Unbound Updates & Name Change, Plus New Videos!!

In our 27th straight day of SMS updates, we've got some more news and videos to share today, including some new solo covers & new material from separate local projects. However, we'll lead off today with a bunch of stories from a newer local metal band, including their first live concert video, a guitarist departure, and a familiar name change, so here's what you need to know!

Let's start with some news from the newer local metal band known as Unbound, starting with the news that they have changed their name yesterday. As revealed on the Facebook event page for their show in Thunder Bay on Friday, the name change is to avoid confusion & conflicts with a prior Thunder Bay metal band named Unbound, whose name late singer Justin Fratpietro got permission to use as inspiration for the local band's name. Good move on the surface, as you could tell that there was some questioning of a "new" Unbound playing there, and hopefully everything's smoothed over! As a result, the band's new name is With Blood Build Character... wait, haven't we heard that before? You may remember last summer when a band of that same name was formed by the non-drumming members of local hardcore/death metal band March Into Regression (Jeremy Hannah, Ray Cowan, Christopher Neveau, and Tyler St. Amour), but they only played one show in August before going inactive. Since then, Christopher & Ray joined the former Unbound, and it looks like Christopher had the W.B.B.C. name to give to this new band when the time arose!

Note that aside from the name & common members, these are definitely two different bands, as the current W.B.B.C. don't play hardcore songs, and they were initially formed under a different name. Personally, I find the new/old name is a downgrade, as it's grammatically awkward (shouldn't it be "...Builds Character"?), and it was initially conceived for a different style of metal band, but at least in this case, members have the rights to this previously used name!

It also looks like they've already split with lead guitarist Ray Cowan at some point in the past week, as per his removal from W.B.B.C.'s Facebook page's lineup recently. A reason wasn't announced, but hopefully things are amicable, and best of luck to Ray in the future, as he's a very talented guitarist! With his departure, their lineup currently lists Christopher Neveau back on guitar, with frontman Kevin D'Orazio on vocals only, and the bassist position is empty. If there's a member search on the horizon, I'll let you guys know! Finally, the former Unbound made their live debut two weeks ago at Pier 61 in Thunder Bay two weeks ago, and the first video from their debut is now online to check out! Normally, I wouldn't plug this, as it's a personal Facebook video, but with no other glimpses of 2013 work yet, I wanna spread the word until something public & embeddable pops up. Uploaded by attendee Kiko Tommasini, it's of With Blood Build Character playing an original song named "Pound It Back", and it seems to be influenced by groove metal bands like Prong or Pro-Pain, which is cool to see from a Sault Ontario band!

Kevin D'Orazio has the right vocal aggression and tone for the material, but he needs to get a bit more diverse and less monotonous in my opinion, and the song is somewhat repetitive. Their stage presences could also be a bit looser, but overall, I like where the new With Blood Build Character is going, and hopefully they play more local shows than the first version did! Stay tuned for more updates!

We'll close today with some new videos, including one and some extra updates from Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night! Oddly, none of their recent news have been about their planned third re-recording of "Christmas Night", instead focusing on different new projects, possibly leading to a new EP that they hyped on their Facebook page on March 17th. Though it's possible concept or theme isn't known yet, could it be classical covers? They already posted one Mozart sonata in a metal style, and on Friday, they posted their cover of Mozart's "Symphony No. 25" onto their Reverbnation page, and it's predictably good as a metal rendition! It's not as familiar as Mozart's #11, but give it a listen above for some quality classical metal! The other new posting is a video previewing a re-recording of their 2011 original "Uthgar's Last Stand" (not "Ulfgar's Last Stand" as it was called then), though I'll note that their Facebook page is crediting it as a "brand new" song.

Posted to their YouTube channel on Thursday, it features two short samples of the re-recorded track, which will reportedly feature vocals from singer Gaby Koss when it's completed, along with footage from what looks like their recording studio. It sounds like it will be an improvement, but of course, stay tuned for updates as they come in, and check out their new sample video of "Uthgar's Last Stand" below!



Finally for today, here's a new solo cover from Valentine's Day Massacre bassist Adam Veale! Yes, he's getting in on the solo video action, as he's been featured in two filmed covers on his dad John's YouTube channel within the past 4 months. Featuring him on vocals & acoustic guitar from his current London homebase, the covers are of The Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" and (as embedded below) The Smashing Pumpkins' "Today", and they amount to the first videos of Adam singing that we've seen since before Sativa Rose got a full time singer. The Pumpkins have heavier stuff, but I think Adam's vocal range suits softer material like this better, and he does display some guitar talent in the process! See if you like Adam's solo clips above, and his cover of "Today" is below!



That's all for today, but I'll see you guys at 180 Gore Street TONIGHT for Soul Killing Female, the debut of AlgomA, and Honest Job! ALL AGES, don't miss it! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Monkey's Uncle), Guitarist Departures, And More!!

It's official: I'm back home tomorrow! Before that though, we have some big news today, including some notes relating to some local band pages, a new video, and two disappointing guitarist departures, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

As you may recall, I discussed some new Monkey's Uncle concerts at Kewadin Casino in yesterday's post, which will feature new singer/guitarist Donny Newell in their new quartet lineup. Well, Donny sent me an e-mail yesterday with some more show news, so here's what you should know! Monkey's Uncle will play at The Bird (a.k.a. Golanka's Bar) next weekend for shows on May 13th and 14th, in what I believe are the first shows with the band's new lineup! Donny said they may be playing there on an additional upcoming weekend, but I'll wait for more confirmation before saying it's a go. These shows should have 21+ age limits and 10:00 PM-ish start times, and there's no announced cover charge. Though these are the first Monkey's Uncle shows we've heard of from The Bird since the Jager days, I do believe they played there often during their period of not updating their MySpace page, for what that's worth. Also, The Bird's Facebook page has nothing on the shows yet, but I'll keep you posted if something comes up! Sounds good to me, hopefully the new lineup delivers at The Bird this month as well! Stay tuned for more Monkey's Uncle news as I hear it!

Next up, here's some disappointing news relating to the departures of guitarists from two local death metal bands. Firstly, State of Misery have parted ways with lead guitarist Ray Cowan. Ray was the band's lead guitar player since their inception late last year, playing with them at all of their shows through this month. This is the news that I hinted towards in yesterday's post, but now I have some actual information I can tell guys about. Through e-mail correspondence with drummer Nick Kainula, I was told that Ray left for personal reasons, although what those all could be wasn‘t known. As such, the band are indeed taking a break for a few months to regroup, write new material, and find a replacement guitarist. Band pages have yet to be updated to reflect Ray's departure, and though nowhere is a guitarist search promoted, give them a shout at this location if you're at all interested, cause you never know! This is disappointing to hear, especially given Ray's talent, which was crystal clear at their shows, but hopefully his reasons for leaving are truly for the best right now. It'll be odd not seeing State of Misery around for a few months, but they'll be back in full force soon, I hope. And, of course, best of luck to Ray, hopefully he pops up in a new band soon!

As well, The Bear Hunters have parted ways with rhythm guitarist Mike Vincent. Mike has played with The Bear Hunters at every concert since their inception, after replacing Andres Duchesne in the band last fall. The split is completely amicable, and as Mike personally stated on drummer Johnny Belanger’s personal Facebook page yesterday, he’s leaving due to his own family commitments & his own schedule. He didn’t want to leave, but he didn’t want to hold the band back either. That said, The Bear Hunters are now actively searching for a new rhythm guitarist. Prospective guitarists must be show ready with their own gear, have some lead guitar ability, and be able to play in Drop A tuning. Send your serious inquiries via e-mail to either Johnny’s page linked above or guitarist Mitch Sirie’s Facebook page, and leave your phone number for call backs. The aim was to have some tryouts later today, so keep that in mind. This news is unexpected & disappointing, but I’ve been a friend of Mike’s since high school, and I know that he has a lot on his plate personally. If this is what‘s best for him, I‘ll be supportive! Besides, he’s still in Skull After Betrayal and his own solo project, so don’t forget about them! Best of luck all around, hopefully The Bear Hunters (and State of Misery) bounce back soon!

Now that the bad news concerning guitarist exits is out of the way, let's revert to good news, as we have a new concert video to share! A new video of As It Stands from last month's Dead & Divine concert at The Oddfellows Hall was posted on YouTube on Tuesday! This was posted by YouTube user Micaela Hurley, who's posted scattered concert videos on her channel, including one of Bring The Fallen from last year. This new As It Stands video features clips from many of the songs that the band played at the show last month, though some informal chitchat with guitarist Garrett Masters is included at the beginning. It would have been nice to see video of full songs, but still, this is some of the best quality video I've seen of As It Stands since their return last year, and the audio holds it's own too! Good stuff, and the band look in top form during their set, so definitely check out this new As It Stands video out below!



And finally, here's some news for those of you who use or visit Facebook groups used by local bands. Facebook recently announced that they are planning to archive all groups made in the "old" format and convert them to the new format. The old groups, which were bascially predecessors to Facebook pages, are still used by bands like Caveman Morrison & Sense of Truth, click on their names to check them out. However, Facebook's changing all their old groups to make them all follow the new format, which is designed for use in smaller circles and social groups. An example of a group in the new format is State of Misery's group, if you want an idea of what your old groups will look like eventually. With the changes, the "recent news" section, info box, and assorted minor aspects will be removed upon upgrading, but you'll get some new additions to your page, like synchronized chat with members. You'll also lose all of your group members, and you'll have to add new ones as a result afterwards. So, if you run a Facebook group, what do you need to do?

If your group is actively used, you can upgrade right now at the top of your group's main page, and if you don't, it will eventually be archived into the new format regardless. The upgrade option is only visible to admins of pages that have enough recent activity for it to be a good candidate for conversion (unlike our old Facebook group.) In case you're worried, NO GROUPS ARE BEING DELETED, just archived! Facebook also stresses that if you want to promote a business (like a band), they recommend a page, not a group, so make note of that. This news is somewhat inconvenient, as there's no way out of it, but I can understand Facebook wanting a more united group format across the site, so we have to make due. Click here for more information, and make the right choice for your Facebook presence if you use an old group!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the launch of the SMS March Mayhem tournament finals later today! The polls close at around 6:00 PM tonight to ensure that a full week of voting took place. Who are the final two bands? Find out tonight! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) And Some New Local Metal Videos!!

Well guys, it's finally time for our first news post of 2011! We've had to shove a lot of things back lately due to my string of concert reviews and our New Years specific posts, but things are slowly returning to normal, starting with tonight's post mostly focusing on newly posted videos! But first, we have a concert preview/LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

You could probably surmise this from past posts, but Tym Morrison's weekly arrangement at Foggy Notions will continue into 2011, starting with an acoustic solo show TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this got lost amongst my concert reviews and such. This is the only officially confirmed solo date from Tym so far this year, but I imagine that the concert calendar on his official website will be updated sooner or later to reflect at least his next January shows. Until then, I won't officially confirm his next shows, but I would expect him to be back at Foggy's on January 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, not counting his planned arrangement at The Big Cheese in Heyden, which begins on Friday. For now though, if you need something to do tomorrow night, then head out to see Tym in the first local hard rock concert of 2011! There is no cover charge tomorrow, you must be 19 to enter, and Tym hits the stage at 10:00 PM! Should be a good concert, as usual, with Tym's impressive solo repetoire sure to get people's attentions tomorrow night! For more information, check the above links and the official Facebook event page, and for a video preview, here's Tym covering Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" last month at Foggy's!



Now for some more videos from local bands from the last little while, and we'll start with one from last night's New Years Eve metal show at Foggy Notions! I'd have loved to have been there, but hey, I can't be the only person in town who was dragged into family functions instead. This is a live video from Sativa Rose's set, as filmed by bassist Adam Veale's dad John, and uploaded onto his YouTube channel. It's of their live cover of Megadeth's "Lucretia", and like some of their past videos, this one also features a guest singer! Rather than Jason Roy from Havadder or Tym Morrison, they were joined by this concert's promoter (and veteran local guitarist) Rich Moreland! Good quality as always, and I forgot to mention this before, but did anyone else notice that the wooden railing from the stage is gone at Foggy's? Sativa Rose do a great job on this cover, Andrew looks particularly dapper in his suit, but the vocals are very hard to make out. I don't know if they're low in the mix or whatever, but it is noticeable. Still, this is a great cover, check it out below!



Next up, here's the latest from new local death metal quartet State of Misery! Their Facebook group has been getting supplanted with new photos and information lately, including two new videos from recent jam sessions! The first video, which sounds like an original, was uploaded by Ashley Lacasse, and the second, a cover of Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell", was uploaded by Joey Bourgeois. Both were taken from what looks like the same jam. These are the best quality footage of State of Misery that we've seen so far, and are pretty impressive! The first song sounds pretty good, brutal and tight, while the Pantera cover is pretty good on it's own, but I don't know if Steve Rhodes' growling suits the song. Maybe it'll grow on me, but it's not horrible! I can't embed Facebook videos on here on their own, so click the above links for the latest video footage of State of Misery, as they're a very promising young band! Also, it was brought to my attention on their Facebook group earlier today that guitarist Ray Cowan's Ibanez guitar disappeared at some point since their show last night. Stolen or otherwise, if you have any information that could help get it back to Ray, message him on Facebook or call 206-3516. I'm fairly certain it's the guitar with the grey/black design that you saw him play at their live shows and in the above videos. Help if you can, and I'll have more from State of Misery as it comes in!

And finally, here's a new video from a local sports personality that features a sountrack from a local metal band! If you're a fan of mixed martial arts, you may be aware of Brent "The Professor" Fryia, a featherweight fighter from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He's 4-2 so far in his career, and has fought for organizations like King Of The Cage and Deep since his professional debut in 2008. He's a very good fighter, but how is this SMS material? Well, this new highlight video on Brent features "Lock Me In" by Lion Ride as the backing music! Great choice, and it seems to fit his MMA career well, as in "locking in" submission holds! Check it out below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for another double post day TOMORROW, including our next "Where Are The New Albums?" update post and more news! Thanks everyone!