LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & A Farewell To MySpace Band Links On The SMS!!

Today's post is devoted to two topics: LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) from one musician over the coming months, and a big change to our defunct local band links on the site, so here's what you should know on this Saturday morning!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Misty's Fifties for matinee concerts TODAY and every two weeks into June! Apologies for the short notice on TODAY'S concert, we only heard about it earlier today via Tym sharing a Facebook event page covering the dates earlier this week. Of course, Tym debuted at the 658 Second Line West bar/restaurant back in December, and played sporadically there ever since, though a planned Wednesday nighter on Valentine's Day was quietly cancelled for unannounced reasons. Clearly, that wasn't a bad sign for Tym's relationship with Misty's, as he'll be back for more acoustic hard and classic rock favourites TODAY at 4:00 PM and then on these Saturdays to come: March 2nd, 16th, and 30th, April 13th & 27th, May 11th & 25th, and June 8th & 22nd. All of these shows are presumed 19+ events with no cover.

For the record, two of these gigs could tie in to holiday plans, as the March 16th show is the day before St. Patrick's Day (as it's a Sunday this year, many nightclubs may have events on the 16th instead), while the March 30th show is on the Easter long weekend. Tym is no stranger to weekly or bi-weekly events at the same venue like this, so don't miss out on all of the unplugged action starting TODAY at 4:00! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live last year!

Next up, in advance of a big change that I'm making to the band links on the SMS, I'm starting by making a big one for an opposite reason. Since the SMS began in 2007, a big source for band pages for research and linking purposes was MySpace, as anyone around the local music scene in the 2000s will be well aware, but it (for all intents & purposes) died a slow and painful death starting with its forced redesign in 2010, which deleted all blog posts & biographies from accounts. I kept certain bands linked from MySpace on the basis of their hosted music/videos and pictures for history and information, if not necessity, as MySpace may still have been this band's fullest/only presence online. Eventually, a botched server migration forced all music on hosted accounts to be unplayable, and photos hosted there have slowly winnowed away too, leaving just captions with nothing viewable. Even the MySpace home page seems to have not been updated since 2022.

MySpace was very important to the SMS originally, and a lot of internet-using readers from the 2000s will have fond memories of it for personal use and for band pages, but unless intentionally looking up old bands, current usage of it died in 2010 and just got worse and worse (Destroilet did try to work around the 2010 redesign but they were a rare exception), with then-current and new bands looking to Facebook and elsewhere for their social media promotion. Quite frankly, linking old local bands via MySpace pages in 2023 is nearly useless, so I've decided to remove the remaining bands from our links that are only here because they didn't have surviving pages elsewhere and I clung to MySpace for this long. As such, these local bands are no longer linked on the SMS: 2wo Man Baand, A Fall From Innocence, Bring The Fallen, Despised Eyes, Foothill Road, Free Beer, Infrastrate, The Last Warrior Of Rock, Nebraska Arms, The Pisstanks, Renderware, ...

...Route 69, Smeltzer, and Stealing Kisses. From Sault Michigan & the E.U.P., I have also deleted 7/47, Absolute, Analog Deficiency, Clownsack, Condemned, Hands Of Betrayal, Lower S.E.S., Nixxon Dixxon, The Pick-Me-Ups, Shift, and Twisted Manikin. Just to be clear, some of these bands did have activity into the 2010s on now-deleted social media accounts or without launching new ones (i.e. Clownsack's 2011 CD "Funny Farm", Bring The Fallen's 2013 reunion concert & EP, Free Beer's return as Sarah's Valley, and Foothill Road's pandemic-era original song), but unless I have missed something, none of these bands have an extant social media presence elsewhere that has content worth linking to in 2024 for research/historical purposes. If I find something that I forgot about or didn't see before, or if one of these bands decides to reunite, I will absolutely re-link the band(s) in question.

Still, deleting these pages cleans up our links a good amount, and we'll fill them back up in no time, so stay tuned for more on that in the near future! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

Our Recap Of The Last(?) Episode Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!!

Today on the SMS, let's finally cover the final(?) episode of the Metal Morpheus radio show on local internet radio station The Borderline! As you may know, Metal Morpheus ran for an hour (give or take) on Sunday nights at 9:00 PM from July-December of last year, with host/local metal singer Josh Amendola typically featuring a genre or national scene each week, with at least one metal act with local membership per episode. However, following a heavily revised version of October's all-local episode on December 5th, the series fell into reruns for a month, and no new episodes have been posted on the station website since re-airing the power metal episode on January 9th. I don't know what happened to Metal Morpheus, especially given that Josh was very early into a planned series of alphabetical spotlights of the scenes in various countries, and he was improving as an on-air personality as time went on, so hopefully he isn't 100% done!

The possibility exists that Metal Morpheus is just on an indefinite hiatus, and hopefully we see Josh pick things back up for the series in some form when the time is right! If not, ending with the Soo Metal episode is a good way to go out, even if it was severely altered from what originally aired! I never recapped the October version on the site due to only catching up to it in the timeline after it was taken down. Alas, I do apologize for that, but how would I have known that it'd be deleted and overhauled? Just as a disclaimer, Josh does reference both the SMS and myself in this episode, and while he did ask me for suggestions of local bands to play on air last year and for input on how episodes turned out, I never knew he was going to make an all-local episode. I was as surprised as everyone else! As of this writing, I have never been on The Borderline in any on-air or behind-the-scenes capacity.

As for the revised Soo Metal episode, it runs for just over an hour, and it starts with Josh playing defunct local alternative rock band (and Papa Fogals Chair predecessors) Sulfur's song "Our Glass Universe" (0:05) from their 1997 CD "How Empty I Am". Next, we get a song by old school local hardcore punk band The Big Kahunas with their original studio recording "The Fighting Princess Club" (3:55), before abruptly switching gears to inactive Vancouver grunge trio Denderah with their song "Sweetness" (5:50). I've never heard of Denderah, but their frontman Kwin Cymons is a Saultite, so his band's material clearly found its way to The Borderline's rotation before passing my radar! They're a solid group, give their album a listen at their Bandcamp page! A rare Sault Michigan act hits the episode next via inactive progressive metal project Life's Eclipse's song "Not Dead But Dreaming" (9:05).

Fondly remembered local hardcore punk band Fistmagnet's cover of "Live To Die" (17:15) is next, followed by local/London instrumental prog metal band Hiroshima Mutant Mindframe's song "All Roams Lead To Roads" (20:10) from their self-titled album. Prominent and dearly missed local hard rock quartet Garden of Bedlam follow with the title track from their full length album "Everything Will Die" (23:15), while the second half of the episode begins with death metal quartet The Bear Hunters' song "Transcend Judgement" (28:20) from 2020's "The Dead Testament", conveniently followed by ex-guitarist Josh Stephney's old hardcore band Bring The Fallen with the title track of their posthumous EP "Stand Before" (34:40). This episode's only live cut is next, courtesy of defunct local metal band Sativa Rose with their lengthy original song "Bellows of the Beast" (39:10).

Juno Award winning local/Toronto blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres come next with their dark ballad "Finality" (48:10) from their final studio album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", before heading back to Sault Michigan for defunct local epic death metal band Integrated System of Machines' song "Road To Valhalla" (52:10) from their 2008 album "Apocalyptic Visions". The episode ends with one more song by Denderah, namely "Natal Lies" (57:35), and no, neither this episode nor the last 100% new one from the previous week left any hints that the series was ending or taking a break. While Josh did leave some gaps regarding band members' full names or back stories (especially with Life's Eclipse given how we've covered them and Werehold Records over the years), this was an entertaining episode and showed how Josh was trying to expand the range of local artists!

Definitely give this and other episodes of Metal Morpheus a listen at the above links, as it is (was?) a good series and helped fill the metal void on The Borderline's scheduled rotation, and if Josh doesn't return to record new episodes, hopefully we hear more from him in some form, let alone more metal, hard rock, or punk-centric programming on the station! That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Another Metal Morpheus Episode Recap From The Borderline!!

With news slowing down for obvious reasons (both holiday related and otherwise), let's dive into another recent episodes of Metal Morpheus on local internet radio station The Borderline! Just a heads up though for listeners who have caught up to the current episodes, as there was not an episode on Sunday, December 12th for unannounced reasons (unless it was quietly taken down after its live airing), while this past Sunday's episode was just a re-posting of the "Amazing Solos" episode from September 26th, with the original aired version being taken down in place of the rerun airing, again for unannounced reasons. Hopefully this is just a holiday break and it isn't a sign of waning interest in recording new installments, especially given Josh's ambitious plans to go through lesser known countries in spotlight episodes! Now, let's start with the Metal Morpheus episode from November 14th, which is a sequel to the guitar heroes episode from October 3rd!

This extra-long 72 minute installment covers some similar ground to host Josh Amendola's other two guitarist-showcase episodes from the fall, but none of the guitarists/acts from October 3rd were repeated six weeks later. The first band spotlighted is jazz fusion group The Mahavishnu Orchestra and their lead guitarist John McLaughlin via their song "Birds of Fire" (0:35), though Josh gets increasingly hard to hear over the song's introduction. Irish blues rock guitarist Rory Gallagher is next with "A Million Miles Away" (6:40), followed by American rock virtuoso Eric Johnson's signature song "Cliffs of Dover" (14:10). We next hear late guitar icon Shawn Lane's "Epilogue For Lisa" (19:30), followed by Hee-Haw host and country music legend Roy Clark's "Roy's Guitar Boogie" (23:00), and for the record, neither of the last two songs are on Spotify. Legendary Australian acoustic guitarist Tommy Emmanuel is next with his cover of Mason Williams' "Classical Gas" (26:55).

The first half of the episode concludes with "redneck jazz" stalwart Danny Gatton's lengthy "Song of India" (32:35), which isn't on Spotify either. Highly regarded jazz guitarist & instructor Ted Greene is next with his song "They Can't Take That Away From Me" (43:00), followed by 1970s jazz fusion band The Tony Williams Lifetime with their song "Red Alert" (48:40), also featuring the late Allan Holdsworth. If you have patiently been waiting for metal, the last three songs will have you covered, albeit starting with softer material than you may expect. We next come to instrumental progressive metal trio Animals As Leaders & their guitarist Tosin Abasi, who are featured here with their song "The Future That Awaited Me" (55:05), though this is a softer song than normal for them. Led Zeppelin and their guitarist Jimmy Page follow with their underrated song "Ten Years After" (1:01:15).

The episode closes with that week's local selection, namely 2008-2011 death metal quintet Bring The Fallen, who featured Andrew Chiarello on lead guitar & Dan Souliere on rhythm guitar, and their song played here is "Defiling Despondence" from their posthumous 2013 EP "Stand Before". I believe Bring The Fallen were also in the deleted all-local October episode of Metal Morpheus, for what that's worth. Another entertaining and informative episode here, with Josh shining a deserved light on more virtuoso guitarists that may not have had mainstream stardom, but still had all the skills in the world! Again, this isn't the heaviest episode of Metal Morpheus ever, but guitarists like these influenced a lot of shredders to come. Give this episode a listen on-demand at the above links (assuming it doesn't get taken down for a rerun), and unless I missed something, another new episode will air on The Borderline this Sunday at 9:00 PM!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new post of some kind by Christmas Eve! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: TheNorthernTragedy & Robert St. Amour

Before our next news post, here's this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! As usual, these monthly feature series looks at 1-3 YouTube channels with a 50% (or higher) ratio of metal, hard rock, and punk-relevant videos, in order for readers and fans to check out each, watch some relevant and entertaining videos, and hopefully click the "Subscribe" button! Like in prior months, these channels were randomly selected, and for the first time since March, we're looking at multiple channels due to the first channel that we picked only having two distinct videos, so one with a single fitting video was added to fill it out. Give everything a look below!
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TheNorthernTragedy's channel (http://www.youtube.com/thenortherntragedy)

Owner: A member of local punk trio The Northern Tragedy (specific identity unclear)

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 22nd, 2012; Videos uploaded from the following month through April 2013

Channel Summary: Though this is the official YouTube channel for The Northern Tragedy, there are only two videos uploaded there so far, both from separate Rockstar Bar gigs in late 2012 & early 2013, early in the band's run.

Why Should You Watch: You should check out The Northern Tragedy's channel for some nice concert videos from their first public months, and both are of solid quality from near the front of the stage! They're among the better T.N.T. videos online, though while the channel is still in active personal use, there hasn't been a new video uploaded there in almost a year & a half.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

The Northern Tragedy - Dragondrums (Live @ Rockstar Bar 10/08/2012 ): The first and most viewed of The Northern Tragedy's channel's videos is of them playing their song "Dragondrums" at their live concert debut on October 8th, 2012, when they opened for Dearly Beloved & Redundant at The Rockstar Bar. Suitably engaging punk original here from singer/drummer Terrence Gomes, guitarist Mike Ivany, and bassist Corry Rideout, and Terrence's vocals are strong, but their stage presences are noticeably stiff. The lighting is also extremely red (almost Virtual Boy-esque), but otherwise, it's a solid performance with a nice fast paced ending!



The Northern Tragedy - 3 2 4: The Northern Tragedy's second and final video (to date?) is of their performance of their song "3 2 4" at the second night of The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands on April 10th, 2013, where they competed against The Suicide Kings & The Pesto Shirts (now known as Beaumont Avenue & The Wild Iris respectively.) Though The Northern Tragedy did not join the other two bands in the finals two weeks later, you get a sense of their skill on this slower and more reserved song, and the more varied lighting is a help! However, their stage presence and enthusiasm still seem far too low here (especially at a competitive event), and the tilted camera angle is a little strange. Punk fans should enjoy the performance here though!

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Robert St. Amour (http://www.youtube.com/filghtmaster)

Owner: YouTube user & Sault Ontario resident Robert St. Amour, a relative (possibly father?) of former Bring The Fallen drummer Travis St. Amour & his brother Tyler of Heavy North Entertainment

Channel Timeline: Launched on February 5th, 2010; Videos posted from that month until December 2012

Channel Summary: Aside from a 2012 video of him demoing a remote control airplane, Robert's only YouTube video is of defunct local death metal quintet Bring The Fallen playing two original songs at the now-closed Nite-Life Dance Club (better known as GLOW) on February 20th, 2010, where they, short-lived As It Stands replacements Out Of The Mouth Of Babes, and DJ Spruceau played at Nite-Life's branch of the city-wide Algoma Hope4Haiti fundraiser. Featuring their classic lineup (singer Josh Stephney, guitarists Andrew Chiarello & Dan Souliere, bassist Nolan Rainville, and drummer Travis St. Amour), the performance is brutal and up to B.T.F.'s standards, and Robert got some solid side-stage footage (even of moshing fans), but the lighting isn't fantastic. Nice footage from a somewhat unique location though, and it's a solid sample of the band at their local peak! However, Robert hasn't uploaded new videos to this channel in over a year, and hasn't actively used it in 6 months, so keep that in mind also.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, we'll be looking at multiple channels again due to the first channel that was randomly selected only having one SMS-qualifiable video, but the second had a similar issue, so what three channels are next? YouTube users SuckMyKiss535's channel (featuring a Woods of Ypres song), formersome1's channel (featuring 3 Redundant videos from their 2011 Halloween party set, fittingly), and LoveTheDeathbat's channel (featuring 6 videos from a Blood Shed Productions jam session), so look out for all of this on or around October 22nd! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: BurgandyHill's Channel & Vinnie

For this cold Sunday morning, we have our last YouTube Channel Profiles of 2013 for you guys! This monthly feature series takes a look at 1-3 YouTube channels that have at least a 50% concentration of local metal/hard rock videos, so you guys can check out and subscribe to some older and notable YouTube channels from the regional scene! Today's post features looks at two Sault Ontario-focused channels, from both the scene's past and recent memory, so read on below for what you should know in these profiles!
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BurgandyHill's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/burgandyhill)

Owner: YouTube user & Sault Ontario resident Burgandy Hill

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 5th, 2009; Videos posted from March 26th-30th of that year

Channel Summary: Burgandy's videos both came from the YMCA Battle of the Bands at The Lock City Grand Theater on March 20th, 2009, where she filmed part of local death metal band The Undead Warriors' first place set! The live concert debut for the band that we know better as Bring The Fallen, this battle run saw a different lineup than we're used to, with singer Josh Stephney filling in for the absent Joey Graham on drums, with rhythm guitarist Dan Souliere providing temporary lead vocals. The first of 3 battle victories for them, The Undead (Brown Pelican) Warriors won recording time that night that was eventually used to record their 2013 EP "Stand Before", featuring the two songs played in Burgandy's videos, those being part of "Defiling Despondence" and (as embedded below) all of "Night Riders"! They're definitely worth looking at for a unique early angle of Bring The Fallen's successful local run, though the angle & lighting isn't fantastic, and Dan's vocals are hard to hear. Note as well that Burgundy hasn't used her channel in over 4 years, in case that changes your mind on subscribing.


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Vinnie (http://www.youtube.com/chilly33rd)

Owner: Former Hollow & Carbon Black drummer Vinnie Milosevich, who currently drums for the Kitchener rock band Curse The Witch

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 16th, 2007; Videos posted from February 2010 through June 2013

Channel Summary: Mostly focusing on his local music work, Vinnie's YouTube channel features 4 videos of his old local band Hollow, including three from a local concert in 1994 and one from one of Hollow's reunion gigs in August 2011. His only other video is of him covering The Matthew Good Band's "Haven't Slept In Years" with his old Kitchener cover band Knee Deep at a concert in Hamilton from earlier this year, with no videos following of his more recent music work.

Why Should You Watch: Vinnie's channel will likely be most notable to fans of Hollow and their prolific local band members, but the presence of local concert videos from almost 20 years ago should be of note on their own to curious local music fans! Keep in mind that Vinnie hasn't updated his channel in about 6 months, just in case activity remains sporadic there.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Pantera Cemetary Gates - Cover done by my old band Hollow: Vinnie's first upload is also his most watched, and it's one of three 1994 Hollow concert videos that he posted in February 2010 at an uncredited local venue. Presumably featuring singer Luigi Miceli, guitarists Tym Morrison (Caveman Morrison) & Terry Eaton (2 Buck Beers), and bassist Dan Beaupre (Griphook) as well, this cover of Pantera's "Cemetery Gates" joins covers of Metallica's "Creeping Death" & "Master of Puppets" from this same show. The quality isn't too hot, especially thanks to the camera being behind a big crowd, but Hollow show a lot of skill, and I wonder what Luigi's up to now, as he's a solid singer, despite the occasional lyric flub! Just keep in mind that these videos come from a tape camcorder.



Hollow Reunion Show - August.06, 2011: The last local concert upload on Vinnie's channel is from of one of Hollow's two reunion concerts in August 2011, where they covered King's X's "Dogman" at Bossy's Pub N' Grub. Featuring Carbon Black alum Travis Sharpe (now of The Thrill Junkies) in Luigi's place, the filmer of this clip has a good angle of the band, though the lighting could be better. We don't get enough reunions of older local metal bands, and with solid quality performances like this one, hopefully the idea comes up again soon!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! To kick off this series in 2014, we've randomly selected two more channels to profile, as the first we selected only had two distinct music videos there, so we added a channel with a single video to fill it out. Both are from Sault Michigan, and they include YouTube user The37533's channel (featuring three Tantrym Tyme concert clips) and madrid77's channel (featuring a copy of SooToday's video from Kiss' 2007 stop at Kewadin Casino), so look out for all of that on or around January 22nd! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as we get closer to Christmas! Thanks everyone!

Creepshow/Frightlight Concert Preview, A Band Breakup, And Much More!!

Sorry for the delay, but here's our latest news post! Today, we're previewing a big and unique concert TONIGHT, showcasing a new video from a recent anti-bullying concert, reporting on a band breakup and related notes, and refreshing memories of a three year old metal band interview, so read on below to get caught up on everything!

Local metal/punk bands Frightlight & Sykotyk Rampage will rock The Roosevelt Hotel TONIGHT as support for a crowd-pleasing blend of punk and rockabilly! Postponed from it's original August 29th date, tonight's show will be headlined by Toronto quartet The Creepshow and Montreal trio The Hellbound Hepcats, who are both returning to the Soo for tonight's concert. The Creepshow's female-fronted country/punk/hellbilly blend & The Hellbound Hepcats' more traditional rockabilly sound should attract another sizeable crowd to The Rosie tonight, so if they're your thing, don't miss out! As for the heavier local bands, James White (a.k.a. Mr. Slim Cadaver) will return to the guest bassist position in lieu of the absent Eddie Fright for Frightlight's horror punk/metal set tonight, while Sykotyk Rampage will open the festivities with their improvised crash music, perhaps including songs from their newest albums, so don't come late! Admission is $10 in advance (through either promoter/Frightlight frontman Johnny Pints or The Rad Zone in the Wellington Square Mall), but the price jumps to $15 at the door. This is definitely a 19+ show, and Sykotyk Rampage are on first at 9:45 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

If you love punk, psychobilly, and a dash of metal, you'll wanna be at The Rosie TONIGHT! The Creepshow are definitely local favourites, and the rest of the bands have their own local followings, so if you can swing a concert on a Monday night, don't miss this one! Get your advance tickets A.S.A.P. before they're gone, and for a preview, here's Frightlight (with Slim on bass) playing "Dead Town Anywhere" earlier this year!



Next up, here's a video from Saturday night's Walk & Rock Against Bullying in Sault Michigan, courtesy of Munising metal quartet Infathom! Uploaded to YouTube by attendee Brendan Fitzgerald yesterday, this is one of three videos he shot at the event outside of City Hall, including one video of Chump Change's Terry Talentino and his sons covering an Imagine Dragons song, and another video of their guitarist Kory Garland and his daughter playing an acoustic song together, and it's nice seeing the family connections on them for sure! The Infathom video is of them covering Avenged Sevenfold's "Afterlife" (albeit cut off at the end), and the audio quality is pretty good, but it was filmed on that vertical cell phone camera angle for some reason, and part of the video focuses on a little girl dancing in the audience, so keep that in mind. Infathom sound really good, and Dillion Semasky's vocals hold up well, so definitely check out their performance below, and I'll let you know if I hear of any more videos from the Walk To Rock in the next while!

Also, here's some of the latest from Sault Ontario label/studio Blood Shed Productions! For one, it's been officially confirmed that "Tomgrindy is dead", as per a post on their Facebook page on Thursday. A reason for the local goregrind trio's breakup wasn't announced, but it likely stems from the past month's posts about not hearing from co-singer/band namesake Jacob Tombari, so I take it they either still haven't heard from him, or he left the project. Though similar in many ways to member Ringsnaps Gibson's other goregrind projects, their added vocals and fuller sound did help them in their demo releases, so best of luck to both Ringsnaps, Jacob, and Jean-Paul in the future! Don't worry though, Ringsnaps is still hard at work on new music for his fellow Blood Shed artists, with their next demo release planned to be a split demo between his medical grindcore project Malignant Neoplasm, collaborator Austin McCrae's solo act Brutaly Fatal, and the band formerly known as Spitneck, and we'll have more on them in an upcoming post, so stay tuned!

Finally, here's an old local interview that I recently rediscovered when cleaning around my place, that being defunct local death metal quintet Bring The Fallen's interview with the Sault Youth Association's former newspaper The Fresh Magazine from the fall of 2010! This was among the prizes that they won at the Downtown Showdown battle of the bands at The Oddfellows Hall that May, and the included photo was part of what was likely their last formal photo shoot before breaking up the following spring. The interview features questions from a Fresh Magazine contributor and answers from a B.T.F. member (both uncredited), and it features discussion of their battle of the bands success, future label and touring plans, how they see the future of the local metal scene, dynamics in the band, their (least) favourite local venue, their influences, and more, so check out the full interview on your left or at this link! Very solid interview with good (if brief) discussion of their music and work together, and it's interesting to note that at the time of this interview, Bring The Fallen still had aspirations of forming their own label and touring Western Canada in mid-2011, but they broke up before any of that could happen.

I miss The Fresh Magazine and it's interesting freelance articles and open nature, but this article is a good late glimpse at Bring The Fallen on top of their game before their mixed quality last gigs (July's reunion at Oddzfest aside, that was great closure!) Check it out above, and stay tuned when we hear more about the members' past and future local music work!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news soon, including last month's poll results & this month's newest poll on Wednesday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Hydra's Teeth), Dayglo Abortions Concert Preview, And More!!

Back to the news on this Sunday, so what's on tap? We have news on a recent local album upload to tie in with a recent SMS feature, an extended preview of a big concert going down tomorrow night, and to start, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, so here's what you need to know!

New local metal quartet The Hydra's Teeth will make their live concert debut at The Algonquin Pub on Friday, September 20th! As you may remember, this is the new band from ex-Late & Loud singer/guitarist Brendan Christie & bassist Benn Garside, former Sativa Rose/Winkstinger guitarist Anthony Orazietti, and ex-Leaves Off Trees drummer Roy Kreutzberger, and if their videos are any indication, we're in for a power & classic metal spree on the 20th that Loudmouths and other fans should easily take to! They'll be among 3 bands playing that night, including prominent local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith (in their second live set at the pub downstairs from The Rockstar Bar) and another debuting band named The Danger Cats, who I'm told are an all-female rock band of some kind. That should be very intriguing, I'll let you guys know when I hear more! A 10:00 PM start time is likely for this 19+ show, and there will be a $6 cover charge in effect. For more details, visit Haggith's Facebook event page!

Note that I'm not sure if this is one & the same as the gig that The Hydra's Teeth originally hyped for The Canadian Nightclub on their Facebook page, or if this is a separate event. This should be a must-see event for both the band debuts and Haggith's ever popular live sets, so don't miss the return of original rock and metal to The Algonquin Pub one week from Friday, and stay tuned for updates!!

Next up, here's a big concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT at The Roosevelt Hotel, as Victoria, British Columbia hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario for a hard hitting night of metal, punk, and hardcore intensity! Last seen in the Soo at the 20th Rosie metal night in June 2011, The Dayglo Abortions' return should be even bigger (especially with the extended notice for this concert compared to two years ago), and you know The Cretin & company will be raring to tear up the stage with their intense, reckless, and attitude-fueled originals! A mix of out of town and local support bands with varying levels of familiarity will open tomorrow night, including Victoria, B.C. garage punk trio The Last of the VB Interceptors (who opened for The Bunchofuckingoofs at The Rosie in July), local hardcore punk notables Destroilet (who may have new songs to debut tomorrow), Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring bassist/Sault native Mark Rand's first local concert appearance in over 2 years), and in the opening set, new local punk/metal quartet Jack Spades' first full concert!

Basically a combination of T-Rex Manning & The Bear Hunters, Jack Spades features singer J.D. Pearce (who opened for The Dayglo Abortions with Frightlight in 2011), guitarist Tiffany Stocco, bassist Justin Lam, and drummer Johnny Belanger (who quietly replaced T.J. Case in the band for unknown reasons this summer, as per their Facebook page.) Though they've played live in short previews earlier this year, this apparently all-original band will fully launch tomorrow night, so be there to see what they have in store! Admission will be $10 in advance or $15 at the door, with advance tickets still available at The Roosevelt Hotel and The Rad Zone, so get yours A.S.A.P. just in case! You must be 19 to attend, doors open at 9:00 PM, and Jack Spades will kick things off at 9:45 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an awesome concert all around, with both new sights, familiar favourites, and legendary hardcore punk to appease everyone in attendance!

I'm curious to hear The Last of the V8 Interceptors & Jack Spades more, Destroilet always deliver a good time, it'll be nice to see Mark back with his new band, and who could miss The Dayglo Abortions? I have my ticket, and I definitely hope to see you guys there TOMORROW NIGHT! For a preview, here's The Dayglo Abortions playing 3 songs at The Rosie in 2011!



Finally, I just wanted to alert you guys to a local metal album that I just recently posted on YouTube, that being our most recent CD review subject, Bring The Fallen's "Stand Before"! As you may remember, the defunct local death metal quintet finally released theit only EP on July 26th at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up in honour of their one-off reunion (albeit four years after the recording sessions), but with their re-breakup & the lack of a digital download copy, I assume it's out of print save for possible unsold CDs from Oddzfest. As a result, I decided to post the whole EP onto our YouTube channel yesterday (including in a full playlist), so now it's fully streamable! In order, the songs are the title track, "Night Riders", "Kill Your Life", "Exposed Embankment", and "Defiling Despondence", so click each link to check them out, and note that all but "Night Riders" & "Kill Your Life" are re-uploads. I had posted the other three tracks (sans cover art) onto YouTube as a Christmas surprise a couple years back, so I re-posted them just for consistency.

I won't rehash my thoughts on this EP (you can read my full review if you want in the post below), but this EP and the Oddzfest set fittingly closed the door on their local run, and I wish everyone in Bring The Fallen the best (musically & otherwise) in the future! I've embedded the song "Stand Before" below, and check out more from Bring The Fallen's only CD at the above links!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for either a new news post or this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles next, and in case I have nothing new before then, I'll see you at The Rosie TOMORROW NIGHT! Thanks everyone!

Bring The Fallen - "Stand Before" Review!!

It's now time for our 51st monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and today, it's of defunct local death metal quintet Bring The Fallen's only EP "Stand Before"! This EP was recorded at Green Room Productions in mid-2009 with producer Brad Griffith using time won at their YMCA Battle of the Bands victory that March as The Undead Warriors, but financial difficulties shelved it's release for four years. Bring The Fallen finally released "Stand Before" independently at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up on July 26th in honour of their one-off reunion that night, so now we can review it formally on here! The EP features Bring The Fallen's classic & final lineup, including former Bear Hunters guitarist Josh Stephney on vocals, AtrophiA alumni Andrew Chiarello & Dan Souliere on guitar, Josh's ex-Giwakwa bandmate Nolan Rainville on bass, and Fountain of Betrayal alum Travis St. Amour on drums. "Stand Before" was sold by donation at Oddzfest, but I don't know if extant unsold copies are in stock, so contact band members on Facebook just in case.

I've also uploaded the whole EP to our YouTube channel (as it's likely out of print regardless), so each song name below is linked to their YouTube copy! With five songs clocking in at over 19 minutes in length, let's begin our review with the first song and the EP's title track "Stand Before"! After a brief drum intro, the full band kicks into gear with a heavy opening section with great guitar work, and I like how the production helps clarify Josh's vocals a lot so you can hear individual words easier! The guitar work from Dan & Andrew is solid and unrelenting, with Andrew's extended guitar solo showing his skills well also! Stucture-wise, few risks are taken on this song, but everyone's on form musically, and the pacing and chemistry is very visible! If anything, I'd like to hear some variance in the chorus vocals (perhaps with Josh & Dan trading off like they did live), and the song ends somewhat abruptly, but this familiar live favourite translates well in studio, and Bring The Fallen deliver well in this early recording!

That's followed by "Night Riders", which fittlingly includes galloping guitar riffs that go well with a song of this name! A bit slower than it's predecessor, Josh's vocals come in really loud, but we get a nice showcase of Travis & Nolan's drum & bass talents early on, and Andrew gets a pair of guitar solos that impress well, especially the longer & more intricate first one! While this song definitely has more structural variance, and the guys show more of their collective talents, "Stand Before" was catchier and a bit heavier, so it's hard for me to pick a favourite. This is a quality song though, and well worth giving a listen! Third on the EP is "Kill Your Life", a song that I don't believe survived into concerts in the early 2010s. The track itself is a lower pitched and more straightforward death metal original that's vocal heavy with assaulting instrumental backing that only relents for a guitar solo. Really solid showcase of Nolan's bass work & Josh's vocals to me, but compared to it's predecessors, it's not as complex or varied. Still, it's definitely a moshable and brutal track, and I wonder why it didn't get a lot of live attention after 2009?

The disc's penultimate (and longest) track is next, that being "Exposed Embankment",and after a buzzsaw of a guitar-heavy intro, Bring The Fallen hit the ground running with very brutal verses, and this song definitely doesn't flow with the usual "verse-chorus-verse" pattern, which I appreciate for diversity! Creatively, the guys shown their skills here well, with nothing being predictable, and Travis' drumming really catches my attention, but the lack of a guitar solo is disappointing given this song's format. Still, this song's a winner for all of the skill levels shown, especially the middle-late stretches of it! "Stand Before" closes with it's shortest track "Defiling Despondence", which opens strongly with a solid guitar riff and great drumming, and it generally returns to the territory of the title track as a brutal and catchy original that doesn't overstay it's welcome. Josh's growling is probably at it's best, the guitar solo from Andrew is as good as you'd expect, and everyone lays into this live favourite with enthusiasm and energy, helping cap the EP off on a high note!

So, what's the final word on Bring The Fallen's long overdue EP? I'd say it's a very solid and heavy glimpse of their early run, and it shows exactly why they won three battles of the bands in their heyday! Talent-wise, B.T.F. were a great fit, with Josh Stephney's clear growling, Dan Souliere's riffing, Nolan Rainville's skilled bass work, and Travis St. Amour's fast and varied drumming fitting this puzzle nicely, but Andrew Chiarello's awesome guitar solos and lead work helps put the material just that extra step higher, and I wish he'd get back into live music! Brad Griffith's production was pretty good too, I wonder why we don't hear as much from him in terms of producing? That said, I think "Stand Before" would have turned out better had Bring The Fallen recorded it in late 2009 or early 2010, as they arguably peaked as a band and had their sound fleshed out by then ("Nostalgia" would have been nice to hear, for example), so why not use the later recording time they won at their other battles to add to the 2009 sessions?

For what we did get though, we get a very heavy slice of death metal originals that started and ended very strongly, and while the release took place in very different circumstances than we could have imagined in 2009, it's release at their farewell gig in July helped give closure to their run, and fans were rightfully pleased! Hopefully the members of Bring The Fallen stay active in music going forward, and check out the full EP at the above links!

So, what album are we reviewing on the site next month? After five straight months of new releases, I admit not being sure as of today. We have no new local metal/hard rock albums with a verified release date coming out until SweetKenny's "Cracks In The Wall" on Halloween, and I'm not gonna rush that for next month as I'm still unsure whether to review that or "Perception" next of his. A new Mike Haggith album is possible too (either "The Present Din or "Where It Ends"), but that's pending the release of the latter, and the Haggith band's "Apocalypse" is on hold until at least the winter, as it's too soon from our review of "Deuce". Sykotyk Rampage is also an idea, but they haven't released any of their albums for sale since 2011. If none of them releases an album for sale by late October, we'll review an archive album, and I'm eyeing Facedown's 1997 demo cassette "Self Murder", as they shared at least one member with Destroilet, so we can tie it in with shows they're playing next month, but that's assuming no new heavier albums come out. Regardless, stay tuned for updates as they come in, and for more news (including our Dayglo Abortions concert preview) tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Bring The Fallen's EP Release, More Rotaryfest Videos, And Some Other Recent News!!

Approaching the end of one of our busiest ever months on the SMS, today's post is half dedicated to the remaining Local2 Rotaryfest hard rock videos, but we also have some shorter recent news items to get to, and leading off, details on a surprise recent EP release, so here's what you need to know!

Let's kick off this post with some info on Bring The Fallen's debut (and only) EP, which FINALLY got a physical paid release at Friday night's Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up in honour of their reunion/farewell concert, over four years after sessions began! As you may remember, the sessions for their EP (named "Stand Before") were held in mid-2009 at Green Room Productions with producer (and ex-No Arrow/SBD bassist) Brad Griffith, having won them at the YMCA Battle of the Bands that March during their live debut, but financial difficulties left the EP unreleased by the time of their 2011 breakup. Flash forward to last Friday, where fans finally got copies of it, so what should you know? "Stand Before" was released on a pay-by-donation model, and while there was no full artwork or liner notes, the jewel case and CD label are all done up professionally with band photos, a song listing, and two different CD designs released, and I've replicated my copy's design on your right as if it was the cover art.

The EP features their songs "Stand Before", "Night Riders", "Kill Your Life", "Exposed Embankment", and "Defiling Despondence", with tracks 2-3 making their official public debut in studio form, having not been uploaded to their MySpace page as a preview at the time. I like what I've heard so far, and it's nice hearing "Kill Your Life" again after so long, but if you missed Friday's show, that was likely the only day that copies will be available to purchase given that it was a one-off return. As for when we could be reviewing it on the site, I won't commit to anything yet, but with Crimson Crusade a lock for next month, it's looking extremely likely for the fall! Stay tuned!

Next up, here's the other two hard rock covers from Rotaryfest's first stage at Clergue Park that we didn't feature on the site yesterday! Filmed by Local2's Mike Caruso as part of his "Everything Sault" series, these were uploaded to Local2's YouTube channel last week. I held back these two from yesterday's post because they're both covers of songs by The Cult, so why not feature them together? The first of them is a cover of "She Sells Sanctuary" from Friday, July 19th's lineup, courtesy of local classic rock cover quartet Mid Life Crysis. Featuring singer/guitarist Dan Hodgson, lead guitarist David Kettles, bassist Lori Reinholtz, and drummer Len Legacy, this is a solid cover for the most part, if played slightly softer than the original, but their talents are on point, and Dan's vocals fit the melody and vibe of the track! Mid Life Crysis are a popular sight for weekend gigs at local bars, and though their sets are completely varied across all genres, they can rock a little harder once in a while, so don't bypass them completely! Check out their cover of "She Sells Sanctuary" below!



The last of Mike's filmed hard rock covers from Rotaryfest comes from reunited local classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester's set on Saturday, July 20th, as their Local2 video has them covering The Cult's "Fire Woman"! Nice to see the guys back together, and their fun chemistry and talents came back too, but the guitars seem oddly low in the mix compared to some other videos from Rotaryfest that I've seen. I have no idea if That's Chester have any more shows coming up this summer, or if this reunion is on a limited or sporadic basis, but they haven't lost a step in their year-long stage hiatus, so give their "Fire Woman" cover a look below!



Finally for today, here's three shorter assorted stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, company, or event name:

• Local metal concert promotion agency Dismembertainment is back... just not in the Soo. After a 14 month hiatus, owner Rich Moreland announced on their Facebook page on Thursday that he's recieved an offer to book concerts at The DV8 Tavern in his current home of Edmonton, where he moved last fall. Great to hear, even if it's so far from here, but if you want a concert booking in Edmonton, give Dismembertainment a shout!
• The proposed Heavy North metal festival in September at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre has quietly been called off in the last month or so, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page. A reason hasn't been publically announced that I'm aware of, but J.D. had a good idea that would be neat to re-explore in the future!
• Former Turner Up/Johnny Lunchbox singer Krista Marshall is looking to start a new local hard rock cover band that would cover groups like Halestorm and Lacuna Coil. She apparently has a bassist lined up already, and is specifically looking for a drummer and at least one guitarist. It's be nice to have her playing live again, so if you're interested in trying out, message Krista at this location or via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Wednesday! (Note that she's not to be confused with recent Haggith guest vocalist Kristi-Lee Marshall.)

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some Tesla concert videos and more news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up Concert Review!!

Apologies for the delay, but here's our review of Friday night's Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up concert at The Oddfellows Hall! First off, I should address the rainstorm and flooding that happened in town that night, so how did it impact the concert? Not as much as you'd expect. Only one band had to drop out (openers Haggith, due to flooding where they were), and every other band was there in full to rock out, albeit with a slight delay for the start time. Disappointing that Haggith couldn't make it, but I can understand why they didn't risk anything, and go catch their Oddfellows Hall debut at next month's Sewer Swampstravaganza! The rain kept coming down very hard through the first three acts on Friday (it looked like a Woods of Ypres song was pouring on us), and while there was noticeable uncertainty from fans about whether the show would go on, there was nothing to fear! Myself, I left during a power outage in my area, so I gambled on metal overpowering the rain, and we all lucked out! Great attendance too, all things considered, and the strip lighting was a nice touch! As for notes not relating to the band's sets, the reunited Bring The Fallen finally released their 2009 debut EP at the show last night on a pay-by-donation model, and we'll cover that in full probably tomorrow, as this review is already gonna run long.

With Haggith dropping out, the opening band at Oddzfest was local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade in their first live set since their brief breakup concluded! No reference was made to that on Friday night (though they alluded to it on their Facebook page yesterday), so their timeslot was dedicated to rocking out with their usual technical fury, and if there was lingering strife and differences, they weren't visible! Crimson Crusade played all 5 songs from their "Upon The Eve Of War" EP, along with originals "Reality" & "Lost Memories", and a cover of Death's "Bite The Pain", and they were on form from past gigs with lots of brutality and solid skills, though the guys did seem to be a bit stiff in terms of stage presence. Devon Lucier's Death-esque growl cut through the metal well, Robert Sartini continues to impress on guitar, and fans seemed to enjoy everything! It's great to see Crimson Crusade are alive & well, and hopefully they sound even better at the Swampstravaganza next month!

Next up was local sludge/death metal quartet Giwakwa, in their last concert before members Josh Stephney & Nolan Rainville move out of town, and perhaps their last show ever? Like Crimson Crusade, Giwakwa didn't address their active status during their set, but given that members are leaving the Soo, I found that they put in a more determined and focused set that definitely throttled attendees! The only big negative I have is that it was basically the same as their last few shows: An instrumental jam followed by their four original songs, so if you've seen them at other shows, their set will essentially have been the same (but with half the band moving, why add new songs?) Musically, they sounded really good, especially with Chris Thompson's solid drumming and Nolan's excellent bass work, but guitarist Chris Page seemed a bit distant and unemotive at times, and he could have been a bit more energetic. Whether this was Giwakwa's last show or just a farewell for Josh & Nolan, they delivered the goods once again, and no matter what, thanks for three great months of stoner metal brutality!

Former Blackwater bassist James Watterworth turned up for his second all ages multi-band concert in a week's span as Oddzfest's third act, and he definitely improved on his Bushplane Musical Madness set! A better crowd and reception, electric guitars rather than acoustic, more slap bass originals, and some guest drumming from The Bear Hunters' Johnny Belanger helped amp up the atmosphere, and I can definitely tell that his cheerful nature and considerable bass talents wowed many fans! I think James' solo material and Delusionares covers have an audience and can fill a good niche, as the reception on Friday would indicate (how can you pass up local slap bass?) Like before, if there's a flaw, it's that this is still very much a solo project, and some of James' songs are just begging for a full band to back him up, so the minimalist nature might not be universal in appeal. James has a lot of talent, and a fun unique spirit and enthusiasm, so if he keeps this up, he'll surely make larger waves!

The middle band of the night was crust/grime death metal trio Shit Liver in their first show in 2 months, and you know they're taking the stage when they can fit 16 songs into an hour without rushing! With the stage fully decked out in Shit Liver style (including the return of Matt Baic's toilet drumstool), the guys tore through originals like "Survival of the Shittest", "Fabricated Nonsence", and their newest song "Liverated" (plus an encore cover of "Greedy Bastards"), and if you've seen Shit Liver at their peak, they'll have similarly delivered on Friday! Granted, their sound is as much of an acquired taste as ever, but Matt, Josh Penno, and Mike Kyle erupted in a furious blend of grindcore and death metal that definitely started some pits and appealed to many death metal fans in attendance! They sounded as good as they ever have, their riffs were crushing, and the metal hit us right in the liver for sure! Now, I have to ask, when's that EP coming out?

Fifth on the bill was local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters in their last set with the aforementioned Josh Stephney on rhythm guitar, and to mark the occasion, they played pretty much every original song in their repertoire (from "Bloodthirst" to "Servitude"), including covers of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard" and Mitch Sirie's solo original "Squirrel Buddy", which all seemed to go over swimmingly! Like with Giwakwa, The Bear Hunters put in a brutal and very focused last set with Josh, leaving it all on the stage and unloading their full talent range on the audience, with Mitch's guitar even sounding a bit louder than it has at recent shows! Nik Deubel's newly trimmed beard didn't affect his growling abilities, Justin Lam's bass skills were as excellent as ever, and Josh's rhythm guitar work flowed well for his last set with the guys! Complaints are minor, and relate only to individual songs (like bringing back clean vocals and cutting down the end of "Render This Void", but this was a great way for The Bear Hunters to say farewell to Josh after a solid 2 year tenure!

The co-headliners on Friday were resurrected local death metal quintet Bring The Fallen, in both their first show since the spring of 2011 and their final live concert set, and they lived up to the hype with a brutal and very entertaining run of their classic original songs! Compared to the last few gigs of their active run (which were of mixed quality), they came into Oddzfest like they were gonna win a 4th battle of the bands, and we responded in kind! Most of their finally-released EP (save for "Kill Your Life") was played, along with "Nostalgia" and a mostly-instrumental closing number, and the best mosh pits of the night so far came during their set, which was melodic, brutal, thrashy, and just like it was at their late-2009 peak! Josh's growling was on point, it was great seeing Andrew Chiarello's guitar talents on stage again, and Travis St. Amour's drumming kept pace as well as ever, proving their chemistry hadn't lost a step! I just wish their set ran a bit longer (they didn't have enough practiced songs to do an encore either.)

Still, this finally gave B.T.F. fans proper closure (following the extended breakup rumours and abrupt end 2 years ago), and this was a fitting & brutal farewell to the band that arguably helped kick off our current wave of death metal groups! I know that no matter what, the guys bring the metal wherever life takes them!

The night closed with an awesome set from late-notice headliners West of Hell, in the second local concert appearance from the Vancouver classic metal outfit! Before we get into some of the stranger events of their set, let's cover the music, as it was brutal, fast paced, and melodic as you've come to expect! Much of that comes from the always charismatic Chris "The Heathen" Valagao, whose heavy and soaring metal voice roped us in for the long haul on tracks like "Spiral Empire", "Soultaker", and "To War", and the rest of the band shown their skills as well, with Jordan Kemp's bass and Andrew Hulme's drums keeping up and impressing on their own! Classic metal bands like Striker & Skull Fist are a safe bet around here, and West of Hell are in that mold for entertainment and talent alike, but their stage show is also well worth mentioning. The Heathen's war helmet was back, as was the power grinding sparks and the new foam/snow machine, but the smoke machine's return proved problematic, as it actually triggered The Oddfellows Hall's fire alarm.

Conveniently occurring during a break where the guitar stopped working, the false alarm actually had a fire truck called down to the hall, though the show wasn't cancelled, and once everything was plugged back in, the show went on as scheduled (just, with no more smoke machine.) There was some panic about cops maybe coming down, but for what it's worth, I didn't see any. That strange episode aside, West of Hell delivered in full for their local return, and hopefully they'll come back with some more notice for a third go-round with their local fans! Awesome concert, and it was a great and very brutal way to help send off Josh, Nolan, and Bring The Fallen before the big move! Every band was on fire, the metal overcame the weather, and if there was any sadness or bittersweet feelings, we were too busy rocking out to notice! Thanks again to Josh and Nolan for the great memories and music that they've given since Bring The Fallen's live debut 4 years ago, and I know they'll do what's right for them in the future, no matter what! As for Bring The Fallen's EP (cover pictured), we'll give that some deserved attention on the site tomorrow!

I did get photos, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page, and for videos, here's Crimson Crusade playing "Pillage", Giwakwa playing "Iron Lung", James Watterworth playing "I'm Gonna Love You", Shit Liver playing the "You Suffer"-esque "Livin' In Shit" and "Shift Liver", The Bear Hunters playing "Karma", Bring The Fallen playing "Exposed Embankment", and West of Hell playing "Water of Sorcery"!















That's all for now, but stay tuned for an all-video post relating to a recent local concert event later tonight! Thanks everyone!

Most Of This Weekend's Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews, Including Oddzfest's New Headiners!!

Today's post touches on most of this weekend's known metal/hard rock concerts, and while it's a quiet weekend on the Sault Ontario side, a HUGE metal show is going down tomorrow that will be both sad and brutal all at once! On the Sault Michigan side of the border, there's more going on, but I'm bumping our Tesla/Fifth Way preview to tomorrow to give it proper emphasis (and if we've missed any late notice hard rock shows, they'll go along with it!) With that said, let's begin out first weekend concert preview post!

TOMORROW NIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall, metal will reign in a stacked (yet very bittersweet) concert event named Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up! Promoted by Bear Hunters guitarist/Giwakwa frontman Josh Stephney, this show is half a local metal concert and half a farewell for both him and his Giwakwa bandmate Nolan Rainville, who are both coincidentally moving out of town next month, making this their last local concert beforehand. This is absolutely disappointing news, as Josh and Nolan have been among the most prominent and successful local death metal artists of the last 4 years, and hopefully they succeed in their future endeavours and bring their metal talents with them to their new homes! Oddzfest will feature 8 metal/hard rock acts rocking out to send off Josh & Nolan in the heaviest way possible, including late notice out of town headliners, as Vancouver heavy metal quintet West of Hell will hit the Soo for the second time on Friday night in the midst of their Demon Sent Tour! Last seen headlining one of Dismembertainment's last shows at The Canadian last May, their extreme and high energy classic metal sound is sure to be welcomed back after their show-stealing set last year, so don't miss The Heathen and company in their local return, and kudos to Josh for bringing them in on late notice!

West Of Hell will headline at 12:15 AM, with the bands preceding them including a one-off reunion set from 3 time battle of the bands-winning death metal quintet Bring The Fallen at 11:15 PM! Over 2 years after their breakup, this will be a fitting farewell for both B.T.F. and their two moving members, so don't miss tomorrow's show to stand before with Bring The Fallen one more time!

Note as well that this will likely be lead guitarist Andrew Chiarello's first live concert appearance since B.T.F.'s original breakup, so it'll be great to see him back on it's own! The other local performers with hour long sets include melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters (in their last set with Josh on guitar) at 10:00 PM, and grindcore/death metal trio Shit Liver (in their first live concert since May) at 8:45 PM. The other performers have half hour sets each, and in descending order, they include local solo musician James Watterworth at 8:00 PM, Josh & Nolan's last concert with their stoner/death metal quartet Giwakwa at 7:30 PM, local death metal band Crimson Crusade's first set since their brief breakup at 6:45 PM, and local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith's Oddfellows Hall debut to open the night at 6:00 PM. Note as well that Giwakwa's Facebook page yesterday asked fans to "come share one last sludgy night with us" tomorrow night, but it remains to be seen whether that refers to Josh & Nolan only, or if the band are dissolving afterwards. We should know by tomorrow!

As a thank you to fans and friends for their support during his local music career, Josh is offering FREE ADMISSION to anyone who wears local band merchandise to the show (anyone from As It Stands to Woods of Ypres works), while admission will be $5 if you don't. Doors open at 5:30 PM, and as you'd expect, this is ALL AGES! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an awesome (yet disappointing) evening, but the metal will come fast & furious, and there's no heavier way to send off Josh, Nolan, and Bring The Fallen (and maybe Giwakwa?), so do NOT miss Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up tomorrow night! For a preview, here's new headliners West of Hell letting sparks fly (literally) in the Soo two years ago!

Now to most of the known Sault Michigan concerts this weekend (Tesla's coming tomorrow), starting with young local metal quartet Tantrym Tyme's latest gigs outside of Harmony Health Foods at 217 Ashmun Street TOMORROW & SATURDAY as part of this weekend's live entertainment during Downtown Days! Also known as the Sidewalk Sales, this yearly community event features outdoor sales from local merchants, kids games, and live music across town, so there should be a little something for everyone this year! Not the most obvious event for metal/hard rock acts, but bands like Free Refill have played Downtown Days in the past, so this isn't unheard of. As you may also know, Tantyrm Tyme and Harmony Health Foods have a long relationship thanks to drummer Ethan Twardy's parents owning this popular natural grocery store, and they've played, been sponsored by, and sold shirts there in the past, so it's a fitting location for them! These are outdoor gigs (like so many of their other live appearances), and as a result, are obviously ALL AGES, but I'm not able to pin down an exact time for their sets. Check the above links for more details!

Tantrym Tyme are improving fast with age with their entertaining metal sound, and they've impressed at many recent live sets, so if you're in the region (Harmony Health Foods is just seconds from The Corner Pub), then go check them out tomorrow or Saturday, likely in the daytime! For a preview, here's Tantrym Tyme covering Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" last year, and stay tuned soon for a new video from their old Abstract days!

Finally for this post, Sault Michigan hard rock/metal quartet 415E will return to the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT for shows at their Northern Pines Lounge! Increasingly getting more prominent at local concerts, the band featuring Nixxon Dixxon, Splitshot, 7/47, and Free Refill alumni are making a big local impression with their Van Halen-inspired originals and covers, so keep their latest regional dates in mind for this weekend! Still curious to see when they'll play outside of Kewadin Casino branches, but they fit well there! Both of this weekend's shows are 21+ affairs with likely 9:00 PM start times, and there's no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details! These should be some solid concerts from this talented local quartet, so don't miss them, and for a preview, check out 415E playing their self-titled original below, and click here to see guitarist Chris Hubbard playing a 4 minute+ guitar solo in St. Ignace on June 28th! As a Facebook video, I can't embed it here, but his skills are clear as day!



That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for our Tesla concert preview and more! Thanks everyone!