It's now time for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, where we look at the current release whereabouts and latest public information on upcoming paid studio albums from local metal, hard rock, and punk acts, in order to see when they might come out! This month's installment is mostly in a holding pattern, as only one entry from last month has updates, but we have two big albums to add and cover this month that have new confirmation on their impending release! Entries with new info have 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", "Nightmares"
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 2018, with sessions wrapping up in May 2019, before sending it off for mastering at
West West Side Music in
New York. 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 sessions, and things sound like they're on the home
stretch, if the mixing in New York tells us anything. 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. 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, while
the final cover artwork and full track listing order were posted on
their Facebook page on February 17th.
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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Chase Wigmore - Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To
Rumoured Songs: "Stray Dog Howl", "St. Marie Revisited", "Scabies", "Psychic Driving","The Stone", "Running Out of Beer"
Background: While he's no stranger to solo recordings via various free and demo releases under various project names, local experimental/metal musician Chase Wigmore revealed on August 30th that he is working on his first "real" solo album, entitled "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To", which will see a "legal and official" release, including distribution
on Bandcamp. Some teased songs have surfaced in prior demos and concerts, but "Stray Dog Howl" is the first single, and it will be formally launched at
this Rednecks Saloon concert on Friday, September 13th. The cover artwork can be seen above and on
Chase's Facebook page, while the album proper will reportedly be based around folk punk with "blackened crust, countryish, and bluesy jazz" influences, containing 23 songs on a 2 disc physical format.
Current Release Status: Unless things are delayed, Chase has already pinned October 30th down as the album's planned release date, hints at a Devil's Night concert of his notwithstanding. Given Chase's prolific nature and considerable talents, it'll be very interesting to see how "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To" sounds upon release, so see above for more information, and stay tuned for much more from Chase soon!
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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) in January, which will presumably be
released through
Tidal Records, and will also be their first album with second guitarist Liam Seymour and drummer Chris Johns.
A 22 second teaser
of the first single
"Lost & Found" was posted on Facebook,
and it's official music video was released in March.
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 it's intended song now out via the music video, 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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The Elements'
debut EP
Rumoured Songs: "Liar", "G20", "Triple H", "The Rut", "I Need A Friend", "Riptide"
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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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. For what it's worth, the band returned from a 7 month public hiatus in February with
a video cover of Pup's "Free At Last"
sans singer Christian Lemay and alongside Dustin's Pointless bandmate
Bill Priddle (I believe) on guitar, but I don't know if this is
indicative of any lineup shifts or just who was available at that time,
let alone how this may impact the album. Hopefully
things
are progressing well behind the scenes, so stay tuned for updates!
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Mike Haggith - Bridges & Carnival
Rumoured Songs (B): "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"
Rumoured Songs (C): "Come on Home"
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.
The cover artwork
and track listing were released in September for "Bridges", which
includes all of his Thompson-era
originals except "If Only You
Could Hear Me". Three singles for the album were released online,
including "The Nature of The Times" (with music video) in November, and both the
title track and "Come on Home" this year. As well, Mike
recorded soundboard audio of his set at the Nickel Days festival in
Thompson on June 22nd towards an upcoming live album named "Carnival",
later posting
a live version of "Come On Home" (with cover art) as a preview.
Current Release Status: Though Mike
didn't highly publicize the "Bridges" recording sessions on social media, he
confirmed last summer that the album was "100% recorded", and
is soon
going to be edited & mixed. With Mike's candor & honesty, you know he
won't hide anything
regarding it's release, and with the recent single release and a lot of
positive comments, fans should eagerly
be awaiting "Bridges" upon it's release, hopefully this year! As for "Carnival", it could come at any time, especially as
his 2018 Nickel Days live album came out on Bandcamp just days after the set actually occurred. In any event, stay tuned for updates!
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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 2018, 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 2018 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 Skull After Betrayl.
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
July 2017, 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 two years, though their new lineup returned from year-long
hiatuses twice in that span for opening sets at Live705 death metal
shows at The Rockstar Bar. That said, with their increasingly
brutal and
technical sound, hopefully they can get this album complete down the
line!
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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 in January. 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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Treble Charger's sixth album
Rumoured Songs: Unknown
Background: In
this Sault Star article last month, local/Toronto indie/punk veterans Treble Charger finally confirmed that they are in fact working on a new CD, their first since "Detox" in 2002, though teasers of a potential new album have been made in Treble Charger's more recent concerts. Sessions reportedly began in the winter, and four or five demos are recorded, but full sessions won't begin until
the Algoma Conservatory of Music's new recording studio is finished, as the album is planned to be recorded there. Guitarist Bill Priddle's Pointless bandmate Dustin Goodall is credited in the above article as playing bass on the album, though a drummer was not indicated then.
Current Release Status: I have no way of knowing, but given that the Algoma Conservatory of Music is a bigger establishment with Treble Charger's own Greig Nori managing it, I imagine it's completion will be newsworthy and sufficiently covered in local news media. After that, I couldn't yet say, but after 17+ years, I'm sure the guys will want to ensure that everything is perfect before release. Keep tabs for updates as they roll in!
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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 October 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles one week from tomorrow. That's all for today, but stay tuned for some long overdue news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
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Afterwards, Brad notices that Jamie's old Fuller bandmate Mark Rand was commenting, leading to some discussion about the 2000s local punk/emo band's 2023 reunion concert, with Jamie revealing there that they recorded their old original material from Mark's run with the band in studio, but were still unsure of how they were going to release and finish the songs. That was rumoured at the time, but it's good to get 100% public confirmation, and hopefully the songs do get put out somehow! Remember, their actual self-titled EP from 2002 predated Mark joining Fuller, and none of its songs had titles. Brad takes over next to cover The Band's "Up On Cripple Creek" (R.I.P. Garth Hudson), before tackling The Inner City Surfers' classic "Booze N' Doobs" on request from Jamie, albeit with a minor lyric change. Next, he hands off to Jamie for another song, namely a country-ish original, name also not given.
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