Theatre Of Night - "Dreams Of Winter" Album Review!!

With a very quiet concert weekend ahead, let's get this month's 162nd CD review up on the SMS, and to end the year, we're going seasonal with a look at Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's sixth paid album "Dreams of Winter"! Independently released on their Reverbnation page on December 2nd, this is their first album with a paid release (Spotify playlists excepted) in almost 5 years, and is effectively an expanded revision of their 2011 album "Christmas Night", a seasonal release that foretold Theatre of Night's future as a touring act. Credits for the album aren't listed, but they have worked on and teased Christmas studio plans for years, some of which may or may not reflect the final product on this album. Their current lineup includes returning keyboardist Craig Harrison and guitarist Steve Giles from "Christmas Night", now joined by singer Rachel Mender, bassist Luke Bernard, and drummer Erik Sales.

Note that Scott Andringa was their bassist from 2017-2021, but it's not clear if he recorded anything present on the released album. You can buy "Dreams of Winter" at the above links for $9.99, and it can also be heard on most major streaming platforms, including on YouTube. As this album is mostly re-recordings, I won't re-review most songs, but I will compare them to the original album as to what changed. For reference, I am using the original all-instrumental 2011 version of the album for comparisons, not the later digital copy that featured vocals from ex-singer Gaby Koss and guest Ida Elena on select songs, and click here for my review of the original album. Featuring 14 tracks running for about 56 minutes, let's begin another Christmas night, 11 long years later!

The track listing of the albums have differences, but both start with "What Child Is This". The new version keeps the same arrangement but with some extra crescendos, and crucially, Rachel on vocals in the second half. She puts her pretty, operatic vocals to good use, with an effective drop in pitch late! I'm not sure that the added early instrumentation truly added anything, but you can see why this song kicked off the albums and their live Christmas concerts! Moving way up to track #2 is "Carol of the Bells", which is more or less a verbatim re-recording from the original a decade ago, and while there's no differences to speak of compositionally, the production quality is definitely cleaner and less fuzzy on the new version! Given how the Trans-Siberian Orchestra popularized this carol in a metal context, Theatre of Night's version continues to fit their mold very well!

The next eight songs are in order on both albums. Next is "Road To Bethlehem" (no "The" at the end anymore), which remains a short original instrumental with an identical arrangement. New recording quality aside, the biggest difference is that the opening 15 second introduction gradually gets louder, whereas it was a static volume originally. This mildly eerie orchestral piece still sets an interesting mood at this early stage! It is followed by "Little Drummer Boy", which sees the return of Rachel on vocals, but not singing the complete lyrics, opting not to do the "pa-rum-pum-pum-pum" parts until the title character asks Mary if he can drum for the baby Jesus. I assume they opted to hold that until the boy actually started drumming in universe, but something feels missing when you don't have them there. Otherwise, this is the same song with higher production values, and it's a strong & dramatic rendition!

Next is "Christmas Night" (formerly "Arabian Christmas Night"), which retains the original instrumental piece's structure but does tone down some of the twinkling and windy background effects, and I think I hear some vocal harmonies layered into the recording. Not a heavy song, but a pretty bridge between established carol renditions then and now! The albums' shortest song "Away In A Manger" follows with Rachel's return on vocals and more of a prominent drum track than on the original. Erik is a little loud in the mix here, especially given the softer nature of this carol in both versions, but Rachel's addition fits very well, and it's a nice mellow break as we reach the mid-point! Song #7 is "Dance of the Sugarplums" (previously named "The Nutcracker"), which remains an instrumental with the same structure, but Steve does show off a little more on guitar, and the drums are more prominent & rock based.

I think this revision is the best of the instrumental ones so far in terms of adding to the song, giving this holiday ballet staple some extra zest! The second half of "Dreams of Winter" leads off with "Silent Night", which Rachel sang on the Spotify version of "Christmas Night" too. Unlike her prior songs on the new album, her vocals are used from the start rather than after an instrumental verse. Her vocals are well done again and suitably orchestral, but I'd have dialed them back a little just given the song's mellow & spare tone. Still effective, and maintains the original version's musical framework! "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" is next up, and for the first time on the album, Rachel sings on consecutive songs, but only to do partial choruses and the final verse. You have her here, why not use her? The drum track is also more prominent here, so fans of Erik's work will be happy!

Well performed version of this classic carol that sticks to old formulas with additions, but again, I'd have had Rachel sing more of this. The run of eight consecutive songs in order across both albums ends with track #10, "Star In The East" (no more "A" at the beginning). While still an original instrumental, this arguably has the most changes to the song proper yet, including a shorter intro, a steady percussion track (the original had no drums), and an electric guitar solo rather than the spare plucking fans originally heard. As such, the 2012 version is definitely more metal, and it does feel a little more like a Theatre of Night song compared to the slighty muzak-ish original! With "Carol of the Bells" launched up to song #2, the final two songs imported from "Christmas Night" remain as tracks #11 & #12 here, with "O Holy Night" up next.

The longest song on offer then & now, this version keeps the same arrangement, but adds drums and vocals to the mix, and they are a massive help, as the original was kind of monotonous as just a keyboard/guitar instrumental. Clearly the prior re-release with Ida on guest vocals became the canon version of this carol to update! It's still a little long compared to prior songs, but adding in the full band heft was the right call, and Rachel arguably has her strongest vocal performance yet! The final song adapted from "Christmas Night" is "Hark The Herald" (no "Angels Sing" at the end anymore). Like the original, this is a orchestral-heavy rendition, but about 1:20 in, Rachel and Erik jump in to add vocals and drums to the proceedings. They generally help things out, but having Rachel only sing some verses partially with the instrumentation "singing" first just made the song sound unfinished.

Leaving in the low, spare, and drawn out ending of the original more or less intact isn't what I'd have done, but it's still effectively performed! The last two songs on "Dreams of Winter" are new to Theatre of Night albums and were not on either the original or the patched revision of "Christmas Night". First of them is "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and while this is new to their discography, the formula is not dissimilar, including a sparer intro and a full band middle section with vocals, plus Craig's solid orchestral keyboard work throughout. Alas, this song also does the "Rachel sings only the back half of some verses" thing, which I really don't get (if the band is "singing" the first chunk, it should be a more prominent solo from Steve than what we're getting). That aside, this carol has always lent itself well to rock covers and Theatre of Night do it justice, and I like that the outro wasn't dragged out for as long as on earlier tracks!

The new album closes with a rendition of "We Three Kings", This is arguably one of the heavier cuts on offer, and the chugging riff is solid (if a little low in the mix). Mercifully, Rachel's verses are all intact here, and the composition is strong on this carol, with a nice symphonic fade out to boot, but this is a song that is repetitive on its own, so playing it traditionally (if metalled up) for 5+ minutes means that it does drag a bit by the end. Solid rendition all the same, and a nice bonus to cap off the album with!

So, what is the final verdict on Theatre of Night's second Christmas album (or it's re-recording?) Overall, this is a strongly done update that adds a lot to the existing songs and better reflects Theatre of Night as the live band that we know and love today! With the exception of "Star In The East", the songs are seriously identical structurally (I bounced back and forth in Audacity to cross-reference the 2022 changes), but adding vocals to most of the carol renditions is largely a plus, and I had forgotten that Greg Giles' drumming on the original wasn't a constant across those songs, so having a more regular inclusion of percussion was very welcomed. On the whole, these songs were generally heavier and more varied with the expansions, and Craig's orchestral flourish on keyboard helps set these apart! However, I don't really like the "Rachel only sings half of a verse" approach used on some songs.

Given the heavier, full band approach, letting Steve loose on guitar would be a plus if it happened more, and I do think Theatre of Night slightly missed the boat by not basically making this a verbatim studio version of their live concert, complete with bridging spoken word narration. Still, this is an improvement on "Christmas Night" (original or revised), and it'd be neat to see Theatre of Night tackle more Christmas classics down the line! Buy or stream "Dreams of Winter" at the above links, I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and stay tuned for our review of Chase Wigmore's newest solo album on the site early next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fort Creek), A New Album Release, And More!!

After a quiet holiday season weekend, we're back on the SMS with a Monday night post including some updates and videos from two different local bands, a new and quite seasonal album to buy/stream, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the end of the year. With all of that said, here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will cap off 2022 with a New Year's Eve party on Saturday, December 31st at The Water Tower Pub! As far as I can tell, this will be Fort Creek's first ever appearance at the Great Northern Road venue, and doing so on New Year's Eve is definitely a big way to debut there! Last seen with their "Christmas blowout" at Soo Blaster earlier this month, Fort Creek's new lineup continues riding high with assorted live dates and their recent charitable initiatives, and hopefully their hard rocking covers and select originals prove to be an ideal way for revelers at The Water Tower Pub to ring in 2023! This 19+ event does not have an announced start time (likely no earlier than 8:00 PM), but The Water Tower Pub is going all out with this, including an appetizer buffet, midnight toast, and party favours included in the $60 ticket fee, and if you believe their Facebook post, "tickets (are) going fast".

There is also an overnight New Year's Eve hotel room package at the on-site Water Tower Hotel with breakfast and a concert ticket included for $175 ($275 for two people), so see above if that interests you. The admission fee will scare many off, but they're just pulling out all of the stops to make this party one to remember, and hopefully there's a sizeable crowd for Fort Creek to end the year with! Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, here's a surprise (yet still long teased) album release, as Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night have put out their second full-length Christmas album "Dreams of Winter" on their Reverbnation page! On sale there for $9.99, it was posted on December 2nd, and is their first actually on-sale album (free Spotify playlists excepted) since they quietly released "Guntower Democracy" in 2018, and it 100% confirms their teasers and hints at putting out another Christmas album, effectively an expanded re-recording of their 2013 instrumental album "Christmas Night", but now with vocals from Rachel Mender on some songs. While every song on "Dreams of Winter" is a revision labelled as "V2" (version #2), two of the songs were not on the original "Christmas Night" album, namely "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" & "We Three Kings", and some songs have been renamed and re-ordered.

Song lengths are similar to the original 2013 versions, implying that they largely kept the old arrangements, but how different is "Dreams of Winter"? Due to the holiday season timing, I'm actually going to try and review this album before Sunday so it's timely for the holidays (it'd be odd reviewing this next month), and if this makes the site by Sunday, I'll bump our planned Chase Wigmore album review to early January, as it'll be still as relevant and about as new then. In any event, a new album review is coming, but if you want to hear some new-ish Christmas carols gone symphonic metal, buy or stream Theatre of Night's new album above!

Also, here's some new videos from one of new Sault Ontario metal trio The BAG's concerts at Reggie's Place this past weekend! Filmed & posted by attendee Stephanie Laplante to the band's Facebook group on Sunday, these were uploaded in a batch post along with a few photos from the gig. The videos see The BAG covering the instrumental bridge of Golden Earring's "Radar Love", playing an apparent new original song with a punk sound (if it's a cover, I couldn't match the lyrics up with anything), and as embedded below, them covering Marilyn Manson's version of The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)". Alas, all three videos are under one minute long (the punk original clip runs for just 20 seconds), and they're also all shot and uploaded vertically, but luckily, the sound holds up across the board, and Stephanie was at a good angle to capture the whole band despite the aspect ratio and the somewhat dim lighting.

From what we hear of The BAG in these videos, they sound good and are rocking out as well as you'd expect, though I'm not sure that "Sweet Dreams" is the cleanest fit for Spencer's vocal range given how slow and creepy the Manson version is plotted out. Check these out above & below, and stay tuned for more from The BAG!

Finally, here's the latest from local/Toronto progressive metal band PROV3RB5, starting with a lineup addition, as they have enlisted former Role Models drummer Phil "Philly Gee" Greco as a full band member! He was officially announced via their Facebook page on November 25th, replacing existing bassist Bryan Lee, but his joining the band was hinted at on personal accounts in the preceding weeks (though he joined after the recording sessions for their debut EP "What Dreams May Come"). Phil is arguably better known locally as a punk drummer, but he has the chops to hang with Ben & Bryan, and it'll be interesting to see how he fits in on future originals! Elsewhere, their song "Treasure Forest" was featured & positively reviewed on the web series Local Band Smokeout last month (the relevant clip was posted to PROV3RB5's Facebook page), but just as a disclaimer, "local band" doesn't mean the Soo, the show covers local bands from any market who want their songs reviewed on air.

PROV3RB5 have also been selling a new line of official band clothing that you can check out/buy at this link, and on December 6th, and they shared this "Reel" from Phil's personal page of the early drum tracking for their first new song since he came on board. Not much to see/hear yet, but good to see things are underway! For a longer video, they did share this video of guitarist Benjamin Roswell playing the solo from "Particles", but I can't embed it here as he's playing along to the studio track, and Facebook content matched it to itself, so external embedding is not allowed. Solid work though, so check out all of the new PROV3RB5 updates above, and stay tuned for more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

PROV3RB5 - "What Dreams My Come" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 161st monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at local/Toronto progressive metal trio PROV3RB5's debut EP "What Dreams May Come"! Independently released to major streaming platforms on November 1st, this short digital-only EP features instrumental versions of their first three original songs, which were previously released online with vocals from ex-singer Josh Ratliff. In this form, PROV3RB5 are represented by guitarist Benjamin Roswell and Toronto-based bassist/drummer Bryan Lee (the songs were recorded before new drummer Phil Greco joined the band), while Kevin Xiong from the Minnesota metal band Stelliferous guests on the last song. As the versions with vocals never had an album release, I'll primarily review these as instrumentals, but I will make comparisons at the end. You can hear the EP for free on Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer (all linked at this Distrokid page).

If you want to actually buy the mp3 files, "What Dreams May Come" is on sale for $2.97 on iTunes, and now on Bandcamp for $3, so keep those options in mind also! Featuring three songs (all close in length) running for 13 minutes, let's begin this review with the opening song, "Sea of Tranquility"! After a softer guitar opening, the well layered progressive technicality is on full display, with an effective staccato riff early and some solidly crushing djent riffs at the mid-point, but this song operates on multiple effective tracks and will satiate extreme metal and prog fans! The drums are too monotone during the guitar solo (itself a little short for my liking), but as a pure showcase of Ben & Bryan's talents, this is a good introduction to what PROV3RB5 are all about!

The middle song is "Treasure Forest", whose title is a better thematic match to the song than "Sea of Tranquility" was. I do find that the first song executed its melodies and layering better, but "Treasure Forest" does have heavier moments on average, and at points, it reminds me moreso of a video game level music. Benjamin's guitar work and time signature changes are worth the price of admission alone, and the percussion does flow better down the stretch. Maybe a little too much of the twinkly ethereal parts (including the outro), but genre fans should still be into this one! The closer has PROV3RB5 & guest Kevin Xiong playing "Particles", which doesn't stray from prior formulas despite the added guitarist. This one more alternates between heavy prog metal and softer, more ambient (but drum-heavy) bridges, so for headbanging purposes, it comes and goes. When it's on though, it's very much on, especially with Bryan's bass work!

The melodies are on point throughout "Particles", so this ends things on a solid note! As for comparing these songs to the versions with Josh's singing, this style of progressive metal doesn't stick to a traditional structure for composition, so the songs don't feel empty without vocals. That said, Josh is a capable harsh vocalist with clean singing and harmonizing abilities, and while the tone of his screaming isn't my favourite, the first melody you pick up on from these songs is definitely altered when you have him featured, so in a way, these songs are new experiences with Josh, or without if you heard them first. Listen to the versions with vocals on major streaming platforms!

Overall, PROV3RB5 will definitely be worth checking out for fans of progressive metal, especially given the subgenre's shelf life for other local bands! PROV3RB5 benefited from having an established profile in the online metal community before Benjamin ever started making a local push for the project, and he and Bryan are a strong pairing with high proficiency in their instruments! While not full bore heavy on the three songs (each has ebbs and flows into softer sections), their metal credibility is readily apparent, and there's nowhere to go but up, especially given their teasers of late! I will say that, with each song hovering around 4:31, they will blur together for many listeners, especially in this instrumental form, and some extra variance would help to make them stand out, such as longer/more substantive guitar solos or more of a relentless death metal influence on some songs.

The drums were also something that could be mildly distracting based on repetitive tracks and beats, especially in the second half of songs, and again, while the lack of vocals isn't a hindrance, their inclusion dramatically changes the songs' initial perception, so keep that in mind based on what you like out of your metal. PROV3RB5 are definitely on their way though, and hopefully this EP goes some way to giving them a true foothold in the local scene, but check it out for yourself above! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and look for our year-ending review of Chase Wigmore's "We Are All Going To Die" on the site next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard), The Future Of Reggie's West, And PROV3RB5 Updates!!

For our first post of the month, we're diving into two topics that each kinda branch into some interesting subtopics, one being updates from a local original metal project, and the other being LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming weeks! Here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard have announced a batch of upcoming concerts taking place in the next month+ via this photo on their Facebook page earlier today, so what should know here? Not counting the Esquire Club dates and Toystock (which were already announced by the venue & organizers respectively), seven newly confirmed shows lie ahead, but we'll save the one on SATURDAY NIGHT for this weekend's concert previews to avoid redundant coverage. Otherwise, Bone Yard will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for concerts on Friday, November 11th (yes, Remembrance Day, no word on any memorial tie-ins) and Saturday, November 12th, before returning there three weeks later on December 2nd & 3rd! Next weekend's shows will be Bone Yard's first at the downtown Reggie's in over a month, and hopefully Greg, Alex, and Warren deliver more solid weekends of southern rock and heavier covers ahead!

All four dates have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits, so visit the above links for more details! The other two brand new Bone Yard shows will take place on Friday, December 9th and Saturday, December 10th when they perform at.... Jay's Piston Broke Pub?! As it turns out, this is the brand new name for Reggie's West (née The Roosevelt Hotel) at 306 Korah Road, which did indeed get sold by Reggie Daigle to new ownership, as Soundcheck confirmed in their promotion for their gigs there this past weekend. Reggie's West's Facebook page hadn't been updated in almost two weeks before today, but Jay Scott is the new owner of the venue, and rather than stick to the existing name like Reggie's Place did or throw back to The Roosevelt Hotel, Jay's going with new vehicle-themed branding. Full disclosure, there is a Piston Broke Pub already in Brantford, no word on if it was an inspiration, but it is locally unique compared to other bars.

Unlike the sea change of 2014 when Reggie bought The Rosie, things look like the status quo for Jay's as far as bands go (cosmetic changes aside), with Jus' Chillin playing first this Friday & Saturday night, followed by Fort Creek next weekend, and Thursday jam nights will reportedly continue as well. Of course, I hope things go well at the pub in this new era! Sad to see Reggie divest himself of both of his bars (he sold Reggie's Place to separate owners in 2020), but hopefully he's doing well and it was just time to step back. Bone Yard will rock Jay's at 9:30 PM on the 9th & 10th with no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, here's the latest from local/Toronto progressive metal project PROV3RB5, who we haven't talked about on here in way too long, so what's new to report from them? Over the summer, much of their updates on their Facebook page were about milestones for views and followers, plus the reach that their first three singles were getting from djent-friendly outlets, including video reviews from JMR Music Reviews and I Built The Sky guitarist Rohan Stevenson. In August, a band member(s?) guested on "Distant", a new song by Minnesota progressive metal solo project Stelliferous, whose leader Kevin Xiong previously guested on PROV3RB5's third single "Particles". The links are obvious as such, but the technical prog metal attack will absolutely appeal to genre fans! The Chinese company Dimension Music also interviewed them for this article.

Benjamin & Bryan are asked about the meaning of the band name, how they formed, their lyrical messages, how the music scenes in Canada & China differed (Ben lived in China for five years), and their future plans, among other topics. Not the best formatted review, but there are good insights that many fans won't have known, so give it a look above! Last month, they announced plans to re-issue their first three songs as instrumentals with no vocals (original singer Josh Ratliff left the band in April), and those evolved into what they're calling their debut EP, entitled "What Dreams May Come", which was posted onto Spotify & Apple Music earlier today! Links for both can be found at this Distrokid page. While streaming platforms are emphasized (i.e. no Bandcamp or Amazon availability yet), you can buy "What Dreams May Come" on iTunes for $2.97, so it is on sale!

As such, I can confirm that this EP will be reviewed on the SMS this month! Originally, I had pencilled in Chase Wigmore's new album, which was slated to be released on Saturday, but he has since confirmed that it was postponed, more on that in the coming days. Give "What Dreams May Come" a listen above, stay tuned for more proficient prog metal from PROV3RB5, and check out this new teaser video featuring the instrumental version of "Sea of Tranquility"! Alas, I can't embed it here because Facebook content matched the song to PROV3RB5' own streaming copies of it. That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site next! Thanks everyone!