With the Halloween season winding down, let's get our first monthly feature post of the month onto the site, as it's the 2nd of the month, just in time for our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post! As always, this is our monthly look at the current release statuses and whereabouts of upcoming local metal, hard rock, and punk CDs and albums, in order to keep fans updated as to where they're at and when they might coime out! One album (AlgomA's "Reclaimed By The Forest") was removed this month due to it's successful release last month, but we added two new upcoming albums from artists already covered in this feature, and like before, bands with updated info (5 in this case) have their title in
italics. So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!
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The Apocalypse Afterparty's debut EP
Rumoured Songs: "The Crowd" (
The Fury cover), "Glory & Gore" (Lorde cover), "Rebel Scum" (The Fury cover)
Background: Before ever playing a
public concert , new local rap/metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty
(featuring 2/3rds of Smeltzer as "songwriters") announced on
their Facebook page
on August 21st that they had begun working on their 3 song debut EP
with producer Jamie Vincent (AlgomA), though they also alluded to
recording the remaining songs with different producers. The song that
they're recording with Jamie is "The Crowd", which you can preview at
this link, though other details have yet to follow.
Current Release Status: No idea,
especially given "songwriter" Steve Mozarowski's return to the Toronto
area this fall and the band's announced plans to expand their lineup
with female members, but things seemed to be progressing well despite
the band's short existence, and hopefully more comes out soon on this
EP!
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The Bear Hunters - Eternal Hibernation & Collapse The Sun
Rumoured Songs (E): "Dominate",
"Collapse The Sun",
"Karma", "Deception", "Bloodthirst", "Casualties Of
War", "Overthrown", "Condemned", "Succumb To Eternity", "Render
This Void"
Rumoured Songs (C): "Collapse The Sun", "Collapse The Sun (Live)", "Collapse The Sun (Instrumental)"
Background: Local
death metal quintet The Bear Hunters formally announced that
they'd begun recording for their debut EP "Bloodthirst" in May
2011,
but details were extremely scant following that news, and the
recording plans fell dormant until January 2012, when the band
announced
plans to record material towards a full length demo release. Numerous setbacks pushed back a planned release,
including their non-album cover of Woods of Ypres' "Kiss My Ashes
(Goodbye)", but 2013 sessions with producer James White at
White Wreckords were far more fruitful. Entitled "Eternal Hibernation", all of
the band's pre-"Servitude" originals will be on the album, with anything
newer planned to be on their second release. The album will feature
tracks from Josh Stephney, who recorded his parts before moving to
Brampton. While this album is complete, a planned limited edition release of "Collapse The Sun" is also planned for an imminent release, and preview information for it can be seen at
their Facebook page.
Current Release Status: After numerous delays (including a 6 week postponement of the release show), "Eternal Hibernation" will
finally be released at
a CD release party
at
The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday, November 29th, where it will be on
sale for attendees and played in full (with Josh) in their first set!
Great to see, though it's not clear yet whether there will be a digital
release of any kind. The "Collapse The Sun" single will be $2 and released in 100 limited copies in the near future, but it's unclear when that will be. Note as well that the band has teased plans to
record a leftover EP named "Aftermath" and a second full CD next year,
though the band has not publically announced that sessions have begun on
either. Don't miss the release party in just under four weeks!
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Beaumont Avenue - King of the World
Rumoured Songs: "Into the Fray",
"Red Rover", "King of the World", "Way Out Of Hell", "Take Me Away",
"Beaten Down", "Two More Jag", "Jesus Concubines"
Background: Already off to a quick
launch with numerous concerts since their fall 2012 debut, local hard
rock quartet The Suicide Kings (who changed their name to Beaumont Avenue this summer) surprisingly announced that they were
officially working on their first EP on
their Facebook page last February. Three weeks later, the band revealed in another
Facebook posting that they were busy working on their own material, and
they had plans to complete an EP by the end of the spring featuring 5-7
songs, which was recorded over the past month at
The Smoke & Oak Room Studio
with producer Dave Pihlaja. As of last spring, the tracks
were in the final stages of mixing, and though info on the sessions and
release was sporadic for much of last year, the band unveiled studio
versions of their originals
"Into the Fray" &
"Jesus Concubines"
in January on Facebook, presumably as a preview for the full release.,
though nothing has followed since, and the band is currently taking a
break due to drummer Ben Boudreau's out of town college commitments.
Current Release Status: As of
their Facebook page in September, Beaumont Avenue are planning to record 2
EPs of 4 original songs each (grouped by how they feel) before writing a
debut album from scratch when Ben returns home, which may or may not
mean that they're scrapping their Smoke & Oak Room session tracks
for their pending debut CD. Given that they're on break while Ben's
away, we may not get fuller details for a while, but be on guard just in
case!
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Gates of Winter - Perihelion
Rumoured Songs: "The Stars Call My True Name", "Edin Na Zu", "Dimensions", "Time Warp", "Wormhole Mechanics", "Prometheus"
Background: Despite
a hiatus from live concerts lasting over
5 years, Gates of
Winter never broke up, and are slowly working on their follow-up
to 2008's "Lux Aeterna". The first glimpse of the new album
was unveiled in February 2010, when frontman/producer
Lee Maines uploaded a snippet of their new song "The Stars Call My True Name" onto
his YouTube channel,
and he followed that up with more demo & rehearsal clips
sporadically over the last couple of years, though all were later taken
down. The band launched
a new Facebook page
in August 2010 to keep fans updated on the sessions, including
the unveiling of a new song title, "Time Warp", and while Sault
native
Jon Morrison
was announced as the album's drummer that fall, the album will feature programmed drums. In November 2011, bassist Steve
Furgiuele confirmed in
a YouTube video
that the album, now titled "Perihelion", was planned for release
in
December 2012, with some older re-recordings likely for the
summer, but Lee confirmed last month that the album would be delayed
further, be retracted to EP length, and possibly be renamed. Other new
songs, tentatively called "Wormhole Mechanics" & "Prometheus",
was previewed in
this video
&
this video that were uploaded last year & this April respectively. Whether
ex-keyboardist Brian Holmes will be included on the EP is currently unknown.
Current Release Status: Personal
commitments and the like have slowed
things down incredibly, but in the band's most recent preview video
(featuring audio samples), Gates of Winter hinted that work was winding
down on "Perihelion", including noting that "the silence ends soon",
with this year now targeted for a release. Good art takes time, and
knowing Gates of
Winter's
talent and attention to detail, they won't wanna release this until
everything's perfect. I'll admit that I know a bit more on "Perihelion"
than what I've posted here, but I'll wait until more public word comes
out before elaborating, so keep an eye out for updates!
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Haggith - "XIV" & "Apocalypse II"
Rumoured Songs (X): "Public Enemy",
"These Four Walls", "Wasted", "Red", "By The Hand", "Runnin' From
Love", "Metal Cage", "Road Rash", "Punch", "Anthem"
Rumoured Songs (A): "Apocalypse", "Spreading The Disease", "Hands of Death", "Tribute to Mike Haggith"
Background:
After being broken up throughout early 2014, local grunge/alternative
rock quartet Haggith came back at the fourth annual Sewer
Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall on May 10th, where the band
announced that they would be recording a new studio album, but their Facebook page later indicated that Haggith are now releasing
two new CDs! These include a new original album named "XIV" (featuring unreleased songs, new tracks, and previous
Punch originals) and a resumption of their "Apocalypse II" concept sequel CD, which has been sampled via song postings on
their YouTube channel. Recording sessions are likely ongoing at
Paperclip Productions,
though it's yet unclear who the featured bassist(s) will be on the
albums, given the recent switch from Caleb Cachagee to James White, and
that most of the band's prior studio originals featured another band
member on the bass track. Keep an eye out for updates!
Current Release Status: While an announced release for "Apocalypse II" on October 26th has since came & went, both CDs are in progress and nearing completion. Haggith's first three albums were all released
on honest and fairly quick schedules once sessions wrapped up, and it will
be interesting to see how these albums do upon release! Recent personal
complications in drummer Mike Haggith's life (and a brief retracted
departure) did appear to delay the albums' recordings, but it's not
known yet if they still will. When we hear more, we'll let you know!
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Mike Haggith's third compilation album & "The Warinside"
Rumoured Songs (C): "1980", "Wicked
Midnight Ride", "To Whom This May Concern", "Fourth Floor Centre/She
Wanted To Be A Veterinarian", "Sun Perfume", "Grace", "Limb Coast","Miss
76", "Room 822", "Trinity", "Solitude", "Resurfaced", "The Day The
Lights Went Out", "Lost Time"
Rumoured Songs (W): "We Met As Surrogates", "The Snake", "Candy Is A Hooker's Name", "Someday", "Lay My Body To Rest", "Of Cars & Criminals", "September", "Out Of My League", "A Drive Through The Peninsula", "30"
Background:
In April, Haggith drummer Mike Haggith announced his third best-of compilation
album (possibly "The Best of Mike Haggith: Volume 3"?), which would compile 14 top songs from his previous 4
studio releases ("Suspended Animation", "The Present Din", and both
"Neighbourhood Watch" CDs), Mike didn't close the door on re-recorded
some vocal tracks, possibly in conjunction with a planned re-release of the first "Neighbourhood Watch" album. You can
view the compilation's artwork at this link, though further updates aren't out yet. However, Mike has updated
his Facebook page over the past month to detail his upcoming 49th studio album "The Warinside", which also has a tentative tracklist and will reflect his recent personal life, with the instrumental
"September" now available to stream from it as well.
Current Release Status: For the compilation,
Mike was hoping for it's digital release in the weeks following the reveal of the disc, but that's came and went, so
it's unclear where this will fall. In any event, physical pressings are
possible, pending customer
demand. As for "The Warinside", we're a ways off from a release yet, but given how fast and honest he tends to be, any updates should be good as to it's progress. Stay tuned as more comes in!
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RedD Monkey - Opus 2
Rumoured Songs: "Broken Parts", "Losing Friends", "The Jock Song"
Background: The planned third CD
from this popular local hardcore punk/classical trio, RedD Monkey have
hyped "Opus 2" (a follow-up to 2012's "All Baroque") in online
posts through last spring, along with previewing the disc at a Toronto
concert last June, though further updates on it's release status have
yet to be made, nor has a release schedule been announced. I'd assume
that "Opus 2" was recorded in a similar method to "All Baroque", but
that's just speculation given that both CDs were labelled as opuses in a
series. Keep an eye in case something's announced!
Current Release Status: I'm not
really sure, especially following the band's confirmation that they're
currently on a hiatus, and given that they've issued no public updates since their last show on Boxing Day last year, that can't be a good sign for fans. That said, the sessions appear to be complete,
and a
preview of it was held last year, so a release can't be terribly far off
for when/if they return to activity. In case they do come back, keep an
eye out!
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The Revolution's debut EP
Rumoured Songs:
"Murder For Sport", "We Are The Gladiators", "Monsters", "Prisoner of Hate", "Mercury", "Get High With Me"
Background: New local doom/punk trio The Revolution (originally the second version of Brutaly Fatal) surprisingly announced on
their Facebook page
last month that they were heading into the studio to begin recording
their debut EP on July 26th. The sessions are being done at their new
label PaperClip Productions, who signed the band in May. Details on the
title, artwork, song list, and cover art are to be revealed.
Current Release Status: No idea,
as we don't have past albums from Austin, Rainey, and Brandan to compare
in terms of making a guess (aside from Austin's early Brutaly Fatal
demos), but PaperClip Productions tend to be fairly quick and honest
with release dates, so we'll have to see how things flesh out in the
coming months!
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Sailor's Tongue's debut album
Rumoured Songs:
"Float, "Out of the Woodwork", "Wired For No Sound", "Shadow", "Doctor
John", "BootScattered", "Beauty's Limousine", "Don't Shoot The
Messenger", "Horses & Trains", "Navy"
Background: Despite only playing two gigs (both at the
Rotaryfest Second Stage)
since returning from their three year breakup in 2012, local hard rock
notables Sailor's Tongue have hit the studio to record what I believe is
their first full length album, which will feature their current quintet
lineup. Drummer Dean McKey uploaded four tracks (some labelled as
demos) to
his Soundcloud page last year that are likely towards the album, while there are existing songs on
their Reverbnation page
from earlier sessions that will likely be featured in some form. Though
info on the album is as sporadic as their live dates, a preview demo CD
named "Pierced" was sold at their Rotaryfest set in July featuring 7
tracks, though Dean later told me on Facebook that the album was just a
sampler for attendees and was not the final product. Keep an eye out for
updates!
Current Release Status: No finite
idea as of right now, but given their long breaks between live concerts
& page postings, there hasn't been many outlets to give updates
either. I wouldn't have been surprised to see the final CD released
at this year's Rotaryfest, but the Second Stage was put on hiatus for
2014, and a Sailor's Tongue return show didn't take place to coincide
with anything relating to Rotaryfest. In any event, stay tuned for
possible info!
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The Sorrow Fields - Let Go
Rumoured Songs: "Godlessness"
Background: Previously known as
Animas, April Eyes, and By The Gods, The Sorrow Fields is the long
gestating black/death metal solo metal project from Bear Hunters/Suicide
Kings guitarist Mitch Sirie. He resurrected the project under it's new
name in 2012, complete with an atmospheric & dark sound, and he
has sporadically updated fans as to his newest planned debut album via
their YouTube channel
and deleted Facebook page. As of June 2013, he'd titled the album
"Godlessness" (though it was changed to "Let Go" this spring), and a
preview of the title track and another unnamed song were uploaded there
to check out before being privatized for unannounced reasons. Mitch is
still working on the album though, and has aims to finish it after 6
years of off & on work, as per a recent personal Facebook posting.
Current Release Status: Mitch's
most recent release timeframe for The Sorrow Fields' album was this
coming winter, though he added on Facebook that he didn't plan to speak
about it further until completion, so our next word or previews on it
might not be for a while. Knowing how delayed his past solo album
"Hollow Hope" was
prior to it's cancellation, this could be a long road, especially as
he's a
workhorse with his two bands. It should also be noted that Mitch hinted on personal Facebook posts in recent days that a studio version of his fan favourite "Squirrel Buddy" is in the works, but whether it's a single or a renamed full album isn't clear. In case new
"Let Go" or Sorrow Fields news rolls in, we'll have it here!
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Sykotyk Rampage - "Bring The Heavy"
Rumoured Songs: N/A
Background: Continuing their
extremely prolific recording nature, local "blue Chinese metal crash
punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage began recording sessions at River Front
Recreation Studios for what was announced to be their next seven
"albums" on February 6th, but the band later retracted that to three for
unannounced reasons upon their release last month.
"Kitty Farts & Other Play Full Noises",
"Environ-Mental Suits 2: Anvil of Antioch", and
"Captain Awesome Sex & Chastity Boy Episode 3: Who's Driving Spaceship Earth?"
all came out as scheduled, but "Wyrd Radio", "Padre Pwj with Ready for
Revival", "Santa's Night Out", and "Double LIVE" were all quietly
dropped or postponed. However,
their Reverbnation page lists a separate fourth album named
"Bring The Heavy"
for a release last month that wasn't a part of the earlier album title
announcements, and given that, it's very likely that it's at least
partially recorded, and may feature some dropped tracks.
Current Release Status: Advertised
for the now passed date of September 30th, we're now in a waiting game
for "Bring The Heavy", though Sykotyk Rampage's announced release dates
rarely line up with the day they are posted online. That said, Sykotyk
Rampage hasn't released a formal paid album since 2012, and while we
assume "Bring The Heavy" will follow a similar template, it's always
possible it will be posted as a full paid album at some point too. In
any event, keep an eye out for new crash music, and hear their other new
songs above!
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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, and of course, stay tuned for our next monthly feature post (this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles) next Monday, barring an early CD review! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news this week! Thanks everyone!
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.
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!
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.
