It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our monthly look at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels with at least a 50% ratio of local metal/hard rock videos! This monthly feature series takes us back to Sault Michigan this month for the third time in 5 months, and it's courtesy of a very talented local metal musician who's been in some familiar recent bands, so read on below for this month's profile!
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5150DOA's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/5150doa)
Owner:415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, also known from prior stints with Nixxon Dixxon, Splitshot, and Trail's End
Channel Timeline: Launched on May 19th, 2011; Videos posted from June 2011 through May 2013
Channel Summary: A personal use channel, Chris' channel draws a heavy inspiration from Van Halen, with all of his videos involving the legendary hard rock band in some form. His first six videos from May 2011 are solo guitar covers of Van Halen songs, while 8 of his more recent uploads were from Van Halen concerts attended in early 2012 in Auburn Hills, Michigan and St. Paul, Minnesota. Chris' other 4 videos include 3 clips showcasing his EVH and customized guitars, and one of him playing the drums.
Why Should You Watch: I'd give Chris' channel a look for some very solid guitar covers and live concert footage, especially if you love David Lee Roth-era Van Halen (though two of his covers are of Sammy Hagar-era material.) He's very talented, and has a clear love and respect for Van Halen, which are a good combination! For reference, Chris has not visibly used this channel since last year, and while he has no videos of any of his band work here, his mother's YouTube channel features a nice amount of videos from older Nixxon Dixxon concerts.
Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:
Van Halen "Panama" cover Kramer 5150: With over 27,000 views, this is Chris' most popular YouTube video at present. Posted on June 2nd, 2011, it's a cover of Van Halen's "Panama" on his custom Kramer 5150 guitar. Very well performed, the video could be a bit lighter, but he has a very nice grasp on this Van Halen classic and plays it very proficiently! Die-hard Van Halen fans should be impressed, but be sure to give his 5 other guitar covers a look for more examples.
My Homemade Van Halen EVH Frankenstein Replica Guitar (see description): Of Chris' three early-2012 videos showcasing his Eddie Van Halen guitar customizations (including an Ernie Ball OLP customization & this EVH Charvel Star replica), this video will be most familiar to casual fans, as it showcases Chris' custom replica of Eddie's legendary Frankenstein guitar, complete with a detailed breakdown of used parts and techniques. Set to Van Halen instrumental tracks with no vocal descriptions, you can still see the work that he put in, and it definitely looks the part of an EVH original! Note that Chris teased many more custom guitar videos, including of his Kramer 5150, but only the three made it to his channel.
Alex Van Halen Snare Sound / Ludwig LM402 snare drum: Chris' last performance video from May 2012 is uniquely of him drumming, mainly on his Ludwig LM402 snare drum (the same type that Alex Van Halen uses), though he gradually transitions to playing the entire kit. Though you can barely see Chris beyond his hands and knee, he does show clear drumming talent here, the sound is close to Alex's own playing, and it'd be interesting to hear Chris cover a full Van Halen song on drums!
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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for our third straight single-channel profile, as through 100% random selection, I have chosen defunct local metal band Alter White's YouTube channel, featuring songs from them and former guitarist Mike Matthews' later solo work! Watch out for that on or around June 22nd, and stay tuned for our review of Jack Spades' debut EP on Saturday! Thanks everyone!
It's time for our next concert review at the SMS, and this'll be a long one, as last night's "Dead In The Van" fundraiser concert at The Canadian Nightclub was the largest concert I've attended for SMS purposes in 11 months! Not since the Sewer Swampstravaganja last April have I seen a concert locally with at least 8 bands, but how'd everything shake down? Read on below to find out!
Though things were a bit delayed to get started, the 5:45 PM-ish beginning still left lots of room to rock, and to check out Frightlight's new merchandise as well! Hopefully sales of those helped add to their goal of a tour vehicle along with the rest of the proceeds last night! Attendance rose steadily through the day, though it did have a noticeable drop-off later in the night, which I'll get to later on in this post. The opening act last night was Business Suit Trappers guitarist "Evil" Greg Callaghan in a solo set, but while I was familiar with his work in bands like Terminal, I didn't know what to expect out of his "surprisingly evil" solo work. Basically, Greg's solo set is comprised of acoustic campfire-style punk rock covers with him singing & on guitar, and he played unplugged versions of Misfits, Bad Religion, SNFU, and Ramones songs, among other bands. Greg definitely did these songs justice on guitar, but what surprised me most was his deep singing voice, which fit the punk style well while still flowing with an acoustic performance. I'd be interested to hear Greg front a traditional punk band at some point, but for now, this glimpse at his solo work was definitely pretty good, and I hope to see him back on stage again soon!
Next on the lineup was Desbarats death metal quartet Inhuman Methods, who were making their local concert debut last night! Nice to see them come to the Soo for their first show, but how did they sound? Aside from a two song instrumental stretch, they mostly focused on Lamb of God covers, with songs like "Laid To Rest", "The Faded Line", and "Omerta" among their setlist. The band as a whole do have talent and promise, and both Alex Swain & Wesley Carson shown some nice skills on the guitar last night especially! The instrumentals were proof of that, but I'm curious to hear vocals added to them. For a first show, I won't nitpick them or their stage presence, but there was two things I should address. One, they need a bassist, and two, singer Curtis Moir needs to work on his timing with the music. His death growling is brutal enough, but he was late or out of time with the rest of the band on most of their covers, and (spoken word intro aside) he didn't even perform on their "Omerta" cover. I'm sure they'll work on that though, and they do have visible promise even still, so hopefully when they play at next month's Humane Society Battle of the Bands, Inhuman Methods will improve on this good start!
The Desbarats metal assault continued afterwards with the Canadian Nightclub debut of For All That Is Lost, but did the white masks return with them? Yes, and there was even more this time, as bassist Ben Deslauriers wore one on the back of his head too! Now, I know that the band had some criticisms about their set and sound last night, but just going by what I saw and heard, I enjoyed them! Having just seen F.A.T.I.L. two weeks ago, not a whole lot changed beyond the addition of a new song to their setlist, but they're continuing to improve as a band with every show! Tyler Sperry's stage presence continues to jump higher from when I first saw them, and guitarist Brook Moreau is definitely growing more and more to the point where F.A.T.I.L. might not need a second guitarist if this keeps up! Solid set from this talented quartet, and in my opinion, definitely better than they might have thought yesterday!
The first half of "Dead In The Van" ended with classic metal quartet Late & Loud's return to The Canadian, and they put in a dependably good set of originals and select covers! With songs like "Love Letter Lockdown", "Heavy or Bust", and "Whisper of the Damned" in store, they rocked the stage about as well as you'd expect them too, and with some good energy to go along with it! Like with F.A.T.I.L., nothing too different was in store last night compared to Late & Loud's last show that I saw, but they did throw their all into their set last night, especially with Benn Garside's solid bass work and some excellent leads and solos from Jon Tiberi & Brendan Christie! Late & Loud's biggest gap is still their need for a singer, but their talent is as clear as day, and fans definitely seemed to enjoy their set, and that's what matters most! Solid work all around!
Fifth on the bill last night was local death metal quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre (formerly View To A Kill), and though there was a delay to set up Kyle Umgeher's electric drum kit, they still tore it up last night! Along with select covers, they unloaded original songs like "Vampiric", "My Sweet Delilah", and "Make Death Wait" for fans, and I was most impressed with their raised energy compared to their show last month at The Rosie! I know illnesses took their toll last month, but this time around, there was no stopping these guys, and it showed with Steve Rhodes' stage presence! He was all over the place and sounded very brutal on vocals in the process, while Andrew Angelic's guitar work was on fire as we've come to expect! The fake blood that some members sported was an interesting touch, but overall, The Valentine's Day Massacre are showing more and more improvement and brutality, and if their mid-set announcement of recording an EP soon rings true, we'll be sure to pick it up!
Following them was local punk trio Redundant, and though their sound was a bit of a diversion from the metal that preceded it, they delivered a solid set of punk covers for fans! Frontman Justin Langlois apologized pre-set for possible vocal issues due to an illness, and while he did sound a bit weaker than I'm used to, he had no major screw-ups either, so it all worked out! Their set featured covers of everything from Green Day to Weezer to Johnny Cash, and we seemed to enjoy it all pretty well! James White's bass work is solid as ever, and his brother Rick's drumming fit everything well enough as well, so if you like punk rock, you'd have enjoyed Redundant's set! Notably, this was both Redundant's first show of 2012 and their first show since Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold passed away in December. Justin Langlois was a very good friend of David's, and in his honour, the band covered a song by David's pre-Woods local band Proposition 86 at the end of their set, which was a cool surprise! I'd have filmed it if I wasn't low on battery life, but hopefully at next month's Ypres Metal Fest, I'll get a chance! Solid set overall, and hopefully we'll be seeing Redundant again shortly!
The penultimate band last night was hardcore quintet As It Stands, who (if memory serves me correctly) were playing at The Canadian for the first time in almost four years! Myself, I haven't seen As It Stands live in almost eight months, but this was a good way to get back into the swing of things, as they were definitely on form from how they sounded last summer! With originals like "Conception", "Big Problem, Little Lock City", and "Everything Terrible" blasting for their fans, they had perhaps the biggest reception and crowd numbers of the night, and with an energy filled metalcore assault, it's easy to see why! Justin Pregent's screaming was about as good as I expected, and both he and Angelo Huckson unloaded a lot of energy and enthusiasm during their set, along with some awesome drum work from John Mignacca to boot. It's good to see As It Stands again, but the fact that many people left after their set was very disappointing, especially given the early timing of the concert and headliners Frightlight's talent and prominence. Still, for an exciting and very heavy set of original songs, As It Stands delivered on all accounts, and hopefully I'll be seeing them again quicker than 8 months from now!
And finally, your headliners last night were the very band who the proceeds of last night's show went to, horror punk quintet Frightlight! Though this show was their first with new drummer Chris FreakNStein in almost four months, their full lineup still wasn't present, as rhythm guitarist St. Mayhem was absent for unannounced reasons. Disappointing, but Frightlight's 2009-2010 run was as a quartet, so they handled the set very well regardless! Their set was full of their classic horror-influenced punk and metal songs, like "She Screams", "Fright Night", and "They All Float", along with Fitswitch, Misfits, and G.G. Allin covers, and the crowd that was left was clearly in favour! Lots of fans were singing along with the band, and the members sounded as good as you'd expect, from Rick Styles' guitar shredding to Johnny Pints' aggressive punk/metal singing! Chris' drumming was welcome to see again as well, he's a good fit with some of his old Fitswitch bandmates in Frightlight! Though the crowd had died down, Frightlight's set was a success, and they raised a few hundred dollars (including $2.50 from an As It Stands-auctioned F.A.T.I.L. mask) that should help cover their tour van! Awesome end to this concert, and hopefully Frightlight are back with a vengeance shortly!
Overall, this was a fun (though obviously long) concert with lots of local/Algoma talent, and if the rumblings I've heard about a second "Dead In The Van" show are true, then I definitely hope to be there! If you missed it, you missed out! I did get photos, so click here to check them out, or visit our Facebook page (which also has this concert's "Tag Yourself!" crowd photo.) And I got a video of each act, though I apologize ahead of time for the fact that they're a lower quality than my other recent concert videos. I had to shoot them in standard definition to ensure I had space for this amount of videos, given the size of the concert. So (in chronological order), here's "Evil" Greg Callaghan's cover of The Misfits' "Skulls", Inhuman Methods' cover of Lamb of God's "Hourglass", F.A.T.I.L.'s original "Viscosity of Blood", Late & Loud's original song "Fast As A Bitch", The Valentine's Day Massacre's song "Make Death Wait", Redundant's cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" (preceded by a portion of their cover of Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls"), As It Stands' song "Oh Herm, Herm Delish", and Frightlight's song "They All Float"!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Greetings from Detroit! I'm gonna try and get more than just this news post up by the time we get back home on Wednesday (I have this month's CD review already typed up for an auto-post then too), but for now, we have some big news relating to an upcoming fundraiser concert, the first videos from a recent major show, and leading things off, an unexpected lineup change relating to a partly local band, so here's what you need to know!
Sault Michigan/Grand Rapids metal quintet End of Existence have surprisingly parted ways with singer Bob Helsten, just days away from the scheduled release of their debut album. A full reasonfor the move wasn't disclosed, but the band's statement that they released yesterday to various Facebook pages (including ours) hinted at Bob's own personal issues as a partial cause, and the band felt that dismissing him was "the only solution". Despite Bob's departure, the release of End of Existence's debut album is still lined up for Wednesday, with planned online releases on iTunes, Amazon, and in physical copies as well. However, the above statement implies that End of Existence will be changing their name following it's release and the addition of a new frontman, and they don't have plans to re-record this album's material with their new singer. This is really surprising news, as Bob (a.k.a. Orb Hearthstone) has been a perfect fit for End of Existence's style since their 2009 inception, and the timing of the move is very odd, what with the planned album release on Wednesday. Bob's a very nice guy, but if the band's statement rings true, hopefully he can work out whatever's going on personally!
That said, if you are interested in singing for End of Existence (or whatever their name ends up being), e-mail them A.S.A.P. for details at endofexistenceband@gmail.com! While the name change and implied downplaying of older material seems drastic, hopefully the guys have things in hand for the future, and I'm curious to see who they find (be they local or from Grand Rapids) to fill the vocal void! Stay tuned for updates as they come in, and stay tuned for the End of Existence album release on Wednesday!
Next up, the first videos from Friday night's Stryper/Slaughter/Lynch Mob concert are now online! On Saturday, YouTube user soundsunlimiteddj uploaded five videos from this major Dreammakers Theater concert onto his YouTube channel, and though one is of Slaughter, let's start with the Stryper videos! Four songs were filmed by soundsunlimiteddj at this show (among other Stryper concerts from other Michigan venues dating back to 2009), including Stryper playing their songs "Sing-Along-Song", "Reach Out", "Calling On You", and (as embedded below) "More Than A Man" at Kewadin Casino on Friday, so click each link to check them out! I'm not an ardent follower of Stryper's material, but the video quality on these videos is great! They don't sound too far off their 1980s peak, the view is clear and centered, the audio's not scratchy at all, and I'm impressed all around by these videos! The camera that soundsunlimiteddj used did a great job, and after hearing some non-preachy heavier stuff in here, I may have to give Stryper more of a listen! Check out their rendition of "More Than A Man" on Friday in Sault Michigan below!
Also new from soundsunlimiteddj's channel is one video from Slaughter's set, and it's of them playing their classic ballad "Fly To The Angels!" I was sort of hoping to hear a heavier track of theirs (it's that material that sold me on Slaughter when they played Sault Ontario in 2008), but it's good to see Mark Slaughter dedicate this song to fallen soldiers! The video quality's exactly the same as on the Stryper videos, so it's excellent, but this definitely isn't a favourite of mine from Slaughter's catalog. Still, give this video a look below, and if I hear of any more notable fallout from this past Friday, I'll be sure to let you guys know!
And finally, here's the latest updates concerning THIS SUNDAY'S Dead In The Van fundraiser concert at The Canadian Nightclub towards horror punk quintet Frightlight's future tour plans! An eighth band has been confirmed for the lineup, that being Desbarats death metal quartet For All That Is Lost, joining fellow Desbarats rockers Inhuman Methods on the lineup for this massive fundraiser concert! The lineup is now capped at eight bands, and for trivia's sake, this event could serve as a bit of a preview of the Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands on April 20th, as only punk trio Redundant, solo artist "Evil" Greg Callaghan, and (most of) Frightlight aren't competing at the battle. I just thought that was worth noting! Also in terms of this concert, the official poster is now on the Facebook event page (I haven't seen the full original copy though), and the performance order was also confirmed there as well. Frightlight are headlining, and they'll be preceded by local hardcore quintet As It Stands, Redundant, deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre, classic metallers Late & Loud, F.A.T.I.L., Inhuman Methods, and Greg Callaghan in that descending order. This is shaping up to be an awesome concert, so check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more updates!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news over the next few days and our review of Sykotyk Rampage's 27th album "Karrs" on Wednesday! Thanks everyone!
Hey guys, here's one more post for this Saturday, and in case you missed it, check out our post from this afternoon below this post featuring last month's poll results and details on our newest poll! Today, we have some assorted shorter news items, updates on two upcoming fundraiser concerts with local metal talent, and leading things off, some very surprising news on a local band's demise, so here's what you need to know!
Local/Toronto metal quintet Lion Ride have officially broken up. The news was revealed this afternoon in a post on Lion Ride's Facebook page by guitarist Mark "Marky Lion" Rand, which is lengthy but well detailed. In the post, Mark said that the reasons for the slowed band activity since the summer (and now the band's end) included personal commitments, creative differences, and band tensions, and that they've prevented Lion Ride from operating as it once had. Mark admitted that the biggest factor holding them back in recent years from themselves, but he clearly outlined his appreciation of Lion Ride fans for the support as they grew from a "joke" band to their recent successes. He also addressed the band's unreleased material from their now-cancelled full length debut, and said that they may be available to download in the future, along with suggesting that a farewell concert could take place in the future as well. He also took the time to thank all of their fans for the support over their run and their ex-band members in nicely detailed post, which you can read at this location, as it's hard for me to sum it up.
This is extremely surprising news, despite their recent inactivity, as they'd been one of the most successful and highest profile local bands of recent years! From their July 2007 debut to their last concerts in July 2011, they've delivered lots of high energy and very cool shows, along with lots of lasting memories and a very solid EP in the process! I knew that distance was a problem for them to have more frequent activity, but some things are hard to correct or fix, and if a breakup had to be, at least it was amicable and after they'd achieved some great heights in both the local and Toronto areas! I (and other fans, I'm sure) had hoped that they're return with a vengeance in 2012, but hopefully we can say goodbye to Lion Ride properly with an actual farewell concert at some point, and we'll surely see at least some members in the area again down the road in newer bands. Until then, I wish Mikey, Marco, Mark, Carmine, and Mike all the best in whatever happens next for them musically, and hopefully this won't be the absolute last we'll hear from Lion Ride! Check the above links for more, and if updates roll in, I'll keep you guys posted!
Now to some more positive local news, as more details are now out for Frightlight's "Dead In The Van: The Locals Attack" all ages fundraiser concert on March 4th, so here's what else you need to know! According to the new Facebook event page, two more bands have been confirmed for this now 7-band concert, those being local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre and local punk trio Redundant (featuring Frightlight guitarist Rick White), and there's still more to be announced, so keep an eye out for news on potential new bands! They've also confirmed a 5:00 PM start time for this show (which is appropriate given the band numbers) and a $10 ticket price, which works for the size and fundraising nature of this concert! More details are forthcoming, so stay tuned to the above links and the SMS for updates! This is shaping up to be an awesome concert with lots of quality local and Algoma District talent, and hopefully lots of cash is made to help Frightlight's touring goals, so hopefully you guys have this concert circled on your calendars! I'll keep you guys posted as more updates roll in!
Speaking of upcoming fundraiser concerts featuring classic metal quartet Late & Loud, here's some more updates on their next show, which is the Sault College Campus Watch Pub at Coch's Corner on Saturday! Despite hopes to secure a band to join them at this event, it's been confirmed that Red Carpet DJ Entertainment will fill that second band slot with a DJ set to dance the night away with. It may seem out of place to have a DJ performing with Late & Loud, but hey, DJs pull in fans of their own, so hopefully this attracts more fans! Advance tickets are also now on sale through band members and those attached to the event, so click here or call (705) 987-3912 to inquire about advance tickets for $10 (they cost $2 more at the door.) There will also be door prizes, appetizers, and maybe some games to partake in at this event, so check the above links for all of the current details! Sounds good to me, and it's definitely a high profile way for Late & Loud to rock Coch's Corner for the first time, so stay tuned for more details, and if I'm in town this weekend, I'll be there!
And finally for today, here's two assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band name:
This may seem badly overdue, but only now do we have the official Hempfest Facebook group in our Other Local Metal Links section! Give it a look, as it'll have continued updates on this year's Hempfest as the year progresses, and I apologize for the late addition!
I've edited our YouTube Channel Profile on Lion Ride's old YouTube channel to reflect today's news on their breakup. Nothing major was changed to the info, but I like things to remain current for readers, so check it out to see some great Lion Ride videos from their earlier years!
That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for more news later this weekend! Thanks everyone!
5150DOA's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/5150doa)
Next up, the first videos from Friday night's 
