AlgomA/Shit Liver Concert Review!!

Hey guys, it's finally time for our review of Monday night's Shit Liver split release tour finale at The New American Pub, so what should you know about this one? Surprisingly, this was my first ever concert at The New A, so I should start with some thoughts on the venue as a whole. Overall, it's cozy (especially before organizers moved tables out of the way), and the bar's placement in the middle of the building took some adjustments, but it looks like it's fairly inviting and would be of good use for downtown patrons, complete with a few modern flourishes! Also, how many other bars have a popcorn machine? In terms of the "Trading Faces" cassette tapes, I got mine upon entry to the Bay Street venue, and this is a high-res recreation of the album cover in it's physical layout (I haven't found one via official sources.) Aside from dedications in the liner notes, there's no missing information that isn't already given on Bandcamp, but there is something satisfying about holding a newly released cassette tape in 2017! I just wish that the tape itself wasn't green, and perhaps had a track listing on each side.

Before getting to the bands, I did listen to the tape on a Sharp surround sound system from the 1990s, which seemed appropriate given the retro format, and it sounded great, though AlgomA's half seemed a little quieter than Shit Liver's. As the synthesized woman's voice said at the end of side A, "All I know is that it's good!"

The concert started with a set by local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, who were up to their usual tricks with a brutal set of old and recent originals alike! Playing originals like "The Omen", "I Fear No God", and "The Dying Den" (though curiously not ending 'er with "Render This Void"), everyone sounded great, even frontman Nik Deubel, who noted being under the weather and having a rough voice to the crowd. Luckily, it didn't show, and he delivered another ferocious performance, with Mitch Sirie's solid lead guitar and Justin Lam's skilled bass work complimenting everything to a T! The only real surprise of the set was their Amon Amarth cover, trading "Guardians of Asgaard" for "Free Will Sacrifice", as a teaser for their upcoming tribute band turn at The Halloween Party under the name Mount Doom on Friday the 27th. Nik told us that they'll be playing the Amon Amarth album "Twilight of the Thunder God" front to back during their Halloween tribute set.

The other new public announcement is that The Bear Hunters have enlisted Jack Spades & Eclipse guitarist Daniel Horton to play rhythm guitar in "Mount Doom", marking a very rare instance where they've enlisted a guest guitarist rather than play as a quartet with Josh out of town. This will all  be very interesting to witness in a few weeks, but as Amon Amarth have two guitarists, this makes their set more true to the original band. Watch for Mount Doom on October 27th at The Algonquin Pub, and Monday night's tune up show was a good one for The Bear Hunters!

Next up were local extreme metal quartet Winkstinger, in the first time I've seen them since their latest reunion this summer, so what's different? Well, they've had more change than just the vocalist position, as it looks like former bassist Ryan Sherman is back in their lineup, replacing Andrew MacDonald. A reason for Andrew's apparent departure hasn't been publically announced, but keep in mind that the band's Facebook page is barely updated. Hopefully nothing bad happened, but it's great seeing Ryan back in the fold, assuming I have him identified correctly! This was also the first time that I've seen Winkstinger with Twistory's Josh Amendola on lead vocals, giving the band their most death metal-influenced vocals yet. Josh's vocal style suits the material, but it could be a little more distinct. That said, his stage presence was enjoyably chaotic & hard to photograph, and Josh was more at ease on stage than Keith was last spring, so he's off to a good start!

Of course, band mainstays Jesse Cook and Jonas Gasperas were on form, and while Jesse laid down some great solos as usual, he seemed a little restrained compared to some recent sets of his. One visible difference from Winkstinger's run of spring 2016 shows is that they seemed to play more originals than they did last year, with covers put on the back burner, so fans of Alan-era Winkstinger will appreciate the setlist. There's more polish to put on the wheels, but it's great to see Winkstinger back (again), and hopefully we hear more new stuff from them soon!

In a mild surprise, local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver hit the stage next rather than the headlining slot for their first local show in a year & a half, and they delivered a brutal assault of originals and covers that got the most packed crowd and mosh pit of the night! Alongside originals like "Sir-Osis", "It's Not My Problem", and "Matt Got Beat Up By Cops" (complete with sampled intro tracks for over half the set), they also played a handful of selections from their side of "Trading Faces" like "Blame It On God", though I was surprised that they didn't play more of it. No one seemed to mind too much, with a punishing onslaught capped off by Josh Penno, Mike Kyle, and Matt Baic' three-pronged vocals, while their punk-tinged death metal originals were as fast paced as ever, often flowing into each other nicely. It's not for everyone, but if you love brutal grindcore, Shit Liver gave you exactly what you wanted on Monday night, and hopefully we see them again soon!

Finally, your headliners were local doom metal trio AlgomA in their sole appearance of the "Trading Faces" tour due to doctor's recommendations following guitarist Boyd Rendell's recent health concerns. As a result, I wasn't sure if he'd appear to be 100%, but he was none the worse for wear during their set, playing his suitably heavy and down-trodden riffs with intensity, and even singing (well, screaming) to his usual standard on a couple of songs! Alongside older originals like "Fell Down A Well" and selections from older splits, AlgomA played their entire side of "Trading Faces" to end their set, which was a nice way to wrap the tour. Kevin Campbell was just fine with his pounding bass and gritty vocals for most songs, and Jamie Vincent's drumming kept the rhythm going at a slow pace, until their faster covers came in, and he transitioned just fine! It was great to see AlgomA back in full force, and who knows what their next album will be! Perhaps another split on a retro format? Maybe get your 8 track players ready?!

Overall, this concert was a crushing good time for fans of death metal, and as a relocated homage to old Rosie metal nights, you have to appreciate this lineup, as you don't see even three of these bands on stage together very much anymore! You can check out our photos from Sunday night at this link or via our Facebook page, and as for our videos, here's The Bear Hunters (or Mount Doom) covering Amon Amarth's "Free Will Sacrifice", Winkstinger playing their original song "From Bullshit To Buzz (Lies = Weed)", Shit Liver covering Dystopia's "Socialized Death Sentence" & Macabre's "Hitch-Hiker", and Algoma covering Kittens' "Great Dane"!









That's all for today, but stay tuned for this weekend's concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

AlgomA/Shit Liver - "Trading Faces" Split Album Review!!

It's now time for our 99th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at "Trading Faces", the new split album from local doom metal trio AlgomA & local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver! Released through AlgomA's old label Deadbeat Media on each band's respective Bandcamp page on September 5th, the album's physical release is only on cassette tapes rather than CDs or vinyl, and has been available on Shit Liver's release tour since it started on September 22nd (they are available locally through AlgomA members, and can also be bought online through AlgomA's Bandcamp page, and at the local tour finale at The New American Pub THIS MONDAY NIGHT.) This is the second studio release & first split album for Shit Liver, and the fourth total release & third split for AlgomA, while it is the first cassette tape for both. Digitally, "Trading Faces" is available on a "name your price" model, but tapes cost $8, not counting potential shipping fees if you buy them through Bandcamp.

AlgomA recorded and self-produced their half at Six, Two, Oh. this spring, while Shit Liver recorded theirs in St. Catharine's at "The Shithouse" in February with producer "Raz". Both bands' classic lineups are intact here, including singer/bassist Kevin Campbell, singer/guitarist Boyd Rendell, and drummer Jamie Vincent for AlgomA, while Shit Liver are represented by singer/guitarist Josh Penno, bassist Mike "Ralph" Kyle, and drummer Matt Baic. And yes, "Trading Faces" is an all-covers album, so keep that in mind before wondering why any new originals didn't make the cut.

With ten tracks running for 28 minutes (16 for Shit Liver, 12 for AlgomA), let's begin our split review with AlgomA's three songs from side A, in a nice alliterative coincidence! Their first cover is of "Why Should I Care?" by Toronto hardcore punk quartet Dead Mouth, which starts with a sample from the horror movie Food of the Gods II. This cover is suitably heavy & attitude-laden in comparison, varying mainly from Kevin singing alongside Boyd (in his only vocal appearance on the split.) This is a departure of sorts from most AlgomA originals because it's so fast paced & brief in length, but they acclimate well, and while they don't tinker much with the original, it's a crushing way to open the tape! Second is "Great Dane", originally by Winnipeg noise rock trio Kittens, which you may have heard AlgomA play live in the past. Opening with samples of a dog barking, this again plays closer to the original song, though it seems slightly muted in it's ferocity.

The song moves along well, and Kevin's bass work is clear yet heavy all at once, but this one could have stood to be louder and more aggressive, especially with the bizarre lyrics, and I'd have wanted Kevin's vocals to be harsher or more amplified compared to what made the final cut. Not a bad rendition at all, but I think this song works better in a live setting where it's not as controlled. AlgomA's side ends with their cover of the other band on "Trading Faces", as they tackled Shit Liver's song "Fabricated Nonsense" from their 2014 self-titled debut CD! Unlike on the preceding covers, AlgomA completely reworked the 79 second original into an album-high 6:24 rendition, so you could be forgiven for thinking this was AlgomA's own song. If you're craving a deliberately slow & sludgy experience after the preceding faster covers, this will satiate them, and I appreciate how they made the song their own! However, the lengthy feedback at song's end wasn't my cup of tea, and fans of the speedier punk-influenced songs on the rest of the split may not take to this one the same.

Side B belongs to Shit Liver, whose seven included covers begin with "Homeoapathy" (no hyphen here) by New York crust punk band Leftover Crack. Despite being half a minute shorter than the original, the guys cram the whole song into a faster package that introduces death metal growling and some more piercing screams, to solid effect! Sure, the spoken introduction isn't common for the originals, but the rest feels like classic Shit Liver, with blistering drums from Matt and nice trade-off singing, so loyal fans will be right at home! Second is their version of "Hitch-Hiker" (now with a hyphen) by Chicago extreme metal band Macabre, and much like on the prior cover, they sufficiently speed up and shorten the song, and also add a sampled intro from a Trailer Park Boys episode. This time, the song bears even less similarities to the original, but it's a nice dose of organized chaos, which Josh's guitar riffs meshing well with Mike's bass! The ending synced up vocals from the three guys aren't mixed very cleanly, but it's another solid cover!

Next is their version of "Blame It On God" by Florida death metal veterans Deicide, which opens with an audio sample from a telephone conversation between Deicide frontman Glen Benton and an Christian radio host, fittingly enough! This cover holds the most structural and tempo similarities yet to the original song, with the triple vocal attack being the biggest difference, but they do infuse some crust punk themes into the percussion. Aggressive and brutal, fans of Deicide will be happy with how this one turned out! Fourth is the split's shortest track, a 78 second rendition of "Lines On A Map" (the "Thinning The Herd" version) by South Carolina crust punk band Antischism, which again is a great match for Shit Liver's existing sound, and the mid-song vocal change of the original works extra well here! Crashing drums and blistering guitar work compliment everything well, and honestly, the song feels just right at it's short length, not feeling unfinished at all. Overall, this is one of the better songs on this side!

The fifth song on Shit Liver's half is a cover of "Socialized Death Sentence" by Oakland sludge/crust band Dystopia, even carrying over that song's sampled intro from The Hudsucker Proxy (will I have to dock them for repeating?!) While musically hewing close to the original, the vocals again take on a harsher and more varied bent, even sounding a little clearer at times. Another brutal performance, I will say that the vocals do overpower the guitars a bit, but it's a fine rendition that flows with the preceding songs! The tape seemingly closes with a cover of their splitmates AlgomA, trading in kind with a rendition of "Fell Down A Well" from AlgomA's own 2014 debut CD "Reclaimed By The Forest". Shit Liver originally covered this in 2015 for a YouTube posting, and the 2017 version is basically a remaster of their first cover, even preserving the spoken intro that I can't place. Blistering while preserving the original's structure, it's a solid tribute that feels like doom metal on fast forward, and it's a nice way to come full circle on the tape!

After 30 seconds of silence, we get one surprise bonus cover, namely Shit Liver's amusing cover of The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up", complete with intentionally bad clean vocals and abrupt shift into grindcore onslaught mode, as fans have often seen live. Only take the brutal part seriously, and you should get a laugh out of this unexpected cover (that is, if you're not familiar with it from their concerts already!)

So, what are my final thoughts on AlgomA & Shit Liver's covers tape? I'd say that it's a successful experiment that showcases both bands paying tribute to some of their favourite acts (and each other) with ferocity! Compared to AlgomA's prior two splits, this feels like the best value thanks to 3 new recordings and a cheaper release format, and from slow & doomy on "Fabricated Nonsense" to the preceding hardcore punk-influenced covers, you get a nice cross section of their sound, and it's nice to hear them play things at a quicker and faster pace outside of their comfort zone! Shit Liver's side gives fans a quality look at their underground crust & sludge influences, with the songs converted to their existing style fairly seamlessly, with their usage of three singers often giving these songs some welcome variety from the originals! Some covers on both sides could have been tightened up a little bit, and it would have been nice to hear Boyd sing on more than one of AlgomA's entries, but for a covers album, what more can you ask for?

As for the cassette tape release, I have not heard the album in this format yet (I will buy my copy on Monday at The New A), but the digital release gives the best quality audio, if not the most authentic for fans of physical media! I admittedly don't think the green tape colour is a great fit for "Trading Faces", but that's a minor nitpick. Fans of both bands, and/or underground hardcore punk and death metal should definitely consider buying this split digitially or on tape, so do so at the above links! That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for our preview of AlgomA & Shit Liver's show on Monday to end the "Trading Faces" release tour, but what's being reviewed next month as our 100th monthly album review? At the moment, the leading favourite is black metal solo project Abhorrent Forest's new album "Ethereal", especially as The Din's second & final album (scheduled for release in two weeks) can't be reviewed until at least December, due to our 6 month anti-bias buffer period between reviews of the same band.

That said, if another new local metal, hard rock, or punk album comes out, our projections could change, but "Ethereal" is currently my working plan for October. Look for our next review by Halloween, and stay tuned for our next post on the site tomorrow to kick off the new month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Special Ops), A Surprise Album Release, And More Updates!!

Here's another new news post for your Wednesday, so what's on tap? Some overdue videos to share, the latest from a prominent local metal band, and a surprising EP release to take note of, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this year!

Montreal alternative metal quartet Special Ops will make their local concert debut when they headline at The Rockstar Bar on Friday, November 3rd! One of the last stops as they return home from their Take It All Tour (in support of their "Baby Take It All" EP), this hard rocking outfit has been making waves out east for the better part of a decade, and their sound is heavy yet accessible enough to appeal to many listeners, so don't bypass them early next month! New local indie/hard rock trio Vol. will open the proceedings in what should be another high impact set from this union of Pixo Control and Aldous alumni, and for what it's worth, they indicated on their Facebook page that they're currently "finish(ing) up our first album." News to me, but are they still just writing songs, or are they actually recording? Stay tuned for updates!

Yes, we are aware of another show that Vol. is opening next month at The Algonquin Hotel, but with ambiguity about which floor it's being held on, we're waiting for confirmation therein. Tickets for this 19+ show are $10 and will presumably be available at the hotel's front desk, though I cannot confirm a potential jump in price at the door. Bands start at 9:30 PM on November 30th, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more on what should be a fun night of hard rock action!

Next up, we have a surprise new album release, as local black metal solo project Abhorrent Forest released their second EP on Monday! Like their debut "The End of Life" from January, this EP (entitled "Ethereal") was an abrupt release on the project's Bandcamp page, though unlike it's predecessor, it has a minimum asking price of $10, rather than a "name your price" model. I would assume "Thorn of Torment" was left off of "Ethereal" due to the EP's theme, which eschews black metal for dark ambient instrumentals, so don't go into this expecting the same sound as earlier Abhorrent Forest material. As this is a new release, might we see a review of "Ethereal" on the SMS? Yes, possibly as soon as next month, as our review of the AlgomA/Shit Liver split is likely coming next week, and because I don't review albums from the same band twice in a 6 month span, I have to hold our review of The Din's final album (coming next month) until December.

That all said, it's a nice surprise to see Wyrn back in action with new Abhorrent Forest material, and if you like ambient music, this will be worth a listen especially, so give it a listen and/or buy it at the above links, and keep watch in case we review "Ethereal" later this fall!

Also today, here's the latest from local doom metal trio AlgomA, who apparently intend to remain on the bill for the local finale of the "Trading Faces" split release tour with Shit Liver on October 2nd (one week from Monday) at The New American Pub! Though the band had to pull out of the tour proper due to guitarist Boyd Rendell's health problems, he confirmed on the Facebook event page yesterday that "I'm gonna do my best to play this one", so at least we'll see both halves of the tape rocking out in their hometown! If anything changes in regards to AlgomA's set, we'll let you know, but hopefully Boyd rests up and gets well soon either way! FYI, Shit Liver kick off the tour proper in Toronto on Friday, and I have no new updates on the "Trading Faces" cassette tapes beyond what we already know from it's Bandcamp release. However, AlgomA are keeping busy with uploads of their contributions from their prior splits with Chronobot and Hooded Menace on their YouTube channel, complete with lyrics!

Uploaded yesterday for their first postings there in a year, both of their songs from the former vinyl record release are now officially available on YouTube ("Electric Fence" & "Phthisis") but embedded below is their half of the split single with Hooded Menace, namely "Failed Stunt Fatality". No word yet on when we might see their contributions to "Trading Faces" on their channel, but it's nice to have more studio quality AlgomA aggression available on YouTube, so check them out above and below, buy "Trading Faces" above, and stay tuned for the local release party on October 2nd!



Finally for today, here's some long overdue acknowledgement of some video shares to Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's Facebook page! Apologies for the delay in these making the site, Facebook videos can fall through the cracks very easily. All shared from keyboardist Craig Harrison's personal Facebook page prior to any talk of a Christmas tour became public, they include this video was uploaded with the caption "Studio time..." but it's just a silent slideshow of Craig, a studio computer, and a skull. No doubt we've heard some of the material from said studio time, but the video doesn't stand up well on it's own, especially without backing audio. Also, this video from February captures 10 seconds of a dark orchestral instrumental which sounds very promising, and it'd be cool to hear that one in full! A Facebook copy of the now deleted YouTube upload of the piano ballad "If I Could Just Tear Down These Walls" also still exists via a Facebook share in January. We'll touch on more if found, but what's embedded here on the SMS?

In fact, it's the newest of these clips from June 29th, featuring Craig manipulating an iPad for effects while guitarist Steve Giles and uncredited guests play on in the background. Not bad for what it is, and it has a somewhat eerie feel! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night as we hear it!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Today's news post at the SMS is devoted to new and recent video finds on YouTube, so what lies within this post? Let's start with a source that I only just discovered via our Defunct Local Band Profile of That's Chester yesterday, that being guitarist Gabe Tessaro's YouTube channel! Launching back in November 2015 shortly after bandmate Eugene Orlando's sudden death, the current Obsession guitarist posted three exclusive That's Chester clips there from three late period concerts of theirs. I'll share the other two in future posts, but we'll start with this clip from Rotaryfest's main stage in July 2015 (the band's final traditional concert with Eugene), where they covered Deep Purple's "Hush" to close their headlining set. Filmed from a sharp side-stage angle, this isn't an optimal view of the guys (drummer Ric Datson's completely obscured by speakers), but it's a solid cover of this classic song with a neat nighttime ambiance, so give it a look below, and watch for Eugene on the keyboard!

Next up, here's a video of local pop rock cover quartet The Killer Hooks covering Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" from a show of theirs last month at The Rockstar Bar! While not a hard rock-based group, you may recognize some of their members from prior local bands, like ex-Gsis Murphy frontman Tony Marcello, his former Midpoint bandmate Rob Struk, Touch of Class alum Tony Rota, and Glory Days drummer Paolo Erme. Filmed by a friend of the band named Gillian (source here) and uploaded to Tony's YouTube channel on Thursday, this video is just of the song's first minute, and it's very red from the bar lighting, but from what we hear, this hair metal ballad is well done! If anything, Tony noted that "the crowd does all the work on this one", referencing their eager singing-along of the opening verse, and it's great to see that everyone's engaged and into their set! Give this video a look below, and visit the band's website for more on their full setlist and schedule!



Closing with some audio-only uploads, here's the teased YouTube copy of local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver's half of their and AlgomA's split "Trading Faces"! All six of Shit Liver's songs for the album are featured in this video, which was uploaded to their YouTube channel on September 5th, it's day of release. I'll hold comment until our review of the split later this month, but if you'd rather stream or preview the songs here instead of Bandcamp, you have the option below! Note that AlgomA have not posted their half on YouTube yet, but a fan has uploaded the whole thing in a single video, which I won't share at present out of respect to the brand new release.



Finally, here's a cover of Alter Bridge's "Watch Over You" by Highway 63 frontman Henry Switzer, as uploaded to his YouTube channel last week! Recorded in his music room, and set to a montage of autumn scenery, this is a quality cover with clear emotion, and while I can't confirm if Highway 63 cover this song live, this shows off Henry's vocal abilities well in particular, so check out this Sault Michigan mainstay's newest solo cover below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as this week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Spun), AlgomA/Shit Liver Split Details, And New Videos!!

Before we begin this post, we have a concert cancellation to acknowledge, as tonight's Nova Rex show at The Rockstar Bar is no longer taking place. The Florida hair metal headliners have reportedly dropped out of the show due to a band member falling ill, as per The Rockstar Bar's Hayley Warnock on the Facebook event page yesterday. Very disappointing, but hopefully Nova Rex play up here at some point in the future, this was shaping up to be a big event! Now, today's post features some new videos, and big album updates, but to lead off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!

Marquette cover hard rock quartet Spun will return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan for one night only on Friday, September 22nd! Two months removed from their last stops in our neck of the woods, the Nudge successors will be back in full force for another night of hard rocking classics for their E.U.P. fans, so circle September 22nd on your calendars to help ring in the fall season! This show is definitely advertised as being on Friday the 22nd only, no word on why they're not playing at The Frog on Saturday the 23rd, or if it's omission is accidental. Similarly to Spun's past Frog gigs, expect a 9:30 PM start time in three weeks, you must be 21 years old or greater to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for current details on this concert!

Next up, here's the latest updates on the upcoming split album from local metal trios AlgomA & Shit Liver, so what's new to say about "Trading Faces"? As per Shit Liver's Facebook page on Monday, the digital release of the split will take place on September 5th (THIS COMING TUESDAY) via both bands' respective Bandcamp pages, and while Shit Liver will also post their half on YouTube, they couldn't guarantee the same for AlgomA's half. The release date for the physical cassette tapes still appears to be two weeks later on September 17th, and they will be on sale during their Ontario/Montreal tour run next month (which ends at The New A on October 2nd) and online via AlgomA's label Deadbeat Media, though we await specifics on the release otherwise. As for the content, throw all assumptions about potential originals you had hoped to hear out the window, as this is a covers-only album! AlgomA are only doing songs by Dead Mouth and Kittens (they've played the latter live before), but expect these to be slow and sludgy!

Shit Liver will tackle songs by Leftover Crack, Macabre, Deicide, Antischism, and Dystopia, but one big twist here is that the two bands will also cover each other, with AlgomA covering "Fabricated Nonsense" and Shit Liver either including or re-recording their sped up grindcore version of "Fell Down A Well" from 2015. I didn't expect this to be a covers release, but it'll be very interesting to hear how this one turns out, so check the above links for full details and song names, and stay tuned for updates on the split's price and availability when it comes in, hopefully starting on Tuesday!

Closing today with new videos, here's a new live streamed clip from local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven's Facebook page from two weeks back! This video was intended as a promotional clip for their return set at the now cancelled Eye of Horus concert this past weekend, but the video is still relevant to share, as it's a performance of a new Skeyes of Seven original song, which I believe is entitled "Differences". The band's first video with their full current lineup (as recorded in their recent jam session locale), you'll hear a solid new original that fits with their existing original repertoire, and I'm sure it would have played well live, but hopefully we'll get a chance soon at another event! If only this wasn't filmed on a vertical camera angle, but it's still great to see a full five-piece Skeyes of Seven for the first time in 3 years, so give their new live video a look below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!



Finally for today, here's a new videos of Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins, as shared by Sault Michigan music store Crooked Music's Facebook page on Monday! Remember, Joe is their current guitar instructor. Originally posted to Joe's personal Facebook page, this features a test run of the Ashmun Street music store's most expensive guitar pedal while playing a Reverend Sensai 290 guitar, as recorded the day prior when the store was closed. This is a bit of an instructional or demonstrative clip with Joe talking to the camera about the gear, but he has some nice bluesy riffs to show off, so give it a look below, and don't miss Project 906 in Brimley this Saturday!



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

A New Local Solo Project, Crimson Crusade's EP, And New Videos!!

Tonight's news post is essentially a local metal video showcase, but it's full of big news beyond just that, so what's in store? Well, we have a commercial for a major upcoming concert, video footage from a recent show at a newer local concert venue, and all that you should know on the newest Sault Ontario metal CD release, but first, we have a new local band to introduce, so here's what you need to know (and check out our review of last night's Skeletonwitch show in the post below this one!)

Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie has returned to solo work with a new side project named Sound X! You may remember that Curtis fronted various similar bands like Restricted Illusions & 20 Pack of Marshmallows (many with Haggith guitarist Daniel Horton involved) since the late 2000s, but this is a completely new project that Curtis has been posting about on his solo Facebook page since May 22nd (it'd previously focused mostly on his Haggith work.) He's already announced plans to release a Sound X album this fall named "Three Year Relapse" featuring a mix of older originals and newer songs (including the former Haggith band song "That Cold Winter Breeze"), and this project will feature Curtis on all instruments except drums (Daniel Horton's covering that), while Haggith drummer Mike Haggith will produce and mix the material at Paperclip Productions. To that end, Curtis has posted the first Sound X song named "Disengage" onto his new YouTube channel, so how does it sound?

It sounds good so far, nice catchy alternative hard rock sound, but I worry that it might sound too similar to Haggith originals, and I'd like to see Curtis shake things up a bit to separate the two projects musically. I like where it's going though, so check out Sound X's first public song below, and as I've added them to our active Sault Ontario band links! (There's no official Sound X page yet, but Curtis' solo page fills that need in the interim.)



Next up, here's what you should know about local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade's debut EP! Released after their set at the Skeletonwitch show at The Canadian on Monday night, "Upon The Eve Of War" does still feature 5 songs (all of which are streamable online as well), and the songs are "Vanquish The Tyrant", "Left For Dead", "Crimson Crusade", "Pillage", and the last to be unveiled online, "Consumed", with a total runtime of about 20 minutes. Featuring their current lineup (including singer/guitarist Devon Lucier, guitarist Robert Sartini, bassist Riley Marshall, and drummer Robert Crossley), this was recorded in the winter at The Smoke & Oak Room Studio with producer Dave Pihlaja, and it's packaged in a slim jewel case with cover artwork as pictured, and liner notes secured in the case (though they're surprisingly minimal in content.) I won't comment on the songs in full yet though, as I plan on reviewing this in either July or August (Haggith's "Deuce" is this month, and I'm not sure whether to do this or the Woods of Ypres tribute album next month), but it will get a formal review, I promise!

I presume Crimson Crusade will have copies of "Upon The Eve Of War" on sale at future concerts for $5, but for now, stream the tracks at the band's Reverbnation page and Devon's YouTube channel, and as we haven't plugged it formally on here before today, here's the EP's last song (on the disc and in uploading order) "Consumed", so give it and the rest of the songs a listen!



Also in the realm of new videos, Local2's Mike Caruso was on hand for last Saturday's Faces of the Soup Kitchen event at the Machine Shop building at Mill Square (the former St. Mary's Paper site), and he uploaded a video of the musical performers from the event onto Local2's YouTube channel (and as part of this article), which amounts to our first footage of live acts at the Machine Shop. The video features local cover rock band Obsession covering Vanity Fair's "Hitchin' A Ride", M.D. Dunn playing what I think is an original track, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison covering Little Texas' "What Might Have Been", Frank Bock playing his rendition of "Dream A Little Dream Of Me", and Griphook frontman Jim O'Leary and friends (including Obsession's Valerie Powley) covering Nazareth's "Sunshine", so click each link to go directly to those songs! Note that Tym didn't play solo entirely on Saturday, as you can see Caveman Morrison drummer Johnny Belanger behind the kit in the video, so there was some full band performances as well.

Though not the heaviest show, it was for a great cause to both benefit the Soup Kitchen and introduce locals to what's going on at Mill Square now, and you can catch up on more of the day's events, vendors, and sights at this location! The Machine Shop looks nice and seems to have good acoustics, and I hope we see more live bands there in the future! As for the performers, all put in good sets, and it's nice hearing a Nazareth cover especially from Jim and company, so give them a listen below! (For metal/hard rock seekers, Tym's on about 6 minutes in, and Jim and friends play about 11 minutes in.)



Finally for today, here's something a little different: A commercial for Tesla's fourth concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on July 27th! 30 seconds in length, it features plugs for the show and where to buy tickets, along with live clips of them playing some of their hit songs (including "Signs" and "Love Song"), and though it's well put together, the voice over narration could be more excitable for a show of this size. Posted onto Kewadin's YouTube channel on Friday, I don't know if this is running on TV, but give this commercial a look below, and get your tickets before they're gone!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more in the next few days! Thanks everyone!