The End Of For All That Is Lost, Another Inactive Band, And More Recent News!!

For our 40th straight day of new SMS posts, today's updates have a bit of a downer feel to them, as we have a major band breakup, another who've likely fallen inactive, and a member departure from another local band in this post. There is some levity concerning a venue change (sort of) for a major upcoming show, but read on below to get caught up on these recent stories!

First, Central Algoma death metal quartet For All That Is Lost have surprisingly announced that they've broken up. In a posting on their Facebook page last night, they announced that they will "no longer be a band", though they added that they had a great run, they appreciated their fans, and they encouraged other local bands to keep their music close & their friends closer. A reason wasn't given for their breakup, though their brief bassist departure status on Facebook from last month could have been linked. This ends a successful three year run for F.A.T.I.L., who launched at CASS Cafe gigs in early 2010 before moving to concerts everywhere from St. Joseph Island to Thessalon, later becoming a favourite at Sault Ontario metal shows from early 2011 through last fall. Memorable concerts included 8 Rosie metal night appearances, their various multi-band gatherings at members' homes, opening slots for bands like Fuck The Facts, and their third place tie at last April's Humane Society Battle of the Bands, though they only played one live concert in the past 7 months.

I really enjoyed For All That Is Lost, and I thought that they had steadily improved as a unit during their run with a lot of brutal originals (plus their unique masked look in many later shows), helping make them arguably the highest profile of the Central Algoma metal bands that sprouted in the early 2010s! I don't know what led to their breakup, but I can only hope things were amicable, as they're talented guys that would all benefit newer bands! Best of luck to Tyler, Brook, Ben, and Kameron in the future, and hopefully we'll hear of new music from them all sooner or later!

Next up, we have another band to add to our inactive local band links, that being the former locally-based metal band Sue Inside. They last updated their then-new Facebook page on April 10th of last year, but they have shown no visible signs of life since then elsewhere, so it seems likely that they fell inactive. Sue Inside had been active since their 2007 inception in Sault Ontario, and they may be best remembered locally for their duo appearances at the Skid Row and YMCA Battles of the Bands in 2008 & 2009 (in fact, they were the last continuously active band from either battle.) After members Shane Lipsit-Fraser & Jeff Vogel moved to Southern Ontario in mid-2009, the band remained active over the next three years, including the addition of Shane's former Paricide bandmate Adam Veen on bass, the posting of many new songs (many of which were acoustic) onto Shane's YouTube channel, and the occasional show in the Sarnia/Oil Springs area, but updates grew more sporadic, and hopes for more concerts & larger activity following their Facebook page's launch don't seem to have panned out.

I think Sue Inside flew under the radar a lot during their run thanks to their small lineup and few live concerts, but they had a solid chaotic death metal sound that would have fit well at newer local metal shows, though from what I heard of the guys with Adam, he added a nice new dimension that I wish we could have heard more of! Best of luck to Shane, Adam, and Jeff in the future, and hopefully they stay musically active going forward!

Now, let's break from the break-ups and departure news briefly to talk about next Saturday's Ripcordz-headlined concert (featuring local metal openers Destroilet & T-Rex Manning!) While the physical location of the show (864 Queen Street East) hasn't changed, the venue still has, as the show has been moved upstairs from The Algonquin Pub & Sports Bar to The Rockstar Bar, as per Destroilet drummer Matt Waples on the Facebook event page this past Wednesday. A reason for the change in floor wasn't announced, but the upstairs bar will arguably give the show a bigger feel, so hopefully this will benefit all involved, and the music will still rock! Nothing else has changed regarding age limits and ticket prices, just the floor. Also, if you've seen a YouTube video about The Algonquin Pub being "born" on March 8th as the Lower Lounge at the Rockstar with a dance nightclub theme, I wouldn't read into it, as that video was posted well before The Ripcordz show was announced, so I don't think metal/punk shows are off limits downstairs. Keep an eye out for any other possible updates on this huge concert coming news weekend!

Finally for today, local thrash band Pillory have announced the departure of bassist Jonathan Tiberi, as per a posting on their Facebook page on Monday (which the band emphasized was not an April Fools joke.) A reason wasn't given, but it's already been reported that Jon's moving back to Southern Ontario later this spring, so that's likely at least part of why he's left. No word yet on if the band will launch a replacement bassist search, but Jon's departure (and guitarist Andres Duchesne's sudden passing in December) leaves just frontman Robert Sartini & drummer Bret Shuttleworth in their current lineup. I expected to start hearing winds of change with Jon's local bands following the news of his impending move, but Pillory's coming first surprised me a bit because he'd been so important & involved with the band's planned "Cringe At The Cross" EP (as seen on Facebook), and after such a promising debut show last fall, it's disappointing that he likely won't be there for their second.

Don't worry though, as he still has one gig with Late & Loud left at the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Finals, so best of luck to him in the future no matter what, and contact Pillory at the above links if you're interested in their open guitarist or bassist positions! That's all for today, but stay tuned for hopefully a new news post tomorrow, possibly including a new concert announcement! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Haggith & For All That Is Lost), A New Local Band, And More!!

Hey guys, it's time for another news post, and we've got some big stuff to get to, so here's what's on tap! Along with some thoughts on the 2008 David Gold interview we posted on here yesterday, we've also got LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows this month in the area, but first, here's a brand new local band connected to one of the new shows!

Yes, a new SMS-coverable band has launched, and they are a new alternative/grunge outfit named Haggith! As the name may imply, their lineup features prolific local solo artist Mike Haggith, making this the first Sault Ste. Marie-based band he's joined since relocating here in 2010. However, he'll be drumming for this band, rather than playing guitar or bass as in his other projects, but he has the chops to drum from what I know! Haggith's current lineup is rounded out by former Havadder bassist Daniel Horton on vocals & lead guitar, and ex-20 Pack of Marshmallows guitarist Curtis McKenzie (last seen in a Wawa-based solo project) on rhythm guitar. I believe this band is one & the same as the band that Daniel was seen looking for musicians for on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last month, but the search for a bassist is still ongoing. Haggith apparently formed on May 11th and just launched a Facebook page yesterday, where the guys have already indicated plans to record and release "basement EPs", though what form and availability those will take on isn't clear yet. That said, the aims to play a grunge-centric style of music is clear on their influences & descriptions, so Haggith should be able to fill a local niche for grunge fans!

A Reverbnation page is also in the works, but for now, I've added Haggith's Facebook page to our active Sault Ontario band links. Since No Arrow fell inactive, I know grunge fans have been craving more than just the occasional live cover, and hopefully Haggith can fill the void well and succeed in the area! The talent's there, but when can you see Haggith live? Apparently, this coming Sunday, so here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!! Their Facebook page is already hyping a debut concert on June 10th at The Canadian Nightclub, where they've hinted they'll also be circulating some form of a demo CD. As far as I can tell, this is definitely an official concert (despite the lack of a bassist), and though full details weren't revealed, a 9:00 PM-ish start time, cover charge of $5 or less, and a 19+ age limit wouldn't surprise me. Check the above links for more details! This news has definitely hit the site suddenly, but I'm definitely curious to hear Haggith live, and see these guys churn out some heavier live material (or live work in general), so keep their planned debut on Sunday at The Canadian in mind!

Also in new concerts.... well, this isn't really "new", but I only recently got enough information to really consider it a concert. Since early last month, some of you guys may have been aware of "A F.A.T.I.L. Gathering", a multi-band event on June 22nd to be headlined by Desbarats death metal band For All That Is Lost at 436 Neebish Road West in Laird (which I think is a band member's home.) Now, Laird is just within our current local range (emphasis on "current"), but I was reluctant to officially call it on here because it looked like a house party, and I tend to shy away from covering those as "concerts" on here (they're only so public, after all.) That said, the guys in F.A.T.I.L. are promoting and supplanting this event to the gills, and to not cover it in full on here would be a continued disservice, so here's all that you should know! Aside from For All That Is Lost headlining, no less than FIVE Sault Ontario metal bands will open this gathering, including local death metal bands The Valentine's Day Massacre, The Bear Hunters, and Shit Liver, local metal quartet Borderline Divine (in just their third local concert) and the recently returned local hardcore band Changing Waves, which makes for quite a solid lineup of area metal talent!

Aside from 6 bands running from 5:00 PM onward on June 22nd, there will also be food & drinks, a fire, 50/50 draws with prizes, and more, so this definitely will have an interesting mix of concert madness, activities, and even camping if you so choose (they even recommend bringing a tent.) Admission will be $10 at the door, and it is an ALL AGES EVENT. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a unique and interesting night of metal and good times, and it seems similar to the events that F.A.T.I.L. headlined in Thessalon last year, but this show is definitely a lot closer to home. Fingers crossed that I can attend, and keep tuned to the above links for updates!

And finally for today, here's some thoughts on the first of two archive David Gold/Woods of Ypres magazine interviews that I posted on here earlier today, that being his fall 2008 Metal Maniacs magazine interview with Agalloch bassist Jason William Walton. It's nice seeing an interview with a friend and fellow musician, maybe it helped David open up more in the discussion! I was probably most interested with David's opinions on why he was no longer focusing on black metal and the lessons he learned from the genre, especially when you remember that Woods of Ypres' move to a full doom metal sound wasn't as clear then as it would be in 2009. The criticism of the Toronto metal scene is also interesting, I wonder if other musicians would vouch for David's 2008 opinions? I also found it odd that, when discussing his move to South Korea, he never included mentions that he worked as a teacher there, yet he freely mentioned his educational work in later interviews, including his 2010 stint in Kuwait. Not counting future lineup changes & the like, the only real error is that Necramyth's then-upcoming album "Pagans in the East" was renamed "Slaughter of the Seoul" the following year, though I don't know if we ever heard why.

Overall, it's a solid interview from early in Woods of Ypres' local run, and it's definitely worth checking out either at this location or in the post immediately below this one! The other archive David Gold interview that I found (from the May 2009 issue of Windsor Arts & Music Monthly magazine) is definitely gonna be transcribed and posted on the site too, but not right away, just to spread them out and avoid any possible bias. For now, check out this first interview below, and stay tuned for more news and notes shortly! Thanks everyone!

Fuck The Facts At The Canadian Concert Review!!

It's time for my review of last night's Fuck The Facts-headlined metal show at The Canadian Nightclub, and of the three times I've seen them locally, this sadly had the smallest attendance. Being a Wednesday night, you could probably expect a dropoff compared to a weekend gig, but the lack of a consistent crowd was clear for the opening three bands. Good response though from whose who showed up, but how did the show itself go?

Opening last night was Desbarats death metal quartet For All That Is Lost, and though their masks remained missing (I assume that phase is done now?), they probably sounded better than I've ever heard them sound last night! They blasted their way through an all original set featuring songs like "Graves of the Ancestors", "Viscosity of Blood", and a set-capping new song that sounded very brutal, and though their set wasn't terribly long, they packed tons of metal into it! Tyler Sperry's unique stage presence was put to good use with the stage extension (nice addition for the concert), and his growling was on form, and the rest of the band sounded really tight and together as well, moreso than other recent gigs of theirs I've seen. Kameron Nicholson's drumming is really improving especially, and Brook Moreau's guitar solos are slowly getting more and more proficient! If anything right now, I'd like to see Brook and Ben work on their stage presences a bit more, as they are still a bit stiff, but For All That Is Lost are definitely on the right track! Also, if you're up for a house party with bands of sorts, note their headlining show on Neebish Road in Laird on June 22nd with a bunch of local acts, so click here for details!

Second was grimecore notables Shit Liver, and with a smaller stage and no echo to deal with compared to The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, their set last night definitely looked and sounded better than when I last saw them! Their second Canadian show in four days (and second Fuck The Facts opening slot) went about as well as you'd expect out of Shit Liver, who unloaded original songs like "Shift Liver", "Shit Will Prevail", and "It's Not My Problem" into their all original set of crusty and grimy death metal! No real covers this time, but maybe if they had a longer set. Though there was some technical difficulties with Josh Penno's microphone for a song, the guys all growled and screamed with a noticeable ferocity, and their instrumental talents suited their songs as always, but as I've said before on here, their music can be polarizing to some. If you can appreciate and mosh to their punk and death metal mix, you'll find a lot to enjoy, and I liked what I heard last night from them!

In the middle of last night's festivities was local melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, who delivered a solid set of their entertaining blend of brutal metal genres! Among songs like "Dominate", "Deception", and "Casualties of War", they also broke out their cover of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard" (sorry, "Sausages With Mustard") that kept the fans entertained! Justin Lam's bass work was stellar as expected, and with his birthday in the air, Johnny Belanger's drum work was on fire and kept the pace well! If there was any glaring problems last night, it's that Mitch Sirie's guitar volume was way too low, and on songs like "Succumb to Eternity", you could barely hear him, so that was a blow to their overall sound. Also, this is at least two straight shows now that Nik Deubel hasn't employed any clean singing, which was a nice variance on songs like "Condemned", and I personally would like to see him add singing back to some of their originals. Not a perfect set, but The Bear Hunters melted all the faces of the attendees, and I do hope to see them again soon!

The final opening band last night was local metal quartet Garden of Bedlam in their second show of the month, and while they had a much shorter set than on the 12th, the fan response and attention definitely didn't hinder one second of their performance! They knocked out 7 originals (like "Against The Grain", "Shallow", and "Your Disgrace"), along with a well received & timely cover of Pantera's "Mouth For War", while fan requests saw "Stand Your Ground" replaced with a cover of Volbeat's "Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood" that the crowd easily ate up! Musically, they sounded about as good as ever, and even though Buzz's singing voice didn't seem as strong later in the set as it did at the beginning, the nod to fans singing along was cool (and a sign that people are remembering the lyrics!) Derek Turner's drumming was fast and spot on, as was Josh Belleau's proficient guitar work, and the guys definitely are maintaining their chemistry and immense talents! Hopefully we see them back on the local stage soon, so stay tuned for updates, and don't miss their interview on Shaw TV this week!

Finally last night was Ottawa grindcore quintet Fuck The Facts in their (at least) third stop here, and though they looked fairly tired (the joys of touring), they tore into a set that may have topped last year's local show for musical quality! The Juno nominees continue to impress with their brutal and proficient blend of death metal and effectively placed samples & backing tracks to suit the mood of their material, and both Mel Mongeon & Marc Bourgon traded off some brutal growling and aggressive lyrics to their local fans! Mel's stage presence was cool too, almost never not singing at the front row and putting her all into her singing! Johnny Ibay's guitar work was awesome too, I wish he was closer to the crowd than he was last night! However, the glaring problem from their last show here came back last night, as Fuck The Facts' set was way shorter than you'd expect. Again, I think they only played for about an hour, and for a band as talented and brutal as they are, you'd think they'd have a longer set. Still, what we got was awesome and well worth the price of admission, and hopefully Fuck The Facts can bring their exceptionally talented blend of grindcore back to the Soo soon!

Overall, that was a very heavy and entertaining metal show from Dismembertainment, if attendance-deprived, but Wednesday nights can be tough for a reliable crowd. Though I forgot a "Tag Yourself!" shot, I did get a bunch of photos of each band, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook event page! And I did get videos, so here's F.A.T.I.L. playing their song "Hades, Lord of the White House", Shit Liver playing two short originals ("Pennotration" & "(Friendly Old)" Uncle Joe", The Bear Hunters' song "Karma", Garden of Bedlam's cover of "Mouth For War", and Fuck The Facts' newer song "Alone"!











That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news (and concert previews?) tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Valentine's Day Massacre, Turner Up, And The Bear Hunters), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time to preview this weekend's metal and hard rock concerts, but most of them are brand new, so those (and another show next month) make up a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS within this post! Let's start with the new shows, and as usual for the new show announcements, I'll cover these in chronological order, so here's what you need to know for this weekend!

Local classic hard rock quintet Turner Up have announced their latest concert dates, and they're going down TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Nicolet Tavern! I apologize for the short notice, but the Facebook event page was only just launched for it yesterday. These concerts will be Turner Up's first at the Albert Street venue since March, and after playing two weekend engagements last month, are we seeing continued raised activity for this talented cover band? Time will tell, but their entertaining and hard rocking covers will definitely be welcomed back to The Nic this weekend! Both tomorrow's & Saturday's shows have 10:30 PM start times, there's no cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend. Check the above links for more details! A Turner Up concert weekend is always a good time, so if you're up for some familiar sounds from this very solid group of local music standouts, then head to The Nicolet Tavern this weekend to turn er' up! For a preview, here's the old Turner Up covering a Guns N' Roses classic last year!



Also for new concerts this weekend is a show that actually has been announced since last month, but only recently has a metal band been added to the lineup! Yesterday, Dismembertainment owner Rich Moreland announced that local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre have been added to the lineup of a punk concert that he's promoting at The Canadian Nightclub on Sunday night! They'll be replacing Winnipeg punk quintet Up N' Atom on the lineup for this concert (a reason wasn't given for their withdrawl), making this The V.D.M.'s first Canadian Nightclub appearance since the Ypres Metal Fest. They'll be playing direct support for Winnipeg political punk notables The Brat Attack, who have made numerous stops here in the past, and their fast paced punk assault and well written lyrics will be sure to attract lots of fans and interest on Sunday night! Joining The Valentine's Day Massacre as local openers are local punk trio Redundant, and their fun punk covers, new originals, and on-stage banter will surely be welcomed back to The Canadian on Sunday night, so don't miss them! Like the rest of Dismembertainment's recent Canadian Nightclub shows, this will be an ALL AGES event, and there will be a $5 cover charge with doors opening at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Late notice addition or not, The Valentine's Day Massacre will add well to this concert with their brutal death metal assault, and they're not completely out of place, as As It Stands were among the openers at The Brat Attack's last show here in 2007. The Brat Attack have proven to be local favourites from their mid-2000s stops here, so you know they'll be worth every penny of admission, so expect the best in politically tinged punk rock on Sunday night! It's also nice to see Dismembertainment book a punk-centric show again for the first time since last fall, hopefully there's more to come from them! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Valentine's Day Massacre at The Canadian in March!



Finally for new shows, a new Roosevelt Hotel metal night appears to have been announced! While prior indications hinted towards the Thursday series' return next week, this newly announced concert is actually on June 21st, but I'm not positive yet on whether this is just an advance lineup announcement or a postponement of the 44th metal night until next month. If I hear anything, I'll let you guys know! This June 21st gig was confirmed on local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters' Facebook page yesterday via the BandsInTown application, which lists five upcoming dates for the band, including a house party gig in Laird the day after this gig. Barring any earlier metal night announcements, this will be the 19th Rosie metal night featuring The Bear Hunters, and they'll be joined by Desbarats death metal bands For All That Is Lost and Inhuman Methods on the lineup! This will be F.A.T.I.L.'s 9th Rosie metal night, while it will mark Inhuman Methods' Roosevelt Hotel debut and their first local concert since replacing singer Curtis Moir with new frontman Anthony Tverdal, so don't miss them on June 21st either! Admission should be free with a 10:00 PM-ish start time and a 19+ age limit, but more details are likely forthcoming. Check the above links for more details!

It's good to see Rosie metal nights making their way back to the scene, and with Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie joining the promoting team, I hope the series is in good hands for the forseeable future! Solid lineup of death metal bands too, so whether this is next in the series or not, circle June 21st on your calendars! Stay tuned for more on metal nights at The Rosie as they come in!

Now, to our only concert previews for a show that was previously announced this weekend (if I'm missing any, let me know), and it's the return of Tym Morrison's solo project to the local stage! After a six week break and the disappointing theft of his old acoustic guitar, Tym will bring his unplugged solo set back to The Service Grill on Korah Road TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! Aside from his new guitar, the biggest difference for these latest solo concerts is that Tym will be rocking all day tomorrow & Saturday from 3:00 PM to midnight! I assume these will be broken up into two 4 hour sets at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM, so keep those times in mind. Both concerts have no announced cover charge, and given the restaurant setting, I'd assume there's no age limits this weekend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Tym bring his solo show back after 6 weeks away, which is a long time given his recent prolific schedule, so if you're up for many hours of acoustic metal & hard rock covers, you'll wanna be at The Service Grill this weekend! For a preview, here's Tym covering a classic Metallica ballad at Bossy's Pub N' Grub earlier this year!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for last month's poll results, this month's poll, and more news shortly! Thanks everyone!

Metal Showcase At The Roberta Bondar Pavilion Review!!

It's time for my review of last night's metal concert, but before we get to that, check out our new news post featuring band member departures, a breakup, and more from this morning below this post! Now, here's some thoughts on The Roberta Bondar Pavilion as a concert venue. This outdoor location hasn't been a frequent sight for local metal shows, aside from metal band appearances at festivals & fundraisers, but even beyond that, there hasn't been anything too major there in recent years. Most of the ones I can think of offhand, I wasn't at, and were before I started the SMS site, so I think this was my first actual concert under the tent since Finger Eleven's headlining show there almost 8 years ago! Going in, I had heard bad things about the audio setup, but honestly, my only real gripe with the sound was that the singers' volume tended to be way too low, and each band's frontman tended to be very hard to hear, even when just talking. I expected the echo and the delay in the sound being heard by the crowd, but you could barely hear the singers regardless.

Partly because of that, I actually had two song titles incorrect when uploading videos, so hopefully if more metal shows happen here, something can be done about the vocal levels. The attendance was solid (especially during The Bear Hunters' set), but with such a large and wide open venue, you'd need an exceptionally large crowd to do it justice and make it look full, and even the Kiss Battle of the Bands crowd transplanted to the Pavilion would have probably looked really empty. That aside, it's a nice venue for bands and the outdoor location gave a uniqueness and local touch to it all, and the expanse of the Pavilion lent itself well to different and varied camera angles!

Opening the concert was extreme metal quintet Winkstinger (replacing As It Stands), and though they started about 40 minutes late, they delivered a fun and brutal set of their amusing and creative originals! Songs like "Jimmy Got His New Legs (Derp.)", "Bidniz", and "Cheese Grater Face" populated their 8 song set, and they definitely melted the faces of the early attendees of the show! Despite the echo and low volume issues, Alan Wells' singing seemed to be on form, and the band made the most of the larger stage! Jesse Cook's lead guitar work slayed as usual, and Ryan Sherman's bass work also came through well last night! As always, their set was a lot of fun, and it's good to hear more of the material we can expect on their debut EP, whenever that's coming out. Though the rest of the bands were forms of death metal, Winkstinger set the tone very nicely, and hopefully we'll be seeing them and their creative metal attack again soon!

Deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre were next on the bill, and as one would expect, they delivered a solid set of brutal originals and covers! This was the first full length set of theirs I've seen in a while (the last two times were shorter sets), so while we got originals like "Vampiric" and "Let It All Bleed Out", some covers of Parkway Drive and Throwdown material returned to their set, among other songs! Their talents were ever present, especially for Andrew Angelic's great guitar work, but they do benefit from a less delayed sound system and higher vocal volumes. Steve Rhodes was growling with his trademark intensity, but he was even harder to hear than Alan was in Winkstinger. Their fun and often synced-up stage presence was in full force, and fans definitely seemed to enjoy their set! Nice work once again, and I promise you guys that I'll get "Vampiric" on video the next time I see VDM live!

Third last night were Desbarats death metal quintet For All That Is Lost, and though their set definitely seemed to be shorter than the other bands, their steady improvement is continuing! Notably, this was the first time since last year (I think) that they played live without their white masks, and though I'm not entirely sure why they were left out, it was fairly windy yesterday, and blowing hair + limited visibility might not have worked well. Tyler Sperry's growling was solid from what I could tell, and he made the most of the larger stage with his improving stage presence, and he shown good movement! Kameron Nicholson's drumming was also varied and fast paced, and though there was some stiff stage presences, the guys in F.A.T.I.L. have increasingly good chemistry on tracks like "The Return of Dionysus", "Viscosity of Blood", and "Graves of the Ancestors". Their cover of Lamb of God's "Laid To Rest" had timing issues, but the guys had a nice and heavy set, and apologies for the incorrect title again from my video last night!

Second last at this show was local melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, and like the other bands last night, they unleashed a brutal set of their originals for the fans in attendance! They had the night's peak crowd level, and we got to hear their slate of brutal originals like "Deception", "Karma", and "Bloodthirst" while the band (sans frontman Nik Deubel, oddly) rocked their new official t-shirts (which were officially put on sale yesterday.) Nik was particularly hard to hear on the microphone yesterday (that's not his fault though), but the band rocked the stage well, especially with Mitch & Josh's shredding riffs and Justin Lam's bass skills! Nothing was wrong with their playing last night, and Nik's casual stage presence was fun and welcomed, with the fans in attendance responding in kind, but I wonder why Nik wasn't clean singing like he has in some songs? Pretty good set overall, and I should be seeing them again later this month!

Before the last band took the stage, we were graced with the presence of drag queens, as true to their word, participants at the "Drag It Out" event at Sault College arrived on the scene, and one named Gia Diamond even took the stage to lip sync a song for the crowd! Very interesting, and I can safely say I've never seen drag queens at a local concert, but it was fun for what it was! Honestly, I'd have went for more of a flash mob impact out of them and had the drag queens rush the stage between sets, have them all perform, and then scatter, which might have upped the impact beyond just showing up. Still, they were a unique and interesting addition to the night!

Capping the lineup was local crust/death metal trio Shit Liver, who also were selling band t-shirts for the first time last night! As one would expect, their set was full of their trademark brutal and quick death metal songs, including originals like "You're Scared", "Shift Liver", and "Helen Kellers", and they blasted through them with their usual attitude and grimy take on their genre! The members' vocals suffered the most with the volume issues, given their style of singing, but they sounded as good as you'd expect them to in other areas! Josh Penno is improving on guitar, and I liked some of his solos a lot, and Mike Kyle & Matt Baic impressed on bass and drums! The lower attendance than The Bear Hunters had was a bit disappointing, but I understand that Shit Liver's sound can still be polarizing. The nighttime setting (which descended quickly before their set) added a cool ambiance to their material, though I'd have liked to have seen them set up their gear closer to the crowd, as they seemed extra spaced out and pushed back compared to the larger bands earlier in the day. Nice brutal way to end the evening, and it's good to see a full Shit Liver set again!

Overall, this was a fun way to spend a Saturday evening, and even if singers couldn't be heard well, that's something that can hopefully be corrected if more shows take place here. Luckily, no noise complaints were issued, and everything seemed to go well for timing and behaviour! Kudos to Mitch Sirie for the booking job he did, and hopefully he has a lot more in store no matter where he's booking shows at! Photos from the show are now up at our Facebook page or this location, and hopefully you guys liked some of the creative angles I took on some photos! Apologies for the quality of the Shit Liver photos, the nighttime setting isn't fantastic on my camera. As for videos, here's Winkstinger playing their original "Move It, Peenie-Weenies, My Hands Are On Fire!", The Valentine's Day Massacre's song "Let It All Bleed Out", F.A.T.I.L.'s song "Graves of the Ancestors", The Bear Hunters playing "Overthrown", and Shit Liver playing their songs "Helen Kellers" and "Shit Liver"! (I apologize for most not being in HD dimensions, but my camera acted screwy after the Winkstinger video when I tried, so the rest are in standard definition. I'll look into this problem for sure!)











That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

Weekend Concert Previews & This Week's Classic Video!!

It's time to preview this weekend's metal & hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults, so that's the bulk of today's post, but we've also got this week's classic video, as linked to one of the performing bands over the next few days! I know that there's a pretty big metal show that was announced on Facebook this afternoon, but I promise that's coming in our very next news post! For now though, let's begin our previews!

As a late addition to National Youth Arts Week in Sault Ontario, Bear Hunters/Borderline Divine guitarist Mitch Sirie is promoting a FREE ALL AGES metal concert TOMORROW at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion! The large white tent downtown isn't a familiar site for heavier concerts, especially being outdoors, but the hope is to make this the first of many, so here's who to look out for tomorrow night! Five metal bands (4 local) will descend upon the Roberta Bondar Pavilion tomorrow night for their first public outdoor concert, including headlining grime/crust notables Shit Liver, melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, Desbarats death metal quartet For All That Is Lost, local deathcore standouts The Valentine's Day Massacre, and extreme metal quintet Winkstinger (replacing As It Stands), so take note of this extremely brutal lineup! Most of the bands were last seen at the Humane Society Battle of the Bands last month, but Shit Liver will hit the stage for the first time since the Ypres Metal Fest, while Winkstinger haven't been seen live in almost three months. Sounds like a great lineup to me, and hopefully these guys can melt all the faces that are there tomorrow! Also, note that drag queens & kings from the "Drag It Out" at Sault College will be in attendance later tomorrow night, so be ready to work!

The bands are slated to start at 5:00 PM tomorrow (not 4:00), it's a FREE & ALL AGES event, and though they're aiming to wrap up by 10:00 PM, it may run a bit later. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I'll absolutely be there to rock out with you guys tomorrow, and I hope this is a huge and issue-free success so that more metal can rock the tent downtown in the future! Celebrate National Youth Arts Week & local metal tomorrow night, and I'll see you guys there! For a preview, here's Shit Liver playing their song "Shit Will Prevail" at the future Coch's Corner last fall!



Meanwhile in Sault Ontario, after his set with The Bear Hunters wraps up, drummer Johnny Belanger will head across town to The Roosevelt Hotel for the first of two weekend concerts with his other band Caveman Morrison! Previously a one night only gig, the prominent local metal cover trio will rock The Rosie tomorrow night & Saturday night for the first time in three weeks this weekend, and you know Tym & company will have some awesome metal & hard rock covers in store for their fans! Their latest Rosie stops were announced in March, and I again apologize for the extremely late coverage of them on here, so make sure to spread the word and check them out this weekend! 9:30 PM start times look likely, you must be 19 to attend, and there shouldn't be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be another solid weekend of great music from Caveman Morrison, especially with the frequency of their recent gigs, which is awesome to see again after months of sporadic shows and live absences. Go see Caveman Morrison this weekend if you can, and for a preview, here's the band covering a Foreigner classic in December!



Finally for known metal/hard rock concerts this weekend, Marquette hard rockers Nudge are finally back in Sault Michigan this weekend! This prominent & talented quartet haven't been seen in the area since November, but it'll be great to finally have Nudge back at The Satisfied Frog after an almost 6 month break! These will also be their first local dates with new drummer Jed Thibeault, following the departure of Eric Schlumpf in December, so be sure to give Jed a warm welcome to the Soo this weekend! After the move of their planned February local dates to Gladstone (which featured Eric's short lived replacement Tim Rousseau), we're definitely overdue for Nudge's hard hitting cover attack, but also note that they'll have new merchandise on sale, and frontman Danzo McCracken will be playing an acoustic solo show at The Frog TONIGHT as well, so head on down there to hear his softer side! As usual, Nudge's shows this weekend have 10:00 PM start times and 21+ age limits, but I don't believe there will be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should be some solid nights of hard rock and metal covers this weekend, so go rock out with Nudge tomorrow night and/or Saturday night at The Frog! For a preview, here's Nudge covering Queen's "Tie Your Mother Down" in 2008!



And finally, here's this week's classic video, and I've chosen local extreme metal quintet Winkstinger for our latest older non-YouTube video upload! They've been bringing their entertaining and brutal brand of metal to the stage since late 2010, and one of their earlier concerts was on January 20th, 2011 at the fifth Roosevelt Hotel metal night (more on that series soon), which I reviewed on the site way back when. As has become custom at their live concerts, they covered Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" (a.k.a. the Blues Brothers car chase theme) followed by their original "Stop! You Can't Interrogate Someone With Brain Damage!" at this show, and that very performance (along with on-stage banter from singer Alan Wells) was filmed by an attendee! Drummer Jonas Gasperas later uploaded the results onto Facebook the next day, and though people's heads get in the way, the quality isn't bad at all! If anything, the original video (which you can see at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=1807806922881) is dark, but I've corrected the lighting since uploading it. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to the original filmer and Winkstinger, I'm just trying to share this video with a wider audience like it deserves!

This is another fun and very heavy video of Winkstinger in action, including their resident merman Jesse Cook, and it definitely shows their energetic brutality nicely! Check out this 2011 video of Winkstinger below, and go see them TOMORROW NIGHT at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for a stacked news post tomorrow morning! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Caveman Morrison, Garden Of Bedlam, And RedStone Riot) And More Concert Updates!!

Let's kick off May in style with a packed news post, and today, we have updates for a pair of big Sault Ontario concerts in the next couple of weeks and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for concerts later this month and in July in the area, so here's what you need to know, starting with the new shows in chronological order!

Caveman Morrison are returning to the stage THIS WEEKEND for two more shows at The Roosevelt Hotel! I apologize for not having these on here sooner, but they somehow have slipped past my radar since the Facebook event page was launched almost 2 months ago, so I better get the word out A.S.A.P.! Previously listed as a one night only gig on Friday, this talented local cover trio will instead make their first Rosie appearances in three weeks on Friday and Saturday for a standard weekend set of metal and hard rock covers! Both shows will have 9:30 PM start times and neither has an announced cover charge, but you must be 19 to attend them. Check the above links for more details, and I apologize again for having these so late on the site! It's good to see Caveman Morrison back at The Rosie this weekend, and hopefully they continue their recent frequent streak of local concerts beyond this Friday & Saturday with even more hard rocking shows! Keep these new dates in mind for your weekend concert-hopping to help begin May in style!

The next new show is coming up next weekend, and it's the long awaited return of Garden of Bedlam to The Rockstar Bar! Last seen at the Ypres Metal Fest last month, this show on May 12th (one week from Saturday) serves as the rescheduled date following the cancellation of their planned March 10th Rockstar Bar gig following the back injury and pneumonia that frontman Buzz got hit with a couple months back. As such, this will be Garden of Bedlam's first Rockstar Bar gig in eleven months and their first headlining show in over four months, and it'll be good to see them back for a full night's worth of their hard hitting originals! Like their past Rockstar Bar concerts, there will not be an opening band. Doors open at 9:00 PM with an 11:00 PM start time next Saturday, you must be 19 to attend, and there will be a $5 cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like an awesome concert, and if you're craving more of one of Sault Ste. Marie's biggest metal bands, you'll wanna circle this date on your calendars for next weekend! Stay tuned for any updates as they roll in!

Finally in new concerts, Muskegon hard rock quintet RedStone Riot are coming back to Sault Michigan this summer! After 11 months away from the local stage, the new band featuring former Saultites and Elipzis alumni Rachel Kiger & Ryan Harrison will play just their second weekend set locally at The Corner Pub Bar & Grill on July 13th and 14th! These dates, along with a number of Muskegon-area concerts, were revealed on their newly redesigned official website this morning. I believe both of these dates should have 10:00 PM-ish start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charge, but check the above links for more details! As you may remember, this is the band that was formed after Rachel & Ryan moved to Muskegon last year, and they also feature final Elipzis drummer Wally David and guitarists Tony Hulings (Wally's ex-One Past Mars bandmate) & Brock Warber (formerly of Kill Tomorrow), so there's definitely talent present! I have yet to hear media of RedStone Riot, but if Elipzis were any indication, this current band will rock the house with some great modern hard rock originals & covers come mid-July, so don't miss these concerts, and keep it locked to the SMS for any updates!

We'll close this post with updates to a pair of upcoming Sault Ontario concerts, starting with THIS FRIDAY'S outdoor metal show at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion as part of National Youth Arts Week! A new band has been added to the lineup, that being Desbarats death metal quartet For All That Is Lost, who will be making their first local concert appearance (along with most of the other bands) since their Humane Society Battle of the Bands set last month. They're a solid addition to bolster this brutal death metal lineup, but with that said, scheduled headliners As It Stands have pulled out of the show, as revealed by promoter/Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie this morning on the Facebook event page. The reason is due to an injury suffered by a band member, and though specifics weren't elaborated on, hopefully whoever's hurt gets well soon! The lineup now features Shit Liver as the listed headliners with The Bear Hunters, The Valentine's Day Massacre, and F.A.T.I.L. as openers, but the official lineup could change depending on scheduling concerns. A new fifth band could be added to replace As It Stands as well, so if you or your band are interested, message Mitch at this location A.S.A.P.!

Also to confirm for this Friday's show, it will be FREE & ALL AGES, and the 4:00-10:00 PM runtime has been finalized. For more details, check the above links and this new Sault Star article promoting the metal show's addition to National Youth Arts Week! It's short, but given the concert's later notice, it's still solid press! That said, it lists the start time as 5:00 PM, credits The Valentine's Day Massacre as their acronym only, forgets a word when mentioning "For All Is Lost", and doesn't even mention The Bear Hunters, but hey, at least this show is getting some wider press! I hope to be there on Friday, and stay tuned for more updates on this show as they roll in!

Finally for today, here's the latest updates for Frightlight's next concert one week from Thursday at The Roosevelt Hotel! Whether it's officially the 44th Rosie metal night or not isn't known yet, but if it is, it'll be the biggest since The Dayglo Abortions came in June, as there are now 5 bands lined up for this show, including two new local bands! One is actually local hard rock/punk trio Pools of Booze in just their second live concert, following their debut in March at The Canadian. You may remember that Pools of Booze are essentially a heavier variant of T-Rex Manning with bassist Bill "Orthae" Bennett on lead vocals in place of J.D. Pearce, and while J.D. will be focusing on rocking with Frightlight as Johnny Pints that night, he will join his other bandmates for a couple songs as T-Rex Manning during their set! The other new band is local punk trio Redundant, and they should have some solid originals from their recent recording sessions ready to rock with next Thursday! The other update for this show, which features headlining Toronto alternative/punk bands Die Mannequin & Dearly Beloved on their Danceland Tour, is that tickets are now on sale through both The Rad Zone at The Wellington Square Mall & through J.D. personally, though more ticket locations are forthcoming.

Check the Facebook event page for more details! This is shaping up to be a huge punk concert with some metal touches, and make sure to get your tickets A.S.A.P.! Stay tuned for updates on this show as they come in, and that's probably all for today, so keep an eye out for more news and notes very soon, including this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Full Circle) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time to preview this weekend's concerts, but first, I would like to apologize for a missed concert. Apparently, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison played a short acoustic set at Blueberry Hill Resort in Goulais River this past Saturday afternoon before his scheduled gig at Service Grill Pizza, and it completely slipped me by. That said, I apologize to Tym and anyone who would have been affected for the error! Now as for this weekend, if Tym's Service Grill Pizza arrangement is continuing, there hasn't been announcement about it yet, but I'll let you guys know if I hear anything! For now though, we have six concerts through Saturday to get to, starting with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Local classic hard rock quartet Full Circle are back this weekend for a pair of shows at The Nicolet Tavern! These shows were previously unlisted on the now-deleted Turner Up Facebook group (which listed gigs through September), so they are very likely a newer addition to their busy schedule. I apologize for the relative short notice, but a Facebook event page for the show was only created for the shows earlier today. The Nic is a frequent stop for this talented local band, so definitely consider going to see Full Circle on Friday night or Saturday night! Both shows have 10:00 PM start times, you must be 19 to attend either night, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the above links! Should be another good weekend of classic hard rocking from Full Circle, hopefully a good crowd turns up both nights! For a preview, click here and move to 13:20 of the video to see Full Circle cover of Heart's "Alone" from their set at this year's Rotaryfest!

Now to the previously announced shows, and first, it's the 29th Roosevelt Hotel metal night taking place tomorrow night at The Rosie! For a second straight week, an out of town metal band is headlining, that being Vancouver progressive death metal Abriosis! These guys have a very brutal and technical style of death metal to melt faces with, and you certainly won't want to miss them tomorrow night when they rock The Rosie on the next stop of their Canadian Rapture Tour! Two opening bands have been confirmed, including the return of Desbarats death metal band For All That Is Lost! After a month away from playing shows in the Soo following the departure of guitarist Allen Piche, the now four-piece F.A.T.I.L. will return to The Rosie to play their own hard hitting brand of metal once again! Finally, local hardcore quartet Changing Waves will open the show with their own fast rising hardcore sounds that you sure won't wanna be late for tomorrow night! This show will have a $5 cover, you must be 19 to attend, and Changing Waves will kick things off at 9:30 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like this will be a brutal night of metal, and with quality bands like these, you won't wanna miss it! For a preview, here's Abriosis playing their song "Idol Fixation" in Vancouver in 2008!



Now we'll take a brief detour to Sault Michigan, where a new local band will make their first ever appearances in Sault Michigan itself! Fresh off of their debut in Rudyard earlier this month, new local hard rockers NoXcape will take over The Satisfied Frog this Friday and Saturday with their own brand of modern hard rock hits! I should note that I received an e-mail recently from Monkey's Uncle singer/guitarist Donny Newell where he said that he'd be filling in for Nick Landreville on vocals this weekend due to Nick's apparent departure from NoXcape, but band pages have not confirmed any possible lineup changes as of today. Keep that in mind though! The shows start at 10:00 PM both nights, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details! Should be a good weekend of shows, and if Donny is indeed singing, it'll be cool to see a mini reunion of Absolute of sorts this weekend! No videos yet though, but go see them this weekend, they should deliver!

And finally for this weekend, local horror punk quintet Frightlight are playing an outdoor set on Saturday evening at this year's Art In The Parking Lot event! This is an annual outdoor art exhibition where local artists can display and sell their original artwork at 69 Church Street behind the The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Museum (also near The Rockstar Bar and Anchors Away for reference.) Though the focus is on local artists and their work, there will also be children's activities, food on sale, and live performances from local musicians and entertainers! Frightlight will be joined by cello punk rockers RedD Monkey, DJ Selectah Sensi Tree & DJ Spruceau from The Level Five Sound Tribe, experimental performances from the Michael Burtch & Alison Huot studio, and local fire spinners! Frightlight themselves will be on at 7:00 PM, though Art In The Parking Lot runs from 4:00 PM-10:00 PM. Admission is free, and it is absolutely an all ages event! For more details, visit the above links and the event page for Frightlight's set! Sounds like a fun event, and why not support local artisitic talent? Great music too, so definitely consider heading down to Church Street on Saturday for Art In The Parking Lot! For a preview, here's Frightlight playing "They All Float" at The Oddfellows Hall in April!



That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow as we reveal the results of last month's poll on your favourite concerts of 2011, and kick off our next poll! Thanks everyone!

Sykotyk Rampage's New Albums, Half Past's New Videos, And Much More!!

Time for some news at the SMS! We have some good stories to share today, including this week's classic video, the final band on a show this week, our first glimpse at a local band's new lineup, and much more, but first, some new albums are now available to stream, so let's begin with that!

Three of Sykotyk Rampage's new albums are now uploaded onto the band's Reverbnation page to stream for free! Their 26th, 28th, and 29th albums "Bucket of Ham", "Space", and "Zombies" are now online to check out, with the 24th, 25th, and 27th albums (the "Genius Mushroom" albums and "Karrs") yet to be uploaded. None of them are currently available to purchase yet, just stream, but we'll of course let you guys know when their store is updated. How does the new crash music sound? I won't divulge too much personally, seeing as I still don't know which one I'm reviewing next, but from what I've heard, their more irreverent material is definitely back, and the songs range from crash fury to amusing experimental songs to ones that are just plain hard to describe. While drummer Paul Becker still sings on most songs, guitarist Dirk Becker gets a lot of lead singing time on these albums, compared to his single appearance on last year's "Bella Disgusta". Also, the "Space" album is similar to "Zombies" in that the title of the album and songs doesn't necessarily mean that there's a consistent concept to be found. It's odd that the albums are out of order, but the rest should be up soon! Check out the 38 new Sykotyk Rampage songs at this location, and stay tuned for details on the rest of the new albums & which one we'll review first!

Next up, did you miss Hempfest and are still curious as to how local hard rockers Half Past sound with new singer Jordan Rains? We can now find out, as a number of videos from this past weekend's debut are now online at the band's Facebook page! I can't embed Facebook videos here, but five videos are up of the band covering Silverchair's instrumental "Madman", Disturbed's "Down With The Sickness", Drowning Pool's "Bodies", Godsmack's "I Stand Alone", and Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name", so click each link above to give the videos a look! Nice quality overall, and the band are playing as well as I expected, but how does Jordan sound? Well, I was right on my hypothesis that he'd have a higher singing voice than Half Past's old singers, and on melodic songs where he can show that off, he shows real promise. He doesn't do as well on songs with harsher singing though, at least not from the videos I've seen. His stage presence is a bit stiff too, but it could be first show jitters. I'd like to see how he does on Half Past's originals or on songs with more melodic singing, cause that could be where he's best suited. Good first look though, I think Jordan will prove to be the right choice! Check out much more from Half Past's new lineup at the above links, including photos!

Now to a concert update concerning THIS THURSDAY'S 29th Roosevelt Hotel metal night! The final opening band has been confirmed, and after a month away from playing locally, Desbarats death metal band For All That Is Lost are coming back to town to open for Vancouver death metal band Abriosis on Thursday! Notably, this will be their first concert in Sault Ste. Marie since guitarist Allen Piche left the band last month (which resulted in their last minute dropout from the Titan's Eve show), and as he hasn't been replaced yet, it will be their first concert here as a quartet. Should be interesting to hear the band with only one guitarist, but either way, their death metal speaks for itself, so don't miss them! They'll of course join local hardcore band Changing Waves as openers. Aside from the lineup news, a Facebook event page and poster have been released for the show, as well as news that the show will have a $5 cover charge. That can be expected for metal nights with out of town headliners, though the amount varies. Either way, $5 for 3 quality bands? It's extremely worth it! Stay tuned for more on this show in our weekend concert previews!

Now, here's some assorted shorter stories from the last little while. As always, these are in alphabetical order by band, venue, or site name:

• In case you didn't know, The Roosevelt Hotel has a Facebook page featuring photos, events, updates, and news from the Korah Road bar! Become a fan at this location to stay up to date on all events and happenings at The Rosie!
• I've updated the SMS' YouTube channel to further emphasize our extensive video collection and introduce new playlists that group together full concerts and out of print albums that I've uploaded (or partially uploaded). Click the "Playlists" tab at the link above to see the full albums & concerts we have all in the same spot! Hopefully that proves more convenient!
• What's the status of Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold's "Korea Metal" documentary? It's on hold until the "Woods V" sessions end, then he'll work on it again in the fall, with a projected release next spring. For more details, including quotes from David on the documentary, click here!

And finally, here is this week's classic video! With Frightlight rocking this year's Art In The Parking Lot event on Church Street, I thought it'd be fitting to tie in this week's video to them, and this time, we're going to Fitswitch, the old punk/metal band featuring 3/5ths of Frightlight in their classic lineup! This video comes from one of the band's scattered reunions following their 2007 breakup, as their classic lineup reunited on March 22nd of last year for guitarist Kevin Powe's stag & doe at The Elks Hall! Featuring Kevin, his future Frightlight bandmates J.D. Pearce & Rick White, bassist Andrew MacDonald, and drummer Larry Mousseau (also a former Frightlight member), Fitswitch jammed out a selection of their classics and some covers at this gig, and attendee Krista Kelly filmed a lot of it, some of which is posted on the old Fitswitch YouTube channel! One video that didn't make the jump to YouTube last year is of Fitswitch covering an early version of Frightlight's "She Screams", which sounds mostly similar to the version we now know and love, though the vocals are more reserved in the choruses. Good first performance either way, though the Elks Hall isn't well lit, so things aren't too bright, despite the good video quality.

The original video was uploaded to Facebook in March of last year by guitarist Rick White, and you can see the original version at http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=408246541302. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Krista Kelly and the members of Fitswitch and Frightlight, They did all the hard work! So with that in mind, hopefully you guys enjoy this look at Fitswitch covering Frightlight's "She Screams"!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, last month's poll results, and this month's poll very soon! Thanks everyone!

Fatality/Immersed Concert Review!!

Hey guys, I'm back from yesterday's Fatality/Immersed all ages metal show at The Roosevelt Hotel, and here's my review of it! But first, a few notes from the show itself. It was incredibly hot yesterday, and we could all feel it. I personally despise summer, but I stuck it out for the good of metal! Sadly, the crowd wasn't as large as I was hoping, though that could be for a number of reasons. The show itself didn't start until well after 4:30 PM, which is late given the 3:00 PM door opening time, but when it started, it was brutal (in a good way!)

The opening band was local hardcore quintet As It Stands, and you could tell it was hot when two band members went shirtless for the set AND sat down on the edge of the stage for one song! Luckily, the heat didn't sap their energy too much, and their music was full throttle yesterday afternoon! If you just heard the songs without the banter in between, you'd assume the status quo, and luckily, they've consistently impressed since their return last summer! Their set, though shorter than usual, did include popular originals like "Everything Terrible", "One Less Than Wayne Gretzky", and "Rise Above", along with their "Stay Together For The Kids" cover and an untitled new original that shows some promise! I can't complain too much about the band's individual performance (aside from my hopes they'll include guitar solos at some point), but I will say that Justin Pregent's rapport with the crowd is definitely getting a lot better and funnier, and the band as a whole continues to deliver very heavy and catchy metalcore that deserves the fanbase they've attained!

The next band was supposed to be Desbarats death metal quintet For All That Is Lost, but they did not show up to the show yesterday. As such, the other bands all got slightly extended sets. I haven't heard why they didn't make the trip to The Rosie yesterday, and at last word, neither did promoters, judging by the most recent post on the band's Facebook page. I won't pass judgement yet on their absence, as I haven't officially heard why they couldn't make it yet, but I will say it isn't right to no-show without any advance word, which promoters did not appear to have.

So instead, The Bear Hunters were next, and if you were in the mood for death metal, they had more than enough for you guys! Unleashing a set full of originals like "Dominate", "Karma", and fittingly (given the temperature) "Collapse The Sun", The Bear Hunters also delivered a brutal set that was improved from their last set with the current lineup that I saw! Josh Stephney's now ingrained himself as a full fledged Bear Hunter with the talent to boot, and the rest of the band was on form, though I have to ask why Johnny Belanger had beer bottle labels stuck to his face? Covers also returned to their main set, including Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard" and "Master of Puppets" with Dismembertainment's Rich Moreland guesting on vocals again, both of which pleased the crowd! I think Nik Deubel's microphone was a bit low, but that's my only real issue with their set, which packed a concise amount of death metal in with few issues, and we moshed and rocked out easily! Can't wait to see them again!

Then we came to the out of town headlining bands, and first, we had Ottawa blackened death metal quintet Immersed! They didn't really look like a death metal band, but they sure sounded like it, and they proceeded to melt all of our faces! Mark Phillips surprised me with his ability to flip a vocal switch from black metal shrieks to death metal growls throughout their set, and his energy level was really high as well, even singing WHILE headbanging at parts! Aaron Homma and Steph Meloche's guitar work was shredtastic, very heavy, and thanks to Aaron's various facial expressions, had the necessary intensity level! Matt Milford's bass work was impressive too, though he was kinda hidden on the side, and Stef Kushneriuk? Wow, he was fast on the drums, they should give him some drum solo time! Their set felt short, but mark my words: They may have stolen the show from Fatality with their brutal and extreme set of black/death metal originals, and I'm sure fans left the show last night ready to hear much more from Immersed!

And of course, headlining was Toronto thrash quartet Fatality, for what was sure to be a thrashtastic ending to this brutal (yet hot) metal show! They delivered on that promise with lots of fast, intense, and well played original songs that were sure to excite any thrash metal fan in attendance, myself included! I admitted not being high on Spencer LeVon's vocals going in, but that was based on the studio songs. Live, his voice was rawer and had more of an edge, so I actually preferred his singing live, and he sounded a bit like if Bon Scott fronted a thrash band! He and Eytan Gordan also kept things very heavy on the guitar, with bassist Adam Zlotnik and drummer Andrew Suarez keeping up exceptionally on each song! It was an old school thrash assault, fueled with alcohol, and it produced some big pits and lots of great speed metal goodness! I really enjoyed how they got the whole crowd chanting on "T.F.E.S.", good sign! Awesome conclusion to the night, and it's proof that we need more thrash locally, cause Fatality brought it and brought it hard and fast! If you weren't there, you missed out!

Great concert, though the heat kinda sapped my energy, and the crowd could have been bigger. Hopefully it will be next time out, cause Rich Moreland is doing awesome work booking all these metal shows! Still sucks that F.A.T.I.L. couldn't make it, hopefully they'll be back up here in some form sooner or later! I did get lots of photos (100, to be exact), and you can check them out at this location or our Facebook page! And yes, I got videos of each band, so here's As It Stands' cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids", The Bear Hunters' original "Render This Void", Immersed's song "Transparent Monstrosities", and Fatality thrashing us with their song "Uncivilization"!









That's all for now, but our next post will have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for an Oddfellows Hall show and the complete Hempefest schedule, including some band changes, and maybe more! Stay tuned!

SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Changing Waves & That's Chester) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

So here's what's happened: The Titan's Eve concert review IS coming, but it's being postponed until tomorrow. Why? Because I have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to get to (short notice ones), and I can't put them off any longer. Not that I wanted to, but my computer RAM problems resumed yesterday afternoon, and I had to bring it back to Staples for further maintenance. I won't burden you guys with the technical side of things, but it's back home now and apparently is in working order once again.... one can only hope. So with new shows I can't disregard any further, I've opted to postpone the review to tomorrow so I can get weekend concert previews in, plus the new shows. Wthout any further adieu, here's two new shows, followed by previews of the other five shows through Saturday (the Fatality/Immersed preview will be this weekend due to the size of this post), and I sincerely apologize for the short notice and delays. I've been beyond annoyed, but hopefully it's behind us now...I hope!

(EDIT, 9:01 PM: It looks like the Gunz N' FN' Rosez concert scheduled for tonight has been moved to July 23rd. The Facebook event page proves it, though I should note that Rockstar Bar advertising originally plugged the show for tonight, July 7th, as indicated by this poster I saw at last month's Garden of Bedlam show. No reason was given for the postponement of the show, and my apologies for the now-incorrect announcement! I should note that this conflicts with the previously announced Half Past return concert that night, which I will have more on in our next news post!)

Firstly, it's the 23rd Roosevelt Hotel metal night taking place TONIGHT at where else? The Rosie! Announced on Tuesday, the lineup from May 26th's metal night will return tonight to rock out for local metalheads, including advertised headliners For All That Is Lost, who also return after a quiet June to deliver some Desbarats-bred devastation as we've grown to enjoy since their local debut in March! Joining them are local hardcore quartet Changing Waves, also returning from a month's absence to deliver a hard hitting set of originals and select covers! Nice to see them back out there, they'll be sure to start some mosh pits tonight! Rounding out the lineup, in their second straight Thursday nighter (and record 11th appearance overall) is As It Stands, who also have some well recieved and brutal metalcore to share with their wide fanbase tonight as well, including originals to be seen on their upcoming CD! As usual, everything starts after 9:30 PM, there is no cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit this location!

Sounds like a great show, though if you can't make it, you have more opportunities to see each band this weekend that we will get to as the post progresses! Hopefully you guys can make it out, and for a preview, here's For All That Is Lost playing their original "Graves of the Ancestors" at The Rosie in May!



Also for new shows, local classic hard rockers That's Chester are playing a rare non-Docks concert THIS SATURDAY at The Rockstar Bar! Aside from their Relay For Life set in June that never had immense public information for us to call it on here, this might be their first show at a venue other than Docks since 2010, so make note if you don't frequent Docks enough to see them! Now you may be asking yourself "What about Full Circle's weekend shows at The Rockstar Bar this weekend?" Well, as it turns out, they are still playing Friday, but the Saturday booking has instead been passed to That's Chester. Why? I have no clue, I assume there's an outside priority for a Full Circle member that night, but I'm not positive. So we'll get to the now-one night Full Circle concert later in the post, but on Saturday night, head to The Rockstar Bar to hear That's Chester deliver an entertaining set of classic hard rock covers like only they can! There will likely be a nominal cover charge of $5 or less, you must be 19 to attend, and it all starts at 10:30 PM. For more details, visit their Facebook page! Sounds fun, and it's nice to see That's Chester stepping out for a show at another venue again, though Docks is really nice! For a preview, here's That's Chester covering Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times" in March!



Now to the previously announced shows, and we'll start at The Verdi Hall, where a couple of metal bands will take the stage for a very good cause! In June, you may remember that the Shaule family residence on Placid Avenue was severely damaged in a fire of an undetermined cause. Now, friends of the family are holding a benefit event at The Verdi Hall tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM to raise money for the family. It's a great cause, and though no one was hurt in the fire, they deserve all the help they can get, so visit the official Facebook event page for current details! There will be a pizza dinner, alcoholic drinks available to 19+ attendees (it is an all ages event though), and donations are also being accepted to help the Shaules in this time of need. As for the concert aspect of it, As It Stands & Changing Waves will hit The Verdi Hall's stage one night after their Rosie metal night appearance to rock out for this great cause! It's awesome to see them helping the Shaules out, hopefully they help draw in some donations and attention! The lineup is rounded out by local solo artists Liisa Steinwedel, Taylor Emlaw, and Rayne Fisher. I'm not familiar with their work, but they should do just fine!

Admission is $15 in advance by contacting the people listed on the event page linked above, or you can buy limited tickets at the door for the same price. If you can't make it, you can donate cash for the cause, and the above links will give you guys more info. This sounds like an awesome benefit for the Shaule family, and hopefully lots of money is raised to help them cover their expenses after the fire! On a concert standpoint, it's odd talking about The Verdi Hall as a show venue, but Stillbroke did headline there in 2009, so there is precedent for it. No matter what though, this will be a great show, with metal to boot, so head down there and support the Shaules tomorrow night! For a preview, here's As It Stands playing "Rise Above" at The Rosie in May!



Also tomorrow night will be Caveman Morrison, who'll return to the stage after a month's break to rock Goulais River Community Day! The metal cover trio and their new lineup will hit the Goulais Community Rink tomorrow night at 9:00 PM for a set full of hard rock and metal classics that they've become known for locally! Details are kinda scarce for the community day itself, but it's a family friendly event with activities, games, food, and fireworks, and so on. Sounds like fun, and there's something for us metalheads to like amongst it all! Tym, Jacques, and Willie will play at 9:00 PM tomorrow night at the rink, there's no announced cover charge, and again, it looks to be all ages. For more details, visit the Facebook event page! Nice to see Caveman Morrison back out there, they should rock the rink down with their take on metal and hard rock hits, though hopefully some more bookings in the Soo itself pop up soon as well! For a preview, here's Caveman Morrison playing their cover of Living Colour's "Cult Of Personality" in October! (Also, on the topic of Tym Morrison projects, I have not heard if he'll be at Service Grill Pizza tomorrow for a solo show. I'll let you guys know if I hear anything!)



And now, here's the Full Circle preview for tomorrow night! We touched on this when we announced the That's Chester show on Saturday, but here's the rundown. When they were still Turner Up, the band announced a weekend set at The Rockstar Bar for this weekend (tomorrow night & Saturday night) on their old Facebook group. However, it came to light within the last week that the now-renamed Full Circle's concert weekend was halved, with That's Chester playing a rare non-Docks show on Saturday night instead. Again, I'm not sure why the half-switch was made, though I assume a Full Circle member has prior engagements on Saturday. So if you want to see Full Circle's awesome take on classic hard rock covers, you'll have to be at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow night only! They're a very talented band and they have lots of great covers in store, so head down there to check them out! Usual show details, a likely $5-ish cover, 19+ age limit, 10:30 PM-ish start time. For more details, check the official Facebook event page! Nice to see them back at The Rockstar Bar, in what's actually their first show there under their new name, though hopefully this one show weekend thing isn't permanent! Stay tuned for more from Full Circle, especially where it concerns postable audio and video of them live!

We'll close tonight in Sault Michigan, where three shows are taking place to my knowledge of a hard rock vein, and first, Cheboygan hard rockers The Darwin Project are hitting the stage tomorrow night & Saturday night for a pair of shows that will be sure to rock their local fans! They'll hit The Corner Pub Bar & Grill for these shows, which will be their first in the Sault Michigan area since a stop in Rudyard in late May. Look for the guys to deliver a great weekend of hard rocking original songs just like they've used to propel themselves as a band to be watched in the Northern Michigan hard rock scene! Both shows have 9:30 PM start times, you must be 21 to attend either, and there's no advertised cover charge. Click here to check out the event pages of both of these local shows! Nice to see The Darwin Project back, they'll be sure to deliver a great weekend of hard rock originals at The Corner Pub this weekend! For a preview, here's The Darwin Project playing their original song "Back To Dust" in Gaylord in 2009!



And finally for today, Sault Michigan hard rockers River Witch are returning to The Cozy Corners Tavern & Grill in nearby Barbeau, Michigan on Saturday night! As we're getting used to, the band did not promote the show on their Facebook page, which hasn't been touched since April, but Cozy Corners' event listings mention the show, so there's good proof! Unlike their usual concert weekends, they are only playing Saturday, as tomorrow night is reserved for a concert by Florida duo Case & Davidson. Look for a solid set of hard rock covers from River Witch on Saturday night, though I wish I knew more and could tell you more about them and their sound. A 9:00 PM start time is listed for this show, you must be 21 to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details! Sounds good to me, but hopefully we hear more about what to expect at their shows at some point, especially from the band itself. Still, head out to Barbeau on Saturday night to rock out with River Witch!

That's all for today, but our next post WILL be our Titan's Eve concert review from Monday! I hope I have no more computer issues to wreck that or other plans, but if I do, I'll be honest and let you guys know about it! Stay tuned after that for our Fatality/Immersed concert preview, this week's classic video, and more news very soon, plus our Out Of The Mouth Of Babes profile on Sunday, and much more, pending no more computer failures! Thanks for all of your patience and understanding, we'll be back on track soon, hopefully!