LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Killer Dwarfs, Anvil, And Just Leppard), Plus The Opening Act Contest Details!!

With the Rotaryfest weekend concert preview barrage finally over, we can start clearing out our news and video backlog (if slowly), so let's start on the right foot with three LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for big touring bands at the same venue in the coming months! Rounding things out is an admittedly overdue plug for a contest that a few familiar local faces have entered, so here's what you should know!

Toronto metal legends Anvil will return to Soo Blaster for their fifth modern era concert appearance in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, August 27th! Fans will have seen the "Metal On Metal" pioneers and documentary stars at different venues in 2012, 2014, and 2015, before rocking Soo Blaster in June 2019, so it'll be great to see Lips, Chris, and Robb play established songs and material from their new CD "Impact Is Imminent" next month! Opening bands have not been announced at press time, but for reference, Jack Spades (now Spades GT) opened for Anvil at their last three local dates, and their current drummer just so happens to be Anvil drummer Robb Reiner's son Tyler. Also, keep in mind that Spades GT will return to town that same weekend for the Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir, so yeah, coincidence or not, the timing is noted! We'll keep you posted when/if opening bands are clarified either way.

Tickets will cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door (which is on par from 2019), and they will be on sale at this link, but at press time, they were not on sale online yet. Yes, I saw the No Hits show coming up this weekend, and I wish the local openers had said something before now, but look for more on that soon. This is a 19+ show, and doors open at 7:00 PM. Should be a good time for fans of old school metal, especially given Anvil's fun nature and influence on bigger bands in their wake, so don't miss out on their latest Soo stop next month, and see above for more details!

Next up, Oshawa hard rock icons The Killer Dwarfs will return to Soo Blaster themselves on Tuesday, September 13th! Announced just last week via this image (the show has since been moved a day ahead to accommodate a White River booking the previous night), this will be The Dwarfs' first local appearance since headlining at Soo Blaster in April 2019, a show that got a great reception at the time for their fun-loving old school sound, built on hits like "Dirty Weapons" and "Keep the Spirit Alive", and it'll be great to see them back in town this fall after three+ years! No word on a possible opening band yet, but note that the now-defunct Re:Born opened the 2019 show. Like then, this concert is presented by Ernest Skinner of Border City Rock Talk, so you might see some advance interviews with the band there in due course, knowing the big gets he often talks to there (he even interviewed Randy Rhoads' siblings in his newest video!)

This stop on The Killer Dwarfs' 40 Years Still Standing Tall Tour has a 19+ age limit, and doors open at 7:00 PM. Tickets currently cost $22.23 at this link, with a $319 VIP package also available, but note that the above-linked image for the old September 12th date lists a presumably in-person-only advance fee of $19.50 that jumps to $30 on September 1st. There is no such advertised price jump on that date on Eventbrite, so keep that in mind just in case. More good times ahead for classic metal fans in the Soo, so see above for more details, but that's not quite all!

There's more hard rock tribute action hitting Soo Blaster this fall, as Sudbury-based Def Leppard tribute band Just Leppard will return to town on Saturday, November 12th, but this time, they aren't coming alone, as The AC/DC Show will also be joining them in their own local debut! Both are relatively new tribute bands, though Just Leppard have played here at The Canadian and The Rockstar Bar in 2019 & last year, and their faithful take on Def Leppard's hair metal classics should find an audience once again! Guitarist Gino del Sole is in both bands, and while Sault Ste. Marie is no stranger to AC/DC tributes (Who Made Who and Hells Bells have each played here multiple times in the last 15 years), The AC/DC Show deliver a similarly fitting version of their high voltage rock 'n roll, so don't bypass either band if you're fans of the real thing! Not every day that two tribute bands play the same show here, after all.

Tickets for this 19+, 7:00 PM show are not on sale yet, but head to this link for updates on that front, and also keep tabs on the Facebook event page. Note that both of Just Leppard's prior local dates had $15 advance tickets and a $20 door charge, but neither of those had a second band, so it could well be higher. This should be a fun time for 1980s hard rock fans, and it'll be interesting to compare and contrast The AC/DC Show from prior AC/DC tributes that have played here, so stay tuned for updates! 

To close today's post, let's finally address something that fans of these two bands have been getting steady reminders about as of late, as local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty and punk/alternative quintet These Magnificent Tentacles have both entered The Opening Act, an Audacy-hosted contest to find a band to open at the ninth annual We Can Survive, a massive charity concert at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California for suicide prevention causes this fall. Given the distance and the lack of a sonic link to either band for genres (none of the 2021 We Can Survive acts would normally be covered on the SMS), this seems like a long shot, but as a wise woman once said, "Shoot your shot!" Both bands, along with local indie/pop rock musician Jesse Merineau, have entered The Opening Act, and while I don't know how Audacy is separating the acts by "group", Jesse is currently second place in his group!

The Afterparty are sixth in their group at press time, and the Tentacles are thirteenth in theirs. The winner of The Opening Act also gets $10,000 USD, so stakes are high, and you can cast daily votes (with verification) via the band names linked above, or cast "Together Votes" by donating to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (each $1 donated = a vote). SooToday's Chris Belsito covered the contest (sans The A.A.) at this link, featuring remarks from Jesse and Tentacles guitarist Steve Edwards about why they entered and their recent activity, so don't bypass it either! Vote if you can for all three, and we'll see what happens, as only the top 20 bands advance when this round closes on Thursday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a couple of mid-week concert previews and new videos on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Chase Wigmore - "One Last Act Of Defiance" Album Review!!

With news slow as of late, here is our 134th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at local folk punk/metal solo musician (The Ghost Of) Chase Wigmore's second official (non-demo) solo album "One Last Act Of Defiance"! Independently released on December 21st, 2019, this album came out just two weeks after his prior album "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To", which we reviewed on the site that month, and as I don't review albums from the same project within a 6 month span, this review had to wait a bit. Also, this is a fitting review to tie in with Chase's sets at the Squatfest house party festival in Heyden earlier this month. Featuring Chase on all instruments, "One Last Act Of Defiance" sees him focusing on extreme black metal material, rather than the irreverent folk punk that "Songs To Punch Yourself..." contains, though this is distinct from his industrial/crust-influenced metal project Awokest.

Digital copies of "One Last Act Of Defiance" run for $7 (or more) on Bandcamp, but it can be streamed for free there and on YouTube, and it is also available on Apple Music & Amazon Music. Song names below are linked to their Bandcamp copies. As for CD copies, inquire with Chase if you are curious, but I have not seen a public announcement about them. With 7 songs running for about 35 minutes in length, let's begin with this review with the opening track, "Living Life In Living Hell"! Opening with a very ominous tone and rustling sound effects, the song launches into full gear with an almost Judas Priest-inspired riff, before the death metal influence hits at full blast. I will be honest, Chase's blackened vocals are barely audible on this recording, but the punishing pace and strong instrumentation will definitely appease heavier tastes, and his guitar solo adds some nice zest late! I like the groove and arrangement a lot here, but it ends too abruptly, and again, I just wish the vocals were louder than they are.

Next up is the album's longest song, "Plenty Of Regrets (None You Suspect)", which again has an ominous intro, this time with recited and increasingly harsh spoken word, but soon we get a feast of chaotic noise metal, and the vocals are slightly more prominent in the mix to boot! Structurally, this song is definitely more intense (if messier) than on the opening track, and it sounds tailor made for an all ages mosh pit! That said, the bass lines sound increasingly out of place, I did miss a guitar solo, and I admittedly preferred the opener for it's structure and catchy guitar work. Third is the shortest track, "Trust Me I'm Lying", which brings back the groove-influenced riffing of the opener, but with a slower, more deliberate pace, albeit not at a doom level. I like the drum track a lot, and the crushing breakdown in the last 30 seconds is a nice cherry on top, but a guitar solo would have been an asset, and the vocals return to buried levels here, and come off as even more distorted.

Song #4 is "Life Transcending Value", which makes nice use of galloping percussion, and has some of the clearest vocals yet, albeit clean ones that showcase a little too much distortion for my liking. If any song harbours a progressive rock sound on the album, it's this one, which seems to laugh in the face of structure. It's definitely well composed, and Chase shows his most diverse vocals yet, but it definitely decreases in heaviness as it goes along, and if you're a "verse chorus verse" listener, the time signature changes and free-wheeling composition won't be for you. That's followed by "Angles Six Through Nine", which is more of a straightforward death/noise metal song, one that seems to be driven primarily by the drum track, which gets punishing on the choruses. The blackened vocals are more audible and less distorted, but the guitar is really buried and feels like an afterthought. Nice and aggressive overall, but for my liking, very inconsistently mixed.

The penultimate song is "The Mind Cracks For The Back Can Not", which has another pounding groove to it's starting riff that transitions into the remaining bleak territory seamlessly. The drum programming sounds at it's most artificial here, but the aggressive blackened stylings are very welcome, and this is definitely the heaviest composition on the album, which I definitely appreciate! This is probably the most effective use of Chase's vocals too, suiting the composition while also getting loud enough to leave an impact. Definitely one of my highlights on this CD! Things wrap up with the title track, "One Last Act Of Defiance", which is the album's only instrumental, and definitely the least heavy song on offer, though it's still very much a metal track. After opening with thunder sound effects, the song proper is more of a showcase of Chase's pure instrumental talent, including the long awaited return of guitar solos! It's a solid closer to ease us to the finish line, though it still has a very raw essence to it, and it's not as technical as preceding tracks.

So, what are my final thoughts on Chase's second December 2019 album? Well, if you like his extreme metal talents and his work in Awokest, you'll be right at home here! As a metalhead first and foremoist, I do prefer "One Last Act Of Defiance" to "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To", and it allows Chase another opportunity to let loose with black, death, and post-metal intensity! Comparisons to his Awokest albums are inevitable, and while this has less of a concept and an industrial influence than "Solving The Human Condition", it is more experimental, especially on "Life Transcending Value". However, like on that album, I was hoping for more guitar solos, which we only got on the opener and closer. My biggest issue with "O.L.A.O.D." was the mixing, especially the often quiet & distorted vocals, but abrupt song endings were also of note. Chase is a very talented and creative musician, and it shows in spades here, with songs like "The Mind Cracks..." and "Living Life In Living Hell" among my favourite recordings on this album.

Overall, Chase delivered another intense and aggressive batch of songs with this album, and while the mixing wasn't ideal, extreme metalheads and Awokest fans will find a lot to like! Buy or stream "One Last Act Of Defiance" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! That said, what album will we be reviewing on the site to kick off the fall season with? I'm not 100% certain yet, but I do have ideas. Of course, if a major new local metal, hard rock, or punk album comes out next month goes on sale, that will get precedence, and our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post (dropping one week from Wednesday) may have hints in that regard. If nothing new comes out, my tentative plan is to review defunct local hard rock band Redefined's recently rediscovered 2002 album "Risk & Uncertainty", to tie in with guitarist Matt Sibilo's debut gig with Fort Creek at Reggie's Place next Friday, and yes, we will be talking about that in our next news post.

In any event, stay tuned for updates on our next CD review in the month ahead, and look for a new news post later this week, plus this month's YouTube Channel Profile on Wednesday! Thanks everyone!

A New Album Release, News From The Blood Shed, And New Videos!!

It's been a reasonably quiet month, but we're back with a full post today, including lots of new video finds, so here's what you should know!

While we alluded to this album in our 2019 retrospective post, I forgot to do a proper write-up on it here (my apologies!), and that is local folk punk/experimental solo musician (The Ghost Of) Chase James Wigmore's new album "One Last Act Of Defiance"! Just two weeks after releasing his true debut studio album "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To", Chase quietly put out a follow-up album on his Bandcamp page on December 21st, and it features 7 newer original songs, though the material here is a return to his death and extreme metal side, despite being billed under his own name rather than Awokest. However, I wouldn't read into anything regarding that project's future, as Awokest have more of an industrial bent, and they posted online as recently as November. Digital copies of "One Last Act Of Defiance" are on sale for $7, physical details not yet known, and a free streaming copy was also uploaded to Chase's YouTube channel on New Year's Eve.

I'll hold comment on the album for now, pending a possible CD review in the future, but if you like Chase's brutal death metal work, you'll be right at home with this album! We just reviewed "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To" on the site last month, so with our 6 month anti-bias buffer between reviews of the same band, I wouldn't be able to review this one until the summer at the earliest, but it's definitely in the pile! Buy or stream it above!



Next up, let's tackle some more new videos from the last while, starting with new song postings on Chase's sometimes-label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel, which all feature the label's flagship goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore! Four videos have been uploaded there in the past month, including one prior upload that is back on the channel, and four new songs in three videos, all from upcoming C.T.W. album releases. One is planned for a solo disc of some kind, but the other two are from the sequel to C.T.W. and Chase's "A Couple of Degenerate Bastards" split CD, release details forthcoming. In fact, Tyler has already posted his half to their Bandcamp page, so fans of his short-running, pig-squealing, and ultra-minimalistic brand of grindcore will be eager to hear these songs! As usual, a number of song names could be seen as offensive, but one song from the split was posted on YouTube and has a name I can share here, namely the interestingly titled "Granny Bean-Flick For The World Wide Web".

These songs aren't going to convert non-believers to the C.T.W. gospel, so to speak, but Tyler's uncompromising original material will find an audience, and it's encouraging to see another split between him and Chase, validating the reception of the original with fans! Check out more above & below!



Also today, here's a new video from new local punk supergroup The Sick Sons, marking their first video upload on their Facebook page, and it's also of their first recorded original song! Filmed at LopLops Lounge on December 28th when they opened for The Cover Up (or You First & The Givee Givees), this 33 second clip featues their song "I Still Believe". Obviously, this isn't a complete look at the song, but from what we can hear, it has a strong and familiar sound to it for genre fans! The chorus singing is a little rough, but I am curious to hear this one in full, so give this snippet a watch below!



We'll close today with a Big Wreck cover that was shared on this Big Wreck fans Facebook group on January 12th. Posted by ex-Sense of Truth frontman Cory Murchison, this was filmed in his most recent band Skeyes of Seven's jam room a few years back, and it features Cory covering "That Song" alongside his bandmates Alain Fletcher and Kyle Sweet, plus Parabol/ex-Late Shift drummer Anthony Gagnon (if he was ever their official drummer, the band never publicized it.) This is solidly done and faithful to the original, so Big Wreck fans shouldn't object at all, but the camera placement is too high and off center, and you only ever see Al's arm in frame. Check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!