Where Are The New Albums? (November 2025 Update)

It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, our monthly resumption of the current release whereabouts of upcoming local metal, hard rock, or punk albums from Sault Ontario bands who have publically confirmed that recording sessions have begun for them! This month sees one removal due to its successful release last month (Pillory's "Old Soul"), but a new album and artist replaces them, and as that's the only entry here with real updates or new content, its title is in italics. So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!

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Bone Yard 225's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "F.A.F.O.", "Gypsy Spell", "Fuck!", "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" (Mike Posner cover)

Background: After months of teasers that they were planning to record original music (as previewed in their live concerts prior), local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225 began releasing their own songs on major streaming services in July 2024, a whopping fifteen years after the pre-225 band debuted as a country cover quartet. Their first three singles (all recorded at their home studio) were posted online by January, though it took until May 2025 for the band to confirm on their Facebook page that they were indeed working on a proper album. It's not immediately clear if their existing three singles will be included, but it's not a given, as Jonesy Land fans saw with "Zoom-Out". As of August 11th, it was reportedly "album tracking time", while this video from three days later shows bandmates Alex D'Ettore and Warren Reville recording backing vocals for their cover of Mike Posner's "I Took A Pill In Ibiza". That will be one of "a couple of covers" for the album, as confirmed by frontman Greg Simpson during recent concerts.

Current Release Status: In that Facebook post from May 30th, your local 225 said that "the album is coming along nicely", and they hoped to release it "by the end of 2025", but Greg has since adjusted the timeframe to "early 2026" when mentioning it during live shows. While singer/drummer Greg Simpson did release an EP with his old band Stiffler's Mom, it's hard to compare the release methods and schedule given that "The Demo" came out in 2004.  It is neat to see that Greg, Alex, and Warren are going all in on a studio album, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

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Bullet Train's upcoming EPs

Rumoured Songs: "Atmosphere", "Illusions", "Profit", "Wayside"

Background: The current hard rock band from former Sense of Truth/Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchsion and ex-Fort Creek bandmates Robin "Bones" Lee and Anthony Fabiano, Bullet Train have existed solely as a studio band so far, releasing four original songs recorded at their own home studio to their YouTube channel in 2024, all very much influenced by their take on current events. After a quiet summer due to "life's trials", Bullet Train resurfaced on their Facebook page last September to reveal that they were working on two demo EPs, with the first one entering post-production as of the 9th, though it's not clear if their 2024 singles will be on them.

Current Release Status: No idea yet, especially as this band has no prior track record for releasing albums, though all three band members have experience writing and recording studio material to varying degrees. Bullet Train claimed in September of last year that a release date for EP #1 would be announced "in the upcoming weeks", but he band will hit a year without a public update on band activity in late December. It'll be interesting to see how fast things come along for Bullet Train, so keep tabs for further updates!

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Chase James Wigmore - The Chaotic Rite

Rumoured Songs: "The Cities Alive & It's Angry"

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 in 2022, 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 have full songs not explicitly tied to the album, as well as the final artwork. In more recent promotion, Chase has hinted that "The Chaotic Rite" might be his final solo album as part of aims to focus on his personal life more than his prolific original material. Regardless, the final product has been pared down to 25-30 minutes.

Current Release Status: Chase elaborated on Facebook last summer that the album was 95% done earlier that year when the files "got trapped on my desktop's hard drive", and he had been unable to procure a backup of the material or recover the files as of that post. In any event, three of the full songs uploaded to Facebook in the previous year were clarified as not being planned for "The Chaotic Rite", but they could surface on a separate EP. Fingers crossed that Chase is able to save this album and put it out when able, especially given the years that he's put into the making of it!

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Convergence - In Bloom

Rumoured Songs: "Gemini", "In Bloom", "Breaking News", "It Ate The F&$%ing Moon", "Kraken Mara", "You Are Not Flesh"

Background: Just over a month after releasing their sophomore EP "Dead And Dreaming", local progressive metal band Convergence announced in February 2024 that EP #3 would be named "Gemini", with its cover artwork being released at the same time. Teaser clips of most songs from the EP were posted on their Facebook page and their YouTube channel throughout much of 2024, but most prior media was wiped as they retooled as a full band, now including singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio and drummer David Peredun. Convergence have been working in studio recently with producer Dustin Goodall at Unsalted Audio, documenting the sessions in Facebook "Reels", and while they did get cagey about the endgame for the studio sessions, they have confirmed in concert that the EP (now named "In Bloom") is still in progress. Live versions of early instrumentals (now with vocals) have also been played in their early sets.

Current Release Status: No clue, and given the complexity of their music yet their independent studio trappings so far, that could bode a quick or lengthy timeline for "In Bloom" to come out, depending on what angle you take. Since their modern studio cycle commenced in 2023, things have been relatively steady for Brendan and Jake as a recording act, and here's hoping that Convergence keep that up for their third offering! 

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Fort Creek's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "One For The Road", "Sweet Rosie"

Background: Background: Local southern/hard rock band Fort Creek have sporadically teased plans to record an EP since February 2020, but they wouldn't release any samples until almost two years later when they shared (now-deleted) clips of their original song "Hammer Down" on their Facebook page. The guys would play it regularly at concerts from 2022-2023, with studio sessions taking place in early-mid 2023 as well. After the departure of bassist Robin "Bones" Lee and drummer Anthony Fabiano (both now of Bullet Train) in the fall of 2023, Fort Creek opted to abandon material recorded with them "as a show of good faith", and have been working on new material and rebuilding their studio over the past two years. Now featuring Phil Greco on drums, their first single (the acoustic "One For The Road") was posted online in January, with the band confirming plans to now record a 10 song album at Jettison Studios prior to returning to live concerts. Their new single "Sweet Rosie" was said to be coming next, and they teased being back in studio to record that very song as of August 31st.

Current Release Status: Prior release timelines for their debut EP reflected their early 2020s lineup's material, and Justin, Shane, Bill, and Phil have largely kept things somewhat close to the vest prior to putting out "One For The Road". There are a lot of unknowns, especially given the 5+ years of production time and their decision to basically start over in 2023, and that this is a band that was primarily known for their work on the weekend cover circuit before their rhythm section left. It will be interesting to see how things develop, so stay tuned for updates!

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The Realignment Project's fourth EP 

Rumoured Songs: "What Have We Done"

Background: The solo industrial hard rock project led by former Riverin frontman and Dirty Virgin drummer Matt Hicks, The Realignment Project got off to a fast start as a recording act, independently putting out three EPs in 2025 alone (January's "Afterthought", April's "The Frustration Sessions", and last month's "War Songs"), Fans of T.R.P. will have noticed that Matt has begun songwriting and recording for future EPs before his next ones were even released, and that remains true for their next effort, as Matt confirmed on their Facebook page on October 15th that he was already tracking vocals for their fourth EP, and had began the demos for EP number 5. While not explicitly tied to either planned EP (yet), a new instrumental song named "What Have We Done" was posted to the project's YouTube channel yesterday. Matt claimed it was "the first of many instrumentals", but we don't yet know if this means the next EP will have no vocals at all.

Current Release Status: If the turnaround from their second and third EPs is anything to go by, the fourth EP should drop "everywhere" (well, on most major streaming services) by the spring, but as a one-man operation focusing on digital platforms, it could really pop up whenever Matt's done with it and happy with the results. Follow The Realignment Project on social media for continuing updates, and we'll have more on "War Songs" and the upcoming plans in a regular post soon! 

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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series will return for one last time in 2025 on or around December 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will be next week's Defunct Local Band Profile. That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

 

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (HeadF1rst), New Videos, And Sault Michigan Updates!!

Tonight's post came together somewhat out of necessity due to a surprise SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so that is rounded off with some new videos and shorter notes, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will return to the stage TONIGHT at Shooters Downstairs Lounge as post-game entertainment after game 7 of the World Series! I apologize for the short notice, this show was only announced on the venue's Facebook page at 12:22 PM today. This may look like it came together on late notice to take advantage of the Toronto Blue Jays/Los Angeles Dodgers series going the distance, but guitarist Rainey Rancourt plugged it on his personal Facebook page on Wednesday, before we knew there would even be a game 7. In any event, HeadF1rst have not publically corroborated this booking on their Facebook page whatsoever. Shooters in general has really dialed back on hosting live bands this year, with HeadF1rst really being the only band of any genre to play there since the spring, so they're ideal to head back to Dennis Street to cap off the World Series in style TONIGHT!

This is a 19+ concert with no cover charge starting immediately after the World Series game ends, which is a bit of a leap of faith given how long game 3 went (18 innings running until about 3:00 AM). Assuming things aren't delayed like that again, HeadF1rst should take the stage between 10:30 and 11:30 PM given how games in the rest of the series have ended so far. In other words, this will be a shorter (but later) concert compared to a normal HeadF1rst gig, but fingers crossed that the Blue Jays can win the World Series TONIGHT to start the hard rock action on the right foot! Visit the above links for more details, and here's HeadF1rst live!

Next up, remember how I mentioned at the end of yesterday's post that a biography on local blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres and frontman David Gold is now being written? Well, it got featured on CBC News Windsor yesterday, and the piece is now on YouTube! Posted to the book's YouTube channel (that has to be a first for here), this of course comes from the CBC affiliate of Woods of Ypres' initial hometown. David later moved the band to Toronto and then home to the Soo, but we haven't had a dedicated local CBC affiliate in over 20 years. The 2 minute piece by CBC's Dalson Chen reflects on how the forest off of Ypres Avenue in Windsor inspired the band's name, and how the band's legacy has grown among fans since David's passing in 2011. Author J. James and Glenn Fricker of Spectre Sound Studios (who worked on both of the band's first two albums) were both interviewed here.

We also hear from David's mom Esther Gold, who has been the strongest champion of her son's music career since, and accepted their Juno Award win in 2013 on his behalf. I like the paintings of him behind her for her interview clips! If the book is getting attention on the CBC, then you know things are really in motion for it, and while I'd have included more live performance video of the band, it's worth checking out for fans. Give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more on Deepest Roots: The Woods Of Ypres Story!

Also today, let's look at a new concert video from a more recent local extreme metal band, namely death/thrash metal trio Pillory from their album release party at Soo Blaster last month! This was uploaded to drummer Bret Shuttleworth's YouTube channel earlier this week, and it is their first video on Bret's channel with bassist Devon Lucier after their recording from July's Insurrection show was uploaded as audio only due to poor camera placement. Bret also said to "give a warm welcome to our new bassist" as this was his first channel appearance on video, though Devon was previously in Pillory briefly in 2014. At the release party, Pillory played every song from their new full-length album in order, followed by their cover of Sepultura's "Territory", but that cover and the final two originals did not make the cut for YouTube due to "an undiagnosed error with (Bret's) phone". In order, what can we see?

The video features "The Angst Of Existence", "Abhorred Apprehension", "The Curse of Eternal Sickness", "Wasting", "Sculptor of Cadavers", "The Passing", and "Specimen of Egotism". Bret's phone was set up from a stationary locale on the floor, capturing a good if somewhat tight angle of the guys in action, and with no pesky strobe lighting to blur out this time. I'll hold comment on the songs pending our review of "Old Soul" early next year, but the brutality is off the charts, so check out (most of) Pillory's release party set below, and stay tuned for more from them!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while (this time, all from Sault Michigan and the E.U.P.), and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• I have moved local groove/thrash metal band Buddy Repperton & The Camaros to our inactive band links. The group last posted on their Facebook page in October of last year (itself their only post since mid-2023) when frontman David Waite noted his return to singing metal, only to blow out his voice. I don't assume that's why The Camaros haven't posted anything in over a year, but this band had a lot of promise for true original metal in the E.U.P., and hopefully we hear more from David, Doug, Brett, Jason, and Dennis in due course, in this band or otherwise!
• Regarding tonight's Exit 808 show at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley, they finally confirmed on their Facebook page earlier today that Molly Escherich will indeed be guesting with them on vocals, while Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins will also pop up tonight, as will a bassist named Brad, with other impromptu guests also possible. I have no idea who Brad is, let alone if he and Joe were replacing anyone in Exit 808 outright, but hopefully every performer involved delivered well for the post-Halloween "Fright Night On The Bay"!
• Speaking of Joe and Project 906, their Halloween concert at Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard last night went ahead with hand drummer Brian Duford playing the standard drumkit in place of Jason VanLuven, who was double booked with Unfortunate Sun at The Merch. They also welcomed young local guitarist Garrett Howland (son of former Steelhead guitarist Mark Howland) to play with them for a set, which reportedly went well! Visit the band's Facebook page to see photos from the gig, including what costumes that some members of 906 were wearing!

 

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

Two More Saturday Night Concert Previews, Plus More Recent Updates!!

I hope everyone is having a happy and safe Halloween, however you choose to celebrate! Tonight's post takes us to two more weekend concert previews in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula tomorrow night, with lots of recent Sault Ontario updates to take note of, but let's lead off in the E.U.P. with the last of this weekend's heavier concert crop!

We'll start with a show TOMORROW NIGHT that has no credited post-Halloween ties, as local promoters Serious Business are bringing an intriguing package of local and touring musicians to... Pizza Hut? Yes, the bands will be setting up shop in the basement of the 2255 Ashmun Street restaurant, and while this is highly atypical for local concert locales, why not give it a shot if they're willing to host it? Novi noise punk quartet Permanently Pissed and Detroit grunge/alternative band Werewolf Jones will both be making their local concert debuts tomorrow, and with the former's garage rock-influenced noise attack and the latter's punk inflected hybrid originals, fans should get some quality sounds that we don't get often enough in the E.U.P. tomorrow! Local support will include new local hard rock trio Crush (fresh off of Alex & Josh's Halloween gig with Tarnished in St. Ignace tonight) and three-time LSSU Battle of the Bands competitor Kevin Blakeney.

Tomorrow's concert goes down at 6:00 PM with an 18+ age limit, and admission will be $15 at the door. It's always good to see Serious Business host a multi-band event like this, let alone one with touring bands, and hopefully fans pack the space for this concert (and maybe to buy some pizza?) Visit the above links for more on tomorrow's festivities, and for a preview, here's Permanently Pissed live!

Next up, I almost forgot to preview one more concert TOMORROW NIGHT, but I caught it in time, as local hard rock quintet Exit 808 will return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley for their Halloween party! It's a day late because The Back Bay Grill doesn't host bands on Fridays, not even for October 31st. Yes, there will be a costume contest, and organizers have even revealed that prizes of $300, $200, and $100 will be awarded for the top three, so don't put away your costumes just yet! "Fright Night By The Bay" will be Exit 808's first concert in over two months and their first in Brimley since the spring, while it will see them joined by fast-rising Dafter singer/guitarist Molly Escherich (straight outta Interlochen) as a guest singer, as per her Facebook page. The band has oddly not confirmed her involvement themselves, but hopefully Molly shines in her return home for the weekend!

Tomorrow's post-Halloween festivities begin at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit (Molly and Blaze aside) and no cover charge. With two (no, three) singers in force for this concert, hopefully Exit 808's lively brand of hard rock covers get a strong reponse at Bay Mills tomorrow as we wind the Halloween season to a close! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Exit 808 live!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last while (all from Sault Ontario bands and concerts), and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

 

• This might be nothing, but a scheduled live-stream for the multi-genre Broke & Hungry fundraiser concert at Beck's Bar on December 19th has quietly been posted onto host/MC Twitchy T. Tantrum's YouTube channel. Live-streams of local concerts don't happen enough, let alone charitable ones for the Soup Kitchen, so we'll have to keep tabs on this as we approach the holidays! Just to clarify, listed performer King Mizo is an alternate handle for Toronto rapper Unknown Mizery, who has been advertised right along.
• Sudbury-based Rush tribute band Rust have changed their name to Epic Rush, as per their Facebook page on October 20th. This came just four days after they headlined at Soo Blaster, and while I'm told that they were still were selling Rust-branded merchandise at the local gig, the name change can't have been a kneejerk reaction given the turnaround to update social media and whatnot. Regardless, posts referencing the local show are calling them by the new name, so I figured I should acknowledge it here. Hopefully things went well, and that we see Epic Rush (and/or Just Leppard) back in Sault Ste. Marie in the new year!
• Reunited local classic/hard rock cover band Quite Frankly did not perform at Kosmos Pizza in Bruce Mines this past Friday, as per their Facebook page on Tuesday last week. The band cited "an unexpected medical circumstance" as the reason for their withdrawal from the Down syndrome awareness fundraiser event, but did not go into specifics beyond that. Hopefully whoever got sick/hurt gets well soon, and that we see Quite Frankly at a public concert again soon! Kosmos Pizza still plugged "live music" afterwards, but never confirmed who replaced them.
• Local punk trio Redundant have quietly dropped out of next month's Toystock, as per the newly updated schedule on the Christmas Cheer benefit concert's Facebook page and website. A reason for Redundant's withdrawal wasn't publically announced, but they haven't posted on their Facebook page since 2023, not even to plug their Toystock set last year (let alone their bassist change). Hopefully all's well in their camp! They have been replaced by a mystery band named Sunday & The Broken Hearts, who I know as little about as I do The Reeves (the other mystery band at Toystock this year), so stay tuned when more comes out on one/both groups!
• If you're wondering why I didn't feature local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's Facebook video from Wolf Fest last month on here, it's because it's actually not of Silent 9. While the thumbnail features frontwoman Jess Amadio, this actually comes from a guest turn she took with headining local pop rock cover band The Killer Hooks, where she joined in on their cover of Rose & Bruno Mars' "Apt.". While sadly vertical and incomplete, it's a fun and lively cover of this modern pop hit, and hopefully things went well at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion for Wolf Fest!
• A book is being written about defunct local black/doom metal band Woods of Ypres and their late frontman David Gold! To be named Deepest Roots: The Woods of Ypres Story, it's being authored by J. James of the California-based Arcane Archivist Zine, and he has kept fans updated as to the biography's progress on the Woods of Ypres Fanclub Facebook group. Apparently, he has conducted 20 long format interviews adding up to around 100 minutes of material for the book so far, but things are still at an early stage. This is highly intriguing, so stay tuned for updates as the book comes together!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril) & More Halloween Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's continue our previews of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, Halloween themed or otherwise! Due to the amount of shows, Saturday's Permanently Pissed-headlined show in Sault Michigan will be featured in our next news post. Here's what you should know for other heavier shows this weekend, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will reportedly return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the shows were only confirmed via Kewadin's entertainment page (I have to get caught up on heavier shows there), though be advised that Peril have not confirmed these bookings on their Facebook page. I'll treat them as on unless otherwise confirmed, but these are Peril's first advertised gigs in the E.U.P. since their Soo Kewadin stops in mid-August. While a Halloween theme tomorrow goes without saying, I am unaware of specific seasonal frills beyond what Kewadin Casino proper have announced for tomorrow, so click here for details on the costume contests taking place at casino locations in general. Hopefully Jeff and crew deliver some fun hard rock and classic metal covers for fans at the Soo Kewadin!

If you're curious, Houghton country cover band Highway 41 (not to be confused with the former Highway 63) are scheduled at the St. Ignace Kewadin this weekend. Peril take the stage at The Rapids Lounge at 9:00 PM tomorrow and Saturday with 19+ age limits and no cover charges, and I am not 100% certain if Kewadin will extend Halloween themes to Saturday or not. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Peril live!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ontario for some post-Halloween action to kick off November 2025, and we'll start at Beck's Bar, where there's a double-header of SMS-friendly acts, starting with local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison in SATURDAY's matinee timeslot! Leading off what will be another busy month for fans of his acoustic cover concerts, this will be Tym's first gig at the former Vibe Lounge since July. His talented blend of classic and hard rock covers should get a solid west end reception as usual ON Saturday, so don't miss out! While Tym isn't really known for leaning into Halloween themes with his bookings, Beck's are keeping the spooky themes going all weekend long, so there will be the same costume contests as fans tonight will be competing for, while Tarot card reader Stephanie Poitras will also be on hand once again, and seasonal drink specials will be on sale too. 

Musically speaking, Tym will take the stage at 3:00 PM on Saturday with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more on the unplugged matinee concert action ahead on Saturday, and here's Tym live! 

If you didn't see the poster above, who is playing the nightcap block on SATURDAY at Beck's Bar? None other than southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will keep the busy Halloween weekend slate going with a high energy and gritty blend of covers and originals! Last seen at Beck's two weeks ago, fans of Bone Yard's entertaining live attack should welcome them with some post-Halloween frills and ambiance, let alone the aforementioned costume contest and more, so don't put your getups away just yet! Of course, it is worth noting that Beck's will be showing game 6 of the World Series during tomorrow's Even Flow concert (go Blue Jays!), but if the Dodgers tie the series, that would force game 7 during the Bone Yard concert. Beck's has been showing the World Series right along, so keep that in mind when balancing concert, baseball, and Halloween plans tomorrow and on Saturday!

Your local 225 take the stage at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and remember, Tym Morrison isn't "opening" for Bone Yard, each has a four hour block spaced two hours apart, but you can hang around to see both with no cover if you want. And no, "the dirty three" are not playing the unplugged Sunday matinee for a change, that honour goes to Out & Out Country, with Halloween themes ongoing for them too. See above for more on this weekend's Halloween action at Beck's, and here's Bone Yard live!

Finally for this post, we'll head to The Water Tower Pub for local classic/hard rock cover veterans Generations' headlining concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! Making their first appearance at this venue in almost three months, and just their second live appearance since returning from their two month break, I have not seen any firmly stated Halloween themes for the day after, so I'd inquire within if you're at all curious (tomorrow's proper Halloween party there will be headlined by country cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters). With Generations still having a vacant guitarist slot, they have recruited Smokehouse's Michael Yurich to fill in again, while drummer Tony Santoro teased "a special surprise" on Saturday as well, so what is he getting at? Be at the Great Northern Road nightclub to find out! This is an 8:00 PM and 19+ concert with no cover. See above for more details on the old school covers ahead, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

That's all for now, but go occupy a venue for Halloween tomorrow or Saturday, with notable bands like Bourbon Blue (at Jay's) and Mid Life Crysis (at The Esquire Club) also rocking stages this weekend! Thanks everyone!

Halloween Night Concert Previews!!

As it turns out, this weekend is scheduled advantageously for Halloween, as October 31st is a Friday, a.k.a. tomorrow! Even still, some venues are hosting Halloween-themed concerts on Saturday as well based on band or venue preference. Today's first weekend concert preview post will focus on hard rock shows taking place tomorrow proper, and we'll dive into the honestly busier Saturday slate tomorrow, as well as Peril's St. Ignace Kewadin gigs. Here's what you should know to kick off the spookiest weekend of the year!

We'll start with the only hard rock show of consequence in Sault Ontario on Halloween night TOMORROW (though there are definitely other concerts concurrently from general classic or pop rock bands), and it takes place at Beck's Bar in a rare deviation from their Friday DJ/dance party nights. Your headliners are the debuting & online page-less local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow, who will reportedly feature ex-Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner alongside former Sense Of Truth/Parabol guitarist Steve Myers and a musician named Cameron Brock (as far as I can tell), but we await further public confirmation of them and their lineup. Pearl Jam aren't often covered locally, so it'll be interesting to hear how this band handles the grunge legends! New (and also online page-less) local party rock quartet The Barbarians will join them tomorrow, so if you've liked former Elements/Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers' recent solo work, keep that in mind!

In a late confirmation via Beck's Facebook page, Sylo frontman Eli Russell will return home from university as the opening act. His solo material leans more to indie rock than his band work, but it'll be good to see him back in the Soo for Halloween! Costumes are absolutely encouraged tomorrow, with prizes to be awarded for the best makeup, most creative, and best duo/couples costume, while Tarot card reader Stephanie Poitras will be on hand as well. This concert has a 9:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no announced cover. Visit the above links for more details, and no preview videos yet!

The rest of today's previews take us to Halloween night concerts TOMORROW in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, and we'll start at The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace, where local hard rock/classic metal quartet Tarnished will set up shop for their Halloween night party! Part of the guys' expansion of gigs in St. Ignace beyond the Kewadin Casino umbrella (they've played four different venues there this year), this will be their first gig there since last month's Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show weekend. As you might expect, this one-nighter is a full-on Halloween party, with a mystery grand prize for the best costume, hourly prize giveaways,"thrilling vibes, haunted music, and dancing till dawn". Maybe you can do the latter, but Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron are blocked from 9:30 PM-1:00 AM for this 21+ concert, which has no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

For a preview, here's a rare live video of the band's current lineup from their Facebook page, but there's a reason this got filmed. As you may remember, Tarnished played at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino this past weekend, and were rocking out after Saturday night's Trixter-headlined Spirit Of 1989 concert at The Dreammaker's Theater. Among the fans to stop by after the big show was one its performers, namely Jake Curtis Allard, the guitarist of Pretty Boy Floyd, and he actually guested on vocals with Tarnished for a cover of The Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane". Definitely impromptu, as evidenced by how Jake got the lyrics, but a fun bonus for hair metal fans, so give it a watch below!

Making our way north, fans in Rudyard will get Halloween concert action of the hard rock variety TOMORROW as well, as local hard/blues rock quintet Project 421 will take the stage at Huck's Pub & Grill for their October 31st festivities! Last seen in Hulbert Township four weeks ago as the post-poker run musical entertainment, this will surprisingly be 906's first show at Huck's all year, and what a way to end that gap by rocking out with their Halloween best for what should be a packed and eclectic night! As you might expect, there will be a costume contest at Huck's, with prizes to be awarded for the best overall costume, funniest costume, and best couples costume, so come dressed to impress! Project 906's fan friendly brand of hard rock covers are up at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 906 live at The Islander Bar in Hessel for Halloween in 2022!

We'll close this preview post in Sault Ste. Marie, where local hard rock cover quartet Unfortunate Sun will headline The Merchant's Bar's Halloween party TOMORROW NIGHT! Now, before we get too far into this preview, note that drummer Jason VanLuven is a member of both Unfortunate Sun and Project 906, but neither band has confirmed whether they'll have a guest or fill-in drummer or not. Project 906 had recruited Exit 808's Jackie Moon to fill in for Jason when they played in Kinross last month, and they have played shows with just hand drummer Brian Duford on percussion in the past, and while I believe Unfortunate Sun (and Fake Chow before them) tend to get priority for these conflicts, I have no idea which of the two bands Jason will be playing with. Tomorrow's Halloween party at The Merch will be Unfortunate Sun's first show since rocking the St. Ignace Kewadin in mid-September, and their first show in the Soo (or the Merch) since the spring.

The Merch rarely promotes bands playing there on social media, but their Facebook event page confirms that there will be drink specials and prizes on offer. including for best costume, so expect a fun night of spooky music and good vibes tomorrow! "The hottest band in Sleepy Hollow" will take the stage at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Hard rock fans will have a lot to like in the Soo tomorrow, let alone Rudyard and St. Ignace, so visit the above links for more on this trifecta of local band-headlined Halloween parties in the E.U.P., and here's Unfortunate Sun live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned in our next post for our previews of this weekend's Peril, Bone Yard 22, Tym Morrison, and Generations concerts! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Apocalypse Afterparty), The Kaonashi Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we dive into a stacked slate of Halloween weekend concert previews, here's a new news post for your Wednesday morning, which includes recent battle of the bands results, how to check out a brand new album, and a special mid-week concert preview, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty will return to Soo Blaster for yet another gig as the lone rock act on an an otherwise rap/hip-hop event, as they will be opening for Guelph rapper Robbie G once again on Saturday, November 29th! Fans may recall seeing the Stanghettas and Mikhal break out their double bass-and-drums attack when Robbie G headlined at Soo Blaster in April, and previously in 2023, let alone the prior Tech N9ne, Madchild, and Afroman concerts there that The A.A. also opened. Really, this band has never been one to stick to firm genre lines to get exposure, as seen when they headlined the very diverse Riffs For Remembrance memorial concert earlier this month, and these rap shows have done well for them, so hopefully things go well once again next month! At press time, The Apocalypse Afterparty are not credited on the Facebook event page, but the band confirmed their involvement on their Facebook page yesterday.

Former As It Stands frontman Justin "Nadj" Pregent is the credited host for next month's show, which will see opening sets by Southern Ontario touring rappers M For The Movement with Capital "A" Plus and Lumberjack Pat, while fellow local support will include Bold Noize (I wish he'd re-post "God Save Me"), MCs from No Filter Records, and KG Tha SunGod. This will be an all ages concert at 8:00 PM, and tickets are $20 at this link with VIP packages also available if so inclined. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, here's a special Wednesday night concert preview for TONIGHT, as Philadelphia hardcore quartet Kaonashi (Japanese for "faceless") will topline a stacked night of extreme metal at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! A fast rising progressive metalcore band with djent riffs and some retro touches, they should be more than capable of melting faces in this pre-Halloween concert, so don't bypass Kaonashi despite the work/school night scheduling! Also joining them on this stop of their I Wanna Go To Canada 2025 Tour is Calgary hardcore band Abrupt Decay (they don't spell it "Abrubt"), whose mathcore-inflected brutality will definitely help them stand out tonight, and they may steal the show depending on your preferences! Montreal post-hardcore trio Paresis will also take the stage as their tour converges with Kaonashi's, and their alternative influenced brand of screamo will also attract its own audience!

Local death/thrash metal trio Pillory will be tonight's local openers in their first show since the successful release of "Old Soul" on Saturday (more on that in a second), so they should be riding strong momentum! The local promotional debut for Thunder Bay's Piss Hard Promotions, this 19+ Wednesday metal night at the former Roosevelt Hotel has a $25 cover charge at the door, and a start time of 8:00 PM. Should be a fun and intense night of metal, and I know promoters hope to run more shows here, so pack the place tonight if you can before things get even busier for Halloween! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Kaonashi live!

Now, let's talk about Pillory's new album "Old Soul", which was successfully released at their release party at Soo Blaster on Saturday! The album wasn't immediately available that day on major streaming platforms, but it arrived thusly on Sunday at midnight, As linked via Distrokid, the album can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer, while it is also now streamable on YouTube Music. If you want to actually buy mp3 copies of "Old Soul", it runs for $9.99 on iTunes. CD copies of the album are available at Pillory concerts and through direct contact with band members, where it will cost you $20 (t-shirts with the album artwork cost $30). Aside from the tags on YouTube crediting former bassist Jordan Leach as a co-writer, I haven't seen any specific performer or production credits for the album, so like with Hails' new album, that all may be exclusive to the CDs.

I missed the release party due to the same cold that kept me from the LSSU Battle of the Bands (more on that in a second), but I hope things went well at Soo Blaster, and I will be eager to review "Old Soul" on the SMS in the new year! For now, give it a listen or buy it above, and here's the first song from the album that wasn't a pre-release advance single, namely "Abhorred Apprehension"!

Let's close this post in Sault Michigan with the final results from the third annual Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands at their on-campus Arts Center on Thursday, so who won the $150 top prize? In a mild upset, the winners were the debuting acoustic act The Dynamic Duo! Not bad given how new they were, but remember that every competing act on Thursday was either a solo musician or duo, which really opened things up. Personal Facebook videos from The Dynamic Duo's set show them covering The Cranberries' "Zombie" and Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive", and Danielle & Ben sounded good there, so kudos to them for impressing the judges! At press time, I do not know who won the $50 second prize, other than that it wasn't Kevin Blakeney, but you can watch his opening set at this link, albeit from a really close upward angle. Solid gritty acoustic folk throughout!

New local rap duo Tunngtyed's set was filmed for YouTube, so give it a watch at this link. I'm not a hip hop scholar, but it is neat seeing strong rappers in the E.U.P.! A personal Facebook video of About:Blank (minus Nathan) playing an acoustic version of their song "Unfazed" is also floating around too, but like with the Dynamic Duo videos, it's not public. I have not found videos (public or private) of Socrates & The Cavemen or Kaleb "NDN Summer" Shannon's sets. The Dynamic Duo's new Facebook page hasn't shared videos of their set, but they did share Danielle's video of them being named the winners, so give it a watch below, and congratulations from Sault Ontario! 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for Halloween weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone! 

YouTube Channel Profile Series - SYKOTYK RAMPAGE - Topic

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we again look at a YouTube channel whose uploaded content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists and/or concerts, in order to spotlight their uploaded videos for modern readers! For a second time in three months, our random selection gives us the same local band's YouTube Music uploads, but via two different albums of theirs, so here's what you should know!

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SYKOTYK RAMPAGE - Topic (http://youtube.com/channel/UCkfrXp-Rf8KSTEjTarxxiOQ)

Owner: If anyone, Sykotyk Rampage guitarist/singer Dirk Becker, though the channel is auto-generated to facilitate the band's catalogue being available on YouTube Music

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 17th, 2022; Videos uploaded that day and on July 16th, 2024

Channel Summary: Four different YouTube channels exist to host parts of the back catalogue of local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage on YouTube Music, with this particular channel hosting two albums of theirs, albeit this time from two different time periods of the band featuring different bassists.

Why You Should Watch: Given how fragmented (and incomplete) Sykotyk Rampage's discography is represented on YouTube Music, this channel is really only for band completionists who regularly consume streaming music via YouTube. Their complete 70+ album discography is available on their Bandcamp page, which should be stop #1 for fans of the masters of the crash, but if you had a particular affinity for these two albums, like the ones we looked at in September, note their YouTube presence!

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

DIRTY WOMEN: The older of the two albums here is 2008's "Blue Chinese Metal Crash Punk", one of three albums that singer/drummer Paul Becker, guitarist/his brother Dirk Becker, guitarist Shane Kokis, and then-bassist Brian Cattapan (Paul's son-in-law) put out that year. Named for the band's own description of their genre, none of these songs have visibly became setlist staples from their 2009-2017 run as a live band, and I haven't reviewed the album yet either, but it doesn't reinvent the wheel from their tried-and-true brand of improvised crash rock. The 8+ minute blues rock jam "Dirty Women" will be right up established fans' alley with a fun and carefree nature, and it lets the guys show their skills well throughout!

 

Almost Ready to Go: The longer and newer of the two albums on this particular channel is August 2014's "Kitty Farts And Other Play-Full Noises", which was among their early studio releases featuring ex-The Fury bassist Tony Briglio in place of Brian. Again, not an album that I have reviewed for the SMS yet, nor one that sourced regular songs from their late-period concerts, but it will be an accessible listen for new fans given the songs' relatively shorter length and that it's not a concept album like many of their other albums of this era. The opening song "Almost Ready To Go" is a tighter and more driving rocker with some trippier guitar flourish that would have been a live favourite if re-learned thusly!

Got You by The Balls: By far the most heard song on this particular YouTube Music channel, song #3 from "Kitty Farts..." must have gotten attention from its title more than anything, as it doesn't do anything drastically differently from their usual sykotyk formula, and Paul's singing is really buried in the mix here. Fans with their environ-mental suits at the ready will definitely be into this crash rocker, which has solid guitar riffs, but it's nothing established fans haven't heard elsewhere.

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, our next randomly selected channel to profile will be that of YouTube user videosofbedlam, featuring four videos of the late lamented local hard rock quartet Garden of Bedlam, so look for that on or around November 26th, and for a new news post next! Thanks everyone!