It is now time for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, exploring the current release whereabouts of upcoming albums from local metal, hard rock, or punk acts, in order to spotlight and remind readers on their statuses. Of course, with the pandemic still marching on, it's affect on these albums and others not public is not clear, so who knows how slowed down things are, but this entry still has albums from 5 acts, one with updates (their title is in
italics), plus one removal due to the band's publically inactive status. So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!
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Awokest & Chase James Wigmore's new albums
Rumoured Songs: Unknown
Background: Ever
the prolific musician and songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal
musician Chase Wigmore announced the upcoming release of two new albums
for his metal/techno project Awokest on
their Facebook page
on July 8th, including the guitar-focused "The Majestic
Seagulls of Satan's Army" (
which was released for free on YouTube on Thursday under his own name) and the electronic-based "Beyonder". While "Beyonder" was allegedly awaiting a final mix & master at last report, Chase posted
on
his eponymous Facebook page on August 31st to indicate that it's progress was dialed back,
while also announcing two more distinct acoustic albums and the
long-gestating completion of his
33 part rock opera "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". He did not give specifics as to those albums' progress.
Current Release Status:
Your guess is as good as mine, but remember that Chase is very prolific
and varied in his musical interests, and not every album of his has
seen a formal paid release, either by finishing it's lifespan as a demo,
or by being released online for free. Chase himself admitted on
Facebook that he was "
not sure how many of these I can finish fully this year", but stay tuned for updates from his camps when they roll in!
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The Bear Hunters - The Dead Testament
Rumoured Songs: "The
Void", "The Omen", "Neckbreaker", "I Fear No God", "Servitude",
"Transcend Judgement", "For Glory", "The Wrath Of Angmar", "The Dying
Den", "The Dead Testament", "Deception" (bonus re-recording),
"The Forest of Forests" (bonus track)
Background: In tentative planning
since 2014 under this title, local death metal quintet The Bear
Hunters have been playing songs intended for their second full length CD
for a few years now, but only fully began recording sessions for "The
Dead Testament" on October 2nd, 2015. Following a brief fundraising campaign
and the gradual unveiling of song titles, the band has been working
with producer Dustin Jones at
Mission Control Studios, and have shared
sporadic updates on
their Instagram page. Like on 2014's "Eternal
Hibernation", rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney has recorded parts
for the album despite living in Southern Ontario. The music video for
"I Fear No God" was posted on YouTube in December 2018, marking the first public release of a song from the CD, while
the final cover artwork and full track listing order were posted on
their Facebook page in February 2019.
Current Release Status: The Bear
Hunters haven't given any firm timetables for when to expect "The Dead
Testament"
in stores, and they have not publically referenced the album on social
media in over a year, but recording sessions are reportedly complete,
and they have played live since then.
The band is
aiming for a more professional sound and release for
their sophomore effort, and to go along with that, artwork and physical
distribution plans are ongoing, as are "a ton of cool ideas for stepping
our media game up." Keep an eye out for updates on "The Dead Testament"
when
and if they come in!
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Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide's fourth album
Rumoured Songs: "Lost & Found", "All Broke Down"
Background: After a lengthy hiatus
dating back to the summer of 2016, local Celtic punk veterans Dustin
Jones & The Rising Tide resumed public activity in early 2018, later
beginning recording sessions by that October at Dustin's own Mission Control
Studios, as per
their Facebook page.
The band confirmed that they were indeed recording a fourth studio
album (and first in 7 years) in January 2019, which will presumably be
released through
Tidal Records, and will also be their first album with second guitarist Liam Seymour and drummer Chris Johns.
A 22 second teaser
of the first single
"Lost & Found"
was posted on Facebook,
and it's official music video was released in March 2019, while "All Broke
Down" was initially cited as the first single in December 2018
(source here.)
Current Release Status: When The
Tide shared the above teaser clip, they mentioned that the album was
"coming soon", which doesn't tell us much. With recording sessions a few
months in, and it's intended song now out via the music video, it's
likely that Dustin and company aren't early in the process,
but we'll let you know when more comes out on their highly anticipated
fourth album as it rolls in!
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The Elements'
debut EP
Rumoured Songs: "Liar", "G20", "Triple H", "The Rut", "I Need A Friend", "Riptide"
Background: Arguably better known
for their funk, ska, and hard rock covers, local quartet The Elements
have been adding original material to their sets since 2015, and
have since publically confirmed earlier teases that they are working on a
debut EP. Frontman Rob Speers has confirmed in personal conversations
in early 2016 that they have been working in studio on the release,
which will have at
least 5 tracks, and I believe it's being self-recorded, but further
public updates are minimal at best. A studio recording of
"I Need A Friend" was quietly posted onto
their Facebook page in February, following personal Facebook postings that revealed that EP
sessions were further along than public statements indicated, though
they have not elaborated since.
Current Release Status: At this
stage, I have no idea, but Rob sounded like things were going well in
studio. That said, these were largely personal conversations over a year
ago,
and it's anyone's guess when The Elements will provide a public
statement corroborating the private teasers. I won't go into detail on
that front unless the band does or gives permission, so we'll have to
see if updates come out on it soon!
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Mike Haggith - Bridges
Rumoured Songs: "From The 55th Parallel", "Over Indecision", "The Nature of The Times","An
Act of Strength","The Catalyst", "Dangerous
Town", "Come on Home", "Blue Highway", "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost", "Bridges"
Background: After moving to
Thompson, Manitoba in November 2017, prolific
local/Windsor hard/alternative rock musician Mike Haggith relaunched his
dormant solo project, and soon commenced work on a new CD named
"Bridges", which finished recording sessions in early 2019.
His Facebook page
has documented songwriting sessions, acoustic videos of new
original songs, plus solo concerts in Thompson largely
featuring new tracks. Despite the unveiling of the cover artwork, three
singles, and even a music video for "The Nature of The Times", Mike
indefinitely postponed the release of "Bridges" late last year due to
mixing
delays, personal life concerns, and the quick development of a new
album named
"If Ever Comes The Day", which was released in June.
Current Release Status: Mike has confirmed in his #LockdownLive concerts that "Bridges" will
be released by the end of the year, and for an album with completed
recording sessions,
artwork, and single releases, that could be a conservative guess. With Mike's candor & honesty,
you know he
won't hide anything
regarding "Bridges", so keep tabs for updates, but watch
#LockdownLive IV to hear the whole album unplugged and hear his side of the album's progress and delays as of April!
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I have also opted to remove one album from this series, at least temporarily, due to the publically inactive status of the band in question, so here's what you should know in that regard:
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Treble Charger's sixth album
Rumoured Songs: Unknown
Background: While recording a brand
new album was a common teaser in Treble Charger's post-reunion concerts
in the mid-late 2010s, the local/Toronto indie punk icons only gave a
firm public confirmation that they were indeed working on their sixth CD
in
this Sault Star
article last August. The recording sessions reportedly began last
spring, and as of the interview, four or five demos were recorded,
though things were on hold at the time while they waited for studio at
the Algoma Conservatory of Music
(that frontman Greig Nori is managing) to finish construction before
final recordings take place there. Guitarist Bill Priddle's Pointless
bandmate Dustin Goodall will record bass tracks for the album, though
it's not clear who will handle drums.
Reason For Removal: While you can never be certain given Treble Charger's minimal online presence and the setbacks caused by the current pandemic, I have made the call to remove their new album from this series for now, as there have been no public updates on the album since the aforementioned Sault Star article in August 2019. It's entirely possible that Greig, Bill, and company are still working on it privately, and when/if new public word comes in on the album/sessions, I'll gladly add it back!
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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series will return on or around November 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next week. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!
Next up, here's a mild surprise, as inactive local hardcore punk trio The Sole Aggressors have released their self-titled debut album that was teased last year! Given that the band was parting ways with members leaving the area for university, it's understandable that this is unexpected, especially when they never outright said how much work had progressed on the album. "Sole Aggressors" was mixed & mastered by Nicholas "R. Solomon" Sapounas in Detroit, and features cover artwork by regional comic artist Andrew Krahnke (the brother of former Bad Side frontwoman and Yes FM DJ Melissa Krahnke). The album features a whopping 21 songs, including all 18 originals seen in their live concert videos from 2023-2024 alongside three new songs (a self-titled opener, "Napoleon's Bonaparte", and the closer "No Part"). The band claims that the album is on "all platforms", but where is it exactly?
Finally, as you may recall, mid-late 2010s Sault Ontario funk/hard rock quartet The Elements had been working on a debut EP since at least 2016, and they posted "Need A Friend" from the sessions onto their Facebook page
in February 2020. However, the guys never issued another public update, even
after the pandemic lockdowns ended. Much to my surprise, the EP was
posthumously posted to bassist James White's recording studio White Wreckords' YouTube channel
two weeks ago! James appears to be reviving his studio, and he has posted
other songs that he has worked on there as well, but The Elements are
the only recognizable act off hand. What should you know about this EP as
it stands six years later? In upload order, then five songs are "HHH", "Into You", "G20", "Freikorps Ball", and the aforementioned "Need A Friend". No sign of their originals "Liar", "The Rut", or "Riptide", for the record.
