Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Levitate & Necramyth

It's that time of the month again, as I give you the fourth monthly profiles of out of town bands that just happen to have a Saultite in their past or present lineup! Mostly positive feedback from this feature so far, and fingers crossed that you guys will like today's bands that I am profiling! We're leaping even further from home for these two bands, stretching to Prince Edward Island and South Korea for these bands, so let's kick off this month's profiles! And of course, if there's something incorrect, missing, or lacking info/details, please tell me! (UPDATED: November 26, 2013)
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Levitate (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; members not in their last lineup in italics)

Cory Murchison (vocals/guitar)
Brad Stevens (bass)
Chris Knox (drums)

UnsignedBandWeb page: http://unsignedbandweb.com/music/bands/1351/

Local Info: The only local member of Levitate was Cory Murchison, who you'll best know as the singer for local hard rock band Skeyes of Seven, and previously in the similar local band Sense of Truth! He lived out east in Charlottetown before moving here in the mid-late 2000s, and is now one of the more recognizable metal/hard rock frontmen in Sault Ontario. Of course, you'll likely remember Sense of Truth from numerous local concerts over the past 3 years, like winning the 2008 Battle of the Bands to open for the aborted Skid Row concert at Runway Park, backing up notable bands like State of Shock, Ultraviolence, and Econoline Crush, and for their finals appearance at December 2009's Kiss Battle of the Bands, while Skeyes of Seven have been hard at work since with a pair of major concerts and some studio work, so keep an eye out for more from them!

Band Bio: Levitate were active in the Charlottetown scene in the mid-2000s, looks like 2004 was their peak year of activity. There isn't a whole lot concerning Levitate's biography or band history online, but I can tell you that the whole band's still active in music! Cory's working on a new band, while bassist Brad Stevens has since moved to Halifax, where he's played bass for area rock bands Stone Mary and Danny Mainstreet! Chris Knox is still in P.E.I., where he's played drums for bands like Seventh Stone. None of their bands are really "metal", but there's some great stuff there, so check them out if you want!

How do Levitate sound? Not bad, they have a nice groove and the band sounds like they had great chemistry! Cory sounds good vocally, his tone and style hasn't changed since 2004, but that's not a bad thing! I think he's a stronger singer now, but his Levitate singing worked very well! Nice guitar work too, I think his guitar playing is a bit underrated! They have two songs online: "Waiting For You" is catchy, I like Chris' drumming, and the riff is cool, though the abrupt ending threw me off guard. "With These Eyes" is cool too, it makes nice work of effects to start the song! It's a slower longer song than "Waiting For You", gives more of an introspective side than I expected! It has heavy choruses, though still slower, they mold pretty well! Good quality too, and if you're looking for similar material to Cory's local projects, maybe Levitate will tide you over! For more, check out their song "Waiting For You" below!


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Necramyth (Seoul, South Korea)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; members not in their last lineup in italics)

Pedro "Urlok" Chae (vocals/guitar)
Herlock (guitar)
Johan (bass)
David "Veillko" Gold (drums)

Blackheim (guitar)
Opposer (bass)
Jin Rock (drums)
NiavEvarc (session guitar)
Lee Woong-Beom (session drums)

MySpace page: http://myspace.com/necramyth
Last.FM page: http://last.fm/music/necramyth
Spirit of Metal page: http://spirit-of-metal.com/groupe-groupe-Necramyth-l-en.html

Local Info: Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold was well known for his many appearances as drummer in external projects, and one of the most prominent was Necramyth! Alongside bands like Gates of Winter, Thrawsunblat, and Will of the Ancients, David's most exotically located was Necramyth, who were based out of Seoul, South Korea. David joined Necramyth during a one year stay there as an English instructor from 2007-2008, and his appreciation of the area never faltered, from the release of Necramyth's last album through his old Practical Art Records label to his planned South Korea metal documentary, which was never completed before his sudden death in December 2011.

Band Bio: Necramyth were founded in 2001, and released two albums prior to David's union with the band. Numerous lineup changes impacted Necramyth, with only frontman Pedro "Urlok" Chae a constant presence. David joined Necramyth in 2007, I think he replaced "Jin Rock" as the band's official drummer. With Necramyth, he took the stage name "Veillko" once again, as he used while in Will of the Ancients. David drummed with Necramyth for a number of shows during his time in the Far East, and it's from that time when he and the band began recording their last studio album, "Slaughter of the Seoul"! It was released in December 2009, initially as the bonus disc with copies of Woods of Ypres' "Woods IV: The Green Album". The band split up around that time when Urlok left, but you can now purchase their last album online, prominently on iTunes, and Urlok now fronts the Spanish metal band Embloodyment.

Brutal band, Necramyth were, and if you like death and thrash metal, you'll wanna check them out! Urlok has some great death growls, the guitar is awesome and definitely moshworthy! Bass is good too, and David was as good as always on drums, so no complaints drumwise! They're one of those bands that will rip your face off with their heaviness, and it's a shame they could never come here for a show! You guys should take notice, so check Necramyth out if you want some very heavy death metal! Nice melodies too, more or less, it's well played and you can tell there's skill here and not just loud music! Check out more from Necramyth at this location, and here's a live clip of Necramyth (with David) playing their song "Ravenouz Ritual" from a show in October 2007!


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And so ends this month's profiles of two more out of town bands with local representation! Next month's profile post will likely be nearer to the end of the month, I'm shooting for May 18-24th. What bands will I feature? I plan to profile Port Colborne, Ontario's Human Disorder (featuring Saultites Jason Taillefer and Joe LaVergne from Phatstick) and Lansing, Michigan's Summon (featuring local drummer Mikey Bishop!) Stay tuned for that, and much more on The Sault Metal Scene, including tomorrow's review of tonight's Garden of Bedlam fundraiser, the FM radio poll's results, the new SMS poll, and more!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Caveman Morrison), Rockstar Bar Updates, Woods IV Info, And More!!!

Greetings everyone! Let's kick this post off with, you guessed it, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

It's been a long time coming for me to hear about shows from this band, but it's great to see! Caveman Morrison are back on the live scene! They'll be playing at the newly opened Rockstar Bar (located at The Algonquin Hotel) on December 11th and 12th! I presume both shows begin at 10:00 PM, no cover charge has been announced yet. These are the first Caveman shows I've been able to report on the SMS since their return, and not a moment too soon! As you may remember, Caveman Morrison are the metal cover band fronted by Tym Morrison, who you can catch at some local venues with his acoustic solo sets (including shows this weekend!) These will be the bands' first local shows (to my knowledge) in four months!

I haven't seen these guys in like, forever! Pencil me in as an attendee, I can't pass this up! Also will be nice to check out The Rockstar Bar, it sounds like a nice venue! Get more details on these shows at the Facebook event page! Also, a lineup change for Caveman Morrison, bassist Ryan Disano (ex-Time of Ruin) has left the band, and has been replaced at that position by Rick White, who you may also recognize as guitarist for bands like Frightlight and Fitswitch! For more up-to-date details on Caveman Morrison, visit their official Facebook group, or their official website!

Before I completely drift away from Rockstar Bar talk, their official website has been updated with more upcoming shows, and there's a couple things potentially worth mentioning. It lists a Boxing Day show featuring local hard rockers Half Past. The band has not confirmed this yet, so I won't call it as a concert yet. If confirmed, it will be their first show since Halloween at Coch's Corner, but let's wait for additional word. Also, a show called "Rock of Ages" is scheduled there on December 18th. All it says on the site is it will feature 3 bands playing the best of music from the 60s to 80s. No metal implications there, but if I hear any exciting word from that show either, I'll let you guys know! Either way, great to see them putting the "rock" in "Rockstar Bar"!

Next up, I believe copies of the new Woods of Ypres CD, "Woods IV: The Green Album" should be showing up in your mailboxes today! How do I know this? Because mine came in today!!!! The jewel case was cracked when I opened the package, I guess the bubble wrap failed in protecting it's metalness! No matter, I just swapped a new jewel case and all is well! First thoughts? Well, I'm actually surprised that the Necramyth CD, "Slaughter of the Seoul", was part of the overall packaging, I figured it'd come in a separate jewel case or in a different sleeve. But hey, having both combined outlines the specialness of it! Production quality is really high, especially on the CD labels! And kudos for including lyrics, now I can sing along without sounding like a tool!

Everything looks great, and on first listen, everything sounds great too! I won't talk too much about songs yet (leave that for the December 1st review), but I will confirm this: "Track 17" from Stereo Soul Studios' official website is actually track 15, "My Long Life, In The 'Limbo Union'"! As for the Necramyth bonus CD, I won't give a full review, but I'll share with you guys my thoughts and what to expect. Expect some really brutal death metal with hints of black metal! David Gold pounds the blast beats effectively, and aside from the intro track, it's one brutal relentless assault! Great freebie! Well played and perfect to mosh to! It'd be great to see Necramyth here if it were possible! Get the pre-order with the bonus disc while you still can, it's a good deal!

What to talk about next...oh yeah, Battle of the Bands updates! Just got some clarification on some things we haven't heard yet! The prizes have been announced, and the winning band will recieve $300 and the opportunity to open for Sault natives The Inner City Surfers (featuring Lion Ride frontman Mikey Hawdon on drums) at a show December 22nd, which will also be at The Speakeasy! The second place band will recieve $200, and third place will win $100! The prize money comes from the entrance fees paid by competing bands, so you could win your money back, and then some! The remaining $100 is going to charity! Also, doors for the battle will open at 6:30 PM, and bands will get to play three songs! Remember, there won't be metal bands on the bill unless YOU apply, so get on that! The talent's there, you just have to send an entry in! It's in exactly two weeks, on December 1st, so keep that in mind!

And finally for today, I've found even better video from Friday's Ace Frehley concert! It comes courtesy of Duane Roy, who's uploaded video clips from recent local shows under the online handle "WawaDuane" that I've previously featured on here! The clip below is of Ace Frehley playing his biggest solo hit, "New York Groove", at the show, and the quality's excellent! Duane also let me know that on his YouTube channel, he has a new video up from his trip to see Metallica in Grand Rapids! Also, Duane told me about a book he's written, entitled "Castle Stories: A Rock n' Roll Scrapbook", which documents concerts and the photos of them from concerts at the old Castle Farms in Charlevoix, Michigan! I know my uncle went there to see Ozzy Osbourne back in the day, I bet it's a great read! Thanks to Duane Roy for all this cool info, click the links above for more info, and here's his video of the Ace Frehley concert!



That's all for today, tomorrow I will unveil next month's new poll, and the results from this month's poll! If you think about stuff going on here in December, it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out the general theme! More news to come too, I'm gonna listen to "The Green Album", I'll see you guys tomorrow!

Battle Of The Bands, Woods Of Ypres, Shift, And Brendan Christie Updates!

Hey guys, more news to share with everyone today, and let us begin with this: Attention local bands and band members! Here's what you need to know so far about the Battle of the Bands next month!

Erin Lemke from The Algoma University Students' Union has revealed more details about the Battle of the Bands to take place at The Speakeasy on December 1st, which is two weeks from tomorrow! First of all, how can you enter your band? Well, as I said yesterday, your band must be locally based and have some recorded material. The band entrance fee is $100, which does sound steep, but it's to ensure bands will participate and not pull out. Besides, it's for United Way charities, and this could be a big opportunity, so I guess it depends on if you have the cash and are willing to pay it. Fees won't have to be paid until after the final bands are chosen.

There are only spots open for SEVEN bands, so get your entries in while you can! To enter your band for consideration for the battle, e-mail Erin at elemke@algomau.ca this information: Your band's name, the names of the band members, contact information (including at least one e-mail address & phone number), your genre of music, an internet link to check out your music/videos, length of time playing together, whether you're a local band or not, any potential sound requirements, if you're prepared to pay the entrance fee, and why you want to enter the battle!

The battle will take place December 1st at 7:00 PM, with entered bands to show up early for set up. Tickets will be $7 for Algoma University students with a student card, and $10 for anyone else. No word yet on prizes or if the battle's all ages or not, I'll keep you guys posted! Also, judge Dustin Jones pulled out due to concert obligations with The Rising Tide, a replacement is to be announced. Get full details as they come in for this battle at this location, and remember to e-mail elemke@algomau.ca for questions and battle entries! Band announcements may come by this weekend, and I've seen interest from Bring The Fallen & Dirty Virgin members on Facebook, which is a potentially good sign!

Next up, more updates from Woods of Ypres, concerning their new release, Woods IV: The Green Album! A pair of online stores are now selling the album, and lucky for those of you that didn't pre-order, not only is it cheaper there than the initial pre-orders were, but it also includes the special bonus disc! And thanks to these online sellers, I can now confirm that the bonus disc is......."Slaughter of the Seoul", the new album from South Korean death metal band Necramyth, who Woods frontman David Gold drummed for during the recording of the album! I assumed it'd be an album of Woods of Ypres live tracks or a compilation of some sort, but this works, it's a good freebie! I likely won't review it in December (it isn't technically a "local" album), but Necramyth are brutal as hell, and death metal fans won't want to ignore them! Also, "Slaughter of the Seoul" and "The Green Album" share more than just similar album art, the online sales sites state that Necramyth's new album "actually tied into the 'The Green Album' conceptually and artistically." So there you go!

Now that the cat's out of the bag in terms of the bonus disc, here's how you can buy the album online if you haven't already! Visit here to buy the album from Century Media Records, and here to buy it from The End Records! From The End Records, it's $15.99, but it's just $14.11 right now from Century Media, so that might be your best option to getting "The Green Album", but either way, you're saving cash! More details on the CD's release to come, including likely more reviews, when it will be available in Sault-area stores, and my thoughts on the album before my official review on December 1st! And before anyone asks, I AM NOT linking to torrents of it, if any are online. Support the band and actually BUY the album, for god's sake!

And finally, two quick updates from some local metal performers. First, have you noticed a lack of news from Sault Michigan hard rockers Shift this month? Well, there's a very good reason for that! Shift frontwoman Amy Beairl and husband/guitarist Joey are expecting another baby, which is due in March! So the band are currently on hiatus, but hope to be back to play Pigfest in Ishpeming next June! They have mentioned this on their MySpace page, so there's my source. Congratulations to Amy and Joey on the upcoming arrival! Also, Sault Ontario solo artist Brendan Christie has uploaded some new songs to his official MySpace page! Check out the newest ones at this location, the new songs are the ones with the lowest viewcount. I'm really digging "Road To Insanity", I can't wait to hear what's up Brendan's sleeve next!

That's all for today! What's coming up on The Sault Metal Scene? Well, there will be a new poll (and results of the current poll) at some point Wednesday, as well as more upcoming news on the Battle of the Bands, "The Green Album", and a likely review of this Saturday's Tym Morrison concert! Stay tuned for more!