Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Andrew Angelic & The Pisstanks

After a quiet weekend, we are back with this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles on this Monday morning! This ongoing monthly feature series looks at 1 or 2 defunct or inactive metal, hard rock, or punk acts from the area, in order to spotlight them and their run for current readers, with bands being randomly selected from our links the previous month! As the first selected project has minimal public information, we randomly chose a second band with no media to round things out, and as we're starting a new 2-1-3-1-2-1 rotation between the Twin Saults this month, both are from Sault Ontario. Here's what you should know on both acts!
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Andrew Angelic

Genre: Metal (though "Crunk/Pop" was jokingly listed upon his MySpace page's launch)

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Andrew Angelic (Tortured Saint, Rattlesnake Hotel, Sativa Rose), all instruments

Info/Analysis: A familiar presence in the local metal scene with bands like Chillum, Talk Shit, and The Valentine's Day Massacre, Andrew launched his short-lived solo project in June 2011, late in his then-band Sativa Rose's local run. Activity was limited to a single untitled instrumental track before quietly closing his solo work, with Andrew focusing on his local bands until moving to London the following year. Andrew's sole original was a nicely flowing (albeit slower) original that showed his guitar abilities nicely, in spite of the softer tone and mixed audio quality, and while it's a shame his solo work didn't last longer, don't miss him in his current London band Tortured Saint!

(MySpace's audio player didn't work at press time to rip Andrew's song for embedding in this profile, despite the player appearing to load correctly. When the song is known to be streamable, or we otherwise obtain the file, we will include it here. This appears to be an issue with other MySpace pages, and not an isolated case. Apologies for any inconvenience!)
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The Pisstanks

Genre: Metal/Rockabilly

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Justin "Frenchie" Langlois (Redundant, The Scary Uncles, Fitswitch), vocals/guitar
Rick "Styles" White (Redundant, Fitswitch, Frightlight), guitar
Charles "Krazy Karl" Gibson (Fingerbone, The White Knights), bass
Glenn Lavoie (Nikkfitt), drums

Audio/Video: None to speak of, possibly due to the closure of their Geocities site, though they described their sound as if "Nirvana, Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin and Green Day got into a fight". Justin and Rick's collaborative work in their current punk band Redundant will likely give the most plentiful source of media to compare, especially the Green Day end of things, but punk was only a partial inspiration for The Pisstanks. Multiple band members were also seen in related contemporary groups like The White Knights, Scattered, and The Quims, but none have surviving public media either.

Info/Analysis: A short-lived band that was only visibly active in the fall of 2007, The Pisstanks promoted themselves with many references to alcohol & drinking, even taking their name from a comedic Facebook group launched by Rick earlier that same year. While jam sessions were well documented on their MySpace page, their brand of "drunk rock" never made the public stage before disbanding by 2008, though Justin & Rick would collaborate more prominently with Redundant, and previously in Fitswitch. The talent & humorous gimmick were there, and while not much publically came of The Pisstanks, hopefully everyone stays musically active!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! For the first time in over four years, we will be profiling two bands for a third straight month, as our first randomly selected band has minimal surviving public information, so we've added a second band in a similar state to round things out. As such, we'll be looking early 2000s Sault Michigan-area death metal band Bludgeoned and 1990s Sault Ontario hard rock band Foothill Road next month. Look for these on or around October 10th, and stay tuned for more news this week! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: The Eleventh Hour

As usual for the 10th of a month, here's our latest Defunct Local Band Profile on the site! This monthly feature spotlights one or two local bands (one this month) that, while no longer a publically functioning act, deserves a look back at their run and accomplishments! Once again, this month's band was randomly selected, and with Sault Michigan in our rotation for the first time in 2018, here's what you should know on this month's pick!
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The Eleventh Hour

Genre: Hardcore/Metal/Punk

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics. Note that Sean Hanson was credited as their "mascot and cowbell player" back in 2012, but I don't believe he was a formal band member as such.)

Sean Roush (Chained Memories), vocals
Josh North, guitar/formerly bass
Joseph Farrish, bass
Joseph North (7/47), drums

Gus Burgos, harsh vocals
Cathy Burgos, clean vocals/keyboard
Zach Howe, clean vocals
Cody Reed (Hoist The Sails, Analog Deficiency), guitar 
Matt Randazzo, bass 
Alex Boyer, bass

Audio/Video: Material on the their now-deleted first Facebook page included short song samples and vocal demos by Sean Roush, and teasers at an eventual all-original set with songs like "The Weeping Angels". After relaunching in late 2013, The Eleventh Hour announced plans to record an EP named "Eyes of the Wretched", which would have featured a song named "I Have A Voice" (lyrics even made its way to their new Facebook page), as well as later teasing a softer, punk-based cover selection in 2014 ranging from All Time Low to Paramore to Wolfmother . That said, only two songs tied to this band are known to be public nowadays: a vocal/piano selection by ex-singer Cathy Burgos from November 2013, and this scratchy but solid instrumental guitar demo by Josh North from earlier that year!



Info/Analysis: Launching under the Angelic Genocide name in February 2012 (eventually adopting their best known name that fall), The Eleventh Hour were one of the more recent ventures into extreme metal from young Sault Michigan-area performers, with brothers Josh & Joe North the only constant members. A live concert debut was never publically confirmed, and much of their later updates reflected personnel and name changes, with their lineup fluctuating from 4-6 members at varying points. The band briefly became Changing You For Better Days in early 2013, and eventually changed their name to One Hour Till Dawn in early 2014 to coincide with their shift in genre, before settling on When All Fell Silent that July. The last name was ironically apt, as no public updates followed, with the band itself falling silent for good by year's end. With only solo clips surviving from The Eleventh Hour's run, it's hard to comment on the band as a whole, but they had talented musicians and strong ambitions, and it's a shame they could never get far off the ground in the early 2010s!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next month in this series, we'll return to Sault Ontario for our next randomly selected profile, and for April 2018, we'll be looking at defunct local classic/hard rock quartet (and Soundcheck predecessors) Mourning Wood! Look for that at this time next month, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: D3athcharg3r

As a special auto-post while I rock out at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up (the review's coming tomorrow!), here's this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! This monthly series looks at a metal/hard rock band based out of town that has featured (or used to have) at least one Sault-area native in their lineup, so we can profile and/or introduce them to a local audience! This month's band only recently entered our radar, but they have very familiar faces if you've attended original metal shows in Sault Ontario in recent years, so read on below for the latest installment of this monthly series! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
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D3athcharg3r (London, Ontario)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Steve Rhodes (vocals)
Andrew Angelic (guitar)
Steve Catunto (bass)
Pete Catunto (drums)

Ryan Richards (vocals)
Jay Guneyler (guitar)
Cory Balger (guitar) 
Brad Coughlin (guitar)
Zach Guest (guitar)

Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/d3athcharger
Official Reverbnation page: http://reverbnation.com/d3athcharg3r

Official YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/d3athcharger
Official Twitter page: http://twitter.com/d3athcharger
Official Bandcamp page: http://d3athcharg3r.bandcamp.com

Local Info: D3athcharg3r's two newest members are both very familiar to Sault Ontario metalheads, as both Steve Rhodes & Andrew Angelic were both common sights at concerts in the early 2010s! Steve notably fronted death metal bands State of Misery and Bring the Misery, while Andrew took more of a traditional metal bent in bands like Sativa Rose & Chillum, before they joined forces in The Valentine's Day Massacre in late 2011. The V.D.M. were among the most prominent local metal bands through mid 2012 (including opening for Kittie and playing at two battles of the bands), before all band members moved to London for college in September. Though The V.D.M. are now inactive, Steve and Andrew are still going strong after joining D3athcharg3r earlier this year, along with their newest project, V.D.M. successors Saints & Serpents!

Band Bio: Though members have played together for a decade or so under names like Fallen and Infusion, D3athcharg3r itself launched circa June 2010, and have since become a popular and prolific sight in Southern Ontario with their death metal & thrash hybrid sound! Debuting live on August 1st, 2010, they've since played a number of big and notable concerts in their region, including sets opening for Warbringer, Laugh at the Fakes, and Devilz By Definition, and a couple of battle of the bands appearances. D3athcharg3r also released their debut EP "Forged By Steel" in June 2012, which attracted positive notices upon release, with a new EP of some kind currently in the works. Though their lineups have generally been stable, D3athcharg3r acquired a distinct local flavour when Steve Rhodes replaced Ryan Richards on vocals this February, later enlisting his V.D.M. bandmate Andrew Angelic to return them to a quintet in June. Stay tuned for further updates as they continue studio work and play more concerts!

There's not a lot of media online of D3athcharg3r's current lineup yet, but the Facebook videos and media I've heard so far sounds good, and Steve Rhodes is in usual form from his local work, though this band take on more of a thrash/groove influence than his old hardcore-themed work. I will say that his predecessor Ryan Richards has a heavier and more guttural voice that does fit their early material better, but I'd need to hear more before adequately comparing eras. Musically, D3thcharg3r have a very solid and heavy sound that definitely combines death & groove styles well, with intense riffing and a quality rhythm section from the Catunto brothers, but I do find that their earlier production doesn't bring the guitars up enough in the mix, and they sound too empty as a result. D3thcharg3r have a solid chemistry and brutality that death metal fans should enjoy though, and I can't wait to see how they develop in their current incarnation, with hopefully a local date in the future!

D3athcharg3r have a good amount of media online via their "Forged In Steel" EP and numerous live videos (plus their debut single with Steve, "Slow Decay"), so check their Bandcamp, YouTube, and Reverbnation pages linked above to give their material a look! Remember, make sure the 3s are in their name when looking them up, as they're officially in the name, and not just a stylistic option. With nice quality videos of their current lineup now online, here's a professional-shot video of D3athcharg3r playing "Slow Decay" this summer in London!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month in this series, and in advance of their local debut opening for The Dayglo Abortions in September, we'll be looking at Cross Dog, the new hardcore punk trio featuring former Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand on bass! It's been a while since he's turned up in a new live project, so watch out for this profile on or around August 26th, and we'll see you guys tomorrow with our Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up review and perhaps another post! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned), The End Of Dismembertainment, And More!!

We're back with a new news post on this Tuesday morning, but of course, remember to never forget the tragic events 11 years ago today, and please pay your respects for the sacrifices that have been made for our freedoms if you can! On the SMS front, we have news on a new Sault Michigan metal band's new name & latest lineup news, the likely end of a local concert promoting agency, and a new video from a notable Eastern U.P. hard rock band (along with a strangely high amount of talk relating to Sault Michigan-area musicians named Alex), but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this coming weekend across the river and updates relating to their lineup, so here's what you need to know!

Kinross hard rockers Banned will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY at Todd's Tavern in nearby Moran, Michigan! One weekend after a packed weekend in Gould City and at the Sault Riverview Music Festival (more on that in a bit), the Traynors & company will rock the former Bullwinkle's on Saturday night (yes, the date is 100% confirmed this time) for what should be an entertaining night of hard rock covers & originals! Admission should be free with a 21+ age limit, and an oddly early start time of 8:00 PM is advertised on their Facebook page. Todd's Tavern is quickly becoming a favourite stop for Banned's widely varying Eastern U.P. gigs, so take a drive down to Moran (20 minutes from St. Ignace, an hour from the Soo) on Saturday to rock out! Also in Banned news, I can confirm why guitarist Alex Schrovenwever was absent from their Rock Till You Drop battle set last month, as it looks like he moved to Marquette for college last month, as per postings on his personal Facebook page. I don't know what this means for his Banned status, but he is still listed in their lineup, and enough local bands have stayed active with a member out of town for an extended period for us to not assume the worst. Best of luck to Alex in Marquette though, and hopefully we'll see him back on stage with Banned sooner or later!

With that said, Alex Schrovenwever was definitely absent for Banned's Sault Riverview Music Festival sets this past weekend, but they kept at it to rock City Hall as part of this new local music festival, and we have video footage of Banned in action during their set on Friday night! This is of most of their still-local members (singer Mike Straw is absent) playing a brand new original song named "Cocaine Riot", as filmed by Ashley Traynor and uploaded to her YouTube channel on Sunday, but how does it look & sound? It has a nice classic hard rock sound, and it's melody & groove are better to me than on their other available originals, but it's not a shredding metal track. Lead guitarist Alex Traynor provides vocals here and uses them to maximum effectiveness with some extra grit & nicely ranged falsetto parts late, and everything comes out well here! You can tell it's later in the day though by the brightness of the video, and some extra lighting would have been nice, as well as the crowd reaction after the song ended. Check out Banned's newest original below, and go check them out in Moran on Saturday night!



Next up, I wanted to note on here (if you guys hadn't already heard) that Sault Ontario concert promoting agency Dismembertainment is more or less defunct now. The company ran by local promoter/guitarist Rich Moreland hasn't put on a show since May, and while I won't go into major details on what's happened since, Rich left town this past weekend for work opportunities in Alberta. He's of course well known for booking all kinds of metal & punk concerts in Sault Ontario since bringing Behemoth here in 2005, featuring notable bands like Kittie, The Dayglo Abortions, Napalm Death, Cattle Decapitation, Novembers Doom, Fuck The Facts, Wolven Ancestry, and Beyond Within, just to name a few. In the last couple years, he ramped up on bookings, including starting the Roosevelt Hotel metal nights in November 2010 & promoting 37 installments of that series, formally launching Dismembertainment in March 2011, briefly owning what's now Coch's Corner under the Feedback name late last year, and helping organize the massive Ypres Metal Fest in memory of the late David Gold this past April. Also, you're bound to remember him as a musician too, including a notable stint as a guitarist in Time of Ruin in the late 2000s, and many guest vocal appearances with assorted local bands.

It is disappointing to see Rich move, as he did wonders for the scene in the 7 years that he promoted local concerts! I know the response and turnout for some could be hit & miss, but he went above and beyond to give us tons of brutal metal concerts, and a Dismembertainment/Rich-promoted concert tended to be the heaviest event going down on any given week! I know I'm grateful for all he's done, and hopefully more locals can pick up the slack to ensure more major bands stop here for more than just sleep. That said, I hope Alberta works out for him, as Rich is a nice guy and has the talent & drive to go far if he has the opportunities available for him, so best of luck to him out west, and hopefully this won't be the last we'll hear from him in metal!

Finally for today, here's the latest updates from the new Sault Michigan hardcore band Angelic Genocide... or, what used to be them. Last week, they changed their name to The Eleventh Hour (Lamb of God reference?), and though a reason wasn't announced for the change, they did refer to the Angelic Genocide name as their "last idea at a band name", for what that's worth. I actually like the new name better, so hopefully it sticks for them, and hopefully they'll update their logos & Facebook page URL soon to match it! Also in recent news, The Eleventh Hour appear to have quietly parted ways with bassist Alex Boyer, as per his removal from their lineup on Facebook. Again, a reason for this hasn't been announced, but Alex does still list himself as a band member (on vocals, no less) on his personal Facebook page, though that might be an old posting to begin with. Still, if he is indeed gone, best of luck to Alex in the future! The Eleventh Hour do list the bass spot as vacant now, so if you live in the Sault Michigan area, it's worth giving the guys a shout if you wanna try out, so visit the above links! Finally for Eleventh Hour updates, the band indicated on Wednesday that they're working on a new original song named "The Weeping Angels", so stay tuned for updates on that and more from The Eleventh Hour as it all comes in!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly, including some news on upcoming album releases, hopefully our "Yooper Bars" book review, weekend concert previews, and more! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Hardcore Band, Buckcherry Concert Videos, And Hoist The Sails Lineup News!!

News is still slow to a point right now locally, but I've came up with a lot of updates from Sault Michigan lately, so that's the focus of today's news post! For the record, I've heard of nothing relating to metal & hard rock concerts in the area this weekend, though who knows what unannounced gigs could possibly be going on across the river tonight or tomorrow. In this post, we have lineup updates for a young local band, some videos from a recent major concert, and leading off, a brand new local band, so here's what you need to know!

We have a new band to add to the SMS links today, and they're a new Sault Michigan hardcore outfit named Angelic Genocide. Launched in February, they appear to be a younger band like some of the other recent harder edged acts across the river, and they feature a large lineup of six different musicians! Currently, they feature former Chained Memories frontman Sean Roush on lead vocals, clean singer Cathy Burgos, guitarists Cody Reed (Hoist The Sails, ex-Analog Deficiency) & Josh North, bassist Alex Boyer, and former 7/47 drummer Joe North (Josh's brother?), while Gus Burgos (Cathy's brother?) & Matt Randazzo were in the band's original lineup on vocals & bass respectively before Sean & Alex joined. As well, Sean Hanson is credited as being the band's mascot & cowbell player, but I don't believe he's an official performing member of Angelic Genocide. Since their Facebook page was created in April, the band has posted a bunch of band logos and song samples, including some vocal covers by Sean Roush of Suicide Silence & Hands songs (there's more on his personal page's video album) and a drum & bass sample, so check the above links to hear the new media! Other recent updates include a flirtation with entering a talent show earlier this summer, listing Asking Alexandria, Silverstein, and Miss May I as influences, and news that they would be focusing on originals full time as of August 10th, but check the above links for all you need to know!

There's a lot of unknowns with Angelic Genocide so far, but the members I'm familiar with have talent, and Sean Roush is a solid hardcore screamer (Chained Memories would have benefited if he'd stayed there!) I hope Angelic Genocide can make some local inroads, as a lot of the harsher Sault Michigan bands of late seem to have struggled in gaining footing in the scene, so I wish nothing but the best for them, and I'm curious to hear their originals and future plans! Check out Angelic Genocide at the above links, and they're now in our Sault Michigan band links!

Next up, we FINALLY have some videos from Monday night's Buckcherry/Fuel concert at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino to share on here! I wonder why there was such a delay to even get one from the show? None of these are of Fuel or local openers The London Gentlemen, but we have three Buckcherry videos to share, starting with this video of the Los Angeles hard rockers playing their single "Crazy Bitch" (with a bit of a surprise "freak out") on Monday night! Uploaded by YouTube user hoopy31 yesterday, the quality's pretty good (sans people's heads in the way), but why couldn't hoopy31 have filmed beyond part of Josh Todd's on-stage banter! Now, if you were curious, Josh's singing is hit and miss like I had heard from their show here last year, and with the higher quality, it's more noticeable (especially on higher ranged parts), but he and the band have good energy, and if you like Buckcherry, this video won't come amiss, so check it out below!



The other videos come from YouTube user Steve Ponch (who filmed a video from Ace Frehley's show here in 2009 as well), as he uploaded videos of Buckcherry playing their songs "Lit Up" and part of "It's A Party" on Wednesday! These are of much worse video quality than hoopy31's video, with muffled audio & a very strange & hard to explain colour filter on the camera, that almost looks like a sideways anaglyph 3D attempt. Is this intentional, and if not, what happened? Like on the "Crazy Bitch" video, Josh Todd's singing is patchy, but he does seem to have a good handle on talking to the crowd, and the performances are alright for what they are! I'm not a huge Buckcherry fan, but the attendees seemed to enjoy everything, and that's what matters! As it's the full song, here's "Lit Up", but check the above links for more!



Finally for today, here's some lineup news concerning another young local metal band, that being Hoist The Sails! Formal band updates haven't came since April, but at some point this summer, the band updated their lineup on their Facebook page, and a lot has changed in a short time. To start with, the band has brought back guitarist Nathan Switzer after briefly leaving Hoist The Sails in the spring (good to see him back!), while fellow guitarist Mitch Goetz has moved to the bass & clean vocalist position to replace Joe Niemi (who we already knew left) & Travis Theel respectively. Travis' exit is new to me, but hopefully everything was amicable, and best of luck to him in the future! Mitch is familiar locally for his singing & bass work in bands like Intrepid, so this should be a natural fit for him going forward in their new quintet lineup! Finally for the changes, Hoist The Sails have enlisted Angelic Genocide guitarist Cody Reed to replace Mitch on the second guitar, reuniting him with his former Analog Deficiency bandmates Nathan Switzer & drummer Marcel Grengs. Cody should be a solid addition to Hoist The Sails, and hopefully this new lineup can find success in the coming months locally, as like I mentioned above, hardcore/death metal bands in Sault Michigan lately need to gain some ground. Stay tuned for more from Hoist The Sails as it comes in!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this weekend, and the results of last month's poll and our newest poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril & Monkey's Uncle), Mike Haggith & Woods Of Ypres Updates, And More!!

Here's a blast of news for this Tuesday morning, including the latest on a local artist's next album, new reviews of a prominent local CD, and much more, but first, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as Kewadin Casino in Sault Michigan has updated their entertainment page to reflect new shows at The Rapids Lounge through the end of the year, which includes a handful of new hard rock shows! We'll get to those in a second, but also check the above links to find out new dates from area classic rock bands Aisle8, Bittermoon (with Monkey's Uncle alum Jim Belleau), and Crossroads, local indie acoustic duo Fallen Heroes, Oscoda classic rockers Grounded, and local country artist Paul Perry. Nothing overly heavy there, but there's plenty of talent present, so keep those bands in mind this year at Kewadin, along with the 9 weekends that are currently open that could be filled. Also, note that most of these bands (including the two hard rock acts) have upcoming dates at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace this year as well that you guys might be hearing more about this summer... stay tuned! Now, to the new metal shows at The Rapids Lounge!

In chronological order, we'll start with the latest local dates from Charlevoix metal trio Peril, who will apparently return to The Rapids Lounge on October 5th & 6th and December 21st & 22nd! These join their planned dates at Kewadin Casino's bar on July 13th and 14th on their 2012 concert schedule, and though very spread out, fans of Peril's classic metal covers & originals should be right at home with these new dates, including what's effectively the Christmas weekend this year! These gigs should have 10:00 PM-ish start times, no cover charge, and 21+ age limits, as is typical for Sault Michigan bar concerts, but note that these dates could be subject to change (their July concert weekend has already been moved up one week.) Sounds like some solid additions to their concert schedule for sure, and you know the guys in Peril will deliver a great time at their next local dates, so keep these new shows in mind as the year wears on, and check the above links for more details!

Before we get to the other new hard rock shows at Kewadin, I just wanted to note that Peril's Facebook page features a concert lineup implying that they're playing at the Sault Kewadin on August 24th & 25th, while Kewadin's entertainment page lists them as playing at the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace that weekend. I assume it's just an error, but if the shows were indeed moved, I'll keep you guys posted on that A.S.A.P.!

The other heavier new concerts are courtesy of local hard rock notables Monkey's Uncle, who are now confirmed for a pair of late 2012 concert weekends of their own! While their August 3rd & 4th concerts were restored to the lineup after briefly being removed along with some other summer dates, the Henry Switzer-led quartet will return to The Rapids Lounge on October 12th & 13th and December 14th & 15th, exactly a week after and a week before the new Peril gigs! I'd expect 10:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charge at any of these new dates, and check the above links for more details! Though I wish Monkey's Uncle had better updated pages and newer information online, they are a very talented and entertaining hard rock band with lots of solid original material and covers, so don't miss them at their future local dates, including THIS WEEKEND at The Rapids Lounge, and these new Monkey's Uncle & Peril dates are now in our concert listings!

Next up, here's the latest news from Sault Ontario solo artist Mike Haggith! While we're still waiting for the release of his long delayed 45th solo album "Neighbourhood Watch", he's keeping fans up to speed with lots of new demo and full track postings towards the album that we can stream in advance! All were posted on his solo project's Facebook page in video format (so I can't embed any of them here) including an instrumental mix of "To Whom This May Concern", full versions of "Leon the Janitor" and "Room 822", and more (including two instrumental mixes of non-album tracks), so check the above links to hear the new material! I won't weigh in with full thoughts yet, as I fully expect to review Mike's new album upon it's release, but longtime fans of his solo work shouldn't be disappointed! Also in recent Mike Haggith news: He quietly released a new single named "Prozac Weather" to his Reverbnation store on Friday, making it his second solo single release after "The Curse of 13", judging by what was on his old Facebook discography. It hasn't been posted for free streaming as of today, so you can only buy it to hear this 18 minute long song (featuring parts of existing original songs) in full, but it's available for $5.59 or less depending on your chosen format, so give "Prozac Weather" a shot, and stay tuned to the above links for more on Mike Haggith's newest music!

Also, here's some more reviews of Woods of Ypres' final recorded album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light"! On January 22nd, Dominic Walsh from the British metal site Dawn of the Deaf gave the local doom metal quartet's latest release 4.5 stars out of 5, saying that it left a superb legacy for the band, and called it a "surreal listen" when you know about what happened to late frontman David Gold. It's a fairly brief actual review, with much of the text referring to the events surrounding it's release in December and early 2012, but check it out at this location! In another review in January, Dirk Konz from the German metal site MetalNews gave "W5" a 6/7, calling it a "posthumous masterpiece", while complimenting on it's organic & clean sound , and also viewing it as timeless. That said, it's a longer review that needs translation if you can't speak German, so run this link through Google Translate to check it out! Finally, Raymond Westland from ThisIsNotAScene gave "Woods V" 8.5 stars out of 10 in another January review, and while he said it didn't hold many surprises, and had a "diminshed underground charm", he called it "incredibly solid" and the perfect follow-up to "Woods IV". This is a good and concise review, so click here to check it out, and stay tuned for more Woods of Ypres notes soon, including a recently discovered interview with guitarist Joel Violette from earlier this month!

And finally, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band or channel name:

• Remember the local band on YouTube user adamscovers' channel from various Superior Heights gigs? Well, I can confirm that the Adam in question is Adam Gualtieri, who is the shorter haired member on guitar & bass in the posted videos. He joins Liam Seymour & a yet-unidentified drummer in this band, and I think Adam is related to ex-Creatures of the Night bassist Mike Gualtieri. Hopefully we hear more on this band soon, but thanks to Adam for letting me know some extra details!
• I'll likely be moving Valentine's Day Massacre/Sativa Rose guitarist Andrew Angelic's solo project to our inactive band links on Saturday due to a year's inactivity. He last used his solo MySpace page on the day he started it (June 2nd of last year), likely due to focusing on his bands. Definitely keep posted on his bands though, as he's still very busy in music, but if his solo project returns, I'll be sure to let you guys know!
• Local doom/stoner metal band Giwakwa have quietly parted ways with singer Jason Bourcier, as per his removal from their lineup on their Facebook page. A public reason hasn't been announced for his departure, and though I have heard why, I won't go into further detail unless the band says anything publically, out of respect to all parties. Best of luck to Jason in his next musical steps for sure though, and stay tuned for more Giwakwa updates!
  

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Insipid Brutality review by Thursday, along with weekend concert previews and more! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (River Witch), A New Solo Project, And Much More!!

Hey guys, hope last night's Unleash The Archers show was a blast! Today, we have a bunch of scattered news stories, including a lineup switch at an upcoming concert, a lineup change for a newer local band, tons of videos from a recent show, and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, but first, here's a new local solo project!

Local metal guitarist Andrew Angelic is likely well known locally for his work in bands like Sativa Rose (among many others), but now he's launched a solo project! Andrew opened up a solo MySpace page on Thursday, and despite listing his genres as crunk and pop, you have nothing to fear by listening! The mostly-bare page does have one posted track, untitled at present, and it's really nice! It's basically a slow extended solo piece that flows really nicely, and though it has a softer atmosphere about it, his guitar work really shines, and his talent is clear as clear can be! The audio quality isn't as good though, there's some background fuzz, but it doesn't take away from the track too much. Very nice work, I hope Andrew puts his songwriting skills to continued good use with some more solo (and Sativa Rose) material, and hopefully his solo project grows further from here! Check the above links for more, and yes, he's now in our band links on your left!

Next up, here are those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! Remember on Thursday when I mentioned that I missed a couple of concerts at The Cozy Corners Tavern & Grill in nearby Barbeau, Michigan featuring Sault Michigan hard rockers River Witch? Well, I won't miss any more this summer (hopefully), as Cozy Corners' website has an event calendar that lists a bunch more River Witch dates for the next few months! Five dates are announced for River Witch in Barbeau through September, including shows on July 9th, 29th, and 30th, and September 23rd & 24th! All but the July 9th show are weekend sets, with the Friday on the July 9th weekend reserved for another band, Florida duo Case & Davidson. All of these shows have 9:00 PM start times, there's no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit is likely. Check the above links for more details! Of course, River Witch's spotty history of Facebook updates means they haven't announced these shows officially, but if the venue says they're on, then that's as good a source as any! Nice to see them back at Cozy Corners, it looks like a nice venue, and their hard rocking sounds will fit in there! Stay tuned for River Witch updates as I hear them, and remember to see them at the end of the month at Kewadin Casino & Lemmafest!

Now to some more cool updates, and first, if you were at The Roosevelt Hotel on Thursday and saw a camcorder & tripod set up across from the stage, were you wondering why? Well, it's because The Bear Hunters filmed their entire set! I'm not sure who did the filming itself, but 10 songs are now posted on the band's official YouTube channel, including their songs "Overthrown", "Condemned", "Bloodthirst", "Casualties of War", "Karma", "Succumb to Eternity", "Dominate", "Collapse The Sun", and "Render This Void", along with their cover of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard"! Their encore set without Josh Stephney hasn't been posted (at least not yet), so their additional covers and work-in-progress new original aren't up to watch yet. The quality's nice on these videos, better than my new camera (remember, they used a pro-quality camcorder), though it can be dark, especially when fans crowd near the front of the stage. Audio's nice too, everything comes through really well! Nice to see some more good quality video footage of a band like this, especially with this amount of videos! Because it's one of their newest songs, I'll embed "Render This Void" below, but check out the rest of the posted videos (with hopefully more to come) at the above links!



Now here's a couple of notes relating to Roosevelt Hotel metal nights. First, this completely slipped me by until after their debut last week, but new local death metal band Bring The Misery have parted ways with bassist Kory Derasp and replaced him Tyler St. Amour, who is drummer Travis St. Amour's brother. No explanation was given for Kory's exit, but Tyler was quietly added to Bring The Misery's lineup on their Facebook page. Tyler was indeed on bass on Thursday for their debut, but I still had the old lineup info when I did my review, which has since been edited to fix the mistake. I don't know Kory or Tyler personally, and without hearing about the switch beforehand, you can understand my error, hopefully. That said, best of luck to Kory, and Tyler seems like a good fit with Bring The Misery!

My other note is for the Rosie metal night on June 16th, as there's been a band change. Local hardcore quartet Skull After Betrayal have replaced WinkStinger as the headliners for that night's show. No reason has been given for why WinkStinger dropped out, and Dismembertainment haven't confirmed the switch yet, but I have two reliable sources that should help confirm the news. Skull After Betrayal announced their involvement on their own Facebook page, and Frightlight announced it on their own event page for the show, complete with updated event poster! Looks like a Kevin Powe creation, nice work! It'll be interesting to see how Skull After Betrayal sound with their new genre and material in hand, especially as headliners! Hopefully I can make it out! For more on both of the above stories, check the above links!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes very soon, including our Defunct Local Band Profile on Bad Side later in the week, and much more to come! Thanks everyone!