LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Late Shift & Tym Morrison), Plus More Concert Previews!!

We're back on this Saturday afternoon with some more weekend concert previews for the next couple of days, but leading off, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next few weeks, so here's what you should know!

Prolific local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will be back on stage next weekend, so with that in mind, we've added his August concert dates to our listings! After taking this weekend off for a scheduled vacation (according to his personal Facebook page), his dual weekly concert arrangements will continue at both Gliss Steak & Seafood and The Harp Bar & Grill for the rest of the month as per his website's calendar! As such, expect Tym to be back at Gliss by the Station Mall for suppertime matinees on the rest of August's Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, including NEXT WEEK (the 13th-15th), plus the 20th-22nd & 27th-29th, while his longer-running nighttime shows at The Harp on Pine Street will continue from the 14th-15th, 21st-22nd, and 28th-29th once again, as he doesn't play at the former Madison's Pub on Thursdays (also, there's no UFC PPVs for the rest of the month, so don't worry about Saturday nighters!)

And remember, given the unusually lengthy show listings on his website, we take Tym's bookings a month at a time for our listings, so we'll get to September when it comes. As usual for Tym's concerts, the Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees and the Harp shows are at 10:00 PM, neither has an announced cover charge (but remember that Gliss is a restaurant), and as it's a bar, you must be 19 to attend the Harp dates. Great to see Tym's successful runs at both venues continuing, and hopefully he enjoys his vacation, so for more details, visit the above links!

Also in new concerts, local funk/hard rock quartet Late Shift will return to the stage when they open for Ottawa alt-rock trio The Red Rails in their third local concert appearance on Saturday, August 29th at The Rockstar Bar! Last seen at Algoma Ride For Autism (barring an unannounced concert in the interim), this popular yet online pageless band should deliver a solid set of hard rocking covers in their return to The Rockstar Bar at month's end! If you're not familiar, The Red Rails (last seen last August at the same venue) are the current band from Sault native and former Turner Up drummer Steve Brogno, who notably played with Late Shift's John Barber and Matt Sibilo in the defunct local hard rock band Driving Dave Home in the late 2000s. Might we get a mini-reunion of sorts on the 29th? Find out then! A higher cover charge of $7 is in effect, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Also, I don't believe Late Shift have starting using the definite article in their name, but we would list them as The Late Shift on the SMS if that was ever confirmed by the band themselves. This should be a fun show, and it's nice to see Steve bring his talented, blues-tinged power trio back home to the Soo on the 29th, so keep this show in mind!

We'll close today with two concert previews for shows taking place over the next couple of days, including the return of Vancouver crossover thrash metal quartet The Golers to Sault Ontario TOMORROW NIGHT at The New American Pub! Last seen over two years ago during their dual Roosevelt Hotel Thursday night sets in mid-2013, their brutal originals should be welcomed back to the stage in their New A debut tomorrow, including even heavier and thrashier new material from their latest album "In 'n Out Outlaws"! The local openers will include doom metal trio AlgomA (who opened for The Golers in June 2013) in their first local show since the end of their first tour run, while local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will open the day with their brutal originals in their own New A debut, and both should be fine choices for tomorrow's intensity! A Six Two Oh production, this 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. Also, a personal Facebook posting by Bear Hunters frontman Nik Deubel implied that their set would have a couple of surprises, so keep that in mind too!

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a brutal time with three explosive and varied types of metal bands on display, so if you're up for some Sunday night brutality, head down to The New American Pub for the return of The Golers! Here they are live in Alberta!



Finally, it'll be a "Heavy Monday" in two nights time, as Edmonton "future space groove" trio Eternal Prophecy and Calgary hardcore metal sextet Lie Among Us will make their local concert debuts THIS MONDAY NIGHT at The Algonquin Pub! Solid double bill of Alberta metal action, with Eternal Prophecy's creative hybrid sound and Lie Among Us' extreme intensity (with new EP in tow) a nice compliment, so don't miss them if you can help it on Monday night! Originally planned to have the now-defunct Haggith & The Revolution as openers, Haggith alumni Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton will still open the proceedings with their local classic metal quintet Project 421, in the third show with their new lineup, though they are now the only local opening act. Their classic metal sound and the boost of Curtis' returning vocals should kick things off nicely on Monday, so don't miss their second show in four days then! Note that this show is not a Gonqshow event, it's being promoted by Project 421's own label PaperClip Productions.

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which starts Monday night at 9:30 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a solid time for metalheads, and with two varied nights of local and out of town metal in a row downtown coming up, you guys have some solid options to check out! See above for more details, and here's Eternal Prophecy live last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Eternal Prophecy, That's Chester, And Havadder) And Stereo North Updates!!

With a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, let's get our latest news post on the site before the notice gets any shorter! That headlines this post, along with more upcoming concerts, including one with out of town bands and one of a teased special stage event, plus an apology for a missed concert and related updates from a local punk band to round things out. Now, here's what you need to know!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Havadder are playing TONIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon as well! Apologies for the obviously short notice, the band only confirmed the show within the hour on their Facebook page. Originally advertised for just yesterday's birthday party event, the band has since clarified that they are indeed rocking the former Nicolet Tavern TONIGHT also, so if you missed Jason, Jamie, Travis, and Scott yesterday (or any time recently), here's another chance to have at 'er with Havadder! As they like they say, if you don't, you didn't! Like yesterday, there is no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and the show will likely be starting in a half hour or so (10:00 PM in other words.) For more details, visit the above links, and here's Havadder live last year!



Next up, a recently teased metal concert now has a venue, as PaperClip Productions will throw their hat into the local concert promotion ring by bringing two Alberta bands to The Algonquin Pub on Monday, August 10th! Entitled "Heavy Monday: A Day of Reckoning", the show will be headlined by Edmonton "future space groove" trio Eternal Prophecy and Calgary hardcore metal sextet Lie Among Us, both making their local concert debuts. Both have solid extreme metal sounds, with Lie Among Us' intensity and Eternal Prophecy's creative fusion material both lending themselves well to the live stage, so don't miss either in August! Local openers, both naturally from PaperClip Productions, will include local hard rock quartet Haggith (in their new lineup's Algonquin debut) and local doom/punk trio The Revolution in their first show since their reunion!

Also to be their first gig with Haggith's Jordan Leach on bass, we haven't seen The Revolution on stage since October, so be sure to welcome back at this event in their own Algonquin debut! Tickets will be $5 in advance (details to be announced) and $7 at the door, while the show will be a 19+ event with a 9:30 PM start time. For more details on Heavy Monday, visit the official Facebook event page! Remember, this is NOT a Gonqshow series event, PaperClip Productions are putting this on, but hopefully it's a big hit and leads to them putting on more concerts! Stay tuned for updates!

Lastly for new show announcements, we now have dates for local classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester's long teased involvement in the upcoming local stage production of The Who's Tommy, which will take place for five straight nights from Wednesday, November 4th through Sunday, November 8th! That's Chester will provide the house music for the show, with frontman Greg Simpson serving as narrator, so if you want to hear this talented veteran band take on one of the great rock operas, your chance is coming! As for where this will be held, it's not where you might assume, as Tommy's local production will be held at The Machine Shop at Mill Square, so if you count these as "concerts", they're the first announced public events there to fit our SMS coverage since the Treble Charger concert. Details on admission prices, times, and so forth are to be announced, but if you're interested in being a Tommy cast member, what should you know?

Shot In The Dark Productions will host auditions at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School (on the former Bawating site) on June 11th & 12th at 6:30 PM, and if you want to know what parts are open to be casted for, click here. Interested auditioners don't need to know a Who or Tommy song already, they'll teach you one there. Audition call backs will be held on June 21st at 2:00 PM, where remaining candidates will perform with That's Chester, but given the nature of that event, we won't promote it as a concert here. Sounds like things are shaping up well, so click here for full details on the local Tommy production and how you can try out, and The Machine Shop's now in our local concert venue links!

Finally for today, here's the latest from new local punk quartet Stereo North, including an apology for a missed concert, as the guys opened for Windsor "anti-folk" duo The Prairials at Reggie's West (the former Roosevelt Hotel) there this past Monday. The band had plugged it since May 10th on their Facebook page, but somehow, it completely slipped us by (though for what it's worth, the venue's Facebook page never plugged it.) Still, there's no excuse on our end, so our apologies to Stereo North for missing the show, we'd have absolutely plugged it had we have heard! Also, it's good to hear that Reggie's West are putting on non-Mourning Wood shows with alternative bands, even if sporadically, so they're now in our venue links too! In news we didn't miss however, the guys have two new live videos, so what should you know on them?

Filmed at their fifth show (Wednesday's River Jacks-headlined Gonqshow concert at The Algonquin Pub), the videos are both of Stereo North originals, including "Fall Before Me" (albeit sideways) and, as embedded below, their newer song "Heart Collider". The guys sound solid on both with a nice upbeat punk sound and smooth vocals from Andrew Pucci, though why couldn't the filmer move to the left a bit so Matthew Anich was actually visible instead of behind that post? Check out Stereo North's new videos above & below, and we will try hard not to miss any of their upcoming shows!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, notes, and features in the coming week! Thanks everyone!

The Bear Hunters - "Eternal Hibernation" CD Review!!

Let's help end 2014 in style with our last CD review of the year, and 66th monthly review total on the SMS, as we're finally taking a look at local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters' debut full length album "Eternal Hibernation"! Released at a well received CD launch concert at The Canadian Nightclub on November 29th, this CD is the band's second overall (after this fall's "Collapse The Sun" single), and it compiles the band's first 10 public original songs. Released independently (and mixed and mastered) through lead guitarist Mitch Sirie's independent label Edge of Eden Productions, "Eternal Hibernation" was recorded locally last year & this year with producer James White at White Wreckords. Dedicated to the memory of late original rhythm guitarist Andres Duchesne (who cowrote two of the album's songs), The Bear Hunters' current lineup is represented on the disc, including singer Nik Deubel, Mitch on lead guitar, Josh Stephney on rhythm guitar, Justin Lam on bass, and Johnny Belanger on drums.

Copies of "Eternal Hibernation" can be bought locally at The Rad Zone, through band members, and at the band's concerts for $10, while digital copies can be purchased on Bandcamp for $7, and song titles below are linked to their streaming Bandcamp copies. Featuring 10 songs clocking in at around 41 minutes in length, let's begin our review with a look at the first song! "Eternal Hibernation" opens with "Dominate", which is also the CD's shortest track. Lyrically about overcoming and dominating complacent and directionless people, the song opens with a familiar opening isolated guitar riff before the whole band kicks into gear, with Nik's clearly enunciated growling vocals easy to hear, unlike at some of their live concerts! Though it lacks some of the technicality of the band's newer originals, it has a consistent groove with nice complimentary guitar work from Mitch & Josh, and strong bass from Justin! Nice hard driving song to kick off the CD, though the quality jumps on solo guitar sections are a bit jarring.

Second is "Casualties of War", which speaks of how war and combat affects soldiers in non-physical ways too, so they're also casualties of war. Faster, heavier, and longer than it's predecessor, this song has more of a groove metal influence in it's guitar work, though the mix isn't as clean for individual instrument clarity. Johnny's drumming is really solid and relentless here, and Mitch's guitar solos hold up well and doesn't take away from the intensity! The nearly non-stop attack and added melodies make this an early highlight on the CD for sure! That's followed by "Condemned", with lyrics from the point of view of someone who kidnaps and slowly kills a deceitful man. Another nice marriage of death and groove metal with a catchy melodic guitar riff throughout the verses and nice bass work, Nik's vocals are on point and consistent, but I actually prefer the clean chorus vocals that he used live for this song in the early days than the lower growls here. The song might benefit from being a bit faster, and the verses can get a little monotonous, but the guys sound nice & brutal again!

Song #4 is "Deception", which seems to speak of a personal journey into hate, anger, and opposition of societal norms. Opening suddenly with a mid-paced (and scratchy sounding) instrumental section, this song is well performed instrumentally with solid crashing drums and relentless vocals, but the song has always seemed to be missing a melodic stretch or change in tempo, and to me, mostly glides along without risking anything major. Well performed with nice cohesive guitar chemistry, but it's lacking an extra "something". Then we have "Succumb To Eternity", which is notable as the CD's only album without Nik having a credit for the lyric composition. Bassist Justin Lam handled all lyrics here in this song about wishing death and vengeance upon an enemy, similar in tone to a "Condemned" prequel. Opening with a galloping drum section by Johnny, this song can be repetitive, but it has a strong aggressive melody, nice mix, and memorable mid-chorus guitar licks from Mitch that come through nice and loud! I like the aggression and drumming here, and though it's not as ambitious as some other tracks, it's one of my personal favourites!

Sixth up is "Bloodthirst", which is another song about wishing death and bloodshed on an enemy, which increasingly seems to be a recurring theme. Opening with a slow guitar section that slowly builds in substance for the first minute, the song begins in earnest after that with familiar but intense verses and some of Mitch's best guitar solos on the CD (especially coming out of nowhere between verses), helping add up to one of the album's darker & more dramatic songs in tone! The song does seem to get a bit stagnant late, but everyone's on their game here, and fans of their heaviest material will be right at home! Next is "Overthrown", which has a similar lyric trajectory, though this time about overthrowing and enslaving people. Relentlessly beginning with heavy riffs and nicely varied harsh vocals, this song largely doesn't stray from the norm early, but it has a nice groove, well paced drums, and a bit of a punk bite at times too. A reserved bridge and more melodic last minute help deviate things well with a softer ending, helping another strong track!

Eighth on "Eternal Hibernation" is "Karma", which is about causality and how one's bad actions lead to bad karma, in violent fashion like on prior songs. Another aggressive song that chugs along with The Bear Hunters' usual ferocity, the song has more of a swing vibe in it's lyric cadence, and it's among the more aggressive and dark songs on the CD, though Mitch's guitar solo really shines late! The song on the whole does feel too long though, and was losing steam before the solo with it's pacing and repetition. Well composed and suitably brutal, but laggy mid-way through. Second last, we have the album's first single "Collapse The Sun", which isn't an anti-summer song, rather about bringing darkness & despair on society. This is one of the shortest songs on the album, but also one of the catchiest via it's structure, guitar melody, and chorus that's easy to sing... I mean, growl along with! Mitch & Josh seem to be having a lot of fun on the riffs and solo here, Justin's bass work is solid, and while it lacks later technicality, this song was a great choice for the first single

Just like at most shows, "Eternal Hibernation" ends 'er with Render (as in, "Render This Void"), which is also the album's longest song. Lyrically about one's path to Hell and oblivion, this song opens strong with solid guitar work, an aggressive and straightforward structure, and brutal vocals, and though it's not too fast, it gets the job done for death metal fans! The bridge ramps things into a doomy level that doesn't relent for the rest of the song (save for the guitar solo), but the closing riff and instrumental portion (which gradually slows down until the song's end) goes on far too long for my taste, and the song would have ended stronger to me if you trimmed a minute or so off the end, leaving the CD's closer to drag too long for me. With all of that said, what are my final thoughts on "Eternal Hibernation"?

Overall, I enjoyed The Bear Hunters' debut CD, and found it to be a well realized culmination of a long journey to get their first originals out! All of the guys performed well individually, with Nik's crushing vocals, Mitch & Josh's tandem guitar riffs, Justin Lam's excellent bass lines, and Johnny's consistent drumming all coming together very well! To me, this album hit it's best heights when the guys used their melodic and groove metal sides like on "Collapse The Sun", "Succumb To Eternity",  and "Casualties of War", which gave an extra kick to their death metal intensity! The production and mix is generally good for a completely independent production, but sometimes, instruments were buried or scratchy, and there was some inconsistency in that department. On the negative side, I would have liked to have seen some of the old clean vocals, more guitar solos than we got, some more lyrical variance, and a reduced ending to "Render This Void", but for a first effort, you can't complain too much.

Some may also wonder why songs like "I Fear No God" and "Transcend Judgment" are absent, but the guys have already established that those are to be on their planned second full length CD, "The Dead Testament". All of that said though, "Eternal Hibernation" is a strong and brutal first effort for The Bear Hunters, and they can only grow from here as they approach their next album plans! Pick up this album A.S.A.P.! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what's coming to the site to kick off 2015 for our reviews? I'm not 100% sure yet, but a new CD from Dafter, Michigan solo project SweetKenny is very possible, as Ken's new solo CD "Slobber" is tentatively scheduled to come out next month. If it comes out as scheduled, that or his newest CD at present "Amazonian" could very well be next, but that all depends on the "Slobber" release, and who knows what else is on the imminent horizon. In any event, stay tuned for updates on our next album review as we hear it, and for our 2014 retrospective post TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Brutally Fatal), Bear Hunters CD Release Fallout, And More!!

With concert reviews taking up the last few days, we finally have our first news post of December for you guys today, and yes, this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post is guaranteed to be next! Today, we have a new guitar video, plenty of updates from a recent CD release and it's launch show, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month!

A new house party concert from Blood Shed Productions will take place on Boxing Day (Friday, December 26th), and yes, it's location is publically advertised! Termed a "Bloody Boxing Day Basement Jam", there's a huge lineup currently planned for this event, so who all's playing? The scheduled headliner is Strange Coyotes guitarist Chase Wigmore in a solo set at 11:30 PM, while Blood Shed death metal acts Brutally Fatal and Rotopsy are slated for 10:45 & 9:15 PM. Notably, local metal/rap project The Apocalypse Afterparty will play a local set for the first time since September at 9:15 PM that night, but how will their set look and sound given teased lineup additions and their own recent songwriting? We'll know for sure then! Goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore will take the stage at 8:30 PM, while the 8:00 PM slot is currently vacant, and we'll let you know when it's filled!

The opening four acts are all rappers, including Mikey Thomas at 7:30 PM, Legitly Logic (formerly Dillionaire, a.k.a. Rotopsy's Dylan Taylor) at 7:00 PM, Miracle Man at 6:30 PM, and Phat Boii at 6:00 PM. To be held at 11 Hearst Street (downtown/centrally located) and partly as a makeup for a halted Boxing Day private gig last year, this ALL AGES show has no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a stacked event for the Blood Shed, so keep it in mind if you love similar events, especially given the season!

Next up, here's some fallout from The Bear Hunters' CD release party at The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday! The show and release was covered before and after the fact in separate SooToday articles by Donna Hopper, so what's in them? On Saturday before the show, an article went up to hype the event, which featured remarks by guitarist Mitch Sirie on the troubled recording process for "Eternal Hibernation", their work with White Wreckords to complete the album, and why he went the do-it-yourself route to complete the CD. Solid read, if dated now given that it was pre-show! As for after it, Donna's article recapping the event went up on Monday, where she called "Eternal Hibernation" a "powerful 10-song release", and remarked briefly on the event itself. As expected, she got some great photos that night (albeit in black & white), including 15 of The Bear Hunters and 5 of Brampton's Livid & The Bloodthirsty, though sadly, none of Haggith's opening set.

Excellent photos as always, so give them a look above! Also, video cameras from Local2 were on hand, presumably for an upcoming Tuned episode, so we'll let you know when they make it online! As for The Bear Hunters' CDs themselves, here's some info on the contents of each! Both "Eternal Hibernation" ($10) and the prior EP "Collapse The Sun" ($2 in limited quanitites) were released & mastered through Mitch Sirie's new independent company Edge of Eden Productions, and were recorded at White Wreckords with producer James White. Both professionally packaged with album booklets, full lyrics, and artwork by Kevin Powe, "Eternal Hibernation" is dedicated to late original rhythm guitarist Andres Duchesne, who has a tribute photo & message on the inner tray liner. It's booklet includes large individual photos of each band member, along with full credits, shout outs, and thanks to everyone who helped along the way.

Of note for the lyrics, singer Nik Deubel wrote almost every song himself, save for "Succumb To Eternity" (which bassist Justin Lam wrote), while Nik & Justin both wrote "Casualties of War", and Nik & Mitch both wrote "Render This Void", so there's some insight if you didn't know the minds behind the words! As for the "Collapse The Sun" single, that features the studio version of "the title track, a live version of said song, and a 2011 demo instrumental of it, mainly to show how it's evolved since the early days. The live version was recorded at the 3 Inches of Blood concert at the former Roosevelt Hotel (now Reggie's West) on July 9th, 2012, and to my surprise, it's actually a mastered audio copy of the video I shot from their set at that show! I'm not complaining, I'm glad to see that the guys liked it and put it to a greater use! "Eternal Hibernation" t-shirts are forthcoming within the week, apparently, while The Bear Hunters' attention now shifts to new CDs.

According to their Facebook page on Sunday, the guys plan to have an online store up and running in the coming weeks to sell digital copies of their CDs (no word on if it'll be on Bandcamp or not), while tentative plans are to release their "Aftermath" EP (featuring leftover songs from older songwriting sessions) "early next year", with their second studio album "The Dead Testament" following late next year. No word on Rad Zone availability yet, but it looks like The Bear Hunters are well on their way, and it's great to finally have the CD out! Look for our review of it later this month, and stay tuned for more from their camp!

Finally for today, here's a new solo guitar performance video by Exiled guitarist Joe Jenkins! Uploaded to his YouTube channel yesterday, this is of the Sault Michigan-area guitarist jamming his own original compsition "Pitch Black", which he previously demoed on his YouTube channel in March via this link. Shot from below, you get a good angle of his playing with this video, and the song remains a solid hard rock number that would be neat to see fleshed out with a full band! Solidly done, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Joe & Exiled!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post either tonight or tomorrow, with weekend concert previews and more to follow! Thanks everyone!

Bear Hunters CD Release Party Review!!

Hey guys, it's finally time for our review of Saturday night's Bear Hunters CD release show at The Canadian Nightclub! I was at Toystock all day yesterday, hence the delay, but better late than never, and our Toystock review will follow either tonight or tomorrow! There was an OK turnout on Saturday, though honestly less people than I was expecting, but fans made their presence felt by night's end! As for the Bear Hunters' merchandise, shirts weren't ready, and there was no sign of the mini-posters or stickers from the planned prize draw, but both their new CD "Eternal Hibernation" and the previously released "Collapse The Sun" single seemed to sell briskly! If you're wondering, we will go over the contents and surprises of each CD in a coming news post, but now, to the bands!

Opening on Saturday was local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith (replacing Destroilet), who had their fourth different bassist in four shows, as the guys unveiled Jordan Leach as the newest "candidate" for the bassist position (so it looks like Caleb Cachagee's return at Sault Band-O-Rama didn't last.) Jordan has been actively looking to join or start a new band recently, so if this sticks, it's big for him! He sounded good, but he needs to work on his stage presence, as he was very stiff and mostly looked off to the side. As for the band as a whole, their set included 6 songs from their upcoming CD "XIV" and two from "Dragon Joy Ride", plus "Hands of Death" from "Apocalypse II", and set-bookending covers of Jethro Tull and Jimi Hendrix, the latter after calls for an encore. Aside from "Locomotive Breath", no real surprises, but the guys sounded good and heavy, keeping with their recent shows! Curtis McKenzie did strain his voice on high notes, and Daniel Horton seemed too serious for much of their set, but solid work all around!

Second was Brampton deathcore quintet Livid & The Bloodthirsty in their local concert debut, and despite a slow early crowd response, the guys made some fans with their energetic hybrid sound! Playing a number of original songs like "Gear Up" and "Senseless Debauchery", their mix of modern hardcore with death metal vocals was fun and well worth checking out, with singer Matt Chepetto a visible ball of energy throughout, including entering the crowd on multiple occasions! I did notice that fan response did start to turn once L.A.T.B. covered Lamb of God's "Laid to Rest" (and opened a second mic to the fans), and by set's end, fans were eating everything up! Joe Baldasio & Sandy Thompson were impressive on guitar in their own right, and while a bass mishap brought an early standstill to their set, the guys filled time well and left a good impression! Hopefully we'll see them up north again!

And of course, your headliners were local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, as it was their CD release show, after all! Playing for an extended length with two sets, their first was comprised of the entire "Eternal Hibernation" album in exact song order, while the shorter second set featured newer songs to be included on their next album "The Dead Testament" (like "The Omen" and "I Fear No God"), and more expected additions. With the lengthy album recording and release process finally at it's end, the guys seemed renewed and happy to just play for a change, and fans responded in kind! Even if there was no new CD, seeing Josh Stephney back with the band for just the third time since he moved to Brampton was great enough, as his rhythm guitar is a missing element from most of The Bear Hunters' recent shows, so we got to hear them as intended on Saturday! The guys all sounded tight, especially Justin Lam on bass, though Nik Deubel's vocals were sometimes hard to hear. Great set, and make sure to buy your copies of their CDs A.S.A.P.!

Very solid concert, and congratulations go out to The Bear Hunters on finally getting this CD out! We'll cover it in greater detail in the coming days, and our review of it will be this month too! Donna Hopper and the SooToday/Local2 crew were on hand for an article/Tuned episode, so be sure to look out for them in short order as well! Our photos from the show can now be seen at our Facebook page, as can our videos, so here's Haggith playing "No Cure For Insanity", Livid & The Bloodthirsty playing "This Scene's Too Preteen", and The Bear Hunters playing their CD's opener "Dominate"!




That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Toystock review, this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, and more news and updates very soon! Thanks everyone!

Ripcordz Concert Preview & CD Release Updates From AlgomA & The Bear Hunters!!

In our last anticipated news post of the week, we're tackling big CD release news from two local metal bands (one immediate, one in a few weeks, but all positive), and leading off with a big concert preview in terms of a beloved local store's milestone and the return of touring punk favourites, so here's what you need to know!

A very anticipated hardcore punk concert goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at The Algonquin Pub that will double as the 30th anniversary bash for Wellington Square Mall's resident music/skate shop The Rad Zone! Hard to believe that Paul Muncaster and crew have been running shop since 1984 in the Radical Records days, and what better way to celebrate the occasion then by taking in the local return of The Ripcordz? The Montreal punk favourites will be making their first local stop since headlining promoter J.D. Pearce's Halloween party last year, and will mark their second gig at The Algonquin following their show in April 2013. It's great to have Paul Gott and company back for another face melting night of hardcore punk intensity, so don't miss their return! Local support will come via both of the bands that opened for The Ripcordz last October, those being local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and local hardcore punk veterans Destroilet (both fresh off of Hardcore Homecoming), while DJ Seith was added as a late notice opener on Monday, so if you're up for some fresh turntable mixes, come early!

Admission will be $18 at the door, but if you buy early at The Algonquin (or know the password), you'll get in for $13, so keep that in mind! DJ Seith will kick off the night at 10:00 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. As well, given the Rad Zone birthday angle, this show is being sponsored by Vans, and there will be free giveaways planned, and possibly more, so diehard fans of The Rad Zone won't want to miss out! I had to miss The Rad Zone's 2012 birthday bash with Garden of Bedlam, but no such absence will occur tomorrow, so I'll see you guys there to mark the occasion! Visit the Facebook event page for more info, and here's The Ripcordz live in Toronto!



Next up, here's a slightly overdue new album announcement to touch on, as local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA's debut CD "Reclaimed By The Forest" was released on Wednesday! Despite prior indications that Deadbeat Media would be first putting out physical copies overseas given their home base, AlgomA have since confirmed that copies are now at the aforementioned Rad Zone and are also available through physical contact with band members, and we can confirm that copies cost $10 if bought locally. Online, you can buy the album at AlgomA's Bandcamp page for $8 (or more), and CDs can be ordered via their new BigCartel page for $11, with other sites' availability not announced yet, at the very least. Through these postings, we can now confirm that the album has 6 songs, including (in order) "Bedsores", "Fell Down A Well", the title track, "Tertiary Syphillis", "Go On, Git!", and "Extinct Volcanoes", with newer songs like "The Electric Fence" not featured.

Most of the band appear to have dropped their stage names too, with Kevin Campbell and "JV" (Jamie Vincent) credited rather than Marty Chase and Geezer D'Artagnan, though Darby Wigwaus is still going strong. Going along with the actual CD release (coinciding with the hyped "blood moon" on Wednesday), there are some new reviews of the CD online, so what are other media outlets saying? One came via Matt Baggins from the blog Two Guys Metal Reviews, who called "Reclaimed By The Forest" "loud, vicious, and strangely perverse" and "entertaining & strangely beautiful" in a very positive (if brief) review that you can read at this link! Another review came from user "OccultBlackMetal" of the blog Extreme Underground Music Zine, who gave the album an 8/10, calling them "a very great sounding sludge/doom metal band",  but did admit that they can sound similar to other bands at times.

One more came from Stu Tovell at Stu's Music Reviews, who called AlgomA "devastating" & "crushingly heavy", but didn't really elaborate on why the CD only got 7 out of 10. As for our review, when is that coming? Given The Bear Hunters' delay for their new CD, we will tentatively confirm that "Reclaimed By The Forest" will be the subject of this month's review at the SMS, so look for it later this month, and go get your copies A.S.A.P.!

We'll close today with info on the aforementioned Bear Hunters' album "Eternal Hibernation", so when can we expect the release of that and it's attached CD release party? The new date for both will be Saturday, November 29th, a postponement of six weeks from the now-cancelled release that was to occur next weekend. The venue for the new date has yet to be confirmed, and while it was to have been The Algonquin Pub, it's not guaranteed to return there next month. Out of town openers Livid & The Bloodthirsty (and Bear Hunters rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney) will both still be able to make the trip from Brampton for the show next month, though like before, the local openers are still to be announced. Tickets remain $5 in advance or $7 at the door, purchases enter you for the door prize draws, and extra packs will be added for every 10 tickets sold, which will include CDs, new shirts, posters, and stickers (Mitch Sirie has even indicated that "Squirrel Buddy" shirts might be available to buy!)

As you can see above, The Bear Hunters have also revealed the final artwork for "Eternal Hibernation", which now features the band's logo and album title. I expected both, but I would have shrunk the logo a bit and put the title in the bottom right. The band's cover photo on Facebook also indicates that their teased single release will come on October 25th, and it will feature the studio version of "Collapse The Sun" in limited physical copies, but further details and a larger copy of the artwork aren't out yet. There's big news afoot, and hopefully everyone can come out at the end of November to take in some death metal brutality! Stay tuned for updates!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles either tonight or early tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Lucky 13), A New Album Release, And Much More!!

Nice to have a steady stream of news and updates with October in progress, so what's in store for today? A new cover video, a disappointing concert & CD delay, and a brand new album release, but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

After a three month hiatus, local alternative/hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 will return to the stage for a headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band just announced this event yesterday. Known for generally taking the summer months off since launching, this should be the first of a solid amount of concerts for this veteran band to end 2014 with, and if you like the members' old bands like Aftersight, Turner Up, Wishbone, and The Gully Yodellers, you'd be well served to keep Lucky 13's return in mind for TONIGHT! Note that I don't know why Lucky 13 weren't playing yesterday, though it's likely that a separate artist was playing at The Rockstar Bar last night. There will be NO COVER CHARGE tonight, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:30 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Lucky 13 live at the first Toystock!

Next up, we have a brand new album release to take note of, as Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock artist Kenneth Sutton (a.k.a. SweetKenny) released his 10th solo studio album "Amazonian" on Halloween! Self-recorded and released through Waterfall Records, this is Ken's third album of 2014 (following "Ink!" and "This End Up"), and he describes it as "a heavy rock, vocal, instrumental, high energy, fun album" that mixes instrumentals and songs with vocals once again. Like on other recent releases, Ken plays or programs all instruments on the album's 11 songs. You can buy copies of "Amazonian" on Bandcamp for $12, while a CDBaby release (presumably for $9.99) is planned for the near future, and streaming copies of each song on "Amazonian" are also available via SweetKenny's website. The above links also indicate that Ken's still working on forming a live band, and he's already working on an 11th studio album to be named "Slobber", tentatively planned for January 2015 (if you know his prolific nature, that's not farfetched!)

With all of that said, when can you expect a review of "Amazonian" on the site? Given that we just reviewed "Ink!" in July, and that we don't review the same artist's albums within a six month span to avoid biases or favoritism, a new SweetKenny album won't be eligible until January, the same month as the aimed release for "Slobber", so one of the two is very likely then! I'll hold comment on "Amazonian" for the time being, but fans of his older studio recordings should be right at home, so buy or stream it and other older albums at the above links!

Also, here's some disappointing news for you Bear Hunters fans, as the local death metal band have announced that their planned CD release concert at The Algonquin Pub on October 18th will have to be postponed. Guitarist Mitch Sirie revealed the news on the Facebook event page on Wednesday citing "circumstances beyond our control", though singer Nik Deubel confirmed that it's due to his work commitments. Though their debut album "Eternal Hibernation" isn't behind schedule, the guys are holding it's release until the rescheduled date, likely over a weekend in late November, in order to give it the proper launch and attention. The rescheduling might force a change in venue, and it's unclear yet whether Brampton's Livid & The Bloodthirsty will be able to play the new date, but the band will accept refunds of previously bought tickets if need be. However, Mitch did indicate that a limited run single EP will be available for $2 this month that will feature a studio track to-be-announced and some live extras, and we'll keep you guys posted on that!

This is bound to be disappointing for many fans, especially ones who were counting on that weekend for their own schedules, but at least the guys were open and forthcoming concerning what happened, and hopefully there's a big crowd next month! Admittedly, the postponement is good news for myself, as I was going to be out of town over the weekend of the 18th, so I can likely go to the release party now! In any event, stay tuned for updates on any upcoming CDs and the rescheduled date for the party!

Finally for today, here's a brand new jam session video from local death metal/punk quartet Chronic Demonic! Though we still await their full concert debut, this video of them covering Lamb of God's "Omerta" is now on their Facebook page, and though we haven't seen a new clip of them in almost four months, this should keep fans more than interested! Complete with a loose variant of the spoken word intro by bassist Ryan Gratton (I think), it's a solid rendition, but the sound levels are inconsistent, with Nik Deubel's growling too muted. Give it a look below though!




That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Bear Hunters & Tym Morrison) And Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

Now that I'm back on a good internet connection, we can get things back on a decent schedule, and from that, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS today, and this weekend's Sault Ontario metal/hard rock/punk concert previews! For reference, we do plan on covering Exiled's show on Saturday for our Yooper readers, but to avoid it getting lost in the shuffle, that will be in tomorrow's post, so don't worry! Now, here's what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has confirmed his newest Harp Bar & Grill gigs for TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT in his ongoing weekly concert arrangement there, so we'll officially add his September gigs there to our concert listings! Apologies for the short notice regarding this weekend's gigs, he just confirmed them via their Facebook event page yesterday. Tym's September gigs at the former Madison's Pub amount to his 40th-43rd consecutive weekends there, and unlike in other recent months, Tym is scheduled to host & play at the Friday open mic nights AND play a normal Saturday solo gig all month long with no listed breaks, though of course, we'll let you know if any of the shows get bumped (or if another return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill is added.) Like usual, Tym's gigs this month (including shows this weekend and on September 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th, and 27th) have no announced cover charge, 19+ age limits, and 10:00 PM start times. Check the above links for more details, don't miss his hard rocking cover hits this weekend, and here he is covering Journey!

Next up, local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters will finally release their debut album "Eternal Hibernation" on Saturday, October 18th at a CD release party show at The Algonquin Pub! Note that the Facebook event page outwardly credits The Rockstar Bar as the host venue, but further reading confirms it will be downstairs. Currently slated to be the band's first local concert appearance since last month's Archspire show, The Bear Hunters (along with two opening bands to be announced) will take the stage for a brutal night of metal, in what the headliners are calling "the biggest moment of our career", so diehard fans won't want to miss out! The guys will play two sets, including the entire "Eternal Hibernation" album in the first, and newer non-album songs (like their newest track "Neckbreaker") in the second. CD copies of their debut album will be on sale that night, though prices and online availability have yet to be announced, and there will be a contest for advance ticket buyers to enter where you could win a free copy of the album, a band t-shirt, and more surprise band merchandise, so keep that in mind!

Yes, relocated rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney will be back with the band on October 18th as well, for just his third Bear Hunters concert appearance since moving to Brampton last year. Admission will be $5 in advance (with ticket details to be announced) or $7 at the door, a 10:00 PM start time is announced, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, check the above links! The news comes on the heels of an ambitious Facebook page post on Tuesday where the band confirmed that they're also working on a new EP named "Aftermath" that will compile B-sides from older and recent recording sessions that, while not fitting for their planned second album, deserve to be heard all the same. As such, we likely haven't heard these songs in concert, but fans should be excited! The same posting also alluded to new band merchandise, an online store launch, a music video of some form, and future recording sessions for a second full length album, but further details on each have yet to be made. Sounds like The Bear Hunters have some huge plans in the works, and we'll have to see how/if everything falls into place! Stay tuned for updates!

Finally for now, a new Heavy North Entertainment ALL AGES show goes down THIS SATURDAY at The Oddfellows Hall (their first since their teases of the promotion's end), as they have a huge night planned with 8 bands to help ring in the fall, including three out of town metal bands! The headliners are Toronto crust punk quartet IDNS (short for I Don't Need Society), who should lay down some impressive and fast death/punk originals on Saturday night, so Shit Liver fans should be right at home with their set! The long awaited local return of Sudbury blackened death metal quartet Catharcyst will also occur on Saturday, and their brutality will come right after a set by Winnipeg hardcore punk quintet Bring The Fight (not Fallen), whose own energetic & hard hitting originals should appease locals on Saturday as well! An expanded lineup of 5 local opening bands will include Blood Shed Productions goregrind artists Crucify The Whore & Rotopsy, local doom/punk trio The Revolution (formerly the second Brutaly Fatal), the public concert debut of new rap/metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty, and local grunge/punk solo project Telephone & Address' first set of the year!

Note that this will be The Revolution's first set at a Blood Shed-affiliated show since breaking from the label, while I don't know if Telephone & Address new album "Need Not Apply" will be on sale yet or not. This ALL AGES concert goes down on Saturday at an early start time of 5:00 PM, and admission will be $10. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a stacked concert for local metalheads and punk fans, so don't miss out on this marathon of sorts on Saturday, including for all 3 out of town bands! For a preview, here's a live IDNS studio session from January!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Exiled preview and more recent updates tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Bear Hunters & Apocalypse Afterparty Album Previews, Emergency Festival Fallout, And More!!

While we wait for Jackyl concert fallout, here's a new news post on this Sunday morning, as we have big updates regarding two upcoming albums, some long overdue fallout from a local summer festival, and more assorted shorter updates! Now, here's what you need to know!

Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters have finally released a full track from their forthcoming debut album "Eternal Hibernation"! Posted onto their YouTube channel on Friday to coincide with what would have been late guitarist Andres Duchesne's 25th birthday, the band chose "Bloodthirst" as the first public demo from the album as it was the first song that Andres and The Bear Hunters' original lineup wrote together. The song is "mostly mixed" and "not fully refined", but it's nice to hear the full track! The cover artwork for the CD can also be seen on your right and below, as designed by singer Nik Deubel's Chronic Demonic bandmate Kevin Powe, though it remains to be seen whether The Bear Hunters' logo and/or the album's name will be added. I find it evokes more of a black metal essence, but Kevin did strong work as always on the design! As I expect to be reviewing "Eternal Hibernation" on the site soon after it's release (and no, a firm date for it hasn't been announced yet), I won't comment yet on the song, but check out the unfinished studio version of "Bloodthirst" below, and stay tuned for more updates!



Next up, here's some long awaited fallout from the first annual Emergency Festival that took place at the old Rotaryfest Second Stage's stomping grounds two weeks ago! SooToday's Donna Hopper was on hand to cover the festival and take photos of some of the bands, though of the three acts with an SMS-fitting sound, only The Pixo Control (complete with animal facepaint) are included in the album. Strong photos either way, and it looks like the festival was well attended, so click here for the full article and photos! The album also confirms that Rock 101 DJ Scott Cook was on hand to MC the main stage, which is pretty cool also! For The Music Inside were also on hand for their own coverage, though aside from this photo of Gnaeus, their Facebook photos largely focused on acts and fans at the main Emergency stage. Nicely taken in their own right too, it's good to see F.T.M.I. showing up to get media at more concerts! Moving back to Village Media properties, Local2 have been teasing The Emergency for their next episode of Tuned, but before that, this video on the festival is now online, so what's within?

Along with performances by main stage artists Kalle Mattson, Lindi Ortega, and The Treasures, the video features an interview by the aforementioned Donna Hopper with Emergency organizer/LopLops Lounge owner Stephen Alexander about why the festival was launched, their artist selection, and the biggest surprise about the festival. No acts from other stages are featured here, but maybe more will turn up in the forthcoming Tuned episode, and we'll let you know when it is posted! See above for more on The Emergency!

Also today, here' the latest from new local metal/rap duo The Apocalypse Afterparty, including the revelation that they're apparently already working on a debut EP! As revealed on their Facebook page on Thursday, they were apparently beginning recordings for the first track on Friday with producer Jamie Vincent (AlgomA, Bad Back), and they're planning to work with "another great local talent" on the second song, with a third also to be included. The guys are hyping this as being "disgustingly raw & tight", so we'll have to see where things lead! Optimistic news for sure, especially seeing as X & Z haven't played a public concert yet, but some readers may have attended a private house party show that they played at last night (along with Bad Back and some Blood Shed Productions artists), so media from that might be forthcoming. Lastly relating to this new band's EP sessions, this Facebook video was posted yesterday that features a sneak peek of their song "The Crowd", so how do things sound?

Again, I hope to review a finished EP down the road, so I'll hold my thoughts for now, but the recording sounds good in this form (straight from the computer), and look for some cameos from band associates! Remember, "The Crowd" is very similar in structure to (if not the same as) a song from Paul Stanghetta's old(?) band The Fury, so if it sounds familiar, that may be why. Interesting stuff is on the horizon, so see more above & below from The Apocalypse Afterparty!



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

• This is just a late addendum to our piece on defunct local punk band The Bottom Half, as I recently came across their old MySpace page! It has improvements on their PureVolume page via this band photo from the former Sault Music Scene, and 4 songs ("Open Up", "How Far", "Friday Night", and "Mistakes") from their planned "Beginnings Change" album. Like before, they have an energetic pop punk sound, though one could argue that members' later work has matured considerably. Check out more from The Bottom Half above though, and their link on our listings is now from MySpace!
• A local musician named Rob Charlebois is looking to find a drummer for a rock band that he's currently with, though he didn't specify a genre beyond just "rock", and jam sessions would take place once or twice a week. If you're interested in trying out (especially if it leans to hard rock or punk), message Rob at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from two weeks ago!
• Local/Toronto indie punk veterans Treble Charger will be playing a free acoustic concert this Thursday at Speakeasy 21 in Toronto! As it's an acoustic gig, I assume just Greig & Bill will be playing a'la their older acoustic shows since their reunion, but I can't 100% verify that. Sounds like a good way to end the summer, keep it in mind if you're in the Toronto area this week! Our source is the band's Facebook page.

That's all for today, but stay tuned  for more news and features this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Crued & Tym Morrison) And New Facebook Video Uploads!!

In our last post before TONIGHT'S Ripcordz-headlined Halloween Party at The Roosevelt Hotel, we have some more big recent news to touch on, including new audio samples that were recently posted on Facebook, and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month in Sault Ontario, so read on below for what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will play his first ever concert at The Harp Pub & Grill at 701 Pine Street this Friday! Previously known as Madison's Pub before renovations, a name change, and a shift to an Irish theme this summer, this will also be the first hard rock-leaning concert at this central venue (in the Food Basics plaza) that I can verify since Garden of Bedlam played at Madison's in December 2009, so this is a long time coming! I will note that since re-opening, The Harp appears to have focused on acoustic bands, in a similar vein to Coch's Corner after moving to Queen Street, so Tym's acoustic hard rock covers should be a nice fit given their recent trends! Keep in mind though that The Harp's Facebook page lists Fridays as usually having an open mic night, but I can't confirm whether both are taking place, or if there's a schedule change for it this Friday. A 10:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ concert, and I'm not sure if there will be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If The Roadhouse is too east for you, keep Tym's Harp debut in mind this coming Friday, and stay tuned for possible updates!

Also, Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued will return to Sault Ontario on Saturday, November 30th for a concert at The Rockstar Bar! My source for the news is this concert poster that Crued are tagged in on Facebook, so it has been publically announced through there, but no word on if physical posters are up at the venue yet. Last seen via a handful of early 2010s Canadian Nightclub stops, this will be their first local concert appearance since April 2011, so it's been a long time coming for "The Notorious Motley Crue Tribute" to return north to the Soo! If you've seen Crued in town, you'll know that their sound and look pay close homage and respect to the original hair metal legends, so you won't wanna miss this concert! If there's an opening band planned, they've yet to be announced, but for reference, Dirty Virgin and Redundant (then Motion Carried) opened for them at their last local date. A 19+ age limit and 10:00 PM-ish start time are to be expected, but I don't know if there will be a special higher cover charge or not. For more details, check the above links! Crued usually put on a good show, so don't miss this concert next month if you love Motley Crue, and stay tuned for updates!

Lastly, here's a few new Facebook videos (it's great we can embed these now) from some local hard rock/metal talent, starting with a new teaser video for local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters' forthcoming debut album "Eternal Hibernation"! As you may know, their most recent (and most fruitful) sessions have been done with Redundant/Caveman Morrison bassist James White at White Wreckords, and after hyping some audio samples for the CD shortly after launching the studio's Facebook group, James finally posted this 81 second video there yesterday featuring a handful of unmixed instrumental clips from the sessions (and yes, they do feature departed guitarist Josh Stephney, his parts were completed before he moved.) No timeline beyond "soon" was given for the release, but the clips do sound promising, and I can't wait to hear the final product when it's completed! Check out the full video below, complete with amusing anti-bear imagery!



Finally, here's a couple of new cover audio uploads from Project Legion/ex-Chronic Demonic singer Sabrina "Strange" Lavoie! As uploaded to her company Sabrina Strange Productions' Facebook page yesterday, they're covers of Sublime's "Santeria" and (as embedded below) Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell", and they're not bad at all! She handles each well vocally (though "Rebel Yell" is clipped at the beginning), and I like the added soul she puts on these songs vocally, so check out her Billy Idol cover below, and don't miss the debut of her new band Project Legion at The Oddfellows Hall on Wednesday!



That's all for now, but stay tuned likely tonight during the Halloween Party at The Rosie for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Life In Shadow! Thanks everyone!