and (as of last summer) bassist Rafael Medina. Via their new Facebook page & YouTube channel, the band almost instantly began teasing a debut album (after previously being covers-only from 2017-2020), posting videos of them playing original songs. In June 2021, Handsome Sandwich revealed that the album had began pre-production, with recording at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall. The band also confirmed in July that guest saxophonist Josh Norling will appear on their new song "No Entry". In November, the band confirmed that the album's name was changed from "Lettuce" to "Deconstructed", and recording sessions wrapped last month, with Jordan Zadorozny set to mix the tracks at Skylark Park in Pembroke

Current Release Status: If you believe Taylor's on-stage remarks at The Soo's Got Talent in October (source here), the album is slated to be released on May 6th (apologies for my mishearing May 5th), which is an oddly specific date given the then-7 month time gap. The new look band has definitely hit the ground running since resuming activity in 2021, and they have gotten a positive reception for the new material so far, so stay tuned for updates from Handsome Sandwich's camp when they have them!

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Mike Haggith - "All The Best In All You Do"

Rumoured Songs: "I've Seen It Before", "Twist of Fate", "If Only You Could Hear Me"

Background: During his live-streamed Facebook concert in February, local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith revealed that he was working on his newest studio album, entitled "All The Best In All You Do". Like his other Thompson-era albums, this will have an overarching concept, this time about the transition out of depression and being manipulated by others, into a happier personal life. At the time, Mike was 35% done with the album, and he has played two new originals planned for it in live-streams and in his 2022 concerts, as well as "If Only You Could Hear Me", a still-unreleased song from early in his time in Thompson. A single version of "Twist of Fate" was unveiled in July, and live videos of all three songs can be found on Mike's Facebook page and/or YouTube channel. Mike moved to Barrie, Ontario for work reasons at the end of 2022, and has indicated plans to resume work on his solo career, including this album, in the near future. 

Current Release Status: Given Mike's day job and personal commitments, he hasn't been as active on social media in recent months, but he was playing live dates last year and presumably working on recording the new album where time allows, though all of the personal and professional changes involving his move to Ontario are definitely acknowledged. Hopefully things are progressing naturally, and we'll keep you posted!

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The Uncanny Valley's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "The Uncanny Valley", "Glowin'", "Middle Man", “This Love is Psychedelic”, "Stuck In Rotation", “Sweet Like Sugar”, "Fumbling Through"

Background: The new classic hard rock band from 2019 Soo's Got Talent winner Adrian Sullivan, fans will have seen original material of theirs right from the start, as The Uncanny Valley debuted their own songs in their first live concert at The Canadian on New Year's Eve 2019. Live concert & jam session videos have followed on their Facebook page featuring their own material as well. After posting a teaser audio clip of "Sweet Like Sugar" in September 2020, they posted the full studio version of "Middle Man" that October, finally confirming there that they are working on their first album. The guys did record a studio version of "Stuck In Rotation" at Unsalted Audio for the Clusterfolk Music Festival and a related compilation album in April, but whether that exact recording will be included on the band's own album is unclear.

Current Release Status: No clue, which isn't helped by The Uncanny Valley's age and relatively unfamiliar profile for many readers, not to mention the complications of the pandemic, but they have played a number of local concerts in the past few months. That said, they are a talented group who seemed to be taking the right steps for the future, and hopefully more updates on The Uncanny Valley's debut album follow in some form or another when ready!

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I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! This series should return on March 2nd, while our next monthly feature post could be anything, be it our next CD review, our backlogged YouTube Channel Profile intended for last month, or the Defunct Local Band Profile scheduled for Friday, so stay tuned for them and more in due course! Thanks everyone!

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