Sailor's Tongue - "Pierced" CD Review!!

It is now time for our 124th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and for a second straight month, we're dipping into the archives due to no new paid albums coming out in October to my knowledge. After a three month spell of reviewing solo releases, we have a band's album this time, namely inactive local hard rock band Sailor's Tongue's demo CD "Pierced"! Released in conjunction with their Rotaryfest Second Stage set on July 20th, 2013, this independently-recorded & released album was originally intended as a sampler for their planned full length studio album that never came out, and as such, it intentionally had a limited physical release. In fact, I had planned to review this album on the site when it was new, but drummer Dean McKey asked me to hold off in lieu of the full length CD. Between them falling inactive by 2014 and the 6+ year wait, I think we're in the clear now, though note that songs 2-4 are clearly labelled as demos in the liner notes.

"Pierced" is credited to Sailor's Tongue's late-period quintet lineup, including Dean alongside his brother Kyle McKey on lead vocals and guitar, plus fellow guitarists Liam Seymour & Blake Jackson, and bassist Jeff Brown, though only the McKey brothers factor on every track. We're tying in this review with Liam's solo concert at The Whiskey Barrel last week, for the record. This CD is long since out of print, but all 7 songs can be streamed between Dean's Soundcloud page (the first four songs) and the band's Reverbnation page (the last three), and are linked as such in this review.

Featuring 7 songs running for about 34 minutes in length, let's begin this review with it's opening song, "Float"! Apparently recorded solely by the McKeys in 2010, this song has a very catchy groove that plays into their musical strengths, and I like the stop-start riffing in particular! If you're more familiar with Kyle's softer and country work, you may be surprised to hear his strong melodic vocals on heavier music like this, and he has a solid range that he puts to use well on the chorus! The bluesy touches in the song's structure are welcomed also, and it's very easy to see why this song was pegged to open "Pierced". Maybe it could stand to be a little heavier, but it shows what Sailor's Tongue were all about! In an odd mistake, songs #2 and #3 are actually flipped on the disc proper compared to the liner notes, so we'll treat the demo of "Wired For No Sound" as the second track, as that's where it is on the CD.

Opening with more of a southern twang (the "whoa-oh-ohs" don't fit), this song does indeed owe more to Kyle's country background, and it has more of a deliberate pacing while still having a rollicking & fun atmosphere. The choruses really help this song to stick in your head, and the guitar work is up to the task, while the use of a Frampton-esque talk box is a unique addition! I prefer "Float" overall, but if you like southern rock, even if Kyle's voice isn't a perfect match for the song, this one will deliver the goods! The actual track #3 is the demo of "Out of the Woodwork", which is more straight-forward than it's predecessors, and it almost reminds me of The Matthew Good Band at points, if that's fair. Dean's drumming is solid, and this song suits Kyle's voice more than the predecessor, though I don't like the tone on the backing vocals that much. The repetitive ending drags on too long, but the song is hooky and well written, and the guitar work shines as usual!

The third and final song labelled as a demo is next, namely "Shadow", which has a nice funk-inspired guitar riff , and even a little cowbell, but the song isn't as memorable as it's predecessors, almost feeling like the song was stitched together from parts of other songs. I think it's too reliant on the vocal structure, which is well sung as it goes, but I think the song isn't as cohesive and memorable as it could have been. I'd have at least taken things funkier, but it's not a bad song, I'd just have re-arranged it's parts. Fifth on "Pierced" is "Doctor John", which is another southern-influenced song that definitely succeeds across the board, with a fast pace, catchy vocals with an amusing story, and a driving rhythm that accentuates the guitar work, with very solid bass picking as well. I'd say this would be a great blues song if the music behind it wasn't so quickly paced and upbeat,  and it's definitely a highlight of mine on this CD!

The penultimate song is one of Sailor's Tongue's signature originals, "BootScattered", which is also the disc's shortest track. After a slow drum intro, the familiar swing-esque guitar riff kicks in, and this is definitely one you can stomp along with (that's a good thing!) The lyrics are as catchy and earwormy as ever, and the guitar and bass compliment each other well, but I think I prefer live versions of this song, where Kyle's singing is a little deeper than on this studio copy. Everything comes together really well on "BootScattered", which has always been one of my favourites from them! "Pierced" closes with it's longest song, "Beauty's Limousine", which is more of a melodic rocker that feature's Kyle's best vocals of the CD, and while it mostly has an upbeat hard rock sound, there is a nice instrumental section where the guys show their stuff well, though the title of the song is repeated far too much, and their catchiest work was in prior songs. Solid closer overall!

So, what are my final thoughts on Sailor's Tongue's CD? This may not have been the intended final product, but it showcases an entertaining and diverse hard rock band with lots of talent and songwriting ability, and there's no shame in this being their only(?) physical album! I assume the plan was to fully re-record these and other non-included originals with the full 2013 quintet lineup, but even the demos don't sound like demos, so don't let that scare you away! It's not overly clear how many of the guys are on most tracks, but the guitar work is great, Kyle's voice is generally a great fit throughout, and Dean's drumming is always on point. Sailor's Tongue could bounce between hard, southern, funk, and alternative rock without breaking a sweat, which isn't easy for every group, and songs like "BootScattered", "Float", and "Doctor John" showcase them at their best. Not every song worked across the board though, with repetition, backing vocals, and the structure of "Shadow" being my biggest points.

The McKey brothers have confirmed that they still songwrite for Sailor's Tongue despite now living out of town, and as we saw at Rotaryfest this year, they could always return for a show when we least expect it. I don't know if we'll ever get the full length album they were planning in 2013, but treating "Pierced" as just a teaser demo is selling it short. Give it (and more) a listen at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Next month in this series, I am unsure what we'll be looking at, but here's what I can say. A new release would of course gain precedence, so check out our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post on Saturday for hints as to what could be on the docket. If no major albums come out from metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands, we would dip into the archives again, with precedence going to artists playing live locally in November. In any event, we will not be reviewing any albums from The Inner City Surfers or Awokest due to them still being in our 6 month anti-bias buffer period.

In any event, look out in November for our next CD review, and stay tuned for this weekend's concert previews and more news soon! Thanks everyone!

Swampstravaganza Lineup Additions, New Song Postings, And More!!

Keeping the news coming on this Wednesday afternoon, we have some assorted recent updates to touch on, mostly from Sault Ontario, so what have we got? New song uploads (both in an album format) from two very different bands, lineup additions for a large upcoming metal show, and much more, so read on below for what you need to know!

Replacement bands for THIS SATURDAY'S Sewer Swampstravaganza III have been announced to fill the spots vacated by Giwakwa and Winkstinger, so before we preview the full show in the next few days, let's give those some proper attention! Giwakwa's old 6:00 PM slot will surprisingly go to another out of town band (joining headliners Warsenal), as their replacements will be Toronto grindcore trio Goatface Killa, who will bring a noisy extreme sound to the table that grindcore and hardcore punk fans should take to, and this seems ripe for moshpits as well! Note that the band's Facebook page implies that locals Shit Liver are playing, but unless there's another lineup change that hasn't been announced, this is likely false (they didn't even play in the last two Swampstravaganzas.) Winkstinger's replacement at 4:00 PM is local solo musician James Watterworth in his second Oddfellows Hall appearance in under three weeks, and his considerable bass skills and easy going nature should be a solid addition to the afternoon lineup, so don't miss him!

Note also that the Facebook event page lists James under his alias Delusionair Lionhair, which he's namedropped when playing songs from that project live, though I didn't know he and Delusionair were one & the same in previous reviews of his shows. The rest of the lineup is unchanged for bands & performance order, so stay tuned for our extended preview of the third Swampstravaganza very soon!

Next up, we have some new YouTube song uploads, starting with the second "album" from local hard rock/jam trio Mike Haggith & The Din! Entitled "Chaotic Symphony", this was uploaded as a YouTube playlist of 13 songs on Thursday, and it was apparently recorded at Paperclip Productions one week ago as part of a private concert for a small audience. The included songs are called "Luigi", "Journey" (#1 & #2), "Trip To Spain", "Luigi (Another One)", "The Dog", "Flow", "Journey #3", "I Am", "The Ballad of K2/K3", "Climbing The Vine", "Journey #4", and "Analog Palace", so click each link to check them out! If there's a paid release planned for "Chaotic Symphony", I haven't heard of it, but if you like Mike & The Din's previous solo work and live appearances, this should be appealing for it's looser take on Mike's solo sound, with some solid adaptations present! I'll have to hear more before I really judge, but the recording quality's good, check out the first song "Luigi" below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's next local music work!



Also in new song postings, local goregrind band Tomgrindy (featuring Crucify The Whore's Ringsnaps Gibson) has their "full album" uploaded to label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Sunday via two videos (links here & here), so if you're up for some goregrind originals, this is a prolific source! If you've heard Tomgrindy's past material uploads, it's more of the same, but there is a fuller sound compared to Ringsnaps' other projects that isn't as reliant on pig squeal vocals, and there is some promising lead guitar work to be found as well! Acquired taste still, but there is growth present, so check out the first half of Tomgrindy's "album" below!



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

• Local bar/concert venue The New American Pub (who have recently begun booking heavier bands following renovations) are now fully linked in our active Sault Ontario venues on your left, as they launched their official Facebook page earlier this year! Not a whole lot to say on them for concert news that would fit here, but follow along just in case!
• According to Rock 101's radio ad for the show, the Pop Evil/Team Jessica benefit concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino next week will feature local indie band The London Gentlemen and local pop duo Missy & Chelsea as openers. However, that this isn't cited online that I've seen, and The London Gentlemen haven't played live since May, with members Steve Sivret & Jake LaLonde (ex-Nixxon Dixxon) both moving out of state. If I hear anything local opener clarification, I'll let you guys know (and buy tickets A.S.A.P. for just $20!)
• In a bit of clarification from our Rotaryfest coverage, local hard rock quintet Sailor's Tongue's demo "Pierced" (that was sold near the Second Stage the day they played) was actually intended to just be a preview sampler for Rotaryfest attendees, and is NOT the final product of their recent recording sessions. As a result, I'll hold off on a Sailor's Tongue CD review until their formal album comes out (assuming all goes according to plan), and thanks to drummer Dean McKey for the information!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Sailor's Tongue At Rotaryfest Review, Their New CD, And Much More!!

Just to keep things moving along without delay (especially given the time it'll take to upload all 6 videos), I'll hold back our Bushplane Musical Madness II review to either tonight or tomorrow so we can touch on what I caught from Rotaryfest last night, and some more recent news relating to it and some videos I recently uploaded that Woods of Ypres fans should like! Without any further adieu, let's begin this post!

As you may remember, I attended Bushplane Musical Madness II last night rather than an extended stay at the Rotaryfest stages due to my own music preferences, but I did have incentive to slip out for a bit in the 8:00 PM hour, as local hard rock band Sailor's Tongue were both playing their first live show in a year AND releasing a new CD! So I took the 10 minute walk from the Bushplane Museum to the Tenaris Second Stage (just past Case's Music on Queen Street East) and I caught parts of 4 songs from Sailor's Tongue's set before The Suicide Kings took the stage at the Bushplane show! Now, this was the first time I've seen Sailor's Tongue live since a battle of the bands in 2007, and while I can't make too much of an analysis given that I only saw two songs played in full, I enjoyed what I heard! Very solid hard rock sound with a lot of catchy elements and classic influences, with much more of an edge than frontman Kyle McKey's past original bands (aside from maybe Stillbroke.) Everyone fit musically, though I will say that I hope Liam Seymour got a chance to sing lead last night, as he's got a great voice!

Kyle's voice fit the songs, it was nice seeing Blake Jackson back, and the three-pronged guitar sound didn't seem like overkill either! Members had expressed a lot of optimism for the new quintet lineup, and based on what I saw, I think they're right, but I'd need to see a longer set of theirs before I can form more of an opinion. Hopefully they'll play live again this year, and I did get pictures & a video, so here's Sailor's Tongue playing their original song "BootScattered", and see my photos at this link or via our Facebook page!



As for their CD, did I get one? Of course, so here's what you should know on it! The merchandise table outside of the Second Stage had not just CDs, but the first ever Sailor's Tongue t-shirts (in both black & grey), and hopefully each sold well! The album itself is named "Pierced" (as depicted with a literal "sailor's tongue" on the cover), and the liner notes just include each song's name and a listing of all 5 band members. The CDs are handmade with the members' autographs on the front (similarly to the first pressing of Late & Loud's EP), and they're packaged in a slim jewel case. The included songs are "Float", "Out of the Woodwork", "Wired For No Sound", "Shadow", "Doctor John", "BootScattered", and "Beauty's Limousine", though note that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th songs are all explicitly labelled as demos, so there's likely a quality shift. Streaming copies are available on Reverbnation & SoundCloud, though I don't know yet if they're exactly the same recordings (also, the songs "Don't Shoot The Messenger", "Horses & Trains", and "Navy" did not make the cut for the album.)

I haven't heard "Pierced" yet, but I definitely will soon, especially to get more familiar with a band that hasn't been the most prominent in recent years! As for when this will get a review on the site, it's definitely lined up for the fall (Crimson Crusade's next month), but with SweetKenny and Mike Haggith having back albums awaiting reviews as well, I don't want to commit to a date just yet. Stay tuned though just in case, and if we hear anything on Sailor's Tongue's next updates, shows, and CD availability, we'll have it here!

Also today, here's some fallout from The Suicide Kings' main stage set at Rotaryfest on Friday! First off, it was covers only, as they confirmed at the Bushplane Museum show last night, so the first stage hasn't begun making original exemptions. As for the "huge surprise" that the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands winners were hyping? Well, they were joined by former Limelight bassist Brandon Uhl for at least one song, reuniting him with his Limelight bandmates Steven Flint & Ben Boudreau! My source is numerous photo postings from attendees on Facebook. The hint on this maybe being "the only time this is happening" is likely because Brandon currently lives in Hamilton for college, but it's still nice to see 3/5ths of Limelight back together, even if briefly! Also, this could be seen as a preview of The Suicide Kings' plans to add a full time bassist in the coming weeks, so if you saw their quintet performance, I'd get used to the idea for after the auditions wrap up! Two photos from their set can be seen in Donna Hopper's SooToday article on Rotaryfest (pictures 18 & 29), so give them a look at the above link, and keep an eye out for appearances in the photos from Giwakwa's Chris Page & Chris Thompson, and The Side FX's Rob Speers!

Other Rotaryfest stage fallout is forthcoming, I'm sure, including hopefully another cycle of videos from Local2, and perhaps more, so stay tuned for updates as we hear them, and of course, stay tuned either tonight or tomorrow for our review of Bushplane Musical Madness II!

Finally for today, here's a little bonus batch of songs I recently uploaded to our YouTube channel! As you may remember, the Woods of Ypres tribute album "Heart of Gold" was released in May, and it's attracted positive notices from many fans! When listening to it for our review of the set, I was hit with the idea of combining a few of the included covers with the original Woods of Ypres tracks in Audacity to see what would happen (similarly to the "orchestral version" of "Allure of the Earth" I made in 2010.) This time, I made three combination tracks using Audacity, combining the original versions of "Adora Vivos", "Finality", and "Trillium: The Third of Three Winters, 2004-2007" with their "Heart of Gold" covers by Raphael Weinroth-Browne, Kuhrzarth, and Justin Bender respectively. In each case, the covers are ones that add to or compliment the original in their own way, with "Adora Vivos" coming out with a more orchestral vibe, "Finality" featuring new guitar parts and a hypothetical duet between David Gold & Paul Kuhr of November's Doom, and "Trillium" taking on a more melodic sound.

Of course, that's not to say that they're better, that's for listeners to decide, I just thought these fit really well and added a new dimension to the original tracks, for better or worse. I didn't pick other songs from the tribute album to combine in Audacity for one of two reasons: Either they were too similar or heavy for it to work without sounding cluttered and noisy, or the cover was too different from the original for them to mesh. The three combined tracks that I did make have gotten a good response so far, but check the above links to see what you think, and here's Woods of Ypres & Kuhrzarth playing "Finality" together!



That's all for now, but stay tuned either tonight or tomorrow for our Bushplane Musical Madness II review! Thanks everyone!