Chronic Demonic Updates, New Videos, And Much More!!

For our second post of the month, we're dipping into our recent cache of news stories for the most part, but we also have new videos from two local bands, and first, big lineup updates from a somewhat newer local metal band, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start with some big news out of the Chronic Demonic camp, courtesy of their Facebook page yesterday, as the local punk/metal band has announced the addition of ex-Gates of Winter drummer Jonathan Harvey to their current lineup, replacing Mike Vincent. All the band said regarding Mike's departure is "just that sometimes things weren't meant to be", though they guaranteed there was no bad blood. Disappointing to see Mike out, as he is a talented musician that hasn't been on stage in far too long, but hopefully he turns up in a new band soon! Jon's addition is very surprising, though not bad news at all, as Gates of Winter fans will surely remember his excellent drum skill from the "Lux Aeterna" album and preceding shows! The move also reunites Jon with his former Faithless Sin bandmate Ryan Gratton, as the two played together during that band's brief 2010 comeback. In case some readers see this as an April Fools joke, this should fan those flames, as Chronic Demonic also posted this jam session video on their Facebook page!

Our first video glimpse at Chronic Demonic since their one song preview at The Rosie last summer (back when Sabrina Strange & Rick White were still members), it's just 35 seconds long, and at least on a first listen, this reminds me of a Frightlight-esque band with death growling. Of course, it's too early to know whether Chronic Demonic will vary their sound or stray close to this preview video, but fans should be excited, so check it out below, and get more updates at the above links!



Next up, we have new live video footage of local/St. Catharines death metal trio Shit Liver in concert! (Recent page updates indicate that they're now based out of St. Catharines rather than Toronto.) Filmed at a  hardcore show there on March 20th (likely by attendee Hayley Smash again), this is of the guys playing their originals "Pennotration" and "Shift Liver", and it was just uploaded to their YouTube channel on Sunday, marking their first concert video upload there in 3 years. Their brutality and usual mayhem are on display here from a solid close camera angle, but the audio is somewhat scratchy. Definitely worth checking out though, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for updates as we approach their album release on the 20th!



Finally for this post, here's six assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or station name:

• Former Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere is looking to play in a local death metal band again, as per his post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Monday. No other details were specified, though there is already demand on the post, including a post from B.T.F. bandmate Travis St. Amour saying "May 20". Speculate away if you want on that date, but if you're interested in joining or jamming with Dan in a new project, message him at this link!
• If you've noticed a new Danger Cats video on their YouTube channel recently, that's not entirely new, as it's a re-post from footage I shot at the Late & Loud reunion show in February. Frontwoman Kate Kougar had asked if I could send her videos I took of their sets for their channel, and I was happy to oblige, so keep that in mind before wondering why we didn't plug the "new" videos. Look for more I shot of them there soon!
• Local cover rock veterans Havadder will join The Suicide Kings and the reunited Wishbone among the local contingent at this year's Rock N' Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish on Saturday, as per their Facebook page last weekend! Havadder's 2012 lineup finished fifth in that year's battle, so can frontman Jason Roy and the new lineup find the same success, or greater? Click here for the full schedule & prize details, and best of luck to the local bands, as all 3 could open for Randy Bachman in August!
• Recent posts on their Facebook page indicate that local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades will indeed be hosting an EP release party for their debut disc in the coming weeks, possibly this month. One would assume it'd be tied to a concert, but further details (including the venue) are not out yet, while they've also hinted that they may be playing the upcoming Spiderfest concert event in Meyersburg, Ontario in July. Big news abounds as they continue to jack the planet, so stay tuned for more!
• Sault Michigan rock radio station Rock 101 is finally revamping their official website, according to the current page's title, and that it only links to online streams at present. Rock 101's website had the same look and layout since at least 2004, and it was honestly really showing it's age (especially in terms of updating it), but stay tuned for when the new Rock 101 website debuts, and listen in at 101.3 FM!
• I have again deleted Sabrina Strange Productions from our Other Sault Ontario Metal Links section due to it's removal from Facebook, though this time, it's not tied to her personal channel's deactiviation. Disappointing, but she has talent and ambition, and hopefully she keeps at her music goals!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tonight! Thanks everyone!

SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Entropy), Plus Faithless Sin, Woods Of Ypres, And Gates Of Winter News!!

Now with the new poll out of the way (VOTE IN IT TODAY!), we can get back to focusing on local metal news and updates, and we have some big updates for you guys, including the latest Woods of Ypres news, one hell of a drummer snag from a local band, and some clearing of the air involving an apparent band website, but first, a VERY SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

I apologize for not having this show until today, it was not in the Hot Spots section in Sault This Week, the band don't list any dates prior to this Thursday on their MySpace page, and an event page advertising it didn't pop up online until yesterday, so bear with me. Toronto alternative hard rockers The Entropy will be playing at Coch's Corner TONIGHT at 10:00 PM! Expect no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, as is typical for Coch's Corner concerts. This show is one of many dates on their current "Cities Will Fall" Canadian tour in support of their new EP, and this show should be a good one! The Entropy play a standard effective style of hard rock with unique vocals and a nice groove, it's radio friendly but has some bite on a few songs! I dunno if I'll be out for this one, but see what you guys think of The Entropy (and get more information) at the above links or at their official website! Considering that this is also a preview for the show, here's a video of one of their older singles, "Nothing New"!

Now, onto some news from local bands, and we'll start with some VERY cool news from Faithless Sin! The newly reunited thrash metal band have announced the addition of former Gates of Winter drummer Jonathan Harvey to their new lineup! Jonathan will fill the spot originally held by Mark Parent in Faithless Sin's original incarnation, and this news was officially announced yesterday on the band's Facebook page. In case you don't remember, Jonathan replaced current RedD Monkey drummer Kevin Overton in Gates of Winter in late 2006, and remained with the group until early 2008, after which he was replaced by Woods of Ypres' David Gold. He drummed on Gates of Winter's 2008 LP "Lux Aeterna", but was only credited as a session musician because it came out after he left the band. This is (to my knowledge) the first band we've seen him publicly acknowledged as a member of since leaving Gates of Winter, and I for one am very excited! I was a big fan of Jon's drumming and was very disappointed when he left Gates. Kudos to the guys in Faithless Sin for snapping him up! No word yet though on who Faithless Sin's new second guitarist will be, or if they're even going to get a second. I'll keep you posted on that and more as I hear it!

While we're on the subject of a Gates of Winter related topic, I wanted to clear up a confusion that some of you may have in regards to their old website. As you'll likely remember, Gates of Winter had an official website in their heyday, the link of which was http://www.gatesofwinter.com. In 2009, the site went down, presumably from failure to renew the domain name. But if you go there now, you'll still get a Gates of Winter page featuring a band biography, a quote-filled review of "Lux Aeterna", information about the album, and some YouTube videos. I don't know if anyone out there assumed that this is an official band member-controlled site or not, but let me definitively say: It's not. Someone purchased the domain name and turned it into an unofficial Gates of Winter fan site (it even says that on the front page), and not a completely accurate one either. "Lux Aeterna" is continually spelled wrong, the band biography is outdated by a couple of years, and it says that Jon Harvey now plays for a band named The Orchid. A Jon Harvey does play for that band, but he's a short haired folk/indie bassist from Halifax, not the long haired local metal drummer. I do appreciate whoever bought the domain to keep it alive as a Gates of Winter fan page, but I just wanted you guys out there to not be fooled. Still, check it out, it's mostly well written!

To close today's post, we have lots of updates from Woods of Ypres as recording sessions at Stereo Soul Studios wind down for their final album, "Woods V", and more! All instrument recordings are done, and vocal recording began on Monday. David Gold confirmed that the vocals will include "cleans, dooms, blacks and brutals", and everything sounded excellent as of Tuesday! David had one song left vocally to do on Thursday, but we've heard no word since on if it's finished or not, though I imagine it probably is. That's the last we've heard on the status of the recording sessions, but here's some other tidbits. In a reply to a question on if there'd be "Woods V" related merchandise, David replied by saying "SOLD!!!!! :)" (Yes, there was a smiley), with more details to come soon about everything else. Maybe there will be more merchandise, interesting! For more details and information, visit the "Woods V" topic on the band's official forum, where you can also find a couple new quotes that COULD add more theories and ideas to the whole "where is David moving and why are Woods ending?" saga.

That's not all though, as the last Woods of Ypres merchandise (well, pre-"Woods V", at least) is on it's last call! David Gold posted a list of the last available merchandise in a photo album at his personal Facebook page, including number counts of what's left. Among the merchandise left, there are two different band t-shirts in different sizes, along with all of the band's albums (including "Independent Nature" & the "Allure of the Earth" vinyl), the "Woods IV" promo packs with all the South Korean goodies, as well as band scarfs, toques, posters, and patches. There are LIMITED NUMBERS LEFT of the merchandise, so if you want more information, click here! You have until TOMORROW to send in orders, and they are ONLY being accepted by PayPal order via e-mail to woodsofypres@hotmail.com. The last orders will be shipped on Wednesday, and shipping is included. GET YOUR ORDERS BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! To close today's post, we have a new Woods of Ypres video from their show in Stockbridge, Georgia last month! This was uploaded onto YouTube user finalxuprising's YouTube channel yesterday, and it's of the band playing "The Shams Of Optimism" & "Crossing The 45th Parallel"! Good angle and video quality, but the audio gets staticy if it's too loud, so turn your dials down. Not bad, check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene tomorrow for our second Defunct Local Band Profile featuring the defunct metal project M7K! And of course, by Tuesday, our newest profiles of out of town bands with local members will be up as well, as we discuss Hellhitch and Kilacel! Stay tuned for those, and much more, very soon!