An Archive Local Hard Album Upload, A New Live-Streamed Concert, And More!!

Here's a new post to check out on this Saturday morning, and it includes some new videos from some familiar faces we haven't seen much of as of late, but leading off, here is a surprise local album discovery that hard rock fans of two decades ago may be very curious about!

The only(?) studio album for early-mid 2000s local hard rock quartet Redefined has finally surfaced in full online! The Oh!No Collective's Alex Moore uploaded his CD copy to his YouTube channel (which also hosts Stiffler's Mom's demo EP) yesterday, so huge thanks to him for posting it and letting me know about it in the first place! Entitled "Risk & Uncertainty", this album was independently released circa 2002, and features their classic lineup, including Parabol singer John Barber, Fort Creek guitarist Matt Sibilo, former Swamped bassist Josh St. Amour, and My Son The Hurricane drummer Danno O'Shea. The first 8 songs were recorded (locally?) at Eater Island Studio, while the last two were done at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga. Curiously, the album's liner notes do not list the 10 songs by their titles, but an archived copy of their old Geocities website features each track's lyrics, so I was able to get these to Alex, and alas, the site back-up didn't have flames or loud noises.

Note that track #3 ("M.T. Bundies") was included on Foggy Notions' 2003's "Foggy Style" compilation album. I now have everything ready for an eventual review of "Risk & Uncertainty" on the SMS, but will it be any time soon? I have no idea, but if members are playing live in some form in the near term, that could be a good sign. Give Redefined's CD a listen below for some early 2000s alternative and Tool-influenced hard rock action!

Next up, remember Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s "Songs & A Six-Pack" live-streamed Facebook concert series from the spring? Well, it's back in a couple of ways! On July 21st, the series abruptly resumed after a two month hiatus via an outdoor set from Ottawa folk musician John Allaire, described as being held on "the Gowans Imperial Pub patio". John's a very talented musician, so if you like folk, give his hour+ set a watch at this link! The other new installment of "Songs & A Six-Pack" took place last night, and is actually a make-up date of sorts, as this one features local acoustic hard rock band The Wyld Stallyns! You may recall their severely abbreviated set in episode #4 of "Songs & A Six-Pack" in April, which ended after just 13 minutes and two songs due to technical difficulties, so it is great to see the brewery and band coming together for a do-over! Unlike last time, guitarist Jesse Cook isn't stuck outside, but drummer Jonas Gasperas is nowhere to be found for unannounced reasons

The set proper starts with this 9 minute video, which mostly features setup and talking with the live viewers, and while they do cover Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" with Rob Speers on lead vocals, the guitars are inaudible. Unlike in April, The Stallyns do launch a new live-stream feed afterwards (as embedded below), where they opted to switch to a cell phone camera. This may seem like a step down from their stationary setup, especially with the vertical camera angle that doesn't show Jesse, but at least the phone can pick up the guitars! This video features The Wyld Stallyns covering The Steve Miller Band's "Jet Airliner", Huey Lewis & The News' "If This Is It", Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive", Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Against The Wind", Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River", The Lonely Island's "Dick In A Box", Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time", Skid Row's "18 & Life", David Bowie's "Let's Dance", and The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter"

Christina Speers sings lead on the Bon Jovi, Timberlake, Skid Row, and Bowie covers, Rob handles Steve Miller and Bob Seger, and they share lead vocals on the rest. Overall, this was a good set with a nice array of tunes to hear, and the Speers and Jesse were clearly having a lot of fun, but there didn't seem to be as many plugs for Northern Superior's beer selection as in other "Songs & A Six-Pack" episodes. Check out the whole live-stream above and below, and hopefully The Wyld Stallyns return to the stage at some point!



Finally for today, have you been wondering about the delayed next installment of local/Thompson, Manitoba solo musician Mike Haggith's #LockdownLive at-home concerts? Well, Mike finally updated everyone to the imminent plans via this Facebook video uploaded yesterday (and embedded below), where he confirmed that the renovations that postponed #LockdownLive XIV last month have concluded, and episode #14 will go live on Friday, August 28th at 7:30 PM! Mike didn't reveal a theme for the episode, but he did tease that it will have new and old songs, plus updates on new studio work. Give the video a watch below for more updates!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

Northern Superior's Latest Songs & A Six-Pack Concert, Show Cancellations, And More!!

On this 55th straight day of SMS posts, we have new videos to check out from some familiar veteran faces, but let's lead off with some more updates to our concert calendar, albeit negative ones as usual. We'll start in Michigan, where Kewadin Casino announced on their Facebook page yesterday that their branches will all remain closed through the end of the month, with June 1st tentatively slated to be their re-opening date. As such, this wipes out the final May concerts we listed in the E.U.P., namely the May 29th weekend shows from Peril in the Soo and Highway 63 in St. Ignace. In Sault Ontario, nothing that we currently have listed has been visibly cancelled by the bands or promoters on social media, but I am reluctantly delisting the Anti-Queens concert at The Rockstar Bar on May 23rd, as everything around it this month has been called off, and many of The Anti-Queens later concert dates are getting postponed or cancelled elsewhere.

For full disclosure, the local show has not been publically cancelled by the band, promoter, or venue, but the likelihood of this concert and no others in May taking place seems slim-to-none, and there are definitely more cancellations and postponements ahead. If I happen to be wrong, I will redact this, but these are funny times that we're living in right now.

Next up, Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s sixth weekly "Songs & A Six-Pack" live-stream concert took place last night, and this week's host was Bone Yard frontman and (Choose) Maxx Entertainment head Greg Simpson! For the record, last week's show was headlined by country musician Brendan Hodgson, so genre fans will definitely want to check that one out at this link. Simultaneously, Greg's performance is the de facto sequel to his "Songs From The Smoke Room" live-stream last month, with it's planned follow-up on April 8th cancelled on short notice due to his father-in-law being in the hospital, which he acknowledged in last night's video, but thankfully, he is doing better now. Of course, it's great to see Greg back in the smoke room for more covers, albeit with Northern Superior advertising and plugs thrown in! Like last month, this set is more reflective of Greg's past work in classic/hard rock bands.

The 82 minute video starts with his slowed down acoustic cover of Kiss' "Rock & Roll All Nite", before moving to renditions of Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee", Black Label Society's "Spoke In The Wheel", Kid Rock's "All Summer Long", Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", The Tragically Hip's "Fiddler's Green", Cinderella's "Shelter Me", Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up", Ray LaMontagne's "Jolene", The Band's "The Weight", Jamey Johnson's "High Cost of Living", The Barenaked Ladies' "The Old Apartment", Prince & The Revolution's "Purple Rain", The Five Man Electric Band's "Signs", and Guns N' Roses' "Used To Love Her". If you get deja vu from Greg's live-stream last month, then I cannot blame you whatsoever, as only two songs from that set ("Wheat Kings" & "I Took A Pill In Ibiza") were not reprised last night, and only the last five covers were brand new.

That all said, this is still an entertaining concert set, and Greg injects a lot of these songs with good energy and optimism, complete with more entertaining banter with his wife Kerry, helping out off-camera once again. Hopefully there's more on the horizon from Greg, but give his "Songs & A Six-Pack From The Smoke Room" a watch below!

Finally, here's a newly shared video of Greg's old classic/hard rock cover band That's Chester, albeit before he joined the group! This comes from Rotaryfest's main stage at Clergue Park in July 2006, and was uploaded onto drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel on Tuesday. This features That's Chester with their original frontman Richard Fullerton (now of the Ottawa-based Led Zeppelin tribute band Mothership), and the video opens with an amusing intro by MC/local radio DJ James Warner-Smith where the guys get introduced as the "next" band in an increasingly silly list of musicians, and we even hear their early stage names too (all have "Chester" in them). Musically speaking, you can see Ritch, Eugene, Gabe, Aubrey, and Ric cover a number of different songs, though these were edited into a clip montage in post-production, so no full songs are presented. Fans will hear Sammy Hagar, The Tragically Hip, and AC/DC songs, among others.

I wish the song fragments were at least longer, and the editing quality gives me the impression that this isn't a brand new video, but it's nice to hear the original That's Chester lineup at their height before Richard left! Everyone sounds good, so fans of theirs would be well served to give this video a watch, and visit Ric's YouTube channel for more archive video uploads of his!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

More New Live-Streamed Concerts & Cover Videos!!

In our 41st straight day of new SMS posts, we're dipping into the video well once again, with new covers and live-streams for your viewing pleasure, so here's what you should know!

The fourth installment of Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s "Songs & A Six-Pack" live-streamed concert series took place last night, and this time, the host musicians were local acoustic hard rock band The Wyld Stallyns! Despite originally planning to play as a Speers-only duo (jokingly named "The Myld Stallyns") due to social distancing, they made due by getting guitarist Jesse Cook and drummer Jonas Gasperas to join in, albeit miced up outside of their home. The verbiage in the video and on their Facebook page ("half the band can still be fun, right?") is about as close to official as I have seen online that Jonas is officially a Stallyn, as their Facebook "About" page still doesn't list him in the band. In fact, their sister band The Elements don't list him yet either, but he's a natural fit to their live repertoire! As for the live-stream proper, this follows the third installment hosted by Jay Case last week, so if you haven't seen it, click here to watch his entertaining set.

The original plan was for this live-stream to be an hour or so long once again, but the video only runs for 13:41 due to technical difficulties, and if it was resumed, the remainder of the set was not posted on the band's Facebook page. We do get to hear The Stallyns cover Pharrell Williams' "Happy" and Prince's "Kiss" though, and plug some Northern Superior beer, albeit with some audio warping on the camera end. Everyone sounds good and enthusiastic while it lasts, and hopefully they get a chance to do an encore when the glitches are worked out! Watch what was filmed below!

Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished performed two more short-handed live-streamed concerts on their Facebook page on Thursday and yesterday as scheduled! Unfortunately, the audio issues that plagued their first five live-streamed shows are still present, and honestly, even worse than on Tuesday, though your mileage may vary depending on your device or audio setup. For me, Audacity was required again to amplify the recordings so I could even hear Alex talking between songs, alas. Thursday's stream is largely a solo affair while Josh Fair works on the audio behind the scenes, while frontman Alex Traynor plays solo covers, including of Matchbox Twenty's "Push", Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive", REO Speedwagon's "Take It On The Run", Darius Rucker's "Wagon Wheel", Matchbox Twenty's "Unwell", Santana's "Smooth", Fleetwood Mac's "Gold Dust Woman", REO Speedwagon's "Ride The Storm Out", ...

...and Days Of The New's "Touch, Peel, and Stand", before Josh rejoins Alex on camera for covers of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long", Incubus' "Drive", and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Mary Jane's Last Dance." No original songs here, but a nice variety of covers, and if you like Rob Thomas, this one will suit your mood! Again, the audio quality is a massive liability, at least at my laptop with external speakers. Embedded below is yesterday's live-streamed concert, which features Josh on every song, and has slightly louder audio, but the sound quality still is not comparable to other recent local hard rock live-streams. In order, the guys cover Warrant's "Uncle Tom's Cabin", Alex's own solo song "Send My Soul Away", Ed Sheeran's "Don't", Oasis' "Wonderwall", Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'", Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Old Time Rock and Roll", and Stone Sour's "Through Glass", before playing their original "Shortcut", which will be on their debut EP.

The guys did note beforehand that the EP proper will be named "Down To The Wire", which is also the name of a track heard in one of last week's live-streams. Yesterday's remaining covers include Skid Row's "18 & Life", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary", Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love", Cameo's "Word Up", Everlast's "What It's Like", and Greg Kihn's "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)". With slightly better audio, two originals, and a heavier setlist than on Thursday, this is my favourite of the two live-streams, so fans will want to give it a look below, but see more above, and might more be coming next week?



Finally for today, let's return to Sault Ontario for the latest cover songs by new local acoustic hard rock duo The Isolation Sessions, all via guitarist Arthur Lacasse's YouTube channel earlier this month! Alongside a YouTube copy of their "Plastic Man" cover, the channel includes two renditions of Three Days Grace's "Never Too Late", with one recorded before social distancing and one afterwards with singer Jordan Rains framed picture-in-picture. Despite the unplugged setting, I think they play that one a little too reserved, especially with the chorus not being sung in full voice until later on, but it's still effectively done. Embedded below is their cover of Highly Suspect's "Little One" (recorded before social distancing), which Art seems to adapt to this format in a more natural way, and Jordan's vocals are dialed in extra well here. Promising covers so far, so give these a watch above and below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

The Ghost Of Chase James Wigmore - "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 126th monthly CD review at the Sault Metal Scene, and final one of both this year & the 2010s, as we're taking a look at prolific local folk punk/experimental solo musician Chase Wigmore's debut (non-demo) full length solo album "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To"! The first and best hyped of his two December 2019 releases (both as billed to "The Ghost of Chase James Wigmore"), this was independently released to his Bandcamp page on December 7th, and while a hyped CD release show on Devil's Night never occurred, the possibility still exists for the album to see a physical release in the future. Featuring Chase on vocals & acoustic guitar, you can buy this album for $7 at the above links, and while you can stream it for free there, consider buying it to support his work! Note however that "S.T.P.Y.I.T.F.T." has been heavily condensed from it's originally planned length of 23 songs, with his 25+ minute "Stray Dog Howl" among the dropped tracks.

Featuring 10 songs for about 38 minutes in length, many of which having previously heard on prior demos, let's begin this review with it's opening number "Feelings Over Minor Chords"! Featuring a very cheerful guitar melody, the lyrics take on a blatantly sarcastic vibe, presumably making light of indie and folk rock musicians with overly upbeat and happy songs. This track is amusing in this regard, and it slowly gets a little more aggressive and intense as it goes along, but the song's title is sung a little too often for my liking. Still a nice showcase for Chase's humorous side with strong guitar work! Second is the first outside cover on the album, his rendition of local doom metal trio AlgomA's song "Reclaimed By The Forest", which we have heard Chase tackle previously in his techno project The Black Lodge Masters. This version is a dark acoustic track that dramatically builds into the verses with a lot of intense guitar strumming, and it has a haunting minimalism to it.

This cover would presumably be a great fit with a full electric band, but it's a great showcase of Chase's darker musical side on it's own, and it's an early highlight! The song does end abruptly, but it segues right into the third song (if heard back-to-back), namely the album's longest, "St. Marie Revisited". The lyrics obviously have a local relevance, but they are honestly hard to make out for much of the song, which maintains the dark intensity of the prior cover. Instead, this one has but more projected vocals and varied emotion, complete with Awokest-style shrieking late and even more relentless guitar riffing. Shame this is just audio, imagine how this performance looks live! Very entertaining song for what it is, and it too runs right into the fourth song, "Rites of the Wendigo", a stripped down and condensed version of a song from Awokest's April studio album "Solving The Human Condition". The Awokest version, to me, was overly long and relentless without clear vocals, but does it work better here?

Structurally, it does, with the song having more focus and variance despite the vocals/guitar-only setup, and it allows Chase to flex his folk/punk muscles with another dose of extreme metal intensity in the back half! That said, as a metalhead, I would like to hear the Awokest version edited to match Chase's solo arrangement of the song, as I imagine that would work well, but as pure music, the solo redo is better. This runs into the fifth song, "Live To Work", which is the album's first track that I wasn't familiar with from prior demos. Ostensibly about the endless cycle of employment, this song is entertaining enough with a relatable tone from prior tracks, but the levels aren't as strong here, with Chase's vocals often buried in the guitar, and when he gets more intense and aggressive late, the song can crackle a little bit. The song's on-brand for the album and Chase's solo work, but the mix could have used another pass. As best as I can tell, the string of songs directly running into each other ends here, for what it's worth.

Track #6 is another cover, this time of "Beyond The Sun" by British crust punk band Amebix. Featuring some of the clearest and most passionate singing yet on the album, Chase adapts this song well to an unplugged setting, and while we don't really get any metal screaming here, he makes up for it with intensity and purpose. I wasn't familiar with Amebix before Chase covered this song in a Facebook video earlier this year, but it's a strong adaptation that matches the original's shifts in tone and emotion, and it's another fine choice for this album! That's followed by "Wear & Tear", which I wasn't familiar with either, but it delivers more of the same solo action you're used to from earlier originals. He shifts from his distinctive clean vocals to primal screams with surprising ease, and it's nicely showcased here, with his fast-paced, relentless guitar riffing also put to good use. Nothing overly shocking (comparatively), but fans will be right at home!

Eighth up is another new one (to me, at least), entitled "Millions & Billions Of Dollars". More of a guitar exhibition than some earlier songs, the vocals seem to be building towards a huge climax, complete with evil-sounding spoken word,  but it never comes, instead ending on a (vocally) softer folk punk note for it's final minute or so. Chase's picking and riffing comes through well, but structurally and vocally, there is better on the album, at least for what I'm looking for. Solid track as it goes! The penultimate (and shortest) track on "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To" is it's last cover, that being of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary". Don't go into this expecting a faithful rendition though, as Chase sings the whole song in a black metal-esque shriek, contrasting with the acoustic guitar work (anyone else getting Impaled Northern Moonforest vibes here?) It's an amusing take with good guitar, but be warned what's on offer before you check it out.

The album closes with "Running Out Of Beer", which takes about as much of a 180° turn as you can get without changing any of the personnel, as this is basically a classic country ballad, complete with added piano work for extra variance. You get a little bit of Chase's prior anger and intensity in the back half, but it mostly stays in it's genre lane. It's a well done change of pace with a strong lyrical narrative, but the keyboarding doesn't help the song, and it often crowds out the guitar and vocals as it goes. Solidly done closer, especially for outlaw country fans, but the piano isn't to my liking here.

So, what are my final thoughts on (The Ghost Of) Chase's first official album? Overall, if you like his brand of intense, in-your-face, metal-tinged folk/punk, this will do the job quite nicely! Despite recording this as a solo singer/guitarist (piano on the closer excepted), he doesn't approach these songs as a coffee-shop indie act, and delivers some angry and irreverent material that showcases his strong musical abilities without compromising an inch. This doesn't feel like a studio release, and it has the immediacy of his live shows, which is a good thing, even down to the unpolished production. The high amount of covers is surprising, especially given how cut down "Songs To Punch Yourself..." was from original hype, and a lot of these songs would probably lend themselves better to a full band electric presentation, but on tracks like "Solving the Human Condition" and "Wear & Tear", he proves that a full band isn't 100% necessary.

As an extreme metal fan, I tend to prefer his Awokest material, but Chase delivers the goods in this stripped down setting without hesitation, and if you love his live shows, you would be well advised to check this album out at the above links! I hope you guys liked our last album review of the 2010s, and as for January... St. Ignace, Michigan metal band Heavy Lies The Crown in the drivers seat for their debut album "Scatter Brain", but could another new album swoop in to get 2020's first review? Find out next month, and stay tuned for New Year's Eve concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tantrym Tyme), A New Local Band & Album Release, And More!!

Now that the equinox has passed, here's a stacked new news post for your Saturday night delectation! Along with a new teaser video, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a new album release, and leading off, a new band to add to our listings, so here's what you should know!

We have a new solo project to add to our Sault Michigan band links, and they are X's & Y's, the new musical venture from Werehold Records founder and ex-Life's Eclipse/et al. guitarist Jason Mills! The launch of their Facebook page marks the first new public update concerning his music career since Moss' final online posting in March 2018, so this has been a long time coming. Don't take this as a sign that Werehold is back in operation too, as their Facebook page was quietly deactivated during his musical hiatus, and has been removed from our links on the SMS as such, but we'll let you know if the label returns down the road. Jason revealed last month that he is working on a release named “Þe Obsidian Sömnen”, which roughly means "The Black Sleep", though I do not know yet whether this will be a single, an album, or both. In any event, Jason's ex-Shatterhand bandmate Mitchell "Barph Blahgo" Wells will mix, master, and co-produce the new material.

There are a lot of unknowns yet regarding X's & Y's, including specific genres we can expect Jason to tackle here, but remember that his past Werehold acts (Moss aside) all tended to play a form of extreme metal, often sans vocals. I'm very curious to hear where Jason has planned for his new project, so visit the above links to stay in the loop!

Next up, here's that LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and it's very surprising, as defunct local metal trio Tantrym Tyme are back for a special one-night-only reunion concert on MONDAY NIGHT at Bird's Eye Outfitters! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the official Facebook event page on Friday. We haven't seen Tantrym Tyme on stage (in an event with public online advertising, at least) since Downtown Days in 2016, after which they quietly dissolved, but it looks like Jacob's back home in the Soo for the holidays. Despite the odd Monday scheduling, it'll be great to see Tantrym Tyme back after 3 or so years! This is also a rare non-Project 906 hard rock concert at Bird's Eye Outfitters (the outdoors store/venue on the site of the former Bird nightclub), so if you've missed seeing heavier bands there, head to East Portage Avenue on MONDAY! Expect a 7:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge.

Tantrym Tyme (née Aux, Abstract, and Tantrum) were a welcome sight locally in the early-mid 2010s with their steadily improving skill set and impressive cover selection, especially given their young ages, having launched the band when the members were all 10-11 years old. Fingers crossed that this show is a huge hit, so see above for more details, and here's Tantrym Tyme live in Sault Ste. Marie back in 2015!

Let's head north to Sault Ontario now, starting with the latest from prolific local folk punk & experimental metal solo artist Chase Wigmore, whose public activity slowed down over the fall, so what's new to report? Well, on November 20th, he revealed that he was "sort of taking a vacation" due to positive changes in his personal life, though he did hint that his forthcoming true debut solo album "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To" was largely complete. In spite of mixed messages about the planned release date and issues therein, Chase posted the apparent final copy of the album on his Bandcamp page on December 7th for $7 (or more if you are so inclined), so now it is finally on sale digitally. He did leave the door open for a physical release down the line when monetary concerns are met, but this is better than nothing! As it currently stands, the album has 10 songs, down from the previously advertised 23 songs on a double album.

I'm unsure whether he made huge revisions to the final product or is shelving the other 13 tracks (including the 25 minute-long "Stray Dog Howl") for a separate release, but Chase has went through a lot to complete this album, and it's nice to see him get it on sale! As for when we might review this album on the site.... how does this month sound? Stay tuned!

Finally, here's a new video from Chase's ex-Strange Coyotes bandmate Mike Haggith's Facebook page earlier this month, and while it doesn't feature him on camera or performing, it is relevant to his upcoming studio album "If Ever Comes The Day." The 17 second clip features Justin Fuciarelli, Mike's bandmate in the Thompson, Manitoba pop rock cover band Between The Ditches, playing some solo guitar for what will be one of two guest spots on the CD. This has a bit of a country twang, but Justin's a solid guitarist, and it'll be interesting to hear how he fares on the final product. Check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

More Chase Wigmore Updates!!

News has been relatively slow as of late, so let's cover the rest of prolific local alternative/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore's recent updates and postings today! No, he hasn't continued his "12 EPs of Christmas" series since we covered the first 7 EPs on Saturday, but we will touch on the eighth and final EP release through it (so far?) later in this post. We'll start with a pair of cover videos that Chase posted to his Facebook page one month ago today, both of which overlaid with translucent alternate video and colour tints, The first video is a cover of Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Still The Same" featuring what appears to be a carnival employee (Chase himself?) working one of the games. Chase makes this song his own, spinning it into an aggressive alt-folk number, and his requisite intense yet satisfied stage presence comes through nicely! Embedded below is the second cover video from December 8th, where Chase tackled "Beyond the Sun" by British crust punk pioneers Amebix, so how does this turn out?

As set to four tilings of the same solo performance at various sizes and opacities, this song shows Chase letting his vocals go to ferocious levels you don't see often in his non-death metal work, and while still very intense, he's taking things more seriously and dramatically. This cover would be really neat to hear with a full band, but I like how this one sounds already, so give it a look below! Full disclosure, "Beyond The Sun" is much louder than "Still The Same", so keep note of your volume dial if listening to both back to back.

 
Next up, and after a prior cover art teaser, Chase unveiled plans for yet another album-length release on his Facebook page, albeit not attached to the "12 EPs of Christmas" series. Entitled "Solving the Human Condition", this will definitely appeal to fans of Chase's extreme and death metal sides, if the first song "The Hunter & The Prey" is any indication! Lyrically about a "chainsaw wielding maniac... chasing some poor girl around an old house", this song has a chaotic brutality with nicely used police siren samples, and Chase's black metal-inspired shrieking fits the nature very well! If you like Chase's more brutal music output, be sure to give this a listen!

Chase last updated his Facebook page last week, where he revealed that his rock opera album "A Kid Named Todd" is finished writing, and pre-production is underway, while "Solving The Human Condition" will likely be done "in the next month or two." Even if these never see paid single releases, Chase's prolific output is welcomed, and he has a little something for everyone in the works! He also ran a poll on Friday asking fans if they'd be interested in attending a prospective free Rednecks Saloon show this month with him and "a few other acts" later this month. As of this writing, 9 of the 11 voters responded in favour of the concert, and with voting for the poll ending in three days, will this be enough to get the concert booked? Cast your votes A.S.A.P. at this link! We will close this Chase-heavy post with the final installment (to date) of the "12 EPs of Christmas", so what should you know on this release?

As posted on November 29th, this is entitled "A Night of Dick Jerkins at the Opera", with Chase recycling his Awokest alias in the title. Despite that, the music on offer here is not similar to Awokest's in any major way, but does it resemble opera? Honestly, this sounds like the score to a dark suspense thriller, and even with that, the album art showcases a movie theater with a film noir movie on screen, so I don't blame you if you get mixed messages. Regardless of your interpretation, this showcases Chase's musical diversity and maturity, and there is an epic nighttime driving feel to parts of this 16 minute EP, so give it a listen below!

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

Northwest - "Songs From 2015-2017" EP Review!

It's now time for our 114th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and final one of 2018, a year in which we only looked at new album releases, so thanks to everyone for helping with a very eventful year in that regard! This month, we're taking a look at local indie/punk quintet Northwest's second EP "Songs From 2015-2017", which was released this past Saturday at their release party at LopLops Lounge. Named after the timeframe when it's included songs were written, this EP was recorded at Mission Control Studios since last year with producer Dustin Jones (identically to their 2014 debut), though this time, mixing & mastering was handled by Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studio in St. Catharine's. Northwest are represented once again by singer/guitarist Wayne Watkins, guitarists/backing vocalists Greg Callaghan & Mike Yakasovich, and bassist Mike Smykacz, while this marks their studio debut with current drummer Marc Santos, who replaced Clint Wilson in the band shortly after their first EP's release.

Physical availability of "Songs From 2015-2017" has not been publicized online, but you can buy this EP for $4 (or more) at Northwest's Bandcamp page, and while you can stream the whole thing for free there, consider buying the EP to support their hard work! With four songs running for 16 minutes on the dot, let's begin our last album review of the year with "Swayze Train", which is a season 7 Trailer Park Boys reference, and otherwise unrelated to the old Sault Michigan hard rock band. By and large, this song (the EP's shortest) is somewhat of a departure in sound for Northwest, with more of a sound influenced by Canadian folk rock, with glimmers of The Tragically Hip and The Sheepdogs in the verses. The chorus has some more enthusiasm, with (Greg's?) deep verse singing providing a good contrast, and a nice leisurely guitar pace, but punk diehards may be disappointed."Swayze Train" isn't a bad song at all to lead off the disc, but punk fans may be left wanting more.

Second is "Sorry Sunday", which returns to more familiar punk territory with harder hitting riffs, and more of a pop punk vibe, including vocal melodies that remind me a bit of "Feeling This" by Blink-182 at times. Wayne gets more of a chance to shine on the microphone, the guitarists mesh nicely, and Mike Smykacz's bass work contrasts well with the higher pitched melodies. The song ends somewhat abruptly, but it's an entertaining return to form with lots of positive energy! Afterwards is "True North", which is the EP's longest song, and begins with a dramatic slow build for it's first half-minute before the song proper kicks into high gear. Wayne's vocals take on another Perry Farrell-esque vibe like we saw on 2014's "Young & Wild", but the song proper is a casual mid-tempo rocker that has a nice anthemic quality and lyrics that resonate well with Northern Ontario living. While not an aggressive track, this song accomplishes it's goals, and is very well composed from top to bottom!

"Songs From 2015-2017" closes with "Hangover Habits", which has a sound more reminiscent of Wayne's old band Nebraska Arms in the verses, before taking on a softer (albeit fast paced) ambiance in the choruses. I like the melody and the urgency, but the drumming isn't varied enough to match until the bridge. While this matches "Sorry Sunday" in punk themes, this has a folksier, down-home vibe that doesn't hurt things, and the triple guitar attack from Wayne, Greg, and Mike Yakasovich fits both sides well (do I hear an acoustic guitar mixed in?) This is a fun way to cap the EP off, and it should please fans of Northwest's punk and indie sides!

So, what are my final thoughts on Northwest's sophomore release? Overall, this is an improvement in many respects for their recording methods, professionalism, and maturity, but fans of their punk side may be left somewhat in the lurch. On their self-titled debut, I noted that some songs didn't have a strong bite in the instrumentation, and while that's addressed here, the music is more diverse than ever, so there's no room for amped up guitar riffs on "Swayze Train" or "True North". The choruses are less repetitive, and everyone holds up their end of the bargain musically, with Wayne's vocals soaring at their heights, Marc showcasing his drum abilities well, and Greg and the Mikes handle guitar and bass strongly throughout! Musically speaking, I do prefer their debut pound-for-pound, largely because of the increased punk emphasis, but "Songs From 2015-2017" showcases Northwest's growth and influences beyond that, and it's great to see them tackle a more mature song like "True North" so well.

While only barely longer than their debut 4 song EP, this is a must listen if you love and appreciate Northern Ontario-bred punk and indie rock, and here's hoping we're not waiting four years for their third album! Give "Songs From 2015-2017" a listen and/or buy it at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! As for what's on tap to start 2019... I'm not sure at this juncture, but here's what I can tell you. Whether our streak of new album reviews continues or not, we won't be looking at anything from SweetKenny, Sykotyk Rampage, Mike McCleary, or Mike Vincent next month due to our 6 month anti-bias buffer period. I don't currently know of any major new album releases from local metal, hard rock, or punk bands that are planned for January 2019, and if nothing new hits our desk, we'll dip into the archives, ideally via a tie-in with local musicians playing live next month. Stay tuned for more in this regard, and for more concert previews, news, and notes tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fluid 5ive), Northwest & Highway 63 Updates, And Much More!!

Here's a new news post for this late Sunday night, including some assorted shorter stories, big lineup updates, and full details on a recent album release, but let's lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for at year's end... literally!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will end 2018 with a bang when they headline The Rockstar Bar's New Year's Eve party on December 31st (a.k.a. next Monday!) This will be the first show from this talented veteran group since last month's Habitat For Humanity Builders Bash, and their first at this venue in just over a month, and this should be a prime opportunity for New Year's Eve revelers to get a solid dose of hard rocking hits next week! The Monday night timing is unfortunate, but if you can swing a trip out, this should deliver the heavier goods! As usual for The Rockstar Bar's New Year's celebrations, this event has 8:00 PM door opening times and a 19+ age limit, and while admission is at $10, remember the holiday ties and the drink specials and party favours that are expected at such a bash. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more on New Year's weekend hard rock concerts in the area as they roll in!

Next up, local indie punk quintet Northwest's second EP "Songs From 2015-2017" was successfully released last night at their release party concert at LopLops Lounge, and it's also now on sale via their Bandcamp page, so what should you know on their sophomore effort? Recorded since mid-2017 at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones, the EP was later mixed and mastered by Kyle Whittaker of the St. Catharines-based Strange Pumpkin Studio, who had previously worked with fellow locals K.I.C.K. and Brendan Hodgson on their own studio releases. Mirroring their 2014 debut, "Songs From 2015-2017" features four songs, namely "Swayze Train" (no relation to the defunct Sault Michigan band), the previously unveiled "Sorry Sunday" & "True North", and "Hangover Habits", with their prior unreleased original "Drinking Games" nowhere to be found. Also, the album artwork was provided by photographer Keith Descoteaux.

I cannot speak for the physical distribution of the EP from LopLops last night, but Bandcamp copies run for a $4 minimum, and yes, you can stream the whole thing for free there.I've heard good things from the release party, and I'm glad to see that Northwest gave their second album a successful launch, so be sure to pick it up or stream it at the above links! And yes, "Songs From 2015-2017" will end 2018 as our last album review of the year, so look for that at some point later this week, definitely by Monday!

Also today, here's the latest from Sault Michigan classic/hard rock veterans Highway 63, who returned after a year+ long hiatus from the stage at Dondee Lanes' own Double D Bar & Grill on Saturday! As revealed at that night's Christmas party (and on their own Facebook page), we can now confirm the full identities of the band's two new members, so who's now in the fold? Now on bass is George Belleau (replacing Chris Leask), who fans may recognize from playing in the preceding rock cover bands RamWagon & Full Throttle with existing Highway 63 guitarist Nathan Switzer. The other new addition is the band's first ever permanent keyboardist, namely Brian Drumheller, who previously played in popular local cover acts like The Hixx and The Mamas Boys (the latter alongside Highway 63 frontman Henry Switzer.) George and Brian are both talented musicians with existing chemistry with the Switzers, and hopefully the new lineup rides this momentum well into 2019!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• In October, Sault Ontario grindcore solo project Crucify the Whore announced plans to record an EP named "Crucifiction Inquisition" (complete with cover artwork), and shared said post anew on their Facebook page earlier this week. No other details were given, but Blood Shed diehards will want to follow C.T.W. above for details! 
• Veteran local drummer Jeff Stuckenbrock is looking for a keyboardist with backing (or perhaps lead) vocals for his new "hard rocking" band, albeit one that is "not metal". Acts like Alice Cooper, April Wine, and Grand Funk Railroad were cited as bands they're tackling in some form, and he would prefer videos if you have them. If you're interested in trying out, message Jeff at this link or via his Musicans Wanted Facebook group post from December 9th!
• The True North Talent Entertainment Christmas concert at Soo Blaster on Thursday (featuring Winkstinger) now has a confirmed MC, namely "ShakaDoctor", who I know nothing on. If we hear anything, we'll let you know! This was confirmed on a new event poster, which curiously doesn't credit some of the openers, namely The Dynowaves, Trace Prince, DQ, and Sawbe. If that was on purpose, we will again let you know later this week!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as Christmas week progresses! Thanks everyone!

Friday The 13th New Music On Werehold Records (Part 8)

Yesterday was the first Friday the 13th in 8 months, so it's once again time to look at another new music event from Sault Michigan-area metal label Werehold Records, in their sixth straight Friday the 13th with new song uploads to their YouTube channel, and first of three for 2015! It should be noted that for this installment of the Friday the 13th Werehold postings, there are just four new songs, with label head Jason Mills credited to Scholomance Studio currently being "torn up", which impaired their larger plans for today (source here in a comment thread.) The next Friday the 13th is actually next month, so might things be fully realized then? For now though, we'll look at yesterday's songs, which don't include new material from Awaken Eidolen, Drayton Fever, East Branch, or Swampghas, but Werehold loyalists should like what we got, so here's the new songs in alphabetical artist order!

We'll start with Jason's solo metal project The 1,000,000,000s Who Died (remember, they weren't really from Isle Royale), whose new song is called "Allegiance to Nothing". An instrumental that morphs from dramatic horror movie music to crushing epic metal in short order, it's a solid track with great guitar work, but it's not that long, and it does sound a bit too processed at times. Give their new track a listen below!



Flagship Werehold metal band Life's Eclipse are next with their song "Cell Differential", to be included on their long gestating album "Invasion". It's not new (originally written in 2005), but it's still a strong addition to their original material, with a more melodic take on their usual brutality and a nice catchy feel that would go great for driving in a fast car! However, it too is an instrumental at present. Check out Life's Eclipse's newest posted song below!



Also from Friday the 13th is the newest song from Strongs/Eckerman hard rock band Moss, entitled "The Bright Lights of Anywhere"! Apparently recorded in less than 45 minutes (though it's the longest of yesterday's songs), it's also an instrumental, but takes on more of a mainstream hard rock sound, albeit with a dark edge that would still lend itself well to aggressive vocals. I can picture a vocal melody in my head for it, which is probably a good sign for it's composition! Strong work from Moss, so give it a listen below!



The last new song is "Snake Eyes" from Brimley electronic project Palaver, which isn't metal, but it again harbours the "dark video game music" sound that they've done well in the past, with the latter hald reminding me of music from a movie fight scene. Strong work if you're into techno genres, so check it out too! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news over the weekend, and keep watch for more new music from Werehold Records on Friday, March 13th! Thanks everyone!

Details On David Gold's Funeral, New As It Stands Songs, And More!!

Hey guys, here's another news post for this Tuesday morning, and though it's a bit smaller than I'd like, I felt I had to get this out now to ensure the word spread about the top story. Today, we have assorted site link/post news, some brand new As It Stands material, and leading things off, all the latest on David Gold's final arrangements and what you need to know to pay your final respects, so read on below.

Funeral arrangements for David Gold have been announced for those interested in attending or saying goodbye to the late Woods of Ypres frontman. As seen in his obituary posted on SooToday (which is nicely written & lists much of his extended family), the funeral itself will be held tomorrow at 4:00 PM (exactly one week since the accident) at Northwood Funeral Home Cremation & Reception Centre at 942 Great Northern Road, which is not far past the new Sault Area Hospital and 3rd Line East. Reverend Jim Moffatt will officiate the ceremony, there will be visitation at Northwood at 1:00 PM for the hours before the funeral, and you can make donations towards covering David's service by contacting Northwood Funeral Home at (705) 945-7758, or presumably in person. That said, this changes the previous plans to reserve tomorrow for just a casual get-together in David's honour, but his sister Marie confirmed on his personal Facebook page yesterday that a party in his memory will take place at 6:00 PM that evening. Details and a location are forthcoming, so whether it will still be held at The Canadian Motor Hotel or not isn't known at present. However, the planned display of letters & remembrances from friends & fans hasn't changed, so remember to send them (and donation inquiries towards his final expenses) to mariechristinegold@hotmail.com.

Marie has requested as well that all remembrance letters be sent to her e-mail by 5:00 PM today to ensure they can be printed off & displayed tomorrow, so if you can't make it, get them in A.S.A.P.! It's slightly short notice to hear that the funeral is taking place tomorrow, not just the memorial get-together, but David was so well loved in local and metal circles that I'm sure a great turnout will result regardless. I probably can't make the funeral itself, but if I'm home in time for the party in his honour, I'll try and at least make an appearance. Either way, I sent a memorial letter to Marie for displaying at the service, so hopefully it helps add to what should be a great supply of letters & remembrances. That's about all new on the David Gold front that I've heard over the past while, but if anything news comes out from tomorrow's services, the accident investigation, or any future Woods of Ypres-related developments, I'll be sure to share them here! I will add that a couple of YouTube users have put their slideshow making talents to use with some nice videos for "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" tracks, notably on YouTube user chrismjsa's channel, but here's a nice video from Colton Cybulski set to Woods of Ypres' new song "Finality", so check it out below!

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Now to some extra stories from the local scene, and first, local hardcore quintet As It Stands have posted two new studio quality originals onto their Facebook page to stream! The posted songs are their originals "Conception" and "Big Problem, Little Lock City", both of which were presumably recorded at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga in July towards their yet-unreleased third EP. These new uploads replaced "Oh Herm Herm Delish" on their BandPage Facebook application, which is where they were posted on Sunday morning, and according to recent postings, they plan to release another "tasty treat" for our ears on New Years' Day (likely implying at least one extra song they recorded.) How are the new tracks? The production's nice, and they show great aggression, but I'll hold on detailed comments until As It Stands release their new CD, whenever that is. Right now, I'm just glad to see them back in action locally after their 5 month break from the stage, and remember that they return to action on Thursday for a concert in Espanola, so keep that in mind! Check out their new songs at the above links, and stay tuned for more As It Stands news as it comes in!

And finally, here's three assorted site updates for our links and features, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or venue name:

• I've finally added a Facebook link & updated phone number ((705) 575-7222) for Sault Ontario bar/concert venue Feedback to our Sault Ontario concert venue listings on your right. I'm surprised it took this long to link Feedback there! We haven't heard much from the former Foggy's in over a week, but stay tuned for more Feedback updates!
• I've updated our GarageBand Profile on Gates of Winter to reflect the fact that keyboardist Brian Holmes left the band last month, and to better date their lineup to reflect who was in the band when GarageBand closed. That's about all, hopefully things are accurate now!
• In the next while, but not immediately, I'll likely be moving Woods of Ypres to our inactive band links. Posthumous CD releases aside, I see no realistic way that the band can survive without David Gold, who essentially was Woods of Ypres. Plus, sites like Encylopedia Metallum already consider the band split-up, for what that's worth. I hope guitarist Joel Violette gets back in the swing of things soon though, as his talents should take him very far (his Woods of Ypres output sure proved that over the past two years!)

That's all for today, but remember to enjoy TONIGHT'S Bret Michaels show and Green Christmas Bash, and if I don't see you guys tomorrow, I hope David's funeral and memorial party go well. It's a shame that we have to say goodbye to him so young, but hopefully all of his fans and friends have a chance to pay their respects tomorrow. If I can't be there, I'll be there in spirit, and stay tuned for more news and notes over the coming days, along with our review of Garden of Bedlam's new CD! Thanks everyone!

Woods Of Ypres - "Against The Seasons: Cold Winter Songs From The Dead Summer Heat" Review!!

As promised, it's time for our latest CD review at the SMS, and surprisingly, this is the first album by this band that I've reviewed on here in almost 16 months! But with no new releases to focus on this month (surprisingly), I'm making a rare dip into the Sault Ontario archives this month to take a look at Woods of Ypres' debut EP, "Against The Seasons: Cold Winter Songs From The Dead Summer Heat"! Often called "Woods I" to go along with their later album numbering, this was the debut release for Woods of Ypres during their beginnings in Windsor, Ontario. Recorded at Spectre Sound Studios in Tecumseh in August 2002, the EP was self-released in October of that year in limited quantities before being re-mastered in 2005 by producer/then-bassist Dan Hulse at Obsidian Sound in Toronto, and properly released with new artwork through Krankenhaus Records that summer. Around that same time, a limited run of "Against The Seasons" cassette tapes were issued by Night Birds Records. It's the re-release that I'm reviewing today, which is no different from the original save for better production. This features Woods of Ypres' original lineup, including guitarist Brian McManus, bassist Aaron Palmer, and drummer David Gold, who would later become their frontman before his 2011 passing and the band's breakup. On this EP, Brian and Aaron share vocal duties, with Brian doing the black metal parts and Aaron covering the clean singing on all but the first two songs. (Updated on September 28th, 2012)

Both the 2002 and 2005 pressings of "Against The Seasons" are out of print, but the remastered EP is available through various internet sites and retail locations, and it's not terribly hard to find compared to many other local bands' CDs. Officially, the album is available for download from iTunes for $4.95 or 99¢ for each individual song, so click here to buy it on iTunes! A re-release through Earache Records has been suggested in the past, but nothing concrete has been set. Torrent files and similar free downloads are readily available online, but please support the band and buy the EP! Featuring five songs clocking in at over 30 minutes of music, let's start with the introductory track, "The Shams of Optimism"! (Each song's title below is linked to a YouTube upload of that song.)

"The Shams of Optimism" is the introduction to "Against The Seasons", but is essentially just the first 3/10ths of an almost 10 minute epic when combined with track 2, "Crossing The 45th Parallel", so I think it would be best suited to review the songs together, as they always are live. Compared to what you'd normally expect from a black metal band, both of these songs reflect the winter season, nature, and a feeling of loneliness in such an environment, which are recurring themes in later Woods of Ypres songs. After a short guitar intro sets the mood for "The Shams of Optimism", the black metal kicks in at a fast and heavy pace with great pounding drums from David Gold! The vocals kick off with Brian McManus' more than capable black metal shrieking, which isn't very easy to understand, but suits the heaviness of the material! Things get more varied in guitar melodies to end the intro while Brian's relentless vocals keep attacking you until "Crossing The 45th Parallel" kicks in. "The Shams of Optimism" was relentess and full of singing, but "Crossing The 45th Parallel" is more diverse and drawn out. You can tell they belong together as a song, but the two portions stand on their own as well. Brian unleashes some great black metal screams early in the second part, and his guitar melodies contrast well with the fast paced relentless blast beats, without resorting to just a wall of noise.

Luckily, when the song just starts getting repetitive, a harder riff kicks in about 3 and a half minutes into the second song, helping shake things up a bit and give the song some much needed diversity. Late, things get softer in tone and more melodic, which adds to the epic feel of it all, but Woods of Ypres made sure to end on a brutal note before fading out! I do think that the combined "Shams/Crossing" song does get repetitive and too drawn out at points, particularly in "Crossing The 45th Parallel", and I would have cut it down and combined the songs into one 7 minute song, but the lyrics never get repetitive, continuing to tell a well written story! The lack of a guitar solo also hurts, but this is something to get used to for Woods of Ypres' first 3 albums. The drumming's top notch, Aaron's bass is a constantly effective presence, Brian's singing fits the song, and there's some nice guitar melodies to go along with it all! Great song for black metal, and there's a reason why it leads off Woods of Ypres' concerts!

Third on the EP is "The Sea of Immeasurable Loss", which starts on much of the same heavy note that characterized the previous two songs, including pounding drums, solid guitar playing, and another solid black metal scream! Then 40 seconds in, things get soft like the beginning of "The Shams of Optimism", though with the addition of drums and black metal singing, which did sound sort of out of place over music that light. The heaviness kicks in not long after again, which sounds similar to past verses, but a bit more melodic than they had previously. The lyrics seem to follow from where the last 2 songs left off, seem to speak of personal inner turmoil and a nomadic journey, which show more of the lyrical strengths they had even then. 2:41 in, the first clean vocals pop up in the song, courtesy of bassist Aaron Palmer, who does share some vocal similarities to David Gold with his tone, so you might confuse the two. It's good singing too, but it's lower in the mix than it should be. I like how Aaron and Brian sing overtop of each other, adding layers onto the song that are pretty cool to hear! Overall, this very entertaining song does show more variety, especially with the occasional softer interludes and the inclusion of clean singing, but a guitar solo, a proper "end" rather than just a fadeout, and higher mixed clean vocals would have been a big help.

Fourth is another live favourite, "A Meeting Place & Time", which David Gold has said is inspired by Sault Ste. Marie in past live performances. The longest individual track on the EP, this song features the most clean singing of the album, and it also has the most distinctive sound to it. The guitar riffing has a great sound to it, keepin a heavy but folksy rhythm to start, along with another soft guitar interlude before launching into a heavy black metal verse. Brian's black metal singing is more reserved here to match the slower mood, but it's probably the easiest to understand of the EP so far. You don't get much of it though, mostly in the early verses. This song has a more conventional structure to it than the past songs on "Woods I", which isn't bad, but it loses some unpredictability. That said, it's not nearly as repetitive as "Crossing The 45th Parallel" got late, so take that for what you will. Aaron's clean singing fits the song and intended mood well, but it's clear from more recent live performances with David singing that Aaron was more limited vocally here. Similar tone, but worse range. The guitar work stands out the most to me here, but the bass lines are well played when detectable, and David's drumming suits every portion of the song! Not the heaviest of the EP, but "A Meeting Place & Time" leaves one of the bigger impressions, and the soft outro is a nice inclusion. If you prefer the doomier clean-sung material from later Woods of Ypres albums, this will probably be your favourite song on this EP!

The final song on the EP is "Awating the Inevitable", the shortest non-intro song of "Against The Seasons". After a slow mood-setting guitar opening, things pick up fast and heavy to close Woods of Ypres' debut out with blast beats, heavy melodic riffing, and some very solid black metal shrieking! They seem to be throwing their all into the opening here, and it shows! Brian and Aaron's singing is as good as it's been all album, and we even get a bass solo midway through! The bass, though well played, felt buried in many of the earlier songs, so it's nice to see Aaron get some more attention with this solo! Not the fastest bass solo I've heard, but the pacing fits the song better here, and segues into the following riff well! This song ends really strongly with some nice varied guitar playing and harsh vocals, a softer stretch, and a heavy breakdown to fittingly end the EP with the only proper "ending" for any of the songs! Another fast and well played track, this shows all of the band's then-strengths, and leaves little behind, though a guitar solo would again have been nice!

So how does Woods of Ypres' debut EP hold up nine years later? Well, I can safely say that this is the heaviest pound for pound release of their career to date, but at the same time, their sound has evolved a lot since then. 2/3rds of this lineup have long since moved on, and it wasn't until David Gold emerged from the drumkit to pick up the rhythm guitar and microphone that a lot of the doom metal influences emerged, so this is only a subsection of the sound they've came to embody in present years. Even back in their 2002 infancy, Woods of Ypres played black metal differently than most, using nature, the seasons, and personal feelings as lyrical influences, with no makeup to be found, and these topics bled from their music! Brian McManus' guitar work was never crushing, but it didn't have to be, as it was always melodic and felt like it fit the mood that Woods of Ypres were trying to set. His vocals were very good for black metal, employing the evil and harsh tone that it's best known for, and Aaron Palmer's singing was similarly good! Though we only heard it on the last 3 songs, he had a deep voice that suited the songs, especially on "A Meeting Place & Time", which was a good showcase for his vocal work. Aaron's bass work on the other hand felt buried on many songs, but when you could hear it, it came through well!

David Gold showed the drum skills that only brightened Woods of Ypres' first three albums, showing relentlessly fast and proficient skills on each song! This was their first album, so it's natural to expect flaws though. Aaron's bass work was buried amongst the other instruments way too many times, and the earlier songs had moments where they dragged and got slightly repetitious. I can't speak for the original demo's quality, but this remastered 2005 version of "Against The Seasons" has great production, and Woods of Ypres fans should notice that! I know some people (myself included) enjoy the versions of these songs that newer David Gold-fronted lineups have played that feature more clean singing and heavier and deeper harsh vocals, but if you're a devoted black metal fan, you'll absolutely enjoy this album more than some of their later work. I recommend "Against The Seasons" especially for fans of "Woods III: The Deepest Roots & The Darkest Blues", as that's their other "black-centric" album, but any true Woods of Ypres fan will enjoy their debut on it's own merits! Though not the definitive portrait of their overall sound, "Against The Seasons" was a solid debut release that set the tone for their future heavier material, and definitely give it a spin for some solid Northern black metal!

So what are we reviewing next month? Again, I won't state anything right now, especially given the high amount of albums in the works or recorded but unreleased. For a preview of what could come out next month that we could review, click here to check out our "Where Are The New Albums?" post from earlier this month! Actually, our April update in this series is in exactly one week, so remember that! All of those, plus Destroilet's debut EP, are new releases that I know are at least partially recorded, so any of them could be next! The only exception would be a possible new Mike Haggith album, as it'd be too soon from our "Suspended Animation" review. As always, if more than one new local metal album comes out next month, the most prominent of the two will get the review. What if no new albums come out again though? If that is the case, I'll review Foothill Road's 1994 debut album "Seventy", to tie in with next month's local debut of guitarist Mario Carlucci's current band Sneaky Pete. So there you have it, next month's CD review, pencilled in for April 24th-30th, will either be Foothill Road or something brand new! Stay tuned for updates on that, and more!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new news post featuring some big updates from Dismembertainment. What's that? If you don't know, I'll tell you guys tomorrow! Thanks everyone!