LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Gorod & The Motherf*ckers), Plus The Latest From Mike Haggith & The Din!!

A new month is upon us, but first, we have an apology to note regarding a missed concert this past weekend, as hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison played his first ever public concert at Centro Sports Bar (formerly Chilly Willy's) at The John Rhodes Centre this past Saturday as part of the pub night during the Charity Hockey Classic there for the ARCH Hospice. As best as we can tell, it was a public event, but Tym never plugged the show publically that we found. Still, our apologies for missing it, we'd have plugged it had we known! Now, today's stacked post features LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, an upcoming new album of sorts, and more, so here's what you should know!

Local concert promoter J.D. Pearce (in association with Tidal Records) is back for his first non-battle of the bands concerts of 2016, with the first seeing French progressive death metal band Gorod headlining at The Algonquin Pub on Friday, April 15th! The second metal band from France in as many years to rock the Soo (following Benighted last spring), Gorod's brutal technical sound and intense stage presence should leave a strong impression on local metalheads next month, so don't miss this late stop on their Canadian tour! Montreal theatrical death metal outfit Bookakee (who memorably opened for Benighted last year) will join Gorod next month for another set that will surely entertain and maybe even shock fans once again, so check them out as well! Local support will come via punk/metal quintet Jack Spades (in their first show of the year outside of battles of the bands), while the reunited Winkstinger will open the proceedings, and we'll let you know when more comes out on the extreme metal veterans' new lineup!

Note that fellow Montreal metal band Beyond Creation are advertised for only select dates on this tour, those all being in Eastern Canada. This show takes place on April 15th at The Algonquin Pub (not Algonquin College in Ottawa, that's a typo), and there's a 10:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and $10 cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see this long-teased concert finally confirmed, and kudos to J.D. for getting this one booked, so keep it in mind for a blast of death metal come mid-April!

J.D. isn't done though, as he's also got something for punk fans next month, with a headlining concert on Saturday, April 30th at The Algonquin Pub featuring Calgary hardcore punk quartet The Motherfuckers! That's their name, don't shoot the messenger! Veterans of the Canadian punk scene dating back to 1998, The Motherfuckers' explosive blend of fast-paced punk should be just what the doctor ordered as we get back into the swing of regular original concerts over the spring, so if you want some live punk rock, be at The Gonq at the end of next month during this stop on their Classless Society Tour! The aforementioned Jack Spades will open this concert as well, but at least one more band is to be announced, so stay tuned for updates on that front. Like for the Gorod show, this is a 19+ affair with a 10:00 PM start time, but the cover charge for this one is just $5. Sounds like a fun blast of old school punk, so check the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more on both shows!

We'll close today with new videos, all concerning local hard/alternative rock musician Mike Haggith's active projects! In the last few days, Mike has posted two new studio versions of his solo original songs "Limb Coast" and, as embedded below, "Room 822" onto his YouTube channel, which are both planned to go towards "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited", a completely re-recorded version of his 2012 CD "Neighbourhood Watch", which I believe Mike had talked about doing in the past. On these new copies, Mike is joined by Din bandmate Brandan Glew on drums, as well as former guitarist Curtis McKenzie (nice to see them working together again!), so if you miss the 2015 version of The Din, pay extra attention here. Pending a possible review of the re-recorded album, I won't review the 2016 versions here, but in terms of the differences between versions, the new songs are longer, have better production, but otherwise are similar in structure. We'll let you know when more comes out on the re-recordings, but give Mike's first two "Neighbourhood Watch" re-recordings a listen below!



Finally, here's the latest from the aforementioned The Din, whose second installment of their "Cover of the Month" video series was posted online yesterday! Uploaded to The Din's YouTube channel yesterday, this is of the alternative hard rock trio covering The Barenaked Ladies' "The Old Apartment", complete with Mike & Brandan re-enacting the spoken word intro of the original song to kick things off (albeit with a "mic drop" for good measure.) Well recorded and filmed, fans of Mike's band work should enjoy this cover, so give it a look below, and don't miss The Din at next week's battles of the bands on Wednesday & Thursday!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post and weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Mike Haggith - "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends" Review!!

Today at the SMS, it's a good time to post our 52nd monthly CD review, as this month, we're looking at Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's newest solo album "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends"! A sequel to October 2012's "Neighbourhood Watch", this is considered Mike's 47th solo album, and though it follows "The Present Din" from May of this year, I've picked "Neighbourhood Watch II" for our next review of Mike's solo work as it's heavier in tone. Independently released on September 24th, the album was recorded this year at Galactic Records in Windsor, with vocals recorded locally at PaperClip Productions, and Mike provides lead vocals and all instruments & programming on the included tracks. "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends" can be bought for $5 via Mike's Bandcamp & Reverbnation pages (with Reverbnation also allowing individual song buys for 99¢), while a physical release is also planned. Each song title below is linked to the official YouTube copy of it, so stream the tracks there, but please buy the album to support Mike's work! With 11 tracks clocking in at about 40 minutes in length, let's begin this review with the first track!

The album begins with "Grace", which opens with an orchestral piano stretch that sets an interesting tone, before Mike's singing kicks in after a minute or so, which come across as a bit higher and more emotional than on some of his recent original songs. Well composed, the song honestly goes by quicker than I expected, and given that it's got more of an ethereal quality than anything, it's an interesting choice to lead off the CD. It's not heavy, but it does what it's supposed to, and you can feel the passion in it overall! Second is "Miss 76", which shares more audio comparisons with Mike's recent solo work with lower vocals and guitar/drum implementing, but there's still at an atmospheric quality to some of the effects. This might be incorrect to it's intent, but I'm getting a Doors vibe out of this track thanks to the structure, especially early. The acoustic guitar and build-up of energy late is a nice contrast, but it seems to come too late, and the song ends just as it's really sparking. Solid overall though, and I like the expansion of influences Mike's using early!

"All Alone" comes in next, which opens with a very orchestral keyboard intro for most of the first minute before other instruments kick in, including low softer vocals and a nice deliberate drum pacing. There's a clear emotion through Mike's singing here, which really drives the track compared to the backing instrumentation. The effects late are interesting, but again, it seems to end abruptly, almost like a higher tempo ending was on it's way but cut short. Well done, and I like the darker tone, but like it's preceding tracks, it went by too quickly. I will note that it does lead right into a short fourth song named "Silent Pleasure", which continues with the instrumental effects that "All Alone" ended with, but why not just formally combine the two tracks? The effects (which almost sounded like parts of other songs rewound) are cool, but as it's own 57 second track, it doesn't stand alone well.

The fifth song is "Lacking Common Sense", which has the hardest rocking intro yet (albeit slow paced), but it continues with the trend of devoting the first minute to instrumental work before vocals kick in. The verses are much softer with effects put on Mike's clean vocals, but oddly, there's almost no chorus singing. The heaviest song on "Where It Ends" so far, I like the fuller sound that gives more of the illusion of a full band, and Mike's guitar playing is strong, but like before, it goes by too fast.

A 66 second instrumental named "Fourth Floor, Centre" follows it on the disc, which is a rather beautiful sounding orchestral composition that builds nicely into a grand and heavy number late before fading towards it's end. Like "Silent Pleasure", it connects perfectly with another track (this time, preceding track #7, "She Wanted To Be A Veterinarian"), but again, why not combine the two? On it's companion song, Mike returns to a softer rock style, but this song benefits from a longer length and the nice use of deliberate emotion and quality lyrics that Mike gives once again! If anything I wish "She Wanted To Be A Veterinarian" continued with the grand orchestral feelings of "Fourth Floor, Centre", but if you look at the two as a combined 5 minute song, you get some of Mike's best work so far on the CD! I just wish that the intro was more of a sign of things to come.

The promisingly titled "Wicked Midnight Ride" comes in next, and it continues with his well composed orchestral rock songs, but with a bit more of a bite compared to some of it's predecessors, and I like his chorus vocals and control here! His instrumental work is really solid here, especially for the backing orchestration and late piano work, and I have to say, this is probably my favourite of the songs so far. It's catchy, combines the orchestral influence and Mike's rock base really nicely, and aside from the abrupt ending, never gets dragged down. Not bad at all! Ninth is "Solitude", which definitely leads off feeling like it's title, with minimal instrumentation outside of the choruses, soft low singing, and affecting lyrics that give the song a downbeat feeling. Mike's keyboard parts are the star of the show on this track, and he really adds to the mood with them, and the song definitely succeeds at it's aims, so give "Solitude" extra attention if you like Mike's softer and more intimate originals! Fans of the heavier stuff might not be as enthusiastic though.

The album's penultimate song is "When The Rope Breaks", a longer track that expands on earlier symphonic and paino sounds while deftly flowing that into another softer vocal performance that, while reserved and somewhat minimalistic, isn't done badly at all. If anything, the choruses' added intensity seems a bit forced here, and the song might be a touch too long, but like on earlier songs of this emotional level, it does what it's supposed to very well! I just find it drags a bit, but I can't question Mike's instrumental talents here! The album closes with "Goodbye", which is the longest overall at 7:30 in length. Opening with backing chorus-esque vocals, it's similar to "When The Rope Breaks", albeit a bit more lively and with more of a piano base. It never feels overly long and is nicely varied to include the general influences of the album, and it gives a nice bookend to the album by closing softly like it began. Of course, a heavier element to this song wouldn't come amiss, but Mike's symphonic compositions helped give this song a nice ambiance to close with!

So, what's my final verdict on Mike Haggith's newest solo album? I liked it overall, and as a supporter of orchestral and symphonic elements in rock/metal music, I was pleased to see more of that on a local album release, but I'm not sure if it's better than some of his other recent solo work. Mike's individual instrumental abilities are not in question, and his vocals fit the mood of the songs well, and even though the album isn't as hard rock based as some of his previous albums, songs like "Wicked Midnight Ride" and "Lacking Common Sense" cover that angle! The production's good too, but how does it compare to the first "Neighbourhood Watch" from last year? I'd say it's not as dark, but it feels grander and more majestic, but whether that's better or not is up to you. (I will note that many of the songs on the sequel album were dropped from the original also.) I would have liked to have seen harder rocking songs to match with the orchestral elements, and many songs (especially early) went by too quickly or ended abruptly, and I still wonder why "Silent Pleasure" and "Fourth Floor, Centre" were broke from their companion tracks.

Overall though, "Neighbourhood Watch II" is an interesting variance from the norm for Mike Haggith, and while it's not the heaviest album he's ever made, the symphonics and keyboard work gives it a unique flavour that should find it's own audience, and it's well performed on the whole! Pick it up at the above links! Now, what CD are we reviewing on the site in November? In all likelihood, it will be Dafter, Michigan hard rock solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's newest album "Cracks In The Wall", which is scheduled for a Halloween release, but that depends on it coming out on schedule. If it gets delayed past mid-November, we'll likely review an archive album of some kind, likely one from Candle Hour, Detroit, Facedown, Foothill Road, RedD Monkey, or Sykotyk Rampage (barring any acquisitions of hard rock/metal albums that I don't currently have), but that'd only be if there's a delay for "Cracks In The Wall". Keep an eye out either way, and stay tuned for more news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Mike Haggith's Newest Album, Pillory Lineup Updates, And New Song Uploads!!

As September slowly winds down, we have more news to get to today, so what's in store? New songs from two very different (but death metal-based) Sault Ontario projects, lineup changes from a local thrash band, and leading things off, a new local hard rock album release (and the identity of our next CD review), so read on below to get up to speed!

Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's 47th & newest solo album is now officially on sale! Yes, "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends" is now available for purchase digitally on Mike's Bandcamp & Reverbnation pages for just $5, which is nice and affordable! A physical pressing is also planned, and if you just want to buy individual songs, they're 99¢ on Reverbnation, but the full album is by far a better deal. All of this was released last Monday, along with the final album artwork that better reflects the "Neighbourhood Watch" aspect of the title (Mike's watch sure has escalated!), and as a result, Mike also deleted & re-uploaded the free YouTube copy of the album to add the new artwork. With the album now on sale, I will now confirm that "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends" will be our next CD review at The Sault Metal Scene! I chose it over it's predecessor "The Present Din" by virtue of it being heavier, but "The Present Din" remains a review possibility for next year, perhaps if "The Tower" is lighter. Support Mike's diverse alternative hard rock solo material by picking up or streaming "Neighbourhood Watch II" at the above links, and stay tuned for our review hopefully in early October!

Next up, here's the latest lineup news from Sault Ontario thrashers Pillory! First, they've added guitarist Josh Amendola (a.k.a. Jack Parsons) to their lineup, in place of the late Andres Duchesne. A formal statement hasn't been made about his addition, but he's had the Pillory logo on his personal Facebook page since May, and he's quietly been added to their Facebook lineup too. I'm not familiar with Josh as a musician, but I'm very curious to hear how he does live! On the flipside, the band have parted ways with bassist Cole Royal, and they are currently looking for a replacement. This was announced by drummer Bret Shuttleworth on their Facebook page on September 19th, and though a reason for Cole's departure hasn't been announced, he didn't play at their partial return set at Grinded Live In Your Ears last month. Disappointing that he left, especially after only a few months, but best of luck to Cole in the future! The band are hoping to find a bassist who's dedicated, interested in their music, and seriously wants to jam, so if you're interested, message the band at the above links or through members' personal Facebook pages, and stay tuned for more as it comes in!

We'll close today's post with new song uploads, starting with a metallized cover by Bear Hunters/Suicide Kings guitarist Mitch Sirie! Uploaded to his solo project The Sorrow Fields' YouTube channel on Thursday, this is a death metal cover of Billy Talent's "Devil In A Midnight Mass", which he recorded as a way to get reacquainted with recording for The Sorrow Fields' first album. Featuring Mitch on vocals & all instruments (plus programmed drums), he may re-record this due to clarity issues, but it's a definite improvement on the original to me! I've never been high on Billy Talent, so there's admittedly a bias there, but it has a punk edged brutality that works well, so give Mitch's first cover upload a listen below!



Finally for today, new local goregrind project Rotopsy (formerly Spitneck) have had two songs from their upcoming three-way split demo from Blood Shed Productions uploaded to the label's YouTube channel yesterday! Entitled "Transfusion of a Reverse Rectaloctopathy" and (as embedded below) "Let Us Rot", the descriptions finally tell us more on the project, which is indeed another band from label head Ringsnaps Gibson (on bass & programming), with new collaborator Dylan Taylor on lead vocals. If you throw The Fury & Crucify The Whore in a blender, and this would probably be what results, and though the vocals are unintelligible and almost sound like random coughs and grunts, but the music's well programmed. Give Rotopsy's newest songs a look above & below!



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

More Flooding At The Canadian Nightclub, Plus New Material From Mike Haggith & No Arrow!!

Before we preview this weekend's metal & hard rock concerts, we have a new news post that's half good news and half bad. The good news comes from new song postings (including from a brand new album), but we'll start with bad news, as a local concert spot got hit hard by recent inclement weather once again, so read on below for what you should know!

Pim Street bar/concert venue The Canadian Nightclub has been hit by major flooding once again, thanks to the local rainstorm on Monday night. This is deja vu for sure, as The Canadian was flooded under very similar circumstances in July 2011, so while there isn't as much shock value given that this happened before, it's still very disappointing knowing that they'll be closed and employees will be out of work for an indefinite time period (for reference, the 2011 flooding led to 7 weeks of renovations before it's return.) In fact, The Canadian just re-opened after cosmetic renovations on August 1st, so this is weird timing for a flood to cause more work to be done. The Canadian's Jay Perron shared photos of the new damage with SooToday via this article, and the flood waters look comparable to what happened 2 years ago, but like then, I'm not in the position to estimate damages or cost of anything. Despite being on the hill, The Canadian's not in a great spot in terms of flood risk, but I hope they can bounce back from this stronger than ever, as it's a nice venue with friendly staff, and if they can overcome this once, they can do it again!

As a result, all events at The Canadian through early October will either be cancelled or relocated. If the renovations take 7 weeks again, it'd re-open in time for Halloween, but that's a personal guess & nothing else, as I don't know the extent of the coming work. In terms of announced SMS-coverable events there, the only one that's been affected by the flooding is the Ray Brown benefit/tribute concert that was scheduled for October 12th. Instead, it's been relocated from The Canadian to The Verdi Hall at 455 Queen Street West, and it's also been rescheduled to Friday, October 11th, as no local banquet halls are booking events that Saturday due to the Thanksgiving break. Nothing else has changed, so click here for all current details & for info on playing or donating prizes! I'll also note that according to Haggith's Facebook page, the Hydra's Teeth-headlined concert at The Algonquin Pub next Friday was indeed originally scheduled for The Canadian, but was moved for unknown reasons before the flooding ever happened. Stay tuned for updates on the flooding and any other related news as it comes in, and best of luck all around!

Now to some happier news, starting with Haggith drummer Mike Haggith' latest solo album, which is now available on his YouTube channel and Reverbnation page for free streaming! Like his last few solo releases, there has been changes between their last public updates and first full unveiling, so what's different? His 47th album has had the name "Where It Ends" demoted to a subtitle, and it's now called "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends", a reference and acknowledgement to his 2012 album that many songs originally were planned for. A new album cover is planned as well, and though it has yet to be unveiled, this was the original prototype. The album still has 11 songs, but the track order has been altered, and four songs have been replaced, with "Miss 76", "Lacking Common Sense" (formerly "Stalking Booze & The Raptor"), "Solitude", and "Goodbye" replacing "The Curse (of 13)", "Fading", and his covers of "The Man In Green" and "The Trip". No reason for the song changes was announced, but this is par for the course for his solo work, and the dropped songs could be on his next CD "The Tower".

Somewhat softer & more orchestral than the first "Neighbourhood Watch", a full paid release is planned for "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends" (including physical pressings), but details and information on that front is not yet out. If the paid release comes out in the next month or so, a solo Mike Haggith album will likely be our next CD review subject (either this or "The Present Din"), so keep an eye out, click here for more information, and visit this link for the whole YouTube playlist of the album! Embedded below is the first song, "Grace", and stay tuned for info on the full paid release!

Finally for today, here's a bunch of new audio uploads from defunct local grunge trio No Arrow! Ex-frontman Dann Pichette (who currently lives in Terrace Bay) recorded these at some point (with him on vocals & all instruments), but only just posted them on his YouTube channel on Saturday. The songs include originals named "Trial & Error", "System", "Rehashed Acid Reign", "Question Mark", "Far", and "Bleed Out", along with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire", so click each link to check them out! I saw Dann make references online to these being part of an "album", but like "Souls For Sale", it's never seen a full paid release. These are solid overall, and they fit with No Arrow's past and more prominent original work, so grunge/alternative fans should get a kick out of these songs! (Note that "Rehashed Acid Reign" is an extended instrumental composition that's hard to describe.) I think No Arrow are still very underrated, and given the grunge resurgence of the past year, it's a shame they're not around to capitalize on it! One of the better tracks "Trial & Error" has been embedded below, so give it a listen!



That's probably all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for at least some of this weekend's metal & hard rock concert previews! Thanks everyone!

Mike Haggith - "Neighbourhood Watch" Review!!

Well, it's time for our 42nd monthly CD review at the SMS, and as a bit of an early Christmas surprise, I have it earlier than recently usual for this month! With that said, it's our third straight new CD review from a Sault Ontario act, and this month, we're taking a look at Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's 45th solo album "Neighbourhood Watch"! Released on October 7th through Galactic Records (formerly Rotten Records), it's his first brand new studio release since January 2011's "Suspended Animation", and every song is written & composed by Mike (save for "The Day The Lights Went Out", which was written by Donald Costin-Southern.) Like most of his prior studio albums, Mike sings and plays all instruments on "Neighbourhood Watch", which has been through many delays and track listing changes since it's announcement last year, but it's out now, and for very affordable prices!

You can buy "Neighbourhood Watch" at this location for $4.50 (with individual tracks at 99¢ each), while physical copies can be obtained by contacting Mike directly on Facebook, but the full 7 track, 39 minute album can also be streamed on YouTube by clicking here, and each song below is linked to it's free YouTube posting. Let's kick off our second Mike Haggith solo CD review with the first song, "To Whom This May Concern"! It begins with a softer guitar opening with what sounds like keyboard integration, slowly building into a heavy groove about a minute in while maintaining a deliberate tone. Mike's early vocals are soft and low, though keeping with his deeper melody that has represented much of his solo songs, and there's good contrasts between the reserved verses and heavier choruses! Mike should up the vocal energy a bit on the choruses though to suit their aggression. I like the mood and tempo changes in this song, and his talent as a solo artist is clear, but I find this song to be fairly repetitive, without taking major risks or stylistic changes beyond the verse/chorus intensity. That aside, I like the track, and hopefully it sets the tone for songs to come!

Second is "Room 822", which leads off with an even softer and slower opening that almost calls to mind a country ballad, though like the first song, it builds slowly for instrumentation and intensity until all instruments are in play. Mike's singing is louder here, while fitting the song's tone a bit better. It's not as heavy, keeping with sort of a southern/country vibe throughout, which gives it a darker essence that works in it's favour, but the vocals seem oddly processed compared to the instruments. "Room 822" has some good downbeat emotion and works for it's style, but it might have been tipped over the edge with heavier stretches.That's followed by "The Ballad of K2/K3", which starts somewhat suddenly compared to earlier tracks with a mid-tempo rock groove and melodic singing overtop, and it has a driving sort of feel, though it's not as soft as the title would suggest. I like the piano sections, which breaks apart the song at just the right times, as it doesn't have a whole lot of variance before or after. The harder rock stretches are appealing though, and Mike's guitar work is solid, so it's an effective track overall!

Song number 4 is "The Day The Lights Went Out", which leads off with a drum-heavy beat and low guitar melodies, and compared to earlier tracks. Mike's singing hits some new higher and ominous tones here which help add to this song's dark and weary feel early on, almost like lights really are going out! The drums make this song work especially, as they really drive things along early, but the latter stretch of the song doesn't work as well, as the added instrumentation makes things messier and not as catchy, but the piano ending caps it off nicely! Though not overly heavy, this is one of my favourite songs on "Neighbourhood Watch",  and it's very dark feel helps set it apart! Then we have the album's shortest track, "Limb Coast", which starts in a dreamlike fashion with it's rhythm and pace, with Mike almost talking over light guitar work, and it definitely puts you in sort of a trance-like mood! It works for what it's setting out to do, but it's too much of the same thing for it's length, and fans of Mike's heavier material probably won't take to "Limb Coast", though it's an interesting number for sure!

The album's penultimate song is "Leon the Janitor", who fans of the Haggith band may recognize from live concert appearances in recent months! Like the band that plays it nowadays, this song has a grungier feel than some prior tracks, with a melodic heavier riff and some higher vocals with a bit of an edge, but the vocals don't sound raw like they generally did previously. The last half of the song doesn't work on the same level though, with a more reserved and quiet tone overall, including a somewhat out of place piano ending, but it's a solid alternative rock number that should please fans of both Mike and the band Haggith! "Neighbourhood Watch" closes with it's (by far) longest song, appropriately titled "Far Too Long", which clocks in at over 9 minutes in length! Slow in pace and melody, it features some of Mike's best vocal work on the album, but the instrumentation is too minimal, and like the title, this is far too long. This would work better cut in half, especially as it's not widely varying minute to minute, but if you appreciate tracks like "Limb Coast", this should work better for your palates! I don't mind it, but it's too repetitive to sustain itself for this long.

So, what'd I think of  Mike Haggith's newest solo album? I liked it, but compared to "Suspended Animation", it is lagging in some areas. On the positive side, I appreciate the darker tone to much of "Neighbourhood Watch", and Mike continues to perform to his musical & vocal strengths, showing clear talent as a multi-instrumentalist! His deeper singing tends to be used effectively, and his guitar and keyboard abilities are as solid as ever, while he did contribute some really cool tracks like "To Whom This May Concern" and "The Day The Lights Went Out", so there's lots of validity here! Quality wise, it's an improvement too, with less buried instruments and less abrupt endings. However, I found a lot of this album to be repetitive (especially "Far Too Long"), and it could have used a few more solos than it has. As well, it also struck me as too short, and knowing all of the tracks that Mike axed from this album at varying points, it makes me wonder how much quality material didn't make the cut. Overall though, I like "Neighbourhood Watch", as it's another nicely varied and often dark slice of Mike's solo repertoire, and hopefully his next solo and band output builds on the good qualities of this album!

So, what CD review is coming to kick off 2013 with? I have no idea, especially as I have no verifiable new local metal/hard rock albums at access (aside from CDs by Mike Haggith's two local projects, as I'll push them to mid-2013 to avoid any biases.) In terms of new releases, check out our "Where Are The New Albums?" post from yesterday to get a hint as to what new local albums could be next, as you never know when those may come out! In terms of archive reviews (in the event nothing new comes out), I'm down to either Aftersight or Candle Hour's albums, Detroit's first EP, or Foothill Road's posthumous live disc, with Sykotyk Rampage archive reviews on hold due to their upcoming new albums, and Woods of Ypres on hold until the spring to avoid reviewing two of their CDs too close together. Note that this doesn't count albums I don't have in full (i.e. Infrastrate, As It Stands, Proposition 86 or Amethyst's cassettes, etc.), but never say never on those, as a good samaritan might be willing to help! No matter what we're reviewing next, look out for it in mid-late January, and stay tuned for more news and concert previews this week! Thanks everyone!

Another New Album Release, New Videos, And Much More!!

Happy Thanksgiving and/or Columbus Day, everyone! Hope you guys are enjoying the holiday (if you're off), and remember that if you're up for a punk show tonight, go see Dearly Beloved, local favourites Redundant, and a new local band named The Northern Tragedy (featuring at least one Changing Waves member) TONIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! No word on if the latter band are heavier or not, but if I hear anything, I'll let you guys know, and click here for show details! Now, today's post (which thankfully has no band breakups) does feature some assorted recent stories, new videos from a local guitarist, and leading off, another new album release, so here's what you need to know!

Just a day after our drought for new Sault Ontario metal/hard rock albums ended, another one is already out, but from a familiar recent source, as Haggith drummer Mike Haggith has finally released his newest solo album "Neighbourhood Watch"! Over 8 months after it's originally announced release date, Mike has finally released his 45th official solo album for fans to pick up & stream, following months of delays and external work with other projects, so what should you know? His first main solo album since his independent label Rotten Records became Galactic Records, the album's final track listing has been amended & pared down from it's last posted incarnation, with it now featuring (in order) "To Whom This May Concern", "Room 822", "The Ballad of K2-K3", "The Day The Lights Went Out" (returning from older track listings), "Limb Coast", "Leon The Janitor" (itself a recent Haggith live track), and a new addition named "Far Too Long". As a result, the songs "Door To My Mind", "Wicked Midnight Ride", "Fading", and his covers of Black Hole Suns material have been removed for unannounced reasons, but there's still 7 quality original songs to give a listen to!

The album can now be purchased in mp3 format for the low low price of $4.50 via Mike's store on his Reverbnation page, with individual tracks going for 99¢ and ringtones for $2.49, but note that you'll save almost $2.50 if you buy the whole album rather than the songs individually. Physical copies can be bought as well by contacting Mike directly at this location, but if you just wanna stream or preview this new material, then you're in luck, as Mike has posted the whole album (as one 38 minute audio file) on his YouTube channel! Mike has described "Neighbourhood Watch" as having a lighter and more of a jam/groove feel than his last solo album "Suspended Animation", but what are my thoughts? I won't say yet, as I plan on formally reviewing this album soon on the site hopefully by year's end! We already have his band Haggith's debut "Dragon Joy Ride" lined up for this month, so a "Neighbourhood Watch" review could be coming as soon as next month, pending other new releases. Either way, there's a lot of new stuff from Mike's local projects to check out, and it's great to see this album finally out, so support his new material by buying it at the above links, and here's the full new album to stream!



Next up, here's some notes on a YouTube channel from a young local guitarist! After Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust linked Facebook fans to a video of band members covering Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" with other students at a recent school performance, I found out that the video is one of many featuring and edited by Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy, who has posted numerous solo guitar covers to his YouTube channel since this summer (along with that Pink Floyd performance.) His channel features 19 solo guitar covers at present from various genres, ranging from Black Sabbath, System of a Down, and Drowning Pool to Bryan Adams, Gotye, and Lifehouse covers, including many songs that Ashes To Dust play in concert, so check the above links to see some or all of them! The editing and camera angles are nice on these videos, and Alex shows clear skill as a guitarist, and he keeps up well with the backing tracks when used!

I'm curious to hear Alex try some more heavier material, or maybe some original compositions, but Alex is a guitarist to keep an eye on, so check the above links for more, and here's his rendition of Three Days Grace's "Animal I Have Become"!




And finally, here's three more assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Sault Michigan hard rockers The Hubbard-Menard Band have quietly changed their name to 415E for unannounced reasons, though I'd assume the addition of bassist Jack Slater is partly related, as they're no longer just Hubbard & Menard. 415E is the name of both their independent studio & one of their original songs, so there's roots already there for the new moniker. I like it, but hopefully we'll hear some more news from them soon, and SMS links are now updated for the new name!
• Though public updates continue to be sporadic, and their live hiatus is now approaching 20 months, local old school hardcore quintet Destroilet are working on new original recordings right now, with a song named "Eternal Fire" being previewed via this raw video from drummer Matt Waples' personal Facebook page! The quality's not too clear, but there is something there, so check it out above (I can't embed it here) while we wait for more Destroilet updates!
• According to their Facebook page, local grimecore trio Shit Liver are looking to play a Halloween concert of some type, be it at an actual concert venue or elsewhere. If this goes as planned, it will be their first live concert in over 4 months, but if you can help them out, give them a shout at the above links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news shortly, including our latest Defunct Local Band Profile on Unleashed on Wednesday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril & Monkey's Uncle), Mike Haggith & Woods Of Ypres Updates, And More!!

Here's a blast of news for this Tuesday morning, including the latest on a local artist's next album, new reviews of a prominent local CD, and much more, but first, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as Kewadin Casino in Sault Michigan has updated their entertainment page to reflect new shows at The Rapids Lounge through the end of the year, which includes a handful of new hard rock shows! We'll get to those in a second, but also check the above links to find out new dates from area classic rock bands Aisle8, Bittermoon (with Monkey's Uncle alum Jim Belleau), and Crossroads, local indie acoustic duo Fallen Heroes, Oscoda classic rockers Grounded, and local country artist Paul Perry. Nothing overly heavy there, but there's plenty of talent present, so keep those bands in mind this year at Kewadin, along with the 9 weekends that are currently open that could be filled. Also, note that most of these bands (including the two hard rock acts) have upcoming dates at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace this year as well that you guys might be hearing more about this summer... stay tuned! Now, to the new metal shows at The Rapids Lounge!

In chronological order, we'll start with the latest local dates from Charlevoix metal trio Peril, who will apparently return to The Rapids Lounge on October 5th & 6th and December 21st & 22nd! These join their planned dates at Kewadin Casino's bar on July 13th and 14th on their 2012 concert schedule, and though very spread out, fans of Peril's classic metal covers & originals should be right at home with these new dates, including what's effectively the Christmas weekend this year! These gigs should have 10:00 PM-ish start times, no cover charge, and 21+ age limits, as is typical for Sault Michigan bar concerts, but note that these dates could be subject to change (their July concert weekend has already been moved up one week.) Sounds like some solid additions to their concert schedule for sure, and you know the guys in Peril will deliver a great time at their next local dates, so keep these new shows in mind as the year wears on, and check the above links for more details!

Before we get to the other new hard rock shows at Kewadin, I just wanted to note that Peril's Facebook page features a concert lineup implying that they're playing at the Sault Kewadin on August 24th & 25th, while Kewadin's entertainment page lists them as playing at the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace that weekend. I assume it's just an error, but if the shows were indeed moved, I'll keep you guys posted on that A.S.A.P.!

The other heavier new concerts are courtesy of local hard rock notables Monkey's Uncle, who are now confirmed for a pair of late 2012 concert weekends of their own! While their August 3rd & 4th concerts were restored to the lineup after briefly being removed along with some other summer dates, the Henry Switzer-led quartet will return to The Rapids Lounge on October 12th & 13th and December 14th & 15th, exactly a week after and a week before the new Peril gigs! I'd expect 10:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charge at any of these new dates, and check the above links for more details! Though I wish Monkey's Uncle had better updated pages and newer information online, they are a very talented and entertaining hard rock band with lots of solid original material and covers, so don't miss them at their future local dates, including THIS WEEKEND at The Rapids Lounge, and these new Monkey's Uncle & Peril dates are now in our concert listings!

Next up, here's the latest news from Sault Ontario solo artist Mike Haggith! While we're still waiting for the release of his long delayed 45th solo album "Neighbourhood Watch", he's keeping fans up to speed with lots of new demo and full track postings towards the album that we can stream in advance! All were posted on his solo project's Facebook page in video format (so I can't embed any of them here) including an instrumental mix of "To Whom This May Concern", full versions of "Leon the Janitor" and "Room 822", and more (including two instrumental mixes of non-album tracks), so check the above links to hear the new material! I won't weigh in with full thoughts yet, as I fully expect to review Mike's new album upon it's release, but longtime fans of his solo work shouldn't be disappointed! Also in recent Mike Haggith news: He quietly released a new single named "Prozac Weather" to his Reverbnation store on Friday, making it his second solo single release after "The Curse of 13", judging by what was on his old Facebook discography. It hasn't been posted for free streaming as of today, so you can only buy it to hear this 18 minute long song (featuring parts of existing original songs) in full, but it's available for $5.59 or less depending on your chosen format, so give "Prozac Weather" a shot, and stay tuned to the above links for more on Mike Haggith's newest music!

Also, here's some more reviews of Woods of Ypres' final recorded album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light"! On January 22nd, Dominic Walsh from the British metal site Dawn of the Deaf gave the local doom metal quartet's latest release 4.5 stars out of 5, saying that it left a superb legacy for the band, and called it a "surreal listen" when you know about what happened to late frontman David Gold. It's a fairly brief actual review, with much of the text referring to the events surrounding it's release in December and early 2012, but check it out at this location! In another review in January, Dirk Konz from the German metal site MetalNews gave "W5" a 6/7, calling it a "posthumous masterpiece", while complimenting on it's organic & clean sound , and also viewing it as timeless. That said, it's a longer review that needs translation if you can't speak German, so run this link through Google Translate to check it out! Finally, Raymond Westland from ThisIsNotAScene gave "Woods V" 8.5 stars out of 10 in another January review, and while he said it didn't hold many surprises, and had a "diminshed underground charm", he called it "incredibly solid" and the perfect follow-up to "Woods IV". This is a good and concise review, so click here to check it out, and stay tuned for more Woods of Ypres notes soon, including a recently discovered interview with guitarist Joel Violette from earlier this month!

And finally, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band or channel name:

• Remember the local band on YouTube user adamscovers' channel from various Superior Heights gigs? Well, I can confirm that the Adam in question is Adam Gualtieri, who is the shorter haired member on guitar & bass in the posted videos. He joins Liam Seymour & a yet-unidentified drummer in this band, and I think Adam is related to ex-Creatures of the Night bassist Mike Gualtieri. Hopefully we hear more on this band soon, but thanks to Adam for letting me know some extra details!
• I'll likely be moving Valentine's Day Massacre/Sativa Rose guitarist Andrew Angelic's solo project to our inactive band links on Saturday due to a year's inactivity. He last used his solo MySpace page on the day he started it (June 2nd of last year), likely due to focusing on his bands. Definitely keep posted on his bands though, as he's still very busy in music, but if his solo project returns, I'll be sure to let you guys know!
• Local doom/stoner metal band Giwakwa have quietly parted ways with singer Jason Bourcier, as per his removal from their lineup on their Facebook page. A public reason hasn't been announced for his departure, and though I have heard why, I won't go into further detail unless the band says anything publically, out of respect to all parties. Best of luck to Jason in his next musical steps for sure though, and stay tuned for more Giwakwa updates!
  

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Insipid Brutality review by Thursday, along with weekend concert previews and more! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), New Videos, And More!!

Let's get to some more news as we hit the middle of the week! Today, we've got some new videos from some Sault Michigan area performers, a local hard rock album postponement, and the likely identity of this month's CD review on the SMS, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend! Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's current weekly concert arrangement at Bossy's Pub N' Grub will continue on Saturday afternoon with another acoustic show! This will be Tym's fourth straight Saturday show at the former Smack Daddy's, and you know he'll have plenty of hard rocking unplugged covers in store for fans and Bossy's regulars this weekend! Admission should be free, this should be an all ages event, and Tym will be on from 2:00 PM to about 6:00 PM on Saturday. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! After finally getting to see Tym's solo show after two+ years, I can safely say that he'll impress with his wide mix of acoustic covers from metal to even country, so if you're free on Saturday afternoon, consider a trip down to Bossy's this weekend! Stay tuned for more Tym (and Caveman) Morrison updates as they come in! Next up, here's some updates on both our next CD review and an upcoming local metal album. You may remember that I tentatively slotted Sault Ontario solo artist Mike Haggith's new album "Neighbourhood Watch" for a review this month, seeing as it was slated to come out.... today. Well, the album has been postponed indefinitely, as revealed on a post on his Facebook page on Friday. The reason is due to illnesses that appear to have put a halt on the final recordings for the album, although Mike later confirmed that a new track named "Fading" will make the album as well upon it's release. As of right now, Mike says that "Neighbourhood Watch" will be completed "when it is", so there's no current timetable, and a release before the end of the month looks unlikely. This is disappointing, but hopefully Mike gets well soon so we can hear more new material, and click here for more on the album, including some preview demo tracks! That said, now that this album is on hold, what CD are we going to review this month? Barring a flash new release in the next week, we'll probably review defunct local hard rockers Foothill Road's second self-titled CD, as guitarist Mario Carlucci rocked the stage this month with Sneaky Pete, so that ties in well, so unless anything changes, look out for this month's CD review by Tuesday! Let's wrap up this post with some new videos, starting with another new video from Kinross hard rockers Banned! Once again from Ashley Traynor's YouTube channel, this is also from Banned's show at The Bird on Saturday night, and it's the first Banned video we've seen featuring new singer Mike Straw on actual lead vocals! It's of their cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone", and how does Mike (and the band) do on it? Mike's stage presence is stiff, but he doesn't do a bad job singing this song, even if it's not that heavy, and hopefully we'll hear more lead vocal work from Mike in the future! Thanks again to Ashley for these nice quality Banned concert videos, and check out their rendition of "Tuesday's Gone" below! And finally, here's a short 30 second video from Swayze Train guitarist Scott Savoie! It's just of Scott practicing some arpeggios on his guitar, which sound nice, but I wish the video was longer. Not too much to say, but Scott's definitely a talented guitarist, so check out his new video from Monday below, and if you're in the St. Ignace area, go see Swayze Train there this weekend at their Kewadin Casino! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and weekend concert previews over the next few days! Thanks everyone!

Green Christmas Party Updates, A New Woods Of Ypres Song, And Much More!!

It's time for some more news and notes, so here's what you should know in the local metal scene today! We've got major updates to an upcoming local concert, changes to an upcoming local hard rock album, a brand new song from a prominent local band, and our latest Christmas surprise as we get closer to the 25th, so let's dive right in, and also check out this month's YouTube Channel Profiles in the post below this one!

The Green Christmas Bash scheduled for Saturday night at Feedback has been postponed, moved, and halved, so here's what you should know concerning changes to this concert. The original Facebook event page for it (itself the second for this concert) was deleted & replaced with this new event page confirming a number of changes, most notably that this show has been moved from Feedback on Saturday night to Coch's Corner on Tuesday night. No reason was publically announced for the date or venue changes, though despite the post-Christmas timeframe it now falls in, the show is still hyped as the Green Christmas Bash. I'll say that the date change makes sense, as I'm sure more people will be available to go when the show isn't on an actual holiday, but I wonder what prompted the move to Coch's Corner? Hopefully it's as simple as a date conflict or holiday commitments, but I don't know for sure. That said, the lineup for this concert has been cut in half with the changes, as local death metal quartet View To A Kill and the folk/alternative outfit Ye Olde Mold Pickers have both been removed from the show's lineup. Again, I don't know why either band dropped out, but it's disappointing to see them not on this show, and hopefully it's as simple as a schedule conflict for both.

That said, this show is still going on with local punk trio RedD Monkey and local crash quartet Sykotyk Rampage bringing some entertaining hard edged music to Coch's Corner on Tuesday, so take note of that for your post-Christmas musical entertainment! There shouldn't be a cover charge here either, there's a 10:00 PM start time listed, and you must be 19 to attend. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned likely this weekend for more on this show as part of our next batch of concert previews!!

Next up, this is a complete surprise to me to see this, but a new song from local doom metal standouts Woods of Ypres has been posted online! Entitled "Travelling Alone", it's another slower and melodic doom metal number from next month's "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", and though band pages have yet to formally post or acknowledge the song, the German branch of Metal Hammer Magazine has uploaded the song for fans to check out at this location (note that you'll need a translator to read the text there.) According to this post on Metal Assault, frontman David Gold confirmed that "Travelling Alone" is about travelling to foreign lands, experiencing different cultures, and interrogative discussions about existence and God, and he added a lot of personal experience-tinged thoughts about the song's meaning there. The song sounds good, but I'll hold detailed thoughts until we review "Woods V" early next year. If you wanna check it out, follow the above links, or check out this YouTube upload below from YouTube user Khalil Mikael! Kudos to him, despite the outdated band photo!



Thirdly today, here's some updates from local hard rock solo artist Mike Haggith, specifically concerning his upcoming 45th studio album! On Monday, Mike announced that next month's scheduled new release "410 To Scotland" has been renamed "Neighbourhood Watch" after an impromptu photo shoot for the album, and a new album cover (on your right) and slightly altered track listing is now out for the album as well. More specifically, the opening track "Who Owns Space 82?" has been "indefinitely scrapped" in lieu of a new song named "Stalking Booze & The Raptor", while a title track for the album has been added at the end, and an instrumental named "Room 822" is a possible inclusion as well. The album on the whole is the same though, including the January 25th release date, so the experience of "Neighbourhood Watch" should be about the same as it would have been before! For more, click here for to stream promising instrumental mixes of two songs, and click here for Mike's updated discography entry on this album. This is definitely shaping up to be another quality album from Mike Haggith, and hopefully it gets a good response when it comes out next month! Stay tuned for more on Mike's solo project as I hear it!

And finally, here's our latest Christmas surprise, and it's a full demo release by a local band, that being Sault Ontario hardcore quartet Changing Waves! We haven't heard much from them in almost 4 months, but since their debut last year, they've quickly became a talented sight at local metal concerts. Select fans were lucky enough to get clearer versions of some of their originals on May 19th when the band distributed free copies of a demo called "Demolisten" to attendees of their show that night at The Roosevelt Hotel, and I was a recipient of one of the demos! I don't believe that Changing Waves had copies of "Demolisten" at any other concerts they've had this year, so I'd assume that this demo isn't in print anymore, but for the holiday season, I thought I'd post the songs from their demo onto our YouTube channel! The demo (which featured hand burned & written CDs & jewel cases with differing designs) featured 6 songs with a total length of around 19 minutes, including their songs "Tital", "What's It Supposed To Do?", "Jung Jung", "Jenny", "Lockdown", and "Away", and you can click each link to hear the recordings that Changing Waves made for each song on the demos, which all show promise and some good diversity to their hardcore sound!

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for these songs goes to Changing Waves, I'm just sharing them with a wider audience like they deserve! Note as well that all 6 songs from this demo are featured on the band's MySpace page (along with an unused song named "Beadsbeadsbeads"), but some YouTube exposure for these songs is always welcome! Check out the opening track from "Demolisten" below, and stay tuned for more from Changing Waves as it comes in!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for post-Christmas concert previews, more news and Christmas surprises, our next Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Repetitions, and much more over the next few days! Thanks everyone!