LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Angelmaker), New Concert Videos, And More Recent Updates!!

After a couple of quiet days coming out of the long weekend, here's another busy news post on this Wednesday night, including recent concert videos and some more shorter updates, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this summer that extreme metalheads may want to pay attention to!

An international touring roster of deathcore bands will descend upon Blaster Powerhouse (still listed as Soo Blaster on the AI-generated poster) on Thursday, August 20th, with Vancouver deathcore septet Angelmaker headlining in their local debut! Yes, they have seven members (including three guitarists and two singers), and things add up well to a brutal and chaotic brand of death metal that fans of Whitechapel and Lorna Shore should take to well, so don't miss out when they come here in three months! Also playing here that night are British deathcore band Ingested, who may have a new lead singer on this tour run. Regardless, this Metal Blade act brings ferocity and hardcore elements to their death metal attack, and they'll pair well here, as will Nevada deathcore project Disfiguring The Goddess, whose djent-influenced sound will also go over well with the crowd at the former Soo Blaster! At least two local support bands are being sought, so what should you know there?

Promoters Heavy North Entertainment (in their first booking of 2026) are calling this "the ultimate metal concert", and they are looking for "emerging bands in the metal/core genres" to kick off the night, so message heavynorthentertainment@live.com with your EPK and links to audio and video of your band if you're interested! At this point, Tyler has not announced a start time or admission fees, but the show will presumably be all ages. The immense hype in the promotion (especially contrasted with the AI poster) has raised eyebrows among local metalheads already, but if you're into deathcore at all, this will be a massive bill, so see above for more details!

Next up, here's some recent concert videos, starting with (as far as I am aware) the last remaining public video from last month's Three Days Grace concert at GFL Memorial Gardens! This comes from YouTube user Brian Myles, who you may recognize from filming at Theory Of A Deadman's pre-pandemic concert here in February 2020. Brian only got one video at this particular show, and it's of the Norwood hard rock quintet playing their classic single "Riot". While it is basically the whole song, this was sadly shot vertically, and the audio is somewhat muffled. That said, the crowd was very animated as seen from this floor seating vantage point, and Matt & Adam pair well on vocals here! I'm really surprised at the lack of videos from this concert to be posted in publically accessible places, but what we have does give a good sampling of Three Days Grace's set, at least. Watch Brian's video below, and we'll let you know if any other videos turn up!

Also, let's take a look at videos from the Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath tribute band Crazy Babies' concert at The Full Throttle Saloon on May 9th! The $70 ticket price and lack of admission at the door did get a lot of attention in the lead-up, but it must have been a hit, as the former Primavera Hall are bringing Epic Rush there next month, and the return of Metallica tribute band Sandman is being teased on the venue's Facebook page as well. Details on that are forthcoming, but if you didn't come out for the Crazy Babies, their Facebook page has you covered! Videos (all vertical, unfortunately) include two very Zakk Wyldesque guitar solos (linked here & here), their set-opener "I Don't Know", singer Rod Clarke giving everyone 'Cheers' before playing "No More Tears", and as embedded below, 4 minutes of them tackling the Sabbath standard "War Pigs".  Despite the ticket prices, this concert seemed to draw well!

Whether we will see The Full Throttle Saloon book touring bands that aren't tribute acts is to be determined, but Crazy Babies delivered for Ozzy fans two weeks ago, and they definitely sound good across these videos! The filmer had reasonable camera angles to capture things at a generally nice vantage point at the stage's far right corner too, even if vertical. Check these out for yourselves above & below, and hopefully Rod and the Babies come back!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• In new postings on their Facebook page, rebranded local death metal staples Eden Plague (née The Bear Hunters) have confirmed that their lineup is unchanged from how it has looked since they permanently shrunk to a quartet in 2016. Regarding their return opening for Dopethrone at Jay's on Monday, they will "have a couple of new songs... as well as some of your old favourite 'Bear Hunter' songs" in their set that night, while calling this "a kick ass, reminiscent, but new show" to "welcome in our new chapter". One assumes that the new songs will be from their planned "final album" that was teased to be in the works in 2023, but maybe they've been working on music that we don't know about yet? Stay tuned!
• Local classic/hard rock cover bands Soundcheck & Separate Wayz will join forces for an "epic crossover" gig on Saturday, August 15th when their five combined band members take the 3½ hour drive north to Chapleau! This road trip will see the sister bands serve as musical entertainment for that weekend's Gold Rush Nationals Drag Race, as per the AI-generated poster on Wawa radio station CJWA's website. Hopefully the show is a blast for Terry, Jim, Johnny, Travis, and Nicole, let alone race attendees, and keep it in mind if you'll be points north then to realistically check it out!
• Sault Michigan hardcore punk trio Viscera have another out of town gig booked, this time 5 hours south in Melvindale (outside of Detroit), where they will open for Taylor thrash metal quintet Convulsis at Rooster Rager II on July 25th! This Friends For Animals Of Metro Detroit fundraiser will notably also feature Detroit deathcore quartet Living Dissection, featuring former local metal guitarist Mike Libertoski (of Slackjawed Rats and Galactic Alignment fame). Always cool to see what Mike's up to nowadays, so keep this Yooper double bill in mind if you'll be downstate in two months!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent Nine & Greg Simpson), The Crazy Babies Concert Preview, And More!!

Possibly due to the long weekend ahead, this weekend's hard rock concert previews are pretty quiet, but we still have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, so here's what you should know for this weekend as well as a new live-streamed video from a local band's recent gig on the road!

Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg Simpson will return to the stage when he debuts at The Dive Gastro Pub TONIGHT before serving as the acoustic matinee performer at Beck's Bar on SUNDAY! Apologies for the short notice, both shows were only announced via the venues' respective Facebook pages yesterday and on Monday respectively. Fans haven't seen "the ranting rockstar" on a public stage since Bone Yard's acoustic St. Patrick's Day gig at Smitty's, and with your local 225's indefinite break still ongoing (our best wishes are still with Alex and family), it looks like Greg is ready to hit the stage again in the interim, with these shows likely to be similar to Bone Yard's "uncorked" acoustic gigs, albeit sans Alex and Warren. Take The Dive's AI poster claim of "live DJ / singer vibes all night" with a grain of salt, but as usual for non-summer gigs at The Dive, TONIGHT's "Think It Over Thursday" show will be indoors in "the naughty corner".

As for SUNDAY at Beck's, this does seem like it might be a replacement for a planned Bone Yard matinee gig there. Note that they're not hosting a band on Saturday. rather a blacklight dance party featuring DJ Dark Mark, so were Bone Yard supposed to play the double shot there like they have before? In any event, TONIGHT'S Dive show downtown is at 9:00 PM, SUNDAY'S Beck's show (which coincides with a euchre tournament) is at 3:00 PM, and both have 19+ age limits and no cover. Good to see Greg back at it after a couple of months away from the stage, so expect "uncorked" southern hard rock covers at both venues ahead! Visit the above links for more details, and we'll let you know if solo videos of Greg live surface publically!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will return to the public stage on SATURDAY NIGHT at DeMarco's Boots & Saddles Roadhouse! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this concert via their Facebook page on Monday, though it was quietly added to their website's concert calendar in recent weeks. After taking April off, this will be Silent 9's first show since rocking Beck's Bar two months ago, but it won't be their debut at the Boots & Saddles, as they made the drive deep into the west end for at least one private gig in January. Like in recent years, the band is taking the summer off from standard bar gigs, instead focusing on festivals and private events, so if you want to see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve rock out in a nightclub, and you're in the area/up for the drive, keep SATURDAY'S show in mind! This is an 8:00 PM and 19+ show with no cover. See above for more details, and here's Silent 9 live!

Lastly for known hard rock concerts this weekend is the local debut of Toronto-based Ozzy Osbourne tribute band Crazy Babies on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Full Throttle Saloon! Apologies for erroneously crediting them as being the Detroit-based Ozzy ReBourne in our initial coverage, Ozzy tribute band marketing confused me a bit at the time. The first real stab at hosting a touring headiner at the former Primavera Hall, this tribute to Ozzy's solo career and Black Sabbath work has received acclaim in their travels for their faithful stage show and Rod Clarke's closely matched vocals, so definitely keep this show in mind if you love the Prince of Darkness! Local support will come by way of classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush, who are no strangers to the Full Throttle Saloon or as openers for a touring tribute band, so don't be late for their 1980s-leaning sets! They are playing sets before Crazy Babies' set and afterwards at midnight.

Now, this 19+ concert takes place at 9:00 PM on Saturday, but tickets cost $70 in advance at this link, at the saloon, or by calling them, and there will reportedly be no admission at the door. The high cost of tickets (higher than Triumph & April Wine at the Gardens!) has not gone unnoticed on social media, and while I won't pass judgment as to how the venue/headliners landed on that number, I just hope the show meets or exceeds expectations for turnout. Visit the above links for more on what should be a fun night for Ozzy and Sabbath fans, and for a preview, here are the Crazy Babies live!

Finally for today, here's a new live-streamed video from Sault Michigan hard rock trio Crush's Facebook page! This comes from their most recent gig, which saw them head downstate to open for Tribe989 at The Ann Arbor Music Festival at The Blind Pig this past Friday. Like at their show at The Merch last month, the Tarnished splinter group live-streamed it for local fans to check out, but as Facebook's current rules for live-streamed videos mean that they'll be deleted after a month, you guys have until around June 1st to see it unless Crush convert it or re-upload it as a regular video. You can tell it's a live-stream though because the 50 minute video doesn't start until 9:30 in, so skip there unless you want to observe them setting up. Their set features the guys playing "SDR&R", "Fire", "Intoxicated", "Hey You", their covers of AC/DC's "Big Balls" and Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!", ...

..."Capitol Gain", "Too Close",  the original not introduced by name that may be titled "Fuck It", and an original that wasn't in the Merch livestreams that I think is named "Call It A Night" (Alex sang lead on that one). Alas, this video was shot vertically, and attendees can block the view for parts of the set, but the audio is clear and Crush show a good sense of humour and rapport with the Metro Detroit fans! They're actually opening for Tribe989 downstate again tomorrow (in Battle Creek, click here for details), but give their Ann Arbor video a watch this month while you can!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Stones & Crows), A New Local Band, And The Headrush Concert Preview!!

As promised, we're wrapping up this weekend's hard rock concert previews tonight on the SMS, along with featuring new videos of the band in question, but leading off, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and the first public info on the new band involved, so here's what you should know!

We have a new local blues/hard rock band to add to our active band links, and they are Stones & Crows! This is the new project from former Electric Church frontman Spencer Pine, and if you liked that project, you may not have to seek them out to like their Facebook page, as Spencer just renamed the Electric Church Facebook page to repurpose it for the new band. This isn't common for local bands to do, but Generations did that with Jus' Chillin's Facebook group. I'll probably leave Electric Church (who broke up in 2018) in our inactive links with the same URL though, because the page has a double purpose now! Spencer is joined here by Floor Between Us bassist Nicholas Gingras and former HeadFirst/Them drummer Anthony Boudreau, with all three being given a stage name on social media (Spencer is "Bukky VanZant", Nicholas is "Nikki Crow", and Anthony is "Tony Stone").

Their lineup may not be complete, as according to this Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting from April 16th, S&C are looking for a keyboardist "who can bring that vintage feel to the... keys that sit right in the pocket to add depth to heavy blues grooves". Applicants must be aged 20-35, consistent and on-time, able to improvise and learn songs quickly, have their own setup, and have "feel, tone, and stage presence". Auditions can be in person at their jam space or online. Keyboards in local rock bands aren't exceedingly common, so hopefully they can find the right person, and contact the guys above if you're interested! In that LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, Stones & Crows will make their live debut on Friday, June 26th at Beck's Bar, which was announced in this jokey Facebook video featuring the guys sitting on a couch. No word on why this horizontal video was needlessly letterboxed into vertical "Reel" dimensions though, making it tiny.

The concert will be a 19+ affair at 9:00 PM with no announced cover. Based on early sound descriptions, Stones & Crows do sound like successors to Electric Church, with "a modern hard rock sound rooted in blues & grit" and artists like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan cited as being covered along with planned originals. Then as now, they'll stand out locally, so stay tuned for more from Stones & Crows soon, keep their debut show in two months in mind, and give their first video a look below!

Next up, here's the last of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Full Throttle Saloon for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at this venue in late March, tomorrow's concert coincides with a "rabbit party" at the former Primavera Hall, literally meaning that they're serving roasted rabbit on the dinner menu tomorrow, so keep that in mind if that interests you! This will be Headrush's last Full Throttle gig before they open for Ozzy Osbourne tribute band The Crazy Babies there on May 9th, and if you didn't hear about the admission fees for that show, tickets cost $70 at the venue or at this link, and reportedly, there will be no admission at the door, which alone is unusual for a local concert. I won't pass judgment on how the venue/band landed on that price, but I hope that the concert draws as well as they're hoping!

Tomorrow's headlining concert is at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's some brand new videos of Headrush live at The Esquire Club two weeks ago! Bassist John Amendola shared three clips from attendee and local music supporter Audrey Marshall's personal Facebook page to the band's Facebook group, with Audrey filming the guys covering Triumph's "Lay It On The Line", Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny", and as embedded below, AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie", which is the only one of the three to exceed one (or two) minutes in length. The Tommy Tutone cover notably features Soundcheck/Half Past drummer Johnny Amendola (John's son and ex-bandmate) sitting in for Gino Pulente behind the kit. That video happens to be vertical, alas, but Audrey did seem to focus on Johnny primarily for it.

He fits in well with his dad and gang on that cover, as you'd expect! The other two covers see Headrush in heavier territory (and timely in the case of Triumph) and doing a solid job on them, with John Anderson's voice suiting early AC/DC well in particular, so give everything a watch above and below, and don't miss Headrush tomorrow in Steelton!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Ozzy REbourne & Soundcheck), A Band Reunion, And More News & Notes!!

I hope everyone had a good Super Bowl Sunday! Here's a new news post to kick off the week, and it includes LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, confirmation of a band reunion, and some more recent updates, so let's get things rolling!

Just over a week after their surprise reunion gigs at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck have announced their return as a full time band, and they'll be back at the same venue on Friday, February 20th and Saturday, February 21st! In their first Facebook page post in over a year, they confirmed that founding singer/guitarist Terry Eaton and late-era bassist Jim Michaud are continuing in 2026, and will be joined again by Half Past drummer Johnny Amendola, who took over for Glen Thomas behind the kit last week, and of course, is also new to Terry & Jim's other current cover band Separate Wayz. The big reveal here is that singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver is finally making his long-delayed move to Nashville to further his solo career, so he isn't joining Soundcheck's full return (no word on if last week's shows were intended as a send-off for him.)

Replacing Cameron is original Soundcheck singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe, who was part of the former Nameus upon their debut in 2016 until he left the band in 2019, with Cameron replacing him at the time. Travis actually guested with Soundcheck in some capacity last week, which would be neat for late 2010s fans of theirs, let alone those familiar with Terry & Travis' long-standing work in bands like Carbon Black! It is good to see Soundcheck proper back after a year away, and with Terry, Jim, and Johnny also playing in Separate Wayz with singer Nicole Thibodeau, you're bound to see both bands a good amount in 2026! If you're wondering what became of The Guilty Party (the band featuring Terry, Jim, and ex-singer/drummer Brent Royer that formed last fall), it appears that Soundcheck's full reunion has replaced The Guilty Party, as that band's Facebook page has quietly been deleted.

Johnny had replaced Brent in both that band and Separate Wayz when Brent stepped down last month, but he never played a gig with either before Soundcheck reunited with him behind the kit. The Guilty Party only played a handful of gigs last fall, and you'll see Terry get his lead vocal turns with both Soundcheck and Separate Wayz, but I will miss the videos that were on The Guilty Party's page! Like last week at Jay's, expect Soundcheck's shows on the 20th and 21st to be 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details on Soundcheck's official return! 

Next up, here's a mild surprise, as Detroit-based Ozzy Osbourne tribute band Crazy Babies (a.k.a. Ozzy REbourne) will make their local concert debut on Saturday, May 9th when they rock The Full Throttle Saloon! The first booking from a touring band at the former Primavera Hall, this was announced yesterday on the venue's Facebook page, but I have not seen confirmation of this booking on Crazy Babies' end. While we have seen an Ozzy-era Black Sabbath tribute band here before, one paying homage primarily to Ozzy's solo career will be really neat, and Ozzy REbourne definitely deliver the goods for fans of the pioneering British metal legend, so keep this spring-time show in mind! Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush (no strangers to The Full Throttle Saloon) will open the proceedings in three months. Their 1980s-leaning batch of covers should ease fans into the metal!

This will be a 19+ event, and we await confirmation of a start time and ticket/admission fees, but call/contact the venue if you have any early questions. This should be a fun one, and I hope it does well to encourage more touring acts at this new-ish Steelton venue, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

 

• Sault Michigan hard rock/punk trio About:Blank have parted ways with guitarist Nathan Webber, as per their Facebook page on January 31st. A reason for his departure was not announced, but things are amicable, and they wish him well in his future endeavours. Nathan had previously missed About:Blank's set at the LSSU Battle of the Bands in October, but it's not clear how related that is to his permanent exit. Parker & Kade are looking for a new guitarist (and maybe a bassist, assuming that Parker could focus on guitar full time thusly), so message them above for details, and stay tuned for updates from both About:Blank when they roll in!
• In their first Facebook post in two years (they never even mentioned Toystock 2024 or dropping out of last year's Toystock there), Sault Ontario punk trio Redundant teased on New Years Eve that "we will definitely see you in 2026", with this cover photo hinting that "something big is coming", featuring artwork of some kind partially obscured behind torn paper. No word on what Justin, Rick, and their new bassist are specifically teasing, but we'll let you know when Redundant truly resurfaces this year!
• Waterloo hard rock quartet Sierra Pilot will be the openers for Pop Evil when they headline at The Machine Shop on April 12th, as per Pop Evil's own advertising! If the name is familiar, it's likely because former Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin is an alum of theirs, but he left that band by early 2025. It will still be neat to see Sierra Pilot in town, and they have a solid and energetic sound that will help set the tone well before Pop Evil make their Sault Ontario debut! For unclear reasons, this tour's other opening band (Tampa hard rock group Kamenar) are not playing the Soo date, though note that this is the only scheduled gig in Canada.

 

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Alex Traynor

 To close another month at the SMS (I am off tomorrow for my birthday), here's this month's delayed YouTube Channel Profile, as we're again spotlighting a YouTube channel whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists and/or concerts, as randomly selected from our YouTube subscriptions! We're staying in the E.U.P. for this month's selection, courtesy of a very familiar local hard rock musician, so here's what you should know!

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Alex Traynor (http://www.youtube.com/MrAlextraynor1)

Owner: Tarnished singer/guitarist & solo musician Alex Traynor, previously known from his work fronting Sault Michigan-area groups Banned and Traynwreck

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 30th, 2011; Current videos uploaded from July 2015 through April 2019

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for Alex's now-inactive solo project, it features the three music videos he made for his EP "Crazy World", plus a promotional video and an earlier cover song.
 
Why You Should Watch: While not the most amply stocked YouTube channel, it will be of high interest for fans of Alex's solo career, especially as Tarnished took on songs from "Crazy World" for their live setlist, while his early cover song is an amusing rocked-up take! Note that I am fairly certain Alex uploaded videos here in the channel's early years that have since been taken down. Also note that he has not posted official Tarnished videos here, as they have their own YouTube channel (as did Banned).

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Oops, I Did it Again (Cover): The earliest surviving video on Alex's channel (and only one not from his EP release cycle) is this audio cover of Britney Spears' "Oops!... I Did It Again" from July 2015, back when he was still fronting Banned. Set to assorted pictures of Alex with his guitar and his old Nightmare Before Christmas hat, the studio cover shows Alex's raw talent at his then-young age (he was 20 at the time), and while not over-the top in campiness or humour, covering a bubblegum pop song like this is a good sign that Alex doesn't take things too seriously!

Crazy World (Official Music Video): In the lead up to the release of "Crazy World" in March 2019, Alex made & released three music videos on his YouTube channel, starting with one for the title track the previous October, as preceded by a promo video teasing the final product. By far his most popular upload on the channel, the video features Alex performing the song while walking in the woods along a set of train tracks, meeting a mysterious fortune teller, and eventually falling victim to a curse of some kind. While definitely not Alex's heaviest original song, it shows his musical diversity well and would be an ideal live sing-along experience, so fans will take to it!

Jack O'Lantern (Official Music Video): The heaviest of the three "Crazy World" singles is the second one, "Jack O'Lantern", which takes strong musical cues from Avenged Sevenfold. It's a shame that this video wasn't released until February 2019, as it was clearly shot in October with a very seasonal motif, with Alex going to and performing at a Halloween party that eventually attracts creatures of the night as attendees to dance the night away. Well shot with effective use of Halloween party lighting and props, though I'd have tried to get more extras in costume to fill out the party. The song proper shows Alex's hard rock skills very well and his nicely developed vocals, but again, A7X vibes are definitely present here! Click here for the third music video for the near-ballad "What Everything Is Like (High Life)".

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile!  This series will return on or around June 26th like normal, when our newest random selection is YouTube user soanso77's channel, featuring six disparate videos featuring Sault Ontario punk veterans The Inner City Surfers! Look for that and much more on the site next month! Thanks everyone!

Alex Traynor - "Crazy World" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 117th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and for the first time since 2012, we're looking at a Sault Michigan-area album not released by SweetKenny, namely Kinross/Mount Pleasant solo hard rock artist (and Banned frontman) Alex Traynor's debut EP "Crazy World"! Independently released on March 1st, this EP was recorded in Mount Pleasant last fall, and based on available online materials, it looks like Alex recorded all instruments on the included songs. The 5 song EP can be bought for $10 in physical copies at this link, or online for around $5 on iTunes and Amazon, while you can also stream the whole thing on Spotify, Alex's website, Soundcloud, and on this auto-created YouTube channel, though consider buying it to support his work! I can't immediately confirm if CD copies are on sale locally at Crooked Music or elsewhere. Featuring 5 songs running for about 21 minutes in length, let's begin this review with it's opener, the title track!

The first single and shortest song on the EP, "Crazy World" surprisingly opens with a techno-influenced rock sound that is more reminiscent of industrial rock than the modern electronic rock. Alex still gets time to shine on guitar, and his vocals are sung with a purpose, almost like this intended to be a live concert sing-along anthem. His singing hits some solid high notes on the second verse, and the beat works well, but the song feels very unfinished, like a bridge and chorus were dropped in favour of an early fade-out. The song is a mixed bag, but it showcases Alex's musical diversity while it lasts!

The second single, and longest track is "Jack O'Lantern", and whether intentional or not, this song feels heavily inspired by Avenged Sevenfold. As it's own song, it's a stronger number overall than the opener, showcasing Alex's heavier influences and full musical abilities nicely. His vocals have a nice grit to them, the Halloween-inspired lyrics are complimented well, and the chorus has catchy qualities! I just wish the constant percussion "dinging" was somewhat toned down, and his bridge screams could have been a little louder, but the song is a definite highlight on "Crazy World"! Third is "What Everything Is Like (High Life)", which is a softer number that is heavily driven by Alex's singing compared to the actual music. I stop short of calling this a "ballad", but it's definitely a melodic number with seemingly personal lyrics, with a very steady marching quality throughout. Interesting contrast here, and a good showcase, but I think it could have had heavier instrumentation.

Fourth is "Life Is Made Of Lies", which is a return to heavy form with a steady chugging guitar riff, though it really doesn't pick up until Alex rams up his vocals from their first verse's deeper style. As a guitar and bass showcase, this delivers the goods, especially with two solid guitar solos, and he hits some strong aggressive vocal notes as things progress. As it's own original composition, this may be my favourite song on "Crazy World", but the abrupt ending did catch me off guard. The EP closes with "Send My Soul Away", curiously opting to close with the softest and most reserved track, only featuring vocals & acoustic guitar. Nicely composed and performed, Alex keeps his singing on the right trajectory to suit the mood, and he delivered some nice emotion throughout. I imagine this would work really well at his solo concerts, and it's definitely worth a listen if you like acoustic ballads!

So, what are my final thoughts on Alex's debut EP? Overall, it's a solid debut release that showcase his musical diversity and songwriting skills pretty well, and there's a little something for everyone on this! Myself, I preferred "Life Is Made of Lies" for it's heavy and catchy qualities, though "Jack O'Lantern" is well done also (especially for A7X fans), and all 5 songs have their plusses. Having covered Alex on the site since his adolescence and Banned's early run, I've seen him grow as a musician, and it's great to see his multi-instrumental abilities and singing improve to the point where he can release a solo EP of this level and diversity! There are things I'd work on though, like how two songs ended too abruptly (especially the title track), and I think there was more room to show off his guitar soloing than what we got. I also felt that "What Everything Is Like" could have been heavier without throwing off the actual vocals

It would have been interesting to hear early Banned originals like "Plaid Girl" or "Cocaine Riot"  too, but for a debut effort, Alex delivered the goods, and it'll be interesting to hear more from him in the future! Pick up or stream "Crazy World" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! As of right now, I do not know what album we'll be looking at next month, but look for our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post on Tuesday and/or our April concert schedule for ideas as to what could be next! Ideally, it'll be a new album again, but will our streak break? Stay tuned for details, and for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Solo Artist & EP Release, A New Music Video, And More!!

Here's a new news post for your Friday evening reading, and it includes some details on a big out of town concert event this summer, a new music video, and leading off, lots of information on the newest artist to be added to our links on the SMS. Here's what you should know!

In an admittedly belated addition to our Sault Michigan band links, let's finally roll Banned frontman Alex Traynor's solo project into our full coverage! A regular sight in our E.U.P. stories and concert previews throughout the 2010s via his work with his Kinross classic/hard rock trio, Alex has been performing solo as a permanent endeavour since at least March 2017, but I hesitated to include him in our full coverage before as his solo music seemed to lean softer than Banned. From what I've heard, that's no longer the case, so what should you know about Alex as a solo artist? Long-time Banned fans may recall them playing originals of Alex's in the past, but they appear to solely focus on covers now, while Alex posted his own solo covers & occasional audio original demos throughout 2017, not to mention increasingly frequent acoustic solo gigs across Northern Michigan. For what it's worth, Alex himself moved to Mount Pleasant in late 2017, though he & Banned still play live in our area often.

Last fall, Alex hit the studio to record his debut EP "Crazy World", which was successfully released online on March 1st via his official website & iTunes for $10, while you can stream the whole thing on Spotify and Soundcloud for free if you are so inclined. Not to mention, Alex has already released two professionally shot music videos for songs from "Crazy World" to his YouTube channel, including the title track and, as embedded below, his brand new video for the very Avenged Sevenfold-esque "Jack O'Lantern". His prior videos there were a "Crazy World" promotional clip and a surprise cover of Britney Spears' "Oops, I Did It Again."  At this juncture, I am definitely leaning towards reviewing Alex's debut EP on the site this month, which would be our first non-SweetKenny review of a Sault Michigan-area album in over 6 years, so keep tabs for updates on that front! Naturally, I'll hold full thoughts until then, but 3 of the EP's 5 songs are definitely heavy in tone.

Given Alex's frequent line blurring of his solo work and Banned gigs on social media (as well as Banned's online presentation focusing solely on Alex), it's almost a wonder why "Crazy World" wasn't advertised as a Banned EP, but Alex is a very talented musician who built on his adolescent promise very well, and it's great to see his solo career going well in the Central Lower Peninsula, plus frequent trips home! Stay tuned for much more on Alex's solo work, including unplugged gigs of his up here, and here's the "Jack O'Lantern" video! Creative visuals, this would be perfect at Halloween!

Next up, Sault Ontario Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide released their own new music video to the Tidal Records YouTube channel on Wednesday! This is for "Lost & Found", the first single from The Tide's forthcoming fourth studio album, and the description confirms that the song (and CD, I assume) was mixed by Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studio in St. Catharine's, who previously handled releases from local artists like Northwest, K.I.C.K., and Brendan Hodgson. The video proper was shot by young local filmmakers Avery Obeng & Matt Hroch, and it is The Rising Tide's first in 7 years, and their first with their current lineup. I'll hold full comment on the song until the album release, but the video is fairly straightforward, with the guys performing the song on a dark soundstage with deliberate lighting. Well filmed and put together, and Tide fans won't want to bypass this one, so give it a watch below!



Finally for today, I wanted to acknowledge the big Elliot Lake concert festival going down at their airport this summer, as while Elliot Lake is 2 hours from Sault Ste. Marie (an hour past the end of our coverage range), a good amount of local artists will be performing. Entitled Atomic MusicFest, this special event will take place from August 9th-11th at the Elliot Lake Municipal Airport, and it will feature bands on all three nights, leaning primarily to metal acts in the headline spots. The Friday, August 9th lineup will feature the out of town debut of local Tool tribute quartet Parabol as headliners, alongside punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and uncredited local rappers. Advertised performers on Saturday the 10th will include a couple of bands who've played in the Soo before, like Metallica tribute band Sandman & Sudbury death/thrash metal quintet Archelon, while Redefined alum Jon Rioux sings for the Ottawa-based Pantera tribute band Fantera that same night.

This is an all ages and licensed festival, with $45 weekend passes among other admission tiers, so visit the official website for complete details on how to attend. Kudos to AstroRabbit Entertainment for trying a big festival like this, and while I'm not sure how the tribute band-heavy lineup would play with some fans, this is a huge event for Elliot Lake, and hopefully there's a sizable turnout from Saultites in August! See above for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!