Oz Concert Previews, Plus Lots Of Updates From Heavy Lies The Crown!!

Today's all-Sault Michgan/E.U.P. post leads off with concert previews for this weekend and rounds out with lots of updates from a prominent local extreme metal band, so here's what you should know!

This weekend's last unpreviewed and publically announced hard rock concerts take place TONIGHT and TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino, where Iron Mountain classic/hard rock cover band Oz will make their local debuts! While the band did note on their Facebook page that "we hope to see many old friends" this weekend, the shows are 100% their debuts at the Soo Kewadin, so perhaps members played locally in prior bands? Oz have developed a good following with their proficient and fan-friendly blend of classic and hard rock covers throughout the western U.P. in the past decade+, and there's no shortage of setlist teasers and media from their shows online, so do check them out! You can see Oz both nights at 9:00 PM with no cover, and these are 21+ events. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Oz live!

Next up, here's the latest from St. Ignace metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, so what have they been up to in the past month? On January 30th, they revealed on their Facebook page that their upcoming album "Built For Us" was "done", but they were allegedly debating on not releasing it unless fans "care to fight for it". That ultimatum appears to have been in jest, if not a ploy to boost engagement, as "Built For Us" was quietly released the following day! Why they didn't just SAY that on the 31st, I don't know, especially as I wrote about the band four days later without a clue, and I only realized today that it had been out for over a month! Regardless, Heavy Lies The Crown revealed yesterday that the album was on "all streaming platforms". Given the extremely plentiful number of music streaming services out there, always take such statements with a grain (or pillar) of salt, as it'd be quite a task to get on all of them.

I can confirm that "Built For Us" is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, and... Boomplay? Yes, you can buy the album in mp3 format from Amazon for $9.49 and on iTunes for $9.99, so if you want to actually have the files, keep those options in mind! No word on a physical release though. Any talk of our year+ long streak of new album reviews at the SMS ending this month is over, as I will be reviewing H.L.T.C.'s new album this month, so look for that in the next 30 days! Remember, Sault Ontario metal band Convergence's new EP "Dead & Dreaming" from January 1st isn't being reviewed until next month due to our 6 month anti-bias buffer period between reviews of albums from the same act. Back to Heavy Lies The Crown, they shared a "Reel" previewing the final copy of their song "Celebrate The Night" on January 30th with a view of a tracking computer.

For one reason or another, that "Reel" was in black & white, but the next one from February 4th (of them working on "Cigar For The Devil" at the computer) was in colour. Regarding their return to the stage for the first time since the LSSU battle of the bands in Sault Ste. Marie in November, the guys will be driving down to Pontiac (outside of Detroit) to open for Born Of Osiris and Attila at The Crofoot on Sunday, May 26th, one of ten bands playing on this stacked bill. This will be a huge way for them to shake off six months worth of stage rust, so contact the band for details on how to get tickets if you're in the Metro Detroit area or are willing to make the 4-5 hour drive south! Lastly from H.L.T.C., the guys literally just released their third music video for this new album on their YouTube channel! This video is for the aforementioned "Cigar With The Devil", so what should you know on it?

The video (directed by frontman Brandon West) features the band performing in a room with deep red lighting, intercut with scripted scenes starring guitarist Ted Olson as he meets the devil himself (Jesse Utter) in the woods. A contract is signed, cigars are smoked, and guns are drawn, but I'll let you watch to see what exactly happens! You'll notice that bassist Christian Cook and drummer Jaxon Massaway (note his Born Of Osiris shirt) are both wearing the devil's mask. I'll hold comment on the song proper pending our review of the whole album later this month, but the video is well filmed and edited, so give "Cigar With The Devil" a watch/listen below, and buy/stream "Built For Us" at the above links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!