It's that time of the month again, and to help kick off November in style, it's our first monthly feature post for the penultimate month of 2011! As always on the second day of the month, it's our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post, where we explore the current statuses and recording news of a number of announced and (at least partly) recorded local metal/hard rock albums! This month, there's no new additions and no CDs being removed, but of the 14 Sault Ontario albums I have an eye on, 7 have updated or new information, with the album's title in
italics to indicate that. So, where are the new albums? Let's find out!
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April Eyes - Hollow HopeRumoured Songs: "Goodbye", "Left Behind", "The Only Road I've Ever Known", "Fall", "Reflections", "Obsession", Escape", "I Can't Let Go", "Absolution", "Hollow Hope"
Background: The oft-renamed April Eyes (previously known as By The Gods & April Eyes) is the solo project masterminded by
Bear Hunters guitarist &
Stillbroke bassist Mitch Sirie. He's been working on solo material for some time now, featuring him on all instruments, including vocals and bass along with the guitar tracks. Over time, Mitch has deleted older audio tracks and blog entries from
this project's MySpace page, but continually replaces them with newer material, although some aren't planned for an imminent album release. Recent blog entries have alluded to Mitch recording and releasing a solo concept album named "Hollow Hope", which he claims will be a "shocking" full length album, though it's been set back due to "circumstances". Featuring a mix of progressive & death metal with acoustic folk and indie rock, check out the newest samples of April Eyes/Mitch's solo material at
his official MySpace page!
Current Release Status: I have no real idea. Honestly, this might not even get a release where it'd be on sale anywhere, but who knows! Mitch told me in e-mail conversations that he hopes to have a physical release of "Hollow Hope" this year, for what that's worth, but the year is almost over too. The musical quality and songwriting on his material is very underrated, so I imagine that a release of "Hollow Hope" would get a good reception if it did come out! Though concrete data on it has been lacking for the later half of 2011, I'll keep you all posted if anything new is announced!
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As It Stands' third EPRumoured Songs: "Conception", "Big Problem, Little Lock City", "Rise Above", "One Last Chance", "One Less Than Wayne Gretzky", "Big Bucks, No Whammy", "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Ho", "Everything Terrible", "Oh Herm, Herm Delish", "Stay Together For The Kids" (Blink-182 cover)
Background: Continuing their high success levels since their local re-emergence last year, hardcore quintet As It Stands started recording sessions for their third EP with
Metalworks Studios in Mississauga in July with producer
Kevin Dietz. The sessions lasted just a few days, but from what I hear, a lot got accomplished! You can see some of the happenings from the sessions on
their official studio vlog, which features some audio samples and video of some members recording their parts. The vlog also confirms that their cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" was recorded in Mississauga, and that the songs will be part of an EP, not a full length album as was previously believed. It's currently unclear whether the songs they recorded at
Stereo Soul Studios last year and/or in Stoney Creek earlier this year were re-recorded at Metalworks, or will be added to the album as is. A new pre-production track, oddly titled "Oh Herm, Herm Delish" was posted onto
their Facebook page on July 17th, which you can stream at
this location, but few updates have came since. Stay tuned for more updates!
Current Release Status: As It Stands seem to have everything under control and well planned for the sessions and their studio work, but public word has been minimal over the past couple of months (aside from the new song.) Drummer John Mignacca came down with a broken jaw in August, from what I understand, which could have stalled things, but a recent Facebook update alluded to mixing and a return to activity soon. Keep an eye out for updates, album information, and so forth!
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The Bear Hunters - Bloodthirst
Rumoured Songs: "Bloodthirst", "Succumb To Eternity", "Dominate", "Overthrown", "Casualties Of War", "Collapse The Sun", "Render This Void", "Karma"
Background: Local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters formally announced that they'd begun recording for their debut album on May 10th, just three days after adding guitarist Josh Stephney to the band. The news was broken on
their Facebook page, though details are scant so far on the CD. Named after their song "Bloodthirst", this will be an EP release, and it is being self-recorded. There's more to say on the recording front as it related to others in the scene, but nothing's been publically stated. Guitarist
Mitch Sirie's Facebook page has also kept fans updated as to the EP's progress, if you wanted to get possible details there as well. More details are sure to leak in soon, so keep an eye out!
Current Release Status: Given the lack of concrete information we've heard, I have no positive idea. It was definitely being recorded, but public word on the sessions is either slow, secretive, or has been put on hold, but the band haven't addressed their album lately for us to know either way. Stay tuned for possible details, as I know The Bear Hunters do want to see this disc completed!
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Garden of Bedlam - "Everything Will Die"Rumoured Songs: "Against The Grain", "Three Days", "New Rain", "Everything Will Die", "Torment", "Your Disgrace", "Around The Bend", "With A Spark", "Emptiness Without A Name"
Background: Sessions for Garden of Bedlam's debut full length album began last June at Stereo Soul Studios with producer Miguel Gauthier, who kept fans up to date on the recording sessions at
his Facebook page. Recording for the album wrapped up last September, though the band were still working on extra tweaks and changes as of October 6th, 2010. Miguel's page &
Garden of Bedlam's Facebook group did a good job of keeping fans posted on the sessions, head there to check out updates! Select fans heard their first taste of unmixed tracks from the CD at Garden of Bedlam's
Kiss afterparty on August 10th, 2010 at
The Rockstar Bar. The album was said to be sent away for mastering and duplication "very shortly" as of October 21st of last year. In April, the band uploaded studio versions of "Against The Grain" & "Three Days" onto
their Battle of the Bands page, so stream them there to help tide yourself over until the CD comes out! Most recently, the band announced that they'd be doing a photoshoot for the album on May 28th, but little has been said about it specifically since.
Current Release Status: Past claims had suggested a 2010 release during varying points of the year, but we're obviously past that point. Drummer Derek Turner confirmed on their Facebook group that the album will be released "in the new year" (2011), although a general timeframe wasn't added, and time is honestly running out for that prediction to hold. Band activity was sparse for much of this year, though they played a number of Algoma District shows during the late spring & summer. A release (likely tied in with a local CD release concert) isn't known at present, and I'm starting to think we may not see it until early 2012, but maybe I'm wrong. In the meantime, search for Garden of Bedlam
on YouTube to hear live versions of all nine of their newest originals, and check the above links for much more!
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Gates of Winter's second full length albumRumoured Songs: "The Stars Call My True Name", "Edin Na Zu", "Dimensions", "Time Warp", "From Nothingness" (leftover song from 2008 sessions)
Background: Despite a hiatus from live performances lasting over three years, Gates of Winter never broke up, and are slowly working on their follow-up to 2008's "Lux Aeterna". The first glimpse of the new album was unveiled in February 2010, when frontman and producer
Lee Maines uploaded a snippet of their new song "The Stars Call My True Name" onto
his YouTube channel, and he followed that up with two more demo clips in June of that year. The band launched
a new Facebook page in August 2010 to keep fans updated on the sessions, including the unveiling of a new song title, "Time Warp". Aside from Lee's announcement in November 2010 that Sault native
Jon Morrison will provide the drum tracks for the album, not much surfaced until some live rehearsal videos were posted online at
this location in May, along with plans for an upcoming demo track's release as announced on August 10th. Work on the album is ongoing, and it sure sounds like their heaviest and darkest yet, which should get any Gates of Winter fan excited!
Current Release Status: I have absolutely no idea. The band have openly admitted that the recording sessions for this album have been a slow and steady process due to ongoing work and education, as stated on their Facebook page. Plus, with only 2/5ths of the band currently living in Sault Ste. Marie, that can't make things any quicker. But don't worry, the album is still in progress, and when updates come out, we'll know! Conversations I've had with Lee have pointed towards a release next year, but whether that's on track isn't publically known. For now though, check out Gates of Winter's posted demos by
clicking here!
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Late & Loud's debut album
Rumoured Songs: "Midnight Man", "Down Like This", "Whipeout", "Never Again"
Background: A newer metal band in the Sault Ontario metal scene, Late & Loud surprisingly announced plans to being recording a demo in late January, despite their relative newness to the scene, not having launched internet pages until November 2010. Though described as a demo, Late & Loud's debut does appear to be packaged more like a standard album, with a photo shoot for it having taken place on February 26th (
click here to see the photos.) I believe this is being self-recorded at present, though official updates on it haven't been too frequent, especially thanks to their summer hiatus, though they're back now. Keep up to date by visiting
Late & Loud's official Facebook page!
Current Release Status: No idea. I don't know enough about the band yet to guess on whether it's close to being released or not, but I can attest to their talent! They should know what they're doing, given their past solo and other band projects. Time will tell, but when details come out concerning their debut album, you'll be sure to find it here! In the meantime,
click here for some recent live videos of Late & Loud in action, as some of the enclosed songs could be on the demo!
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Lion Ride's first full length albumRumoured Songs: "Stick It In", "Snail Trail", "Bang Bang, Bye Bye"
Background: Lion Ride entered the studio for the first sessions of their upcoming full length CD in April 2010 at Toronto's
BWC Studios with producer Greg Dawson, same as when current & ex-band members recorded
Detroit's last album in 2009. The band recorded four songs at those sessions, including "Stick It In", which was uploaded onto
their MySpace page in early May as a preview. The studio version of another original "Snail Trail" was later posted on
BWC Studios' MySpace page, with another new song "Bang Bang, Bye Bye" featured as backing music in
a longboarding culture video in June. Delays & external commitments (musical and personal) have delayed the album's progress, and Lion Ride would acknowledge & apologize for the sparse album updates on
their Facebook page on November 27th with
this video featuring studio session clips set to "Snail Trail". As of February, they were back writing new material presumably for this album, and a Facebook posting on March 7th hinted towards a return to BWC soon, but band news has stalled again this year, leaving future album news unclear.
Current Release Status: We've heard that Lion Ride's new album would be released last fall & this summer, but now pages just say it's "coming soon". I don't know when we'll see the album, what with the lack of real album updates recently, and unless recording sessions we don't know about happened, I doubt we'll see this come out until next year. However, you can get a preview of the CD by checking out the studio versions of "Stick It In" at
this location and "Snail Trail" by
clicking here!
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Mike Haggith - 410 To ScotlandRumoured Songs: "Who Owns Space 82?", "Door To My Mind", "Nightmare On Reed Street", The Man In Green" (Black Hole Suns cover), "The Ballad of K2/K3", "The Day The Lights Went Out", "Limb Coast", "Standing On The Edge", "My Angel", "It Takes Time" (Black Hole Suns cover)
Background: Scheduled to be local solo musician Mike Haggith's
45th full length studio album, "410 To Scotland" (originally titled "Space 82") is scheduled to be a concept album based on differing human experiences. Now planned for release on December 1st through Rotten Records, "Space 82" should be available on both mp3 and CD formats, and ten tracks have been announced for it so far, including the already unveiled
"Limb Coast", two covers of Kincheloe project The Black Hole Suns' songs (an instrumental mix of one of them can be
heard here), and a mixture of previously heard & new material, though the previously announced songs "Orion" & "On A Cloud" were removed from the track listing.
Click here for complete album details, including the album artwork. Stay tuned for more details on "410 To Scotland" at
this location, as Mike's generally good for keeping fans up to date on his upcoming solo projects!
Current Release Status: I assume the December 1st release date will stand, as Mike is generally correct on his release dates, and honest and forthcoming if they have to be changed. Of course, it did change from the September 1st date after he changed the album's name and tracks, but at least he tells you everything ahead of time so you're not wondering what happened. Look out for "410 To Scotland" in December!
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Riverin's self-titled debut EPRumoured Songs: "Attitude", "They Lost You", "A Cold Wind", "Deflower", "Valentine", "Raining In December", "Trenches", "Something Else"
Background: An industrial hard rock project from former
Dirty Virgin & Silver Dream bandmates Matt Hicks and Matt Clement, Riverin slowly worked on their debut EP for much of 2010 at Matt Hicks' Quartertone Studios. The original recording sessions for this self-produced EP have finished, and it was said to be released "soon" as of July 2010. All six songs to initially be included on the EP are now featured on
their MySpace page to stream for free! E-mail correspondence with Matt Clement last fall detailed how the band were looking into the CD development process to release the album in time for a planned CD release show in the future featuring guest musicians. Two new songs, "Trenches" & "Something Else", have been announced, with "Trenches" later posted online in May, but it's unclear if they'll be on the EP or not.
Current Release Status: Not sure, but things did seem to be on the right track, given that the EP's tracks are all recorded. The way it's sounding to me, the release of the EP will likely tie in to their debut concert as a CD release show, but we haven't heard anything on a date range for it, so a concrete release date is up in the air. Hopefully when it does come out, it will deliver a good package of unique music, so stay tuned for updates!
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Sense of Truth's debut EPRumoured Songs: "Push & Pull", "Crawling", "Land of Greed", "Pieces of a Mirror", "Vicious Cycle"
Background: Sense of Truth began work on their debut EP in February 2010 with Miguel Gauthier at Stereo Soul Studios, finishing the recording sessions the next month. Again, Miguel kept fans up to date on the sessions at
his Facebook page, with some updates on
Sense of Truth's Facebook group as well. The songs were mastered last spring, and the band announced that the EP would be sent off to print after June of last year. Songs from the EP were on rotation on
Energy Rock Radio, numerous originals were played at their concerts, and samples of multiple songs are posted on
their MySpace page & on
Stereo Soul Studios' website, but we haven't heard much from the band since their last concert on May 22nd, partly due to drummer Ryan Haryett's out of town work commitments. An "early summer 2010" release date was announced, but Miguel confirmed last September that the artwork (
picture here) had yet to be finished, and as of March 17th, the band were still waiting for the artwork to come back before sending it to press. Bassist Curtis Beauchamp has shared some cool release details with me, but I won't post them here without online sourcing. For what it's worth, I doubt Steve Myers' departure this past spring will directly affect the album's release.
Current Release Status: Over a year and a half after their recording sessions began, I still can't verifiably say when this EP will come out. I've heard rumours here and there pointing to Sense of Truth returns for this fall, but band sources have yet to officially even suggest anything is imminent, so we're still playing the waiting game, and at this point, guessing a date probably wouldn't help much.
Their Facebook group hasn't been updated in seven months either, which isn't a great sign. Still, when it comes out, it will deliver lots of great hard rock, and will be well worth the wait! Remember to hear previews of four songs at the above links!
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Sykotyk Rampage - "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity"Rumoured Songs: "Running", "Legend, "Garden", "Metal", "Rain", "Parley", "Wait", "Shrooms", "Dynamite", "Acreage", "McDonalds", "Alright"
Background: Originally announced in August 2010, "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity" is the second half of Sykotyk Rampage's conceptual "Genius Mushroom" series which delves "into the realm of hallucinogenic musical brainscans". Considered Sykotyk Rampage's 25th album, it was originally the first half of a double album before it was split from it's predecessor "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Intellect", which has since been released. One track named "Silence" was removed from the second "Genius Mushrooms" album's track listing at that time as well. Sykotyk Rampage recorded this album at River Front Recreation Studios, with sessions taking place at varying points over the latter half of 2010. The first "Genius Mushrooms" album (and 4 other companion 2011 releases)
were all posted online in August, with just "...Thoughts of Stupidity" left, though keep an eye out, as you never know when the band will reveal their latest work of harsh music for harsh minds!
Current Release Status: The original announced release date for this album was December, but no new Sykotyk Rampage albums even made it online for free streaming until this August. Oddly, the second "Genius Mushrooms" album is still unreleased despite the fact that 4 newer albums not even announced until August have came out earlier. Still, I have it on good authority that "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity' will come out (hopefully) very soon, so keep an eye out for it, and
click here to tide yourself over with the band's other five albums from this year!
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Tym Morrison's second solo albumRumoured Songs: "Moon Patrol", "Dungeons & Dragons", "Nag Hamedi", "The Reason Why", "The Dark Shred", "Song For Jen", "No Name", "Amy", "Lay It On The Line", "Someday", "How I'm Wanting You More"
Background: I honestly don't know a lot about the background for Tym Morrison's second album, but he has posted samples of nine songs for his "next album" onto
the music player on his official website! The songs are all of good quality, and feature Tym in familiarly good form! Original information about recording sessions for his solo album are either very sparse or were made quite a while ago, so I don't know a lot about it, but the songs were likely self-recorded at Morrison Studio Productions with Tym on all instruments save for the programmed drums. Status updates on
Tym's personal Facebook page earlier this year have alluded to recent recording sessions and plans for a
double album, but it's unknown if the above songs would all be included. It should be noted that many of Tym's more recent solo songs
on YouTube have been either acoustic or comedic in nature, but I can't see many of the comedic ones making the cut for an album release.
Current Release Status: I don't have any real idea, but recent news about recording sessions and a double album are certainly promising! Hopefully Tym does release these songs in the near future, as his older samples and newer material deserve an audience! For now though, check out the above links to hear what he has to share that could make the cut!
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Woods of Ypres - "Woods 4.5: You Were The Light" & "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light"Rumoured Songs (W4.5): "You Were The Light", "Falling Apart"
Rumoured Songs (W5): "Death Is Not An Exit", "Lightning & Snow", "Career Suicide (Is Not Suicide)"
Background: Recording for what was intended to be Woods of Ypres' fifth album took place in August 2010 at Stereo Soul Studios. Intended to be a 5 track EP, producer
Miguel Gauthier's Facebook page kept fans updated on the sessions, along with various Woods of Ypres pages. Originally titled, "Woods V: You Were The Light", release plans noticeably changed when the band signed with
Earache Records last fall. With the label desiring a full length follow-up to "Woods IV", frontman David Gold & guitarist Joel Violette hit the studio in August to record a new full length "Woods V" at
Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario with producer
Siegfried Meier, who also kept fans up to date on these sessions via
his Twitter page. The first two rumoured song titles above come from varying posts David has made on his online pages over the past couple of months, while the last song is available for streaming at
this location! Mixing is underway for the newly titled "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", which David has said in interviews is the best record they've ever done, so keep an eye out for more previews!
As for the "original Woods V", it's now considered "Woods 4.5", and though definitive release details for that EP aren't known, two songs were issued in a limited edition vinyl single release named "Home" through Practical Art Records in April (
get ordering details here), and you can stream them at
the band's CBC Radio 3 page!
Current Release Status: For "Woods 4.5", I have no clue. I expect it will either come out after "Woods V", though I can see it being released as a bonus disc with "Woods 4.5" (a'la the Necramyth CD with the original "Woods IV" pressings), but aside from the "Home" vinyl, nothing finite has been hinted towards that. We'll in all likelihood see the new full length "Woods V" on Earache Records first, but when? According to recent band postings, it will be out on January 30th, but will that stick? Time will tell! There's a lot in the works from Woods of Ypres, so keep your eyes peeled for all the big news!
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That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news this week, including an interesting note on a local author with a cool new hard rock book, this week's classic video, weekend concert previews, and more! And barring a new album release over the coming week, our next monthly feature post will be our Defunct Local Band Profiles on SIGHdEFECT and Mugwort next Wednesday, so keep an eye out! Thanks everyone!
