New Punk Videos & More Recent Updates!!

Let's dive back into recent news and notes on the SMS today, and in this catch-up day, it just so happens that we're leading off with Mikhal Muto-featured projects for a third straight day! Gotta go where the content is, as both of his current punk bands have new Facebook videos to check out, but for variance, let's start with his skate punk/thrash trio Hails, who were filmed at their headlining concert at The Distraction on May 19th for two videos posted to their Facebook page in the past week. Notably, both appear to feature Mikhal's brother Carmen as a guest guitarist, but Ha!ls did not credit him in either video's description. The two videos run for under a minute in length (Hails rarely post videos of full songs), and feature the guys and Carmen playing "Down For Life" and, as embedded below, "The Drifter". The former song is on their "Rock And Rolls" EP, but the latter is not.

The filmer (I believe it was the same person) shot Ha!ls from two different angles on the 19th, with "Down For Life" being in a normal front-on placement, and "The Drifer" being shot side-stage. I still think that the stage lighting here is too purple, but the setting at the former barbershop is certainly unique, and Hails rocked out as well as you'd expect here, so check out their abbreviated new live videos above and below!

Next up, let's trade Brent for Andrew and look at Ha!ls' sister band Vanity First, who posted one more video from last month's album release party at Soo Blaster onto their Facebook page two weeks ago! In this case, it's of the guys (and the aforementioned Carmen Muto) playing their original song "Off With Their Heads" from the same camera and vantage point as their Choking Victim cover posted on May 8th. Lively performance with "cool guitar stuff" that faithfully captures this song in a good way for fans who heard it on "Identity Crisis", which I will be reviewing on the SMS next month! It's worth noting that Vanity First's introduction on their Facebook page now calls them a "local three (sometimes four) piece punk outfit", implying that Carmen will be back for more Vanity concerts in the future, if not necessarily all of them or for entire sets. Check out their new "Off With Their Heads" video below!

Also, let's move to an entirely unrelated punk act next, namely inactive indie/lo-fi punk solo project Telephone & Address! You may recall this Christopher Shoust-led group from a series of independent album releases & sporadic live dates in the 2010s, and he recently launched a new YouTube channel to collect short films that he has made over the years, including the previously seen F.F.B. documentary trailer. In two of his newest YouTube uploads, Chris posted 2015 skateboarding footage there under the title "Skate Army", with both featuring a full song from Telephone & Address' seventh album "Rust Orchid". The first one is embedded below and uses their song "Seven", but "Skate Army 2.0" instead uses the song "Sunrise". Credited skateboarders here are his old Red & Black bandmate Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda, ex-Id Iota/Free Beer frontman Christian Lemay, Man Feelings/ex-Bizotic drummer B.J. Swire, and Chris Leclerc (who's not a musician that I can recall).

Chris Shoust considers these to be "half skate video and half music video", so it is neat to see these songs get some love nine years on! Now, "Rust Orchid" is an interesting choice of album to source the music from (that album also being from 2015 acknowledged), as that album was entirely made up of dark ambient instrumentals that were a far cry from the drum/bass and folk punk material on Telephone & Address' albums before and after this. Not badly composed, but not my first thought of a skate video soundtrack, especially with no visual effects to match the music. Well edited overall though, so give the skate army's work a watch!

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

 

• According to this SooToday article by Alex Flood on their recent purchase of rare instruments, long-time Queen Street East music store Case's Music is now fully owned by ex-Blues Harvest frontman Jake Rendell and his wife Lee, with Jake previously holding a co-ownership stake at Case's since at least 2018. Case's had been co-owned by Carrie Suriano since 2010, initially with her ex-husband Jay Case (Mike Case's nephew). Hopefully the Rendells keep things going successfully long term, and Jerry's instruments seem to be in great hands!
  
• In a quiet change to the lineup for the It's The Pits Festival in Leeburn on July 22nd, local acoustic folk solo project Sibling have been removed from event advertising. A public reason for Sibling's exit wasn't announced, but project leader Mike Kyle (better previously known as Shit Liver's bassist) had made personal Facebook posts to the effect that he was stepping away from music for personal reasons. Hopefully all's well with Mike and that we'll hear from him again in time! As of this writing, Sibling have not been replaced on the bill, but we'll let you know if they are.
  
• It is rare to see a touring band announce a lineup change between the announcement of a local concert and showtime, but Minnesota hair metal band Vixen have parted ways with singer Lorraine Lewis due to the band "going in a different direction" (I hate that excuse), as reported on music news websites like this. Now, Vixen only had one classic-era band member (drummer Roxy Petrucci) left anyway, so it's not like Hair Scare listeners will get a dramatic shift from their classic studio material here, but it is worth noting given their upcoming set opening for Ace Frehley at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on July 20th. Stay tuned for updates!
  

 

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

Lo-Fi Video Fanzine No. 1 Review!!

Merry Christmas to all readers who celebrate! I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday and got lots of presents! On this holiday, I wanted to open a present of sorts, namely a disc that I found at Value Village a few weeks ago called "Lo-Fi Video Fanzine No. 1", credited on the spine as "a lo-fi film by Christopher Shoust". Long-time readers may recognize Chris Shoust as the frontman of the inactive indie/punk solo project Telephone & Address, from his work in bands like The Red & Black and Orange, and from his artistic pursuits as a painter and filmmaker, but I had no idea that he once worked on a video magazine project! Two DIY installments of this zine were made up in late 2012 (the first one is dated to September of that year), but I couldn't tell you how they were distributed at the time, as I don't remember him or performers openly plugging this on social media at all.

Interestingly, the disc is not a DVD, rather a data disc containing the 30 minutes of video in one file, so if you have either disc, your mileage will vary on if it will even play on certain devices. Given that I have only seen one of these in the wild in the past 11 years, I'd hazard a guess that their print runs were quite limited, but never fear, as Chris quietly uploaded both Lo-Fi Video Fanzines to his YouTube channel in April of last year. We'll focus on the first one today, which was largely shot across two dates in August & September 2012 inside the old Royal Canadian Legion building on Great Northern Road, aside from one performer, who was partially filmed playing on Queen Street East outside of Reggie's Place. It is worth noting that Chris said that the video is "deliberately low quality" to focus on documenting what happened rather than making the footage "look pretty". I don't necessarily agree, as our eyes see better than the camera was set up to, but Chris always liked lo-fi recordings.

I have no clue whether the Legion performances here were taken from public concerts or private events intended specifically for the zine, but if I had heard about them being public events, I would have at least covered them on the SMS at the time. The 30 minute video opens with defunct local hard rock duo Sounds From The Green Room, an online page-less precursor to singer/guitarist Brad Griffith & drummer B.J. Swire's later band Bizotic. S.F.T.G.R. even played a show in Ottawa in 2011, but their public dates in the Soo were very limited, and I didn't know they were still playing anywhere in 2012! Their song (which ended their set at the fuller Legion concert) was introduced by name, but I couldn't make out the title due to the lo-fi recording quality, though it sounded like Brad said "Fudgel". Very Sykotyk Rampage-esque sound to this song, but with more traditional melodic vocals, and it's definitely heavier than Bizotic were!

Second on the zine are two spoken word poems by Denis Robillard, though only the second ("Many Phones Sleep Here, Under The Earth") has its title introduced on camera. I'd have left in the applause after he finished, but Denis did write good thematic poems here! Next is the first appearance of fan favourite local pianist & street performer Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda, who performs some original music for 3 minutes or so, and his skill on the keys is as prevalent as ever! More spoken word follows when Cody Rydall reads a well written poem named "Like Flight", while his brother Jake (who we have covered here via the old Swampstravaganza open mic block) gets an almost six minute stretch of the zine next, where he does two original songs on vocals & acoustic guitar. Neither one has its title given on camera, but they may be called "Eye To Eye" and "Broken Guitar Strings".

Jake sings well here and has a knack for good compositions! As the second half of the zine begins, we leave the Legion for the first time to catch Spider Fingerz playing outside on Queen Street (at 3:00 AM, no less!). One wonders what nighthawks must have thought of this, but as always, Damjan's abilities as a pianist are clear as day even if the video isn't! Cody Rydall returns for a second poem next, which isn't titled on camera but only runs for about 30 seconds. Once you're done snapping your fingers to it, you can check out the return of Sounds From The Green Room's Brad Griffith, who is otherwise best known on bass with No Arrow and SBD, and for his more recent solo pursuits under the Gortium85 handle. Brad's solo section is the longest in the zine, and the only one to feature two distinct camera angles. As seen here, Brad is sticking closer to his grunge/hard rock work of the 2000s and early 2010s than what we saw later from him.

His two songs include one possibly named "Black Shadow", but I couldn't catch a candidate name for the second song, which has a livelier classic rock flair, and was filmed beside Brad rather than in front of him. Strong stuff for fans of Brad's pre-Bizotic music in particular, especially his first song! Denis Robillard returns for one more poem next, whose title sounds "Woke Flow Aerodrome" but I may be slightly incorrect with it. That ends the Legion content of the zine, and after a break with Damjan skateboarding downtown, we end with him and Chris joining forces like they did in The Red & Black, but here, it is specifically credited as an improvised joint performance between Telephone & Address and Spider Fingerz. Also filmed outside of Reggie's in the middle of the night, this is basically what happens if you let two guys play piano simultaneously, with Chris playing the high keys and Damjan handling the low keys.

Rather than play side by side, Damjan is playing from behind the keyboard while standing up, and they do pair well together to create music that one pianist shouldn't be able to do alone! While I would have filmed these with better quality cameras/settings, this was a fun watch to capture this chunk of the local music scene from a bygone era, with some good poetry to break it up, and it's a shame that this didn't have a wider release or publicity at the time, as I'd have happily covered it 11 years ago! Give Lo-Fi Video Fanzine No. 1 a watch below, and click here to watch No. 2, which is more focused on the local arts community and does not feature hard rock or punk-leaning musical acts. Thanks everyone, and Merry Christmas!

Defunct Local Band Profile: Telephone & Address

With news still at a snail's pace around here, let's post this month's Defunct Local Band Profile a couple of days early! This monthly feature series looks at one or two local metal, hard rock, or punk acts that are either defunct or have been publically inactive for a year, in order to spotlight them and their run for current readers, all as randomly selected from our inactive band links. Our first profile of 2021 is on a prolific and original solo project that you may recall seeing and hearing in the 2010s, so here's what you should know!

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Telephone & Address

Genre: Outsider Punk/Grunge/Ambient
 
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (Members not in their last known lineup in italics. This information may be incomplete, particularly regarding the rumored full lineup that Telephone & Address played with at the Oh!No festival in Leeburn in 2019. Let us know if you can fill in any blanks!)

Christopher Shoust (F.F.B., Orange), all instruments

Jackson Reed, drums

Audio/Video: A prolific artist in multiple media, Chris completed four demos in 2011 & 2012 (a self-titled release, "Live", "No. 3", and "Broken Head") that have long since been taken down, though an "Early Tapes" compilation from these demos was once teased, and select older songs are on their Soundcloud page. Through Chris' own Harmisntus Productions banner, Telephone & Address released five official albums afterwards, including 2013's acoustic "Rotten EP", 2014's drum-and-bass album "Need Not Apply", 2015's ambient instrumental album "Rust Orchid", and the electric/full band albums "Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been..." in 2016 and "Monster" in 2018. All had distinctive cardboard packaging on their limited CD runs, but have different artwork in their digital download copies on Bandcamp. Select videos from their live concerts do exist online, but here's Chris playing two songs live on Six, Two, Oh.'s old studio performance video series in 2015!

Info/Analysis: Launched circa 2010, Telephone & Address was Chris Shoust's primarily artistic output as a musician in the past decade, which saw him play at a handful of notable concerts, including a some festivals in the summer of 2011, sets opening for bands like IDNS, Bardos, Dri Hev, and Iansucks, and a few well received solo gigs at the old Gore Street Cafe. While primarily a solo project, acclaimed local indie musician Jackson Reed did join Telephone & Address as a drummer in 2017, but after the release of the previously recorded "Monster" in 2018, they quietly went on hiatus. Telephone & Address resurfaced to play at the third Oh!No concert festival in Leeburn in September 2019, with advertising indicating that this would be a full band set, but their Facebook page never plugged the festival, and they have not been seen publically since, with Chris more recently focusing on visual artwork.

Not one to stick to one style of music forever, Telephone & Address' diversity helped them stand out locally in spite of their lo-fi recording methods! Their output won't be universally for everyone, especially the challenging "Rust Orchid", and only "The Rotten EP" overtly reflects on their generally unplugged live concert sets, but Chris is a talented musician with a distinctive voice, and his music complimented his visual art well. Hopefully he revisits his music down the road, but there's enough range in Telephone & Address' five albums to find the right audience among curious fans!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This series will return on or around February 10th for another look at a randomly selected band, and next time, it will be 2016-2017 power pop/hard rock band The Noochin' Lanterns! That should be interesting, so look for that then, and stay tuned for a new post of some kind by Monday! Thanks everyone!

Chase Wigmore Updates, New Videos, And Much More!!

Happy Labour Day, everyone! To end the long weekend, we have an array of news and updates from many familiar faces in local metal, hard rock, and punk, including a couple of videos, so here's what you should know!

On August 31st, prolific local punk/metal solo musician Chase Wigmore updated fans as to the release status of albums from his eponymous and Awokest solo projects on the former's Facebook page on August 31st. There, he appeared to dial back the progress of his two new Awokest albums teased in July due to stubbornness and to make them more cohesive, but he also referenced plans for two new (presumably eponymous) acoustic solo albums, one groove-influenced and one darker and bluesy. As well, he plans to finally complete his 33 part rock opera "A Story About A Kid Named Todd", but given his prolific nature, that's not even all! Chase hinted a a new "black metal flamenco jazz" project named The Bastard Mass, while also teasing a new at-home solo performance video once he resolves wifi connection issues. He seemed uncertain as to how much of this would come out by year's end, but it'll be interesting to hear new stuff from his camps in some form!

Next up, here's some new videos from a pair of local bands, starting with a new clip from young local classic/hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley's Facebook page! After an over 5 month hiatus from public updates (no doubt helped by the pandemic), the guys quietly shared this video on August 3rd of them playing an original song named "Stuck In Rotation" in what appears to be a private concert on an outdoor porch. The 2 minute clip doesn't capture the full song, but the 1970s Deep Purple-esque sound is welcome to hear, and despite being far from the band, the quality's good! Give it a watch below, and stay tuned for more from The Uncanny Valley when it rolls in!



Also, here's a short new video from local punk trio Redundant's Facebook page on August 7th, but unlike their at-home videos from the spring, this is from an outdoor gathering of some kind. The video quality is severely lacking, but it shows frontman Justin Langlois covering NOFX's "Linoleum" on vocals, while he and drummer Rick White share guitar duties... literally! Justin's strumming and Rick's handling the fretboard. Fun bit of cooperation, and friends definitely know the song, so give this video a watch below!



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

• It presumably goes without saying given the pandemic, but the annual Oh!No concert festival did not take place this past Labour Day weekend. If things were normal like in the past three years, promoters The Oh!No Collective had planned to move the event from Robbie's church in Leeburn to multiple Sault Ste. Marie venues (source here), but Oh!No have not posted updates on their Facebook page in almost 6 months. Hopefully the festival returns in some form in 2021, it was missed over the long weekend!
• I have moved local folk/outsider punk project Telephone & Address back to our inactive band links. The Christopher Shoust-led act returned after a 19 month hiatus for Oh!No III one year and one day ago, complete with a rumoured full lineup, but they never promoted the set online, and have not posted on their Facebook page since releasing their "Monster" album in February 2018 (pandemic acknowledged.) Chris is a talented and original musician, and hopefully we hear more from him down the line, but click here for his ongoing work in visual art!
• I have also reluctantly moved local indie/punk veterans Treble Charger to our inactive band links due to a year-long period without a public statement on new band activity. This isn't the first time this has happened, but Treble Charger's online presence has always been slight since their 2012 reunion, and nothing has popped up since this Sault Star article in August 2019 promoting their new album's recording sessions. Of course, the pandemic may have thrown a wrench into their studio and Algoma Conservatory plans, but hopefully Greig and Bill resurface in time when things are ready!

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

Telephone & Address - "The Rotten EP" Review!!

It's now time for our 123rd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and with no new metal, hard rock, or punk albums out to my knowledge this month, we're dipping into the archives for the fourth time in six months, specifically by looking at revived local post punk/grunge solo project Telephone & Address' first official album "The Rotten EP"! This album was chosen to tie in with Telephone & Address' advertised return set at the third annual Oh!No festival in Leeburn earlier this month, and marks our long overdue final review of their five pre-hiatus solo albums in the mid-late 2010s. Released through Harmisntus Productions on December 28th, 2013 when they opened for Tim Day at The Algonquin Pub,"The Rotten EP" is considered to be their first album, de-listing their prior demos from canon. Featuring project founder and prolific artist Christopher Shoust on vocals and guitar, CD printings were limited to 50 copies in cardboard packaging, though you can buy it for $8 on Bandcamp, which is $2 cheaper than CDs were when they were on sale.

Of course, you can stream the whole EP there as well, but consider buying it to support Christopher's work! Featuring 7 songs running for about 17 minutes in length, let's begin this review with it's opening song "Get Ready To Run"! As you can tell quickly with this song, "The Rotten EP" shares the most similarities with Telephone & Address' 2013-2017 public concert sets of their five canon CDs, as this is devoid of bass, drums or ambient programming like on the four follow-ups. That said, this song has a clear punk energy with forceful singing and strongly played guitar work that would easily translate to a full electric setting, and Chris' distinctive vocal style seems to mesh better here than on a softer, slower track. That said, the song's structure and the lyrics do get repetitive after a while, and as such, it does feel like an incomplete song repeated to stretch it past 3 minutes. Entertaining overall, but I wish it was more varied as it went along.

Next up is the EP's longest track (at 3:11, mind you), "Bought & Sold." Harbouring more of a politically-charged stance in it's lyrics, I again like the passion and force that Christopher projects here, and the song's well played and sung, but this song is similarly repetitive to it's predecessor, basically repeating the same verse and chorus three times over before ending with another verse go-around. There is something here as a lo-fi punk performance, absolutely, but I would either vary the structure or chop the song down in length. Third is "Fucked From Birth" (he titled it, not me!), which has a Green Day-esque sound, obviously stripped down, though the title does allude to more explicit language used in the lyrics proper. The faster pace and shorter length help differentiate this one from it's preceding songs, and while the lyrics still aren't terribly long, there's less room for repetition. So far, this song feels the most ready for the full band treatment, and it's an early highlight!

That's followed by "Broken Head", which retains the punk energy of it's predecessors, but this seems like it has more of a folk essence, with vocals sung a little more than on prior tracks. I'd have varied the guitar playing a little more, as it only really changes in style for the brief choruses, but the song is effective and wraps things up before it overstays it's welcome! Fifth is one of the EP's two shortest songs, "Fight", though despite the name, there are more aggressive songs on here. The verse singing here is surprisingly repetitive and muddled given the sub-2 minute length, and while the song's structure isn't as by-the-numbers here, I don't find this as catchy.

"Drunk & Disorderly" is the EP's penultimate offering,  and it has a folk punk sound like "Broken Head", thankfully with a clearer overall performance than on "Fight." The song itself is on one track for the verses and choruses, but the lyrics are shaken up a little more, and Chris gives solid feeling and aggression to the vocals. Another highlight on the album, and it's nicely laid out for length and pacing too! "The Rotten EP" closes with "We're All Fucked" (again, I didn't title this!), which is tied with "Fight" at it's short 1:52 run-time. This is a clear and well performed song that manages to cram three full verses and choruses each into the duration, but with the length and the energy, it doesn't feel repetitive. Not overly angry despite the title, this isn't a bad song, but aside from the liberal expletives in the chorus, it doesn't stand out compared to earlier tracks.

So, what are my final thoughts on Telephone & Address' first canon CD? I think the best was yet to come, but this was a solid collection of lo-fi outsider punk songs that helped set the groundwork for what was to come! I am surprised that Christopher never reprised the singer/guitarist-only template on later albums, especially given the nature of his live shows then, so if your fondest memories of this project are from concerts, this will be extra notable. His distinctive nasally vocal style works well here in a more forceful, angrier setting, and he gets good mileage out of the acoustic guitar overall, with songs like "Broken Head" and the songs with the F-word in the title showcasing his top flight contributions. Intentionally lo-fi quality aside, my big qualm with the EP as is was the repetitive song structures and lyrics, particularly on the two opening tracks, though this was generally a lesser issue as the songs shrunk, albeit having less time to repeat then.

I think Telephone & Address' last two albums (with full electric instrumentation) were their best, but "The Rotten EP" was a solid release given it's solo and lo-fi nature, and  if you like your punk rock with an outsider folk edge, or enjoyed Chris' mid-2010s solo shows, you should find a lot to like here. Give this EP a listen or buy it at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! I do not yet know what we'll be reviewing next month (ideally a new metal, hard rock, or punk album if released), but if we have to dip into the archives, I'll tie a review in with an artist playing live next month if at all possible. No to Awokest, The Inner City Surfers, or Treble Charger in any event, it's too soon from our last reviews of theirs. Keep in mind the talks that Chase Wigmore would be releasing his true official debut studio album with a release concert on Devil's Night, but we await full confirmation of that event and album release before getting our hopes up. Stay tuned in any event, and for more news next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned), An Inactive Band Note, And New Videos!!

Let's dive back into news and updates on this slippery Tuesday morning, and here, we have some new videos from the Ontario side of the border, a note on a band moved out of our active band links, and leading off, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this summer!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to their hometown for a pair of special post-race concerts at the Kinross Speedpark later in the 2019 auto racing season! Much like they did last year, this veteran cover outfit will rock the on-site stage for concerts on Saturday, July 13th and on Friday, September 6th, which will respectively follow the second annual Baby Show qualifier race and the Four Cylinder Friday events during the Memorial Invitational weekend. For full details on the race aspects of both days, click here! It's great to see Alex, Don, and Wayne back at the Speedpark for a couple of gigs this season, and hopefully they provide a great soundtrack to cap these nights with! The other four races with a scheduled musical performer will feature classic rockers The Whole Shabang and Rudyard country/classic rock quartet Steelhead (featuring Banned alum Alex Schrovenwever.)

Both of Banned's Kinross Speedpark gigs in 2019 have 9:30 PM start times, these are definitely ALL AGES events, and concert admission is FREE post-race, though click here to locate full admission fees regarding the races proper. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more!

Next up, we have a local band to move to our inactive band links, namely Sault Ontario lo-fi punk/grunge project Telephone & Address. While a firm public statement has not been made regarding their status, there hasn't been a public update from Telephone & Address' camp since the release of their album "Monster" on February 3rd of last year, now over a year ago. It's also worth noting that frontman Christopher Shoust's old website (which featured Telephone & Address information and material) has had it's domain expire, and his current website is solely devoted to his painting & visual art pursuits. A recurring presence in our coverage since 2013 (though demo albums were recorded dating back to 2010), Chris achieved a following with his varied albums, which featured acoustic, punk, ambient, drum-and-bass, and grunge influences over the years, while his unplugged solo sets were easy to slide into concerts big and small.

Plans to release an early demo compilation named "The Early Tapes" stalled indefinitely, and not a lot came of their late-period expansion to a duo, but Chris had a good thing going with Telephone & Address, and he had an eclectic range of sounds to apply to his albums, always well suited to his lo-fi production and packaging methods. Hopefully they resurface down the road, but best of luck to Chris and Jackson in the future!

Also today, here's a new video of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's set at the Soolebrity Showcase Saturday concert at The Machine Shop from this past weekend's Bon Soo festivities! Posted to their Facebook page on Sunday, this is of the guys playing their lengthy classic rock medley that long time fans will easily recognize, such as from Toystock last year. As a refresher, the 10 minute video features the guys covering fragments of David Wilcox's "Riverboat Fantasy", Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time", Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer", and Van Halen's "Jamie's Cryin'", though it cuts off before the "Riverboat Fantasy" reprise. Like previously, Terry Eaton sings for the Wilcox, Metallica, and Van Halen covers, Travis Sharpe handles the rest, and they sing backing vocals for each other.

The vertical cell phone camera angle isn't ideal, especially as Soundcheck proper are only in the video's top half, but the guys have these covers down well, and their chemistry and energy comes through strongly enough! Give Soundcheck's Soolebrity Showcase video a look below, and stay tuned for more updates from Soundcheck when announced!

We'll close today with a new-ish live concert recording from local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock solo artist Mike Haggith's Facebook page! Though uploaded on Friday, this "from the vault" clip was recorded at MacLean Park in Thompson during the city's Concert In The Park series last July that Mike played at, and this is of him playing a stripped down acoustic version of his newer original "An Act of Strength." I presume we'll be reviewing the full version when the "Bridges" CD finally comes out, but in this mid-2018 live form, it's a solidly done number with a sense of purpose, and the recording quality is nice! Based on the video's picture, I can't confirm if Mike has plans to release this concert as a live Bandcamp album or not, though stay tuned if he does. Give Mike's live & unplugged rendition of "An Act of Strength" a listen below, and stay tuned for more from his camp!



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

Where Are The New Albums? February 2019 Update

After a slight delay, here's this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This monthly feature series looks at the current release whereabouts of upcoming and (at least partially) recorded albums from local metal, hard rock, and punk musicians, in order for fans to see what their current public statuses are! This month, we have one album removal due to it's unlikely current prospects, but to make up the difference, we have one new album to replace it! The three entries with new info have their titles in italics. So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!
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A Dire Setback's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "Wasting Away", "Kicking & Screaming", "Faded", "Catastrophe", "Forget This Memory", "Everlasting Despair", "A Dire Setback"

Background: Though discussion of a debut album had been ongoing throughout 2017, local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback only announced that their first CD was in the works in March of last year. To help fund the recording sessions, A Dire Setback launched a Patreon page to allow fans to help financially back them and the album, with exclusive content and perks promised for backers on there, though public content on their Facebook page has also been released. Around that same time, the guys began setting tempos and recording click tracks for the album, with Pointless bandmates Bill Priddle & Dustin Goodall handling production and mastering, at least partially at Dustin's own Unsalted Audio. Full recording sessions began with drum tracking in May, as noted on Facebook, with vocal tracking ongoing as of January 26th. The band posted this photo on Facebook in that could be the possible cover art, while this Rotaryfest teaser features a drum-heavy track that may be included.

Current Release Status: I couldn't begin to guess, but A Dire Setback are doing all the right things to get buzz online for the recording sessions, and it'll be interesting to see how influential the Patreon campaign is towards it's completion, especially considering the limited success of past crowdfunding campaigns from local musicians. Keep posted for updates!
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The Bear Hunters - The Dead Testament
 
Rumoured Songs: "The Void", "The Omen", "Neckbreaker", "I Fear No God", "Servitude", "Transcend Judgement", "For Glory", "The Wrath Of Angmar", "The Dying Den", "The Dead Testament", "Deception" (bonus re-recording), "The Forest of Forests" (bonus track)

Background: In tentative planning since 2014 under this title, local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters have been playing songs intended for their second full length CD for a few years now, but only fully began recording sessions for "The Dead Testament" on October 2nd, 2015. Following a brief fundraising campaign and the gradual unveiling of song titles, the band has been working with producer Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios, and have shared sporadic updates on their Instagram page. Like on 2014's "Eternal Hibernation", rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney has recorded parts for the album despite living in Southern Ontario, but it's not yet clear on how bonus tracks will be handled. Most recently, the music video for "I Fear No God" was posted on YouTube on December 1st, marking the first public release of a song from the CD.

Current Release Status: The Bear Hunters haven't given any firm timetables for when to expect "The Dead Testament" in stores, but recording sessions are reportedly complete, and the video description above teased that the release date will be announced "in the next few weeks." The band is aiming for a more professional sound and release for their sophomore effort, and to go along with that, artwork and physical distribution plans are ongoing, as are "a ton of cool ideas for stepping our media game up." Keep an eye out for updates on "The Dead Testament" when and if they come in!
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Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide's fourth album
 
Rumoured Songs: "Lost & Found"

Background: After a lengthy hiatus dating back to the summer of 2016, local Celtic punk veterans Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide resumed public activity last spring, later beginning recording sessions by October at Dustin's own Mission Control Studios, as per their Facebook page. The band confirmed that they were indeed recording a fourth studio album (and first in 7 years) last month, which will presumably be released through Tidal Records, and will also be their first album with second guitarist Liam Seymour and drummer Chris Johns. On Tuesday, a 22 second teaser of the planned first single "Lost & Found" was posted on Facebook, with further details forthcoming.

Current Release Status: When The Tide shared the above teaser clip, they mentioned that the album was "coming soon", which doesn't tell us much. With recording sessions a few months in, and that teaser sounding relatively complete for musician input, it's likely that Dustin and company aren't early in the process, but we'll let you know when more comes out on their highly anticipated fourth album as the year moves forward!
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Electric Church's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "Muddy Waters", "Ain't Got None", "Carey Baby", "Take Me Away", "Cross the Line"

Background: Fast rising young blues/hard rock trio Electric Church evolved from Jimi Hendrix covers in 2016 to primarily original material in 2017, and punctuated that on May 12th of that year when they announced on their Facebook page that they were "working up some new songs... for the album!!!" It was confirmed around that time that they were recording material at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones, who shared a Facebook page photo confirming Electric Church's presence. However, few direct updates have followed publically, aside from scattered reminders in late 2017 that they were still working in studio, and that they "are really excited about all the new projects we have planned."

Current Release Status: No clue, but Electric Church are a very talented band who play beyond their years, and no matter how long this takes, the album should be of solid quality when it finally comes out! That being said, prior teasers regarding finishing recording lat year haven't had any visible follow-through, and aside from last May's Sky's the Limit fundraiser concert, we haven't heard anything public from Electric Church in over a year. In case anything comes up, stay tuned!
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The Elements' debut EP 

Rumoured Songs: "Liar", "G20", "Triple H", "The Rut", "I Need A Friend"

Background: Arguably better known for their funk, ska, and hard rock covers, local quartet The Elements have been adding original material to their sets since 2015, and have since publically confirmed earlier teases that they are working on a debut EP. Frontman Rob Speers has confirmed in personal conversations in early 2016 that they have been working in studio on the release, which will have at least 5 tracks, and I believe it's being self-recorded, but further public updates are minimal at best. It's also not known if they'll employ any guest performers, such as saxophonist Josh Norling, a frequent presence in recent months.

Current Release Status: At this stage, I have no idea, but Rob sounded like things were going well in studio. That said, these were largely personal conversations over a year ago, and the band hasn't acknowledged album recording sessions publically in recent months, so we'll have to see if updates come out on it in 2019!
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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", "Eta Carinae"

Background: Despite a hiatus from live concerts lasting over 9 years, Gates of Winter never broke up, and are slowly working on their follow-up to 2008's "Lux Aeterna". Updates have sporadically been made since early 2010, via numerous uploads, teaser postings, and general hype for the recording sessions, though prior release forecasts haven't been realized, it was retracted from CD to EP length, and most preview media has since been taken down as the band perfected the CD's final content. While Sault native Jon Morrison was announced as the album's drummer in late 2010, it has since been confirmed that "Perihelion" will feature programmed drums. After taking a over a year off from public activity, Gates of Winter resurfaced in July 2017 with new band artwork and hints that they have "been making incredible strides, and are very excited to pull back the curtain."

Current Release Status: Personal commitments and the like have slowed things down incredibly, but the band has repeatedly acknowledged continued work towards the release in scattered postings throughout the 2010s. The band's Facebook page was admittedly taken down in mid-2018, despite a personal Facebook video of members jamming from April, but given their already measured public updates and prior year-long public hiatus from 2016-2017 without dissolving, I am hesitant to make a judgement on their status. If still alive, remember that good art takes time, and Gates of Winter won't want to release this until everything's perfect and to their high standards. Keep an eye out for potential updates!
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Id Iota's full length second CD

Rumoured Songs: "Happy Sailor", "Intro To American Literature", "Seas Envy Skies", "Long D", "Cop Drama", "Deep Empty", "Blind Spots"

Background: Not long after their successful Ontario tour with Mike Mikus in late 2016, Id Iota began recording sessions for their second album, though public confirmation that a full length CD was currently in progress didn't occur until guitarist Dustin Goodall announced it on his studio Unsalted Audio's website in early 2017. Scattered postings and hints have followed, but nothing else has came out beyond performances of newer originals in concert through last summer. For reference, this photo got shared a few times on Id Iota's Facebook page last year, but it's unclear if it's intended to be the album's cover artwork. It is not clear whether new bassist Robert Sartini and/or his predecessor Dan Linklater will be on the final product, or if any collaborations with RedD Monkey alum Pete Mozarowski will make the cut.

Current Release Status: No idea, especially with the alternative/hard rock quartet keeping fairly mum on it's progress as of late. It doesn't help that the band has been absent from public updates since last year's Rotaryfest weekend, but hopefully things are progressing well behind the scenes, so stay tuned for updates!
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Mike Haggith - Bridges

Rumoured Songs: "From The 55th Parallel", "Over Indecision", "The Nature of The Times","An Act of Strength","The Catalyst", "Dangerous Town", "Come on Home", "Blue Highway", "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost", "Bridges"

Background: After moving to Thompson, Manitoba in November 2017 for work reasons, prolific local/Windsor hard/alternative rock musician Mike Haggith relaunched his dormant solo project, and soon commenced songwriting for a new CD, which will be his 50th canon studio album and his first since 2015's "The Warinside" Updates slowly took place across 2018, with his Facebook page documenting songwriting sessions and acoustic "home demo" videos of new original songs, plus occasional solo concerts in Thompson largely featuring these new tracks. Mike has unveiled the official title as "Bridges", along with it's cover artwork and track listing in September, which includes all of his Thompson-era originals except "If Only You Could Hear Me". The album's first single, "The Nature of The Times", was released to online music download and streaming services in November, with a music video for that song also forthcoming.

Current Release Status: Though Mike didn't highly publicize the recording sessions on social media, he confirmed at the end of August that the album was "100% recorded", and is soon going to be edited and mixed. With Mike's candor and honesty, you know he won't hide anything regarding it's release, and with the recent single release and a lot of positive comments on the album and it's recording, fans should eagerly be awaiting "Bridges" upon it's release, hopefully by early 2019!
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Mike Vincent - For Dear Life

Rumoured Songs: "Nocturnal"

Background: Shortly after releasing his first two solo albums ("Ultimate Chaos" & "Apocalypse") in March, former Skull After Betrayl frontman & Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent indicated that he had begun preparations for a third solo release. With no public Facebook page for his music at press time, Mike revealed on his personal Facebook page in September that his third album would be titled "For Dear Life", with an instrumental demo of it's first song "Nocturnal" being posted to his Bandcamp page. Unlike on his prior releases, "For Dear Life" is expected to feature vocals on all but one track, in a possible throwback to Mike's singing work with both Skull After Betrayl and D.O.T.H..

Current Release Status: I don't know for certain, but given that this version of "Nocturnal" has no vocals, I imagine Mike is early in the independent recording process. If this is anything like his prior albums, expect songs to be incrementally released over time in advance of the final sale posting, but nothing's finite. Keep tabs for updates in the coming months!
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Pillory's second CD

Rumoured Songs: "Angst of Existence", "Sculptor of Cadavers", "Wasting", "Abhorred Apprehension", "The Passing", "Exhaustive Incarnation"

Background: After previously breaking up in mid-2014, local metal band Pillory returned as a trio in the fall of 2015, trading their thrash metal roots for a heavier death metal sound, complete with a completely overhauled setlist with no carried-over originals from their 2013 debut EP. In March 2017, Id Iota guitarist Dustin Goodall's recording studio Unsalted Audio revealed that they were in pre-production for Pillory's second album, with the band confirming that sessions were underway that summer. As of last July, drum tracks were complete, though it took until November 2018 for the band to confirm that guitar tracking was underway, with vocals & mixing to follow. It's not clear who will provide bass tracks on the final product, between ex-bassist Jordan Leach, his replacement Blair St. John, frontman Robert Sartini (who played bass on their first EP), or a combination therein.

Current Release Status: I have no idea, and it doesn't help that Pillory have only posted once on Facebook in the past year, though their new lineup returned from that hiatus at July's Rivers of Nihil concert. That said, with their increasingly brutal and technical sound, hopefully they can get this album complete down the line!
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Skeyes of Seven - Stare at the Sky

Rumoured Songs: "Enough", "See The Truth", "Fallen Faith", "Pretend", "Cognitive Dissonance", "Crawling Back From Reality"

Background: Already no strangers to the studio after recording two songs as singles in the mid-2010s, local modern hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven hit the studio to record their debut EP in 2015, though they only publically confirmed that an EP was in the works in January 2016. Sessions took place at Deluca Sound Productions, who have shared videos of band members tracking material for the EP, the title of which being unveiled later that year. In January 2017, all six songs were posted to their YouTube channel, including the new instrumental "Crawling Back From Reality", while also excluding their older originals "Destination Unknown" & "No One Cares". New guitarist Kyle Sweet is not visibly on the EP, having joined Skeyes of Seven after sessions concluded.

Current Release Status: Given that the whole EP is online for free streaming, then conventional wisdom would say that "Stare at the Sky" would be released imminently, but the band has yet to confirm a paid release date, and haven't posted a Facebook update since April of last year. Hopefully it doesn't stall at being a free posting, as Skeyes of Seven are a talented and experienced band, and having been active in studio more than on stage since launching in 2012, it'd be great to see them culminate this process with a release concert. Follow along to see where things go!
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The Sorrow Fields' debut album

Rumoured Songs: Unknown

Background: After a two year hiatus for his solo project (previously known as Animas, April Eyes, and By The Gods), local guitarist Mitch Sirie's solo project The Sorrow Fields resumed public activity last February via recording sessions at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones, where his band The Bear Hunters also recorded their new CD. An actively maintained social media page for The Sorrow Fields has not followed suit, but Dustin did say that he was "stoked" by the guide tracks, and tracking was reportedly underway last month. Posts on Mitch's personal Facebook page have implied that the project's current form will be much softer than his death metal band work.

Current Release Status: With tracking reportedly underway, this year has to be at least targeted, but given that Mitch has kept all of his own promotion for this album on personal accounts, it's anyone's guess how fast this will come out (also, remember how Mitch's prior attempts at solo albums never saw their intended completion.) It'd be great to see both The Sorrow Fields' debut and "The Dead Testament" on sale this year, and hopefully things progress the right way for both in the coming months!
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Also, we have one album to remove from this post due to it's unlikely release status at present, so here's what you should know on it:
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Telephone & Address - "The Early Tapes" 

Rumoured Songs: "The Plumbers"

Background: Telephone & Address frontman Chris Shoust announced on their Facebook page in 2015 that he was working on releasing "The Early Tapes", a compilation of songs from the first 4 Telephone & Address albums (2011's self titled album, and 2012's "Live", "No. 3", and "Broken Head"). However, he would release two separate new studio albums (2016's "Are You Now or Have You Ever" and last February's "Monster") afterward, with no updates on the "Early Tapes" album publically stated. The sole confirmed track "The Plumbers" can be streamed on their Soundcloud page, and albums are likely to turn up on Telephone & Address' Bandcamp page and on Interpunk down the road, assuming this ever gets released. Unless the tracks were reworked, new drummer Jackson Reed would not have featured on this album.

Reason For Removal: I opted to remove "The Early Tapes" due to Telephone & Address hitting the one year mark from their last public update today, which is traditionally when we move inactive bands to our defunct band links. Even if they were still publically functioning, Chris stated in March 2015 that this album "will be delayed for some time", which is clearly still ongoing, with it taking a back seat to new studio albums. An imminent release for this compilation is very unlikely, but hopefully Telephone & Address resurface down the line, as Chris has a lot of creative lo-fi talent!
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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series will return on or around March 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will likely be our next Defunct Local Band Profile scheduled for Sunday. That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Where Are The New Albums? (January 2019 Update)

For our second post of the year, let's get this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post rolling! This monthly feature post looks at the current release statuses of albums from local metal, hard rock, and punk acts, in order for readers to see where things publically sit regarding when we might see them go on sale. To start 2019, we have one removed entry (Northwest's successfully released EP "Songs From 2015-2017"), but we have one belated addition, and three entries total have new info, as noted with their title in italics. So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!
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A Dire Setback's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "Wasting Away", "Kicking & Screaming", "Faded", "Catastrophe", "Forget This Memory", "Everlasting Despair", "A Dire Setback"

Background: Though discussion of a debut album had been ongoing throughout 2017, local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback only announced that their first CD was in the works in March of last year. To help fund the recording sessions, A Dire Setback launched a Patreon page to allow fans to help financially back them and the album, with exclusive content and perks promised for backers on there, though public content on their Facebook page has also been released. Around that same time, the guys began setting tempos and recording click tracks for the album, with Pointless bandmates Bill Priddle & Dustin Goodall handling production and mastering, at least partially at Dustin's own Unsalted Audio. Full recording sessions began with drum tracking in May, as noted on Facebook, with guitar tracking ongoing as of October 16th. The band posted this photo on Facebook in that could be the possible cover art, while this Rotaryfest teaser features a drum-heavy track that may be included.

Current Release Status: I couldn't begin to guess, but A Dire Setback are doing all the right things to get buzz online for the recording sessions, and it'll be interesting to see how influential the Patreon campaign is towards it's completion, especially considering the limited success of past crowdfunding campaigns from local musicians. Keep posted for updates!
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The Bear Hunters - The Dead Testament
 
Rumoured Songs: "The Void", "The Omen", "Neckbreaker", "I Fear No God", "Servitude", "Transcend Judgement", "For Glory", "The Wrath Of Angmar", "The Dying Den", "The Dead Testament", "Deception" (bonus re-recording), "The Forest of Forests" (bonus track)

Background: In tentative planning since 2014 under this title, local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters have been playing songs intended for their second full length CD for a few years now, but only fully began recording sessions for "The Dead Testament" on October 2nd, 2015. Following a brief fundraising campaign and the gradual unveiling of song titles, the band has been working with producer Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios, and have shared sporadic updates on their Instagram page. Like on 2014's "Eternal Hibernation", rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney has recorded parts for the album despite living in Southern Ontario, but it's not yet clear on how bonus tracks will be handled. Most recently, the music video for "I Fear No God" was posted on YouTube on December 1st, marking the first public release of a song from the CD.

Current Release Status: The Bear Hunters haven't given any firm timetables for when to expect "The Dead Testament" in stores, but recording sessions are reportedly complete, and the video description above teased that the release date will be announced "in the next few weeks." The band is aiming for a more professional sound and release for their sophomore effort, and to go along with that, artwork and physical distribution plans are ongoing, as are "a ton of cool ideas for stepping our media game up." Keep an eye out for updates on "The Dead Testament" when and if they come in!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electric Church's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "Muddy Waters", "Ain't Got None", "Carey Baby", "Take Me Away", "Cross the Line"

Background: Fast rising young blues/hard rock trio Electric Church evolved from Jimi Hendrix covers in 2016 to primarily original material in 2017, and punctuated that on May 12th of that year when they announced on their Facebook page that they were "working up some new songs... for the album!!!" It was confirmed around that time that they were recording material at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones, who shared a Facebook page photo confirming Electric Church's presence. However, few direct updates have followed publically, aside from scattered reminders late last year that they were still working in studio, and that they "are really excited about all the new projects we have planned."

Current Release Status: No clue, but Electric Church are a very talented band who play beyond their years, and no matter how long this takes, the album should be of solid quality when it finally comes out! At last word, the band noted on New Year's Day that they were "looking forward to finishing up in the studio this year", though note that frontman Spencer Pine's commitments with Jesse Merineau's solo band and their own CD release may be a partial factor in Electric Church delays. Stay tuned!
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The Elements' debut EP 

Rumoured Songs: "Liar", "G20", "Triple H", "The Rut", "I Need A Friend"

Background: Arguably better known for their funk, ska, and hard rock covers, local quartet The Elements have been adding original material to their sets since 2015, and have since publically confirmed earlier teases that they are working on a debut EP. Frontman Rob Speers has confirmed in personal conversations in early 2016 that they have been working in studio on the release, which will have at least 5 tracks, and I believe it's being self-recorded, but further public updates are minimal at best. It's also not known if they'll employ any guest performers, such as saxophonist Josh Norling, a frequent presence in recent months.

Current Release Status: At this stage, I have no idea, but Rob sounded like things were going well in studio. That said, these were largely personal conversations over a year ago, and the band hasn't acknowledged album recording sessions publically in recent months, so we'll have to see if updates come out on it in 2019!
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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", "Eta Carinae"

Background: Despite a hiatus from live concerts lasting over 9 years, Gates of Winter never broke up, and are slowly working on their follow-up to 2008's "Lux Aeterna". Updates have sporadically been made since early 2010, via numerous uploads, teaser postings, and general hype for the recording sessions, though prior release forecasts haven't been realized, it was retracted from CD to EP length, and most preview media has since been taken down as the band perfected the CD's final content. While Sault native Jon Morrison was announced as the album's drummer in late 2010, it has since been confirmed that "Perihelion" will feature programmed drums. After taking a over a year off from public activity, Gates of Winter resurfaced in July 2017 with new band artwork and hints that they have "been making incredible strides, and are very excited to pull back the curtain."

Current Release Status: Personal commitments and the like have slowed things down incredibly, but the band has repeatedly acknowledged continued work towards the release in scattered postings throughout the 2010s. The band's Facebook page was admittedly taken down in mid-2018, despite a personal Facebook video of members jamming from April, but given their already measured public updates and prior year-long public hiatus from 2016-2017 without dissolving, I am hesitant to make a judgement on their status. If still alive, remember that good art takes time, and Gates of Winter won't want to release this until everything's perfect and to their high standards. Keep an eye out for potential updates!
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Id Iota's full length second CD

Rumoured Songs: "Happy Sailor", "Intro To American Literature", "Seas Envy Skies", "Long D", "Cop Drama", "Deep Empty", "Blind Spots"

Background: Not long after their successful Ontario tour with Mike Mikus in late 2016, Id Iota began recording sessions for their second album, though public confirmation that a full length CD was currently in progress didn't occur until guitarist Dustin Goodall announced it on his studio Unsalted Audio's website early last year. Scattered postings and hints have followed, but nothing else has came out beyond performances of newer originals in concert through this summer. For reference, this photo got shared a few times on Id Iota's Facebook page last year, but it's unclear if it's intended to be the album's cover artwork. It is not clear whether new bassist Robert Sartini and/or his predecessor Dan Linklater will be on the final product, or if any collaborations with RedD Monkey alum Pete Mozarowski will make the cut.

Current Release Status: No idea, especially with the alternative/hard rock quartet keeping fairly mum on it's progress as of late. It doesn't help that the band has been absent from public updates since last year's Rotaryfest weekend, but hopefully things are progressing well behind the scenes, so stay tuned for updates!
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Mike Haggith - Bridges

Rumoured Songs: "From The 55th Parallel", "Over Indecision", "The Nature of The Times","An Act of Strength","The Catalyst", "Dangerous Town", "Come on Home", "Blue Highway", "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost", "Bridges"

Background: After moving to Thompson, Manitoba in November 2017 for work reasons, prolific local/Windsor hard/alternative rock musician Mike Haggith relaunched his dormant solo project, and soon commenced songwriting for a new CD, which will be his 50th canon studio album and his first since 2015's "The Warinside" Updates slowly took place across 2018, with his Facebook page documenting songwriting sessions and acoustic "home demo" videos of new original songs, plus occasional solo concerts in Thompson largely featuring these new tracks. Mike has unveiled the official title as "Bridges", along with it's cover artwork and track listing in September, which includes all of his Thompson-era originals except "If Only You Could Hear Me". The album's first single, "The Nature of The Times", was released to online music download and streaming services in November, with a music video for that song also forthcoming.

Current Release Status: Though Mike didn't highly publicize the recording sessions on social media, he confirmed at the end of August that the album was "100% recorded", and is soon going to be edited and mixed.With Mike's candor and honesty, you know he won't hide anything regarding it's release, and with the recent single release and a lot of positive comments on the album and it's recording, fans should eagerly be awaiting "Bridges" upon it's release, hopefully by early 2019!
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Mike Vincent - For Dear Life

Rumoured Songs: "Nocturnal"

Background: Shortly after releasing his first two solo albums ("Ultimate Chaos" & "Apocalypse") in March, former Skull After Betrayl frontman & Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent indicated that he had begun preparations for a third solo release. With no public Facebook page for his music at press time, Mike revealed on his personal Facebook page in September that his third album would be titled "For Dear Life", with an instrumental demo of it's first song "Nocturnal" being posted to his Bandcamp page. Unlike on his prior releases, "For Dear Life" is expected to feature vocals on all but one track, in a possible throwback to Mike's singing work with both Skull After Betrayl and D.O.T.H..

Current Release Status: I don't know for certain, but given that this version of "Nocturnal" has no vocals, I imagine Mike is early in the independent recording process. If this is anything like his prior albums, expect songs to be incrementally released over time in advance of the final sale posting, but nothing's finite. Keep tabs for updates in the coming months!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pillory's second CD

Rumoured Songs: "Angst of Existence", "Sculptor of Cadavers", "Wasting", "Abhorred Apprehension", "The Passing", "Exhaustive Incarnation"

Background: After previously breaking up in mid-2014, local metal band Pillory returned as a trio in the fall of 2015, trading their thrash metal roots for a heavier death metal sound, complete with a completely overhauled setlist with no carried-over originals from their 2013 debut EP. In March 2017, Id Iota guitarist Dustin Goodall's recording studio Unsalted Audio revealed that they were in pre-production for Pillory's second album, with the band confirming that sessions were underway that summer. As of last July, drum tracks were complete, though it took until November 2018 for the band to confirm that guitar tracking was underway, with vocals & mixing to follow. It's not clear who will provide bass tracks on the final product, between ex-bassist Jordan Leach, his replacement Blair St. John, frontman Robert Sartini (who played bass on their first EP), or a combination therein.

Current Release Status: I have no idea, and it doesn't help that Pillory have only posted once on Facebook in the past year, though their new lineup returned from that hiatus at July's Rivers of Nihil concert. That said, with their increasingly brutal and technical sound, hopefully they can get this album complete down the line!
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Skeyes of Seven - Stare at the Sky

Rumoured Songs: "Enough", "See The Truth", "Fallen Faith", "Pretend", "Cognitive Dissonance", "Crawling Back From Reality"

Background: Already no strangers to the studio after recording two songs as singles in the mid-2010s, local modern hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven hit the studio to record their debut EP in 2015, though they only publically confirmed that an EP was in the works in January 2016. Sessions took place at Deluca Sound Productions, who have shared videos of band members tracking material for the EP, the title of which being unveiled later that year. In January 2017, all six songs were posted to their YouTube channel, including the new instrumental "Crawling Back From Reality", while also excluding their older originals "Destination Unknown" & "No One Cares". New guitarist Kyle Sweet is not visibly on the EP, having joined Skeyes of Seven after sessions concluded.

Current Release Status: Given that the whole EP is online for free streaming, then conventional wisdom would say that "Stare at the Sky" would be released imminently, but the band has yet to confirm a paid release date, and haven't posted a Facebook update since April of last year. Hopefully it doesn't stall at being a free posting, as Skeyes of Seven are a talented and experienced band, and having been active in studio more than on stage since launching in 2012, it'd be great to see them culminate this process with a release concert. Follow along to see where things go!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sorrow Fields' debut album

Rumoured Songs: Unknown

Background: After a two year hiatus for his solo project (previously known as Animas, April Eyes, and By The Gods), local guitarist Mitch Sirie's solo project The Sorrow Fields resumed public activity last February via recording sessions at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones, where his band The Bear Hunters also recorded their new CD. An actively maintained social media page for The Sorrow Fields has not followed suit, but Dustin did say that he was "stoked" by the guide tracks, and tracking was reportedly underway last month. Posts on Mitch's personal Facebook page have implied that the project's current form will be much softer than his death metal band work.

Current Release Status: With tracking reportedly underway, 2019 has to be at least targeted, but given that Mitch has kept all of his own promotion for this album on personal accounts, it's anyone's guess how fast this will come out (also, remember how Mitch's prior attempts at solo albums never saw their intended completion.) It'd be great to see both The Sorrow Fields' debut and "The Dead Testament" on sale this year, and hopefully things progress the right way for both in the coming months!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone & Address - "The Early Tapes" 

Rumoured Songs: "The Plumbers"

Background: Telephone & Address frontman Chris Shoust announced on their Facebook page in 2015 that he was working on releasing "The Early Tapes", a compilation of songs from the first 4 Telephone & Address albums (2011's self titled album, and 2012's "Live", "No. 3", and "Broken Head"). However, he has since released two separate new studio albums (2016's "Are You Now or Have You Ever" and February's "Monster"), with no updates on the "Early Tapes" album publically stated in over three years. The sole publically confirmed track "The Plumbers" can be streamed on their Soundcloud page, and albums are likely to turn up on Telephone & Address' Bandcamp page and on Interpunk down the road, assuming this gets released. Unless the tracks are reworked, new drummer Jackson Reed will not feature on this album.

Current Release Status: Chris revealed in March 2015 that this album "will be delayed for some time", and though he didn't elaborate on why specifically, work on both of his last two albums could be partially to blame. That said, Telephone & Address have not issued a public update since "Monster" came out on February 4th of last year, so they may be moved to our inactive band links around the time this series returns as it is. Either way, stay tuned for updates on Telephone & Address if they roll in this month!
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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series is scheduled to return on or around February 2nd, while our next feature post will very likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile scheduled for a week from tomorrow. That's all for today, but stay tuned for our first weekend concert previews of 2019 next! Thanks everyone!