LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm, Rhythm & Brews, And Tarnished), Plus X's & Y's Updates!!

Today's post is 100% devoted to Sault Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as we have a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE with a related apology) to take note of, along with big news on an upcoming album release, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock/classic metal band Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TONIGHT after previously playing there last night! Apologies for the short notice and for missing yesterday's show, they were only announced on the band's Facebook page yesterday morning, with the band admittedly calling them a "surprise show", despite there being two gigs. According to (temporary?) bassist Chris Leask's personal Facebook page, yesterday's and TONIGHT's shows came about after "a last minute cancellation". The originally scheduled Rapids Lounge band this weekend was Traverse City dance rock quartet Risque, who confirmed on their Facebook page that they withdrew due to "unforeseen circumstances", but "we are all okay". Hopefully that is the case, and that Risque's scheduled return to the Soo Kewadin in December goes on!

Kudos to Tarnished for stepping in last night & TONIGHT on late notice, and this means that The Rapids Lounge hosted the same band in consecutive weeks, which is not common but a big thing for fans of their hard rocking covers and originals! TONIGHT's (and yesterday's) shows are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details, apologies again for missing yesterday's show (surprise though it may have been), and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, let's stay with new Kewadin Casino shows, as the entertainment pages for both regional Kewadin branches have been updated to reflect bookings through the end of November! Not a ton of new hard rock-leaning bookings ahead there, and we already knew about Peril's St. Ignace shows next week and Fyrbird's Thanksgiving weekend there too, but Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return north for two concert weekends at both Kewadin lounges next month! The Peril sister band will first rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin on Friday, November 1st and Saturday, November 2nd, and in case you're wondering about a potential Halloween theme, I wouldn't bet on it given that their general events calendar points to their parties and costume contests at all branches being on Saturday the 26th (Sault Ontario's Touch of Class will be in St. Ignace that weekend).

As for The Rapids Lounge, fans will be able to see Adam, Dave, and Jeff back there on (Black) Friday, November 29th and Saturday, November 30th as they light things up over the Thanksgiving long weekend. That may be the last time you can see either Scarkazm or Peril in the E.U.P. this year, so don't miss out on Scarkazm's hard hitting covers before December rolls around! All four of Scarkazm's November gigs up here have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. See above for more details!

The only other verifiable new hard rock shows at either local Kewadin branch will come on Friday, November 1st and Saturday, November 2nd once again, but this time at The Rapids Lounge in the Soo, where local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews are slated to return to the stage! Rhythm & Brews (featuring current Tarnished performers Chris Leask and Ron Suchey on bass and drums) don't play live all the often right now, with next month's shows being their first publically advertised gigs that I have seen since June. It will be good to see Brandon, Chris Hubbard, and crew back in just under a month's time, and hopefully their hard rocking covers provide a strong kickoff to the month! Once again, I don't believe Kewadin Casinos are celebrating Halloween a day late at all based on their event calendar listings, and if you come there on the 26th to celebrate, that night's Rapids Lounge band will be local country duo Perry/Hatch.

As with Scarkazm in St. Ignace that same weekend, expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits for Rhythm & Brews' Soo shows. Visit the above links for much more on Kewadin Casino's regional lounge gigs for the rest of the fall season!

Let's close today with the latest from local metal solo project X's & Y's (led by former Life's Eclipse guitarist and Werehold Records founder Jason Mills), who has been very busy in recent months! As of September 11th, their long-gestating debut album "The Obsidian Dream" was complete, and unlike every Werehold release from their heyday, this actually is done and dusted, and Jason sent the album to be printed on physical CDs the following week! The full album will be released on Friday on all major streaming services and on CD while supplies last. The first 30 CDs come with an NES-inspired band sticker, and if you order it early, it will immediately ship, so you may get yours before October 11th if you're quick/close enough. Jason posted the video below onto X's & Y's Facebook page on Thursday to preview the packaging for "The Obsidian Dream", which will have eight songs, and note the Werehold logo on the back!

I'm not sure if this is a first step for the label's rebirth or just to have a label for the release even just in name, but it's neat to see it on a real physical CD in 2024! Two of the songs have guest musicians (pause it 19 seconds in to see their names clearly). If you've been following Jason's original metal music over the past couple decades, you'll wanna pick up "The Obsidian Dream", so visit the above links to get your CD and/or more details, and click here to see guest guitarist Jeremy Belter playing a riff from the final cut "Never Left"! Very incomplete, but very promising at the same time!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: werehold's Channel

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we continue our ongoing spotlight features on YouTube channels whose content is at least 50% devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk music, in order for readers to watch some entertaining and relevant content and hopefully subscribe for possible further updates! This month's randomly selected channel will be a familiar sight for fans of local metal in the E.U.P., especially at their mid-2010s peak, so here's what you should know!
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werehold's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/werehold)

Owner: Werehold Records founder Jason Mills, who's also well known as a multi-instrumentalist in numerous Sault Michigan area bands (all now inactive) that were signed to the label, including Life's Eclipse, Moss, Swampghas, The 1,000,000,000's Who Died, and Shatterhand.

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 14th, 2011; Videos posted from that day through March 2018

Channel Summary: Launched around the time of Werehold Records & Life's Eclipse's joint revival in the spring of 2011 (after both previously being active through the late 2000s), the Werehold YouTube channel would become the primary repository for new and old material from label acts, mostly on the metal spectrum, and many attached to albums that never received a contemporary paid release. Most of the 81 current uploads on the channel came from the nine Friday the 13th new music posting events held on every Friday the 13th (except one) between April 2012 and January 2017, largely comprised of audio recordings that were typically preceded with the Werehold logo and a title card for the song. A select few videos on the channel were for amusement factor and not related to local music, like this Star Wars video game parody that attracted over 1,100 views.

Why You Should Watch: This is a must watch channel for fans of Jason Mills' local music work as both an extreme metal guitarist and as one of the last major active proponents of local extreme metal in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, despite Werehold acts not being known for playing regular public concerts. I enjoyed a whole lot of Werehold's roster, even if many of the posted songs lacked vocals, and their roster deserves a lot more eyeballs than it got in it's original run or it's 2010s revival. However, note that both Werehold Records and all of it's signed musical acts have been publically dormant since early 2018 (earlier in the case of certain bands.) Also, note that this channel was not immune to certain old video deletions.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

Swampghas - Bog (sync up version): From 2011-2015, a prominent band on the Werehold roster was Swampghas, a then-reunited death/thrash metal trio featuring Jason Mills on lead vocals & bass alongside East Branch guitarist J.R. Johnson and Drayton Fever/ex-Half A Man drummer Doug Reed. During this second run, Swampghas was very active in studio, recording for an unreleased debut album named "The Raco Tower Incident", and in a Werehold rarity, they actually recorded a music video for their instrumental song "Bog", which was released in September 2011. The black & white video features assorted footage of the guys exploring a farm at nighttime, and there is an eerie ambiance to a lot of it if you can look past the heavy riffs. You also see J.R. & Jason jamming in a field, though faces appear to be obscured on purpose. A brutal song while it lasts, you can also see behind the scenes footage from the shoot at this link, and many full songs are posted on this channel as well.



Life's Eclipse - Welcome to the Vortex: The most popular Werehold video that is definitely focused on their musical acts is of their flagship metal band Life's Eclipse's short song "Welcome To The Vortex", which was to have been the lead single for their unreleased album "The Chemicals To Make You A Better Person", and was belated posted in July 2013. Full credits aren't given, but Life's Eclipse's last stated full lineup featured Jason Mills & Joe Semasky on guitar, Jason's brother David on bass, and Casey Amo on drums. Recorded in 1996 or 1997, this archival track showcases Life's Eclipse's pounding metal attack well, particularly with the riffs, though like most songs on this channel, it is an instrumental. If you like this song, there's plenty more from Life's Eclipse to hear on here from an assortment of older albums!



The 1,000,000,000's Who Died - Horrible Laughter (9 string song): As Werehold collaborator activity died down in the late 2010s, much of their 2017-2018 output revolved around Jason's own material, such as The 1,000,000,000's Who Died, his progressive death metal solo project that was comically billed from Isle Royale. This project was the most uploaded of the Werehold roster from 2014 onward, and showcased a more technical, intense style than many of Life's Eclipse's older tracks. "Horrible Laughter" was The Billions Who Died's apparent swan song from January 2018, and it makes great use of Jason's then-new 9 string guitar, which you can see him model in this actual video from that same winter. Jason also broke this guitar out for one preceding song, "Long Walk Upright."


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on or around August 26th when we return to Sault Ontario for a double profile, as the first randomly selected channel we picked only had two distinct types of videos, so I randomly chose another channel with two videos much the same as each other to round things out. As such, we'll be looking at the YouTube channels of users paperclipprojectX (featuring 4 early videos from the band Haggith) and Thelilspirit (featuring a couple of notable covers from prolific local drummer T.J. Case.) Stay tuned for those then, and for more news and updates this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Michale Graves), New Videos, And Much More!!

Before everyone settles in for the Greyhounds' first playoff game, here's a new news post for your Friday reading needs! Along with some assorted recent news and notes, we have some videos from each side of the border, and to kick things off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so without any further adieu, here's what you need to know!

Former Misfits frontman Michale Graves will make his local concert debut on Friday, September 21st at The Canadian Nightclub!  Fans of the horror punk legends will recognize Michale as their post-reunion frontman in the mid-late 1990s, and as the voice as such classic songs like "Dig Up Her Bones", "Helena", and "Scream", it'll be great to see Michale perform songs like those and his newer solo material in person this fall! The tour proper is fully infused with horror punk entertainment, including "horror death/rock & roll" group Argyle Goolsby & The Roving Midnight (featuring the former frontman of Blitzkid) and Vancouver solo artist Nim Vind. The former have a solid darker take on this genre range, while Nim Vind have a Volbeat-meets-The Misfits quality that's intriguing, if that makes any sense! Local opening acts will include local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, who are a beyond-fitting choice given how often frontman J.D. Pearce has covered Graves-era Misfits with his old bands!

One more local opener is to be announced. Promoted by J.D. Pearce, this ALL AGES (and licensed) concert has $25 tickets that are now on sale at this link, and while in-person and in-store availability has not been confirmed yet, keep in mind that "limited quantities" of tickets are available. Also, note the availability of $40 VIP tickets, including a meet & greet session! This should be a huge concert to help kick off the fall with, so if you're at all a fan of 1990s-era Misfits and/or horror punk, do not miss this show! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's another new video from local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback as they continue work on their debut studio album! Posted to their YouTube channel on Wednesday, this behind the scenes video features Chris, Matt, and Nick discussing tempos and working in their jam room, as partially set over a song by the band Overlake. This is more of an off the cuff, "whatever happens" video, but you get to see A Dire Setback hard at work, and there is some levity from their banter! Give it a look below, and back them on Patreon for even more updates!



Also today, here's a new video from Eckerman, Michigan metal band Moss, in their first new public update in over three years! Last seen on the February 2015 Werehold Records Friday the 13th new music event, this band has finally resurfaced with a new song called "The Drive", as posted to the Werehold YouTube channel on Wednesday. An instrumental hard rock number, this doesn't have the technicality of some of Moss' labelmates, but it has a solid riff and an accessible sound, and it'd be interesting to hear vocals added! Give it a listen below, and Moss are back in our active band links!



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 event name:

• Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins is looking to join or launch a new band in the Sault Michigan area, interestingly as a bassist this time around. Joe has years of live & recording experience, can sing backing vocals if needed, is versatile for different genres, and has his own gear. This doesn't seem to mean anything negative for Project 906, who are still active with Joe on guitar, but if you're interested in enlisting Joe on bass, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Monday!
• The Northern Vibe Festival will return to Ophir, Ontario (on the former Hempfest grounds) for it's fourth installment over the August 25th weekend! $75 early bird tickets are now on sale at their website, but full details and lineups have not been announced yet. Though never a metal or punk hotbed, the Northern Vibe Fest has played host to bands like The Billy Bastards and Gianni Gagoots in the past, and hopefully we'll see a few SMS-covered bands on the 2018 bill, so stay tuned for updates as they come in!
• After a few days of cryptic teasers, Rotaryfest's Facebook page announced that Calgary classic rock/country trio The Stampeders (of "Sweet City Woman" & "Carry Me" fame) will be this year's announced headlining band on Stage 1 of our annual summer festival on Saturday, July 21st! While we have seen a handful of general cover bands from out of town since, The Stampeders will be the first non-tribute headliners on the main Clergue Park stage since The Road Hammers in 2009. This should be a solid attraction for fans of Canadian classic rock, so check the above links for early details on this year's Rotaryfest!

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

New Local Solo Album Releases, Shit Liver Updates, And More!!

Things have been somewhat quiet as of late, but we are back with a new news post on this Tuesday morning, featuring a few short new videos from each side of the border, and to kick things off, two new albums from regional hard rock musicians, so here's what you should know!

The newest album from Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton was released as scheduled this past Wednesday! Entitled "Escape of the Desert Rat", this is his eleventh to be themed as a score for use in other media, though Ken visualizes it as a video game score, even giving it a plot outline on his website. If left up to him, the story is about a United States military colonel who leads an elite strike force team, but has to escape capture by Sudanese rebels, but potential licensees could theoretically adapt it as they wished. "Escape of the Desert Rat" is available for $9.99 on his Bandcamp page, and while it is his first new album release of 2018, remember that we will not be reviewing it this month. Instead, we'll be looking at SweetKenny's August score album "The Dogs Are Watching", as it's material is slightly heavier, so look for that review soon!

Also, while his scores remain his current focus, one new traditional original is now on his YouTube channel, so what should you know on it? Entitled "Bikini", it's a rock instrumental with a 1960s British Invasion vibe that fans of his older material should enjoy! However, I have chosen not to embed it here due to it's featured video (borrowed clips from a rap music video and of bikini models suggestively washing a car), as some of the content may be considered inappropriate or objectifying. Give it a listen if you want though!

Next up, here's another new solo hard rock album to take note of from a local musician, that being Sault Ontario's own Mike McCleary, who put out his surprise EP "Hourglass" on January 8th! This is not a renaming of the previously announced "Weight of the Truth", that's coming in the near future, but Mike noted on his Facebook page that he chose to release "Hourglass" first due to "the timeliness of its message." In particular, this five song EP addresses topics like assimilation, gender inequality, racism, and poverty, and how they are handled in reality. All five songs have previously been shared in varying forms on Mike's Soundcloud page, and if you're missing a favourite, watch for follow-up releases. It should be noted that Mike did release a debut album called "In Ruins" to online streaming services last June (before we discovered him for site coverage), but it has since been pulled from iTunes, Spotify, and Deezer, and was never acknowledged on Facebook, so he may intend to rework that album and/or it's songs.

"Hourglass" is available on Bandcamp for $4.95 and is also on iTunes and Spotify, so consider streaming or buying it through those sites to hear Mike's newest (first official?) release! As for when to expect a review of it... next month is very possible, though if teasers regarding "The Weight of the Truth" prove to see it's release in the coming weeks, we could pick that instead. "In Ruins" wouldn't jump ahead in line as it's not a "new" album anymore, and who knows if it's being tinkered with. In any event, February is very possible for our first ever Mike McCleary album review, so stay tuned for updates!

Also today, here's the latest from local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver, so what's new from their camp? Well, they will hit the road with a Southern Ontario tour run with Owen Sound sludgecore band Cruel Bloom early next month, which join a previously announced Windsor show in two weeks where they'll help open that city's thrash band Plague's CD release concert. No word on a local concert return yet, but it's great to see the guys keeping busy! Shit Liver have also been seen in a few news Facebook page videos from late last year, including this 2 second video from New Year's Eve featuring Matt Baic drumming while standing up. Ultra brief, but he's definitely in the zone for those 2 seconds! The other video is a proper live clip from their Hamilton concert at Doors in November where they opened for past local headliners Uncle Ray, as shared from attendee Zixuan Chen's page. While it's also brief (37 seconds), at least we get some solid quality footage from a high camera angle, so give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's some brief new videos from Sault Michigan independent label Werehold Records' YouTube channel, though these aren't your standard postings. Instead, these feature label head/Life's Eclipse guitarist Jason Mills testing five microphones across two videos by playing the same heavy guitar riff. You can see the second part (featuring a pair of MXL microphones) at this link, but embedded below is the longer video comparing three. I think the MXL 990 on the second video has the clearest sound, but the SM57 has a scratchier tone that might work better for a punk song. Compare for yourself above and below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on The Sault Metal Scene as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906), Theatre Of Night Updates, And More!!

Things have been quiet around here lately, possibly due to the holiday season commitments of local musicians, but we do have an all Sault Michigan post to check out on this snowy Tuesday night, including new videos from a few different acts, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next year!

Local hard rock/blues quartet Project 906 will be one of two local opening acts for a big blues rock concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Saturday, February 10th! The show proper will be headlined by Ann Arbor blues singer/guitarist Laith Al-Saadi, a finalist on The Voice last spring, but don't let that stop you, he's an extremely talented musician who knows the blues in and out, so genre fans should definitely give Laith a listen! Fellow Detroit-area blues act The Chris Canas Band will also make the trip north with a soulful blend of blues and funk rock of their own, so keep them in mind too! In terms of the local openers, Project 906 will provide some hard rock sensibility in their first announced show of 2018, and first public and full band set since their Paradise road trip over Halloween. Joining them on February 10th are the reunited Chord On Bluz, featuring ex-Clownsack bandmates Tony Rogers & Bob Helsten, so don't miss them either! Nice to see them back out there!

A presentation of new local promoters Up Beat Entertainment, tickets are $30 each ($25 for the limited discount rate), and there are plenty of tickets available from almost any conceivable area at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. This is an ALL AGES show, and everything will start at 7:00 PM as usual. Joining Pop Evil and Big Wreck in the same short span of February 2018, this collection of "the best of Michigan blues" should be a great time for genre fans, so visit the above links for current details!

Next up, here's some fallout from Theatre of Night's Christmas tour stops this weekend in Sault Michigan and Pickford! Members of the local classical/metal project's live lineup have been posting photos from both shows on their new Facebook group, and early reviews are positive for the concerts so far, which is great to see! The concert was briefly mentioned in this new Sault Evening News article (which is otherwise on The Soo Theater's return from fire renovations), while one video from the show is actually just of the marquee sign outside of the theater. However, if you're craving concert videos, you are in luck, and Christopher Paci's YouTube channel has came to the rescue for a rare batch of videos for his first Sault Michigan concert video uploads in seven months. That all said, what can you see there? Chris filmed Theatre of Night playing their versions of "What Child Is This?", "Little Drummer Boy", "The Nutcracker Suite", "Silent Night", "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"...

..."O Holy Night", and as embedded below, their set-closer "Carol of the Bells" on Saturday night, so visit individual links to watch each video. Definitely performing as a sextet with no Chris Webster, these are strong performances that capture the holiday spirit well, with Rachel & Stacie a nice match on vocals to boot, and the stage setup is classy and suits the evening! Muffled audio for the most part, but overall, these do the job nicely, so give these videos a look above and below!



Next up, here's a few more new Theatre of Night videos, both courtesy of Midlothian, Illinois nightclub Cheers Live Music Venue's Facebook page earlier this month! Unlike the band's own videos from this early stop of their Christmas tour, these were filmed at a few different angles during their first of two shows in Chicagoland, including two different clips of "Carol of the Bells" (linked here & here), but embedded below is their version of "Silent Night" from that weekend. Good turnout, solid audio, and the vocals are top notch, but the visuals can be a little blurry on "Silent Night" in particular. Check these our above and below, and hopefully more is on the way!



Finally for this slightly abbreviated post, here's a new video from Werehold Records' YouTube channel of an apparent new addition to the local indie label! The project in question is named Snatcher (after the cult Sega CD adventure game), and fittingly, the song here is a cover of that very game's "The Pleasure of Tension". No word on if this is an extension of Shatterhand's original focus on songs named after video games or it's own animal, but it's an effectively heavy take on the original techno-influenced instrumental, and it'll be interesting to see if Jason's Snatcher project has more in the works! Give their first song a listen below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this weekend's concert previews on the site next, in all likelihood! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), A New Video, And Much More!!

After a quiet weekend out of town, we have a new news post for your Sunday evening, so what's within this one? Lots of assorted short stories from the last week or so, but we also have a new video featuring a guitar review, and leading off, SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next few days!

Prolific local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus for three more matinee concert sets TOMORROW, TUESDAY, and WEDNESDAY! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their official Facebook event page earlier today. Tym will hit there for the first time in about a month, keeping with his usual trend of playing Mark's for early week matinees that don't conflict with his similarly timed Gliss shows from Thursdays-Saturdays. As a result, we are approaching the mid-point of a nine show run in just ten nights, and if you're up for some unplugged hard rock favourites in the west end, be at Mark's TOMORROW, TUESDAY, or WEDNESDAY! As usual for Tym's matinee gigs at either restaurant, expect 6:00 PM start times over the next three evenings, and there are no cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, here's a new video from prolific local rock guitarist and Audiofumes podcast host Mike Cliffe's YouTube channel on December 2nd, featuring his review of a unique guitar! The instrument in question is the Seagull Merlin 4, a dulcimer-inspired acoustic guitarwith only four strings. Very folksy, bluegrass-reminscent sound, but it's an intriguing guitar that might be worth a look for guitarists and fans of Mike's music alike, and you can do so below!



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

• I have deleted local music promotion/photography company For The Music Inside from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to it's Facebook (and only surviving online) page being taken down at some point in the past 6 months.  Though most of their latter content was from Southern Ontario events, I liked what Joseph and Sean were doing to promote local shows and get great photos therein, and hopefully F.T.M.I. is revived down the road!
• In his first Facebook page posting in over a month, local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary shared a new acoustic cover of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" from his Soundcloud page this past Tuesday! This version is a slower re-arrangement that has some intriguing compromises for it's style, with Mike also confirming that unspecified health issues were to blame for his November break, but new originals and his debut EP are still forthcoming!
• In another deletion from our "Other Local Metal Links", we have also removed inactive local label/recording studio Paperclip Productions due to it's Facebook (and only online) page's deletion in recent months as well. Best known as the independent label and studio for the band Haggith and their side projects in the early-mid 2010s, it is unfortunate to see their last online page taken down, but you can hear much of their output via band pages!
• In one final deletion from that same section, we have also removed what we labelled as "Sault Ste. Marie Concert Archive", which was a results listing of local concerts via Canadian news/entertainment site Canoe prior to their major design overhaul earlier this year, with the concert listing search no longer functioning to my knowledge. It was a great resource, especially when sourcing when certain notable touring bands played here in the pre-Facebook era, and hopefully Canoe restores it in some form!
• Just a belated acknowledgement from our coverage of Sault Michigan-area label Werehold Records' final Friday the 13th music event in October, as cross-Michigan metal project Shatterhand (featuring Werehold founder Jason Mills) have resurfaced via their own YouTube channel! Only one song is there so far ("Faulty", complete with vocals), but whether channel exclusivity, lack of vocals, or another factor are to blame for their removal from Werehold's channel is up for debate. Shatterhand aren't a true local band, but I wanted to acknowledge the missing songs here!
• The planned third installment of J.D. Pearce's seasonal acoustic punk revue X-Mess on December 23rd was cancelled late last month. While the show hadn't publically had a venue confirmed for it, he noted on the Facebook event page that it was primarily cancelled due to "a charity gig" taking place "super close" to it. J.D is likely referring to the second Guy Thiffault tribute concert on December 27th, which he and scheduled performer Lucas Schmiedendorf are both playing with Jack Spades and The HTs respectively. Disappointing on one hand, but the memorial show will be a blast once again, so see above for details on it!

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

Friday The 13th New Music On Werehold Records (The Final Friday!!)

(Updated on October 17th) Before we get too deep into this post, just a late notice heads-up on a band switch for concerts this weekend, as Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will replace sister band Peril TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT for their shows at The Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace. "Unforeseen circumstances" regarding Peril drummer Brooks Elliott were cited for the switch, as per Scarkazm's Facebook page, though seeing as both bands share a 2/3rds identical lineup, Scarkazm can slide in very easily. Don't miss Scarkazm's metal and hard rock covers TONIGHT & TOMORROW in St. Ignace, and hopefully all is well with Brooks!

Now, today's post is otherwise devoted to the ninth installment of Sault Michigan-area independent label Werehold Records' Friday the 13th music posting event, but unfortunately, this will also be the last installment. After 5½ years of delivering new label music on each Friday the 13th (save for November 2015), this is indeed "the final Friday", with Werehold owner Jason Mills confirming that in a personal conversation last month, noting that the events didn't take off like he thought they would. I find the news disappointing, as this was always a welcome and positive blast of metal on the supposedly unlucky day, but if it has to end, what better time than in October for the Halloween season? In fact, they're going out with a bang, as a record-tying nine new songs were posted today for the occasion! One song comes from Brimley artist Leonard LeBlanc's electronic solo project Palaver, entitled "You'll See Her Eyes, If You're Hungry", in his first Friday the 13th song since March 2015.

While not overly heavy, this song has a nice rhythm and 1980s-retro feel, so give it a listen if you're a fan of electronic instrumental music! On the metal side of things, four of this year's initial songs are actually from a debuting group named Shatterhand, so what is there to say about them? This is a new project from the aforementioned Jason Mills on guitar alongside Manton, Michigan-based singer/guitarist Timothy Simon Birdsall and Lansing-based multi-instrumentalist Mitchell Wells, who mans a solo project there under the name Mitch Michelle (or Barph Blahgo). As the band's only 1/3rd local, and don't have an online page yet, they won't be immediate additions to our band links, but it's great to see some new blood on the Werehold roster! Both the band and today's songs are all named after old NES video games, including songs named "Abadox", "Phantom Fighter", "Vice Project Doom", and "Nightshade", so how did they sound?

While these songs don't yet have vocals (which won't be a shock compared to usual Friday the 13th output), Shatterhand have promise, and I like the hybrid of groove metal with more of a progressive and electronic element, which has to be influenced by Mitch's own solo career, which is quite eclectic and varied. Unfortunately, all of the Shatterhand songs were quietly deleted for unannounced reasons a few days later, (very unusual for the label to do that) but hopefully they resurface, as I liked where Shatterhand were going!

Also, reports of the demise of Jason's solo project The 1,000,000,000's Who Died are premature, as they also returned for the final Friday the 13th event! We originally removed them from our band links in June when it was discovered that their Facebook page was taken down, but the page was quietly restored in recent months, so the page must have been automatically deactivated in a Destroiletesque fashion. Yes, The 1,000,000,000's Who Died are back in our active Sault Michigan band links! Last heard on the May 2016 installment, the Soo/Isle Royale project is featured with new songs named "Conquer the Rest" &, as embedded below, "Glass Coffin", which are both short, though this is par for the course with this act. An included bass solo adds some zest to the song, which both harbouring a technical aggressive attack and programmed blast beat drums for good measure, so give The Billions Who Died's new songs a listen as well!



Finally, I thought it was appropriate to come full circle with Werehold Records' Friday the 13th saga, by ending with the very first band we started our coverage of this event with, namely local metal project Life's Eclipse! They're featured in two songs from today's upload spree, including, "Houses" from the "The Dark Kingdom" album, and as embedded below, "A.C.L.D." from "Deeper In The Woods". The former again features Mitch as a guest musician, albeit here on a mellotron keyboard, and the song is a massive departure for Life's Eclipse, taking on a quiet, reserved sound that is honestly more reminiscent of medieval folk, but it's nice to see Jason and company spread their wings! As for "A.C.L.D.", that delivers more brutal instrumental metal action that existing fans will take to, and hopefully some of these albums will see a paid release at some point! Give Life's Eclipse's newest songs a listen above & below!



That's all for the Friday the 13th new music events from Werehold Records, which were fun while they lasted, but hopefully everyone stays musically active and keeps new material rolling when available on YouTube or other platforms! For what it's worth, the next Friday the 13th is in April, but unless there's a reversal of plans, don't expect anything special in six months, though stay tuned for more news here as it rolls in! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril & Scarkazm), A New Band, And Friday The 13th New Music On Werehold Records (Part 11!!)

Three of our last five posts had at least half Sault Michigan content, and we're doubling down with a fully American post on this Friday the 13th! Hopefully the date's not a bad omen. Below, you'll find the newest content from a local metal label, and some video discoveries of a newer local band, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for mid-2017!

Following up on their first gigs of 2017 TONIGHT & TOMORROW in St. Ignace, comment replies on this photo of veteran Traverse City classic metal trio Peril have confirmed some new gigs from both them and their sister metal band Scarkazm for later this year! Typically, I don't condense separate new show announcements into one paragraph, but given Peril & Scarkazm's shared band members and the fact that only one weekend from each was confirmed (in the same post, no less), a combined feature in this instance was appropriate. First, Scarkazm will hit the E.U.P. for the first time this year with rare stops at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Friday, May 21st & Saturday, May 22nd, so keep those in mind for some hard hitting metal action! Meanwhile, Peril will play at the Soo Kewadin for the first times this year on Friday, June 16th & Saturday, June 17th.

If you can't make Peril's St. Ignace shows this weekend or in March, here are your presumable next chances, so circle mid-June on your calendars! Both Scarkazm & Peril's May/June weekends have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges, as usual. It's great to see both of Jeff & Adam's bands powering into 2017 with some more gigs for Yooper fans, so check the above links for full details on these and other currently announced dates in our area!

Next up, you may be familiar from our coverage of some recent multi-band events in the Sault Michigan area that bands without an online presence have been a fairly common sight, so unless you see them live, find a fan video, or find personal account references, they'll be something of a mystery. One such band was The Karstens, who played the Bay Mills Bands Together fundraiser concert in Brimley last May, and other than my assumption that they were a family band (given the name), I had nothing on them. However, a fan named Bubby Frasier got a hold of me online over the last few days, noting positive word of mouth and concert appearances through August of last year for The Karstens, and asked if I had any extra info on them. Between the two of us, we tracked down videos on two YouTube channels of them, and some personal Facebook postings, so here's what I've got. As it turns out, The Karstens are very much a fit for our coverage, and they'd be in our links if they had an online page!

Visibly a quartet (though occasionally seen as a three-piece), I can't confirm the band's full lineup or instrument roles, but one personal Facebook posting suggested that two band members were named Paul LeBlanc and Raymond Kavo. Neither are familiar from our past coverage of the E.U.P., but the band looks relatively young. YouTube users Wabaanimkii and racosun have uploaded 3 and 2 videos respectively from both a jam session and concerts in Brimley and Sault Ste. Marie between April & August 2016, so how do they sound? Musically, I'd call them experimental or alternative metal, and if you like Buckethead, you'll definitely want to take notice, as they cover The Deli Creeps' "Bend Up", "Shadows", and (as embedded below) "Can I Have A Ride" in three videos, plus Buckethead's "The Way To Heaven". That video segues into a cover of Flipper's "Sacrifice", which is covered in full at this link too. Huge kudos to The Karstens for playing some stuff you don't typically see covered in the area, especially in Sault Michigan!

In case you missed The Karstens at Bay Mills Bands Together, their Back Bay Grill & Games show, or Downtown Days in August (apologies for missing the latter two for coverage here), then look for well played if avant garde covers, with the singer/drummer's distinctive deep voice and strong guitar among The Karstens' highlights! They could be a little more animated on stage, but assuming they're still active (I've read nothing new referencing them since August), they have a bright future! Check out much more from The Karstens above & below, and hopefully more turns up! Thanks again to Bubby for his help in getting the above information!



Finally for today, it is Friday the 13th, which means that local independent metal label Werehold Records is back for their eighth Friday the 13th new music posting event! However, this year's only features two new songs for a second straight 13th, and in this case, both songs come from the same band, Werehold's flagship metal project Life's Eclipse. Both dated to the late 1990s, presumably for their initial inception and original recording dates, the songs are entitled "Perihelion" (no relation to the long-gestating Gates of Winter album), and as embedded below, "Pathway". The former is a little drum heavy and scratchy in sound, but "Pathway" is a ripping, fast-paced number that groove metal fans will appreciate, and if there are ever plans to complete these songs with vocals, that will be a highlight! It's just a shame that the Friday the 13th new music events are continuing their steady decline in number that followed their nine song event in June 2014, including skipping November 2015 entirely.

Werehold Records has been a reliable sight for original metal action in the E.U.P., if not live concert acts, and I hope that Jason and company can beef up activity and content in the near future, especially with another Friday the 13th coming up in October! It will be the Halloween season, so there's no better month to go big. Check out "Pathway" below, and see more from Werehold Records above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone!

Bay Mills Band Together Preview, Friday The 13th New Music On Werehold Records (Part 10), And More!!

Before we get to this all-Sault Michigan post, we have a concert cancellation to take note of, as local classic/hard rockers Mourning Wood are not playing at The Park Grille tonight. Frontman Terry Eaton confirmed the news on drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page earlier today, saying that bands at the venue "are on hold until further notice." He, the band, and/or the venue haven't elaborated since, but hopefully this is a temporary measure, as the venue seemed to be well received, and don't miss Mourning Wood at Rednecks TOMORROW! Now, today's post has one last concert preview, a label's long awaited resurgence, and a new cover video, so here's what you need to know!

A number if local musicians will join forces for a great cause THIS SUNDAY NIGHT when they take part in Bay Mills Bands Together! at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley! This benefit show is in support of Maryssa Kronemeyer, an area high schooler who was seriously injured after being hit by a car in March. To that end, all proceeds will go to her and her family & the related medical costs, so definitely consider coming out to support the cause! In a unique format, Sunday's bands will be playing on two stages at Pickles, one acoustic and one for plugged in bands, so who all is scheduled? The main stage will feature headlining local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 at 12:00 AM, with a mysterious band named The Whole Shabang (replacing or renamed from Brainstorm) playing at 11:00 PM, and online page-less metal quartet Stoned Ape Evolution hitting the stage at 10:00 PM. The remaining main stage bands will include the family band The Karstons at 9:00 PM and Broke On Sunday frontman Mark Bowen at 8:00 PM.

The acoustic stage will be headlined by Train Wreck alum Mitchell Willis and Brenda (last name not given) at 9:45, preceded by Infathom frontman Dillion Semasky with a solo (rap?) set at 8:40 PM, Ken Jahnke at 7:30 PM, Mitchell & Brenda again at 6:50 PM, and country/pop artist Caitlin LeBlanc opening at 6:00 PM. Door prizes and a 50/50 draw will also take place on Sunday to be drawn during the show, which has a $5 minimum cover, and this is presumably still a 21+ event. Though there's a lot of unknowns regarding the lineup, this should be a great event for Marissa and her family, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

Next up, Sault Michigan independent record label Werehold Records has re-emerged for their seventh Friday the 13th music posting event! After mass artist "downtime" scuttled the November 13th plans, the label is back for their first Friday the 13th music since March of last year, but compared to past installments, this latest event is fairly lean. Label acts Awaken Eidolen, Drayton Fever, East Branch, Moss, Palaver, and Swampghas are all not featured, but we do have 2 songs to take note of,  including this new song from Werehold's flagship metal band Life's Eclipse! We were actually this close to moving them to our inactive band links if there was no Friday the 13th postings, so it's great to see that they're still active! Entitled "When The Night Falls", it's planned to be the first song on their album "The Dark Kingdom", and it has a nice dramatic opening and a melodic groove metal base, though in this form at least, it's an instrumental. A little repetitive, but it's very heavy, and the opening sets the tone well for the planned album, so give Life's Eclipse's newest song a look!



The other new Friday the 13th song from Werehold Records comes from label owner/Life's Eclipse mainman Jason Mills' solo side project The 1,000,000,000s Who Died, whose song is called "Beneath The Black". A short 1:50 number, it has a crushing riff at it's peak, but parts do sound artificial, and I'm not sure what the description comment of "stupid chorus" means when the song is an instrumental. It's a strong song while it lasts though, so give it a look below, and hopefully we see more from Werehold Records by the next Friday the 13th in January 2017!



Finally, here's the latest solo guitar cover from ex-Elipzis bassist Ryan Harrison's YouTube channel, this time a cover of The Beatles' "The Ballad of John & Yoko", albeit with completely different lyrics and the new title "The Ballad of Rocky & Lil" (perhaps this is a reference to friends of his?) Resembling an old webcam with the washed out colour and low framerate, the song itself is well done and is well suited to Ryan's vocal range, so give it a look below!



That's all for today, but we'll see you at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for Project 421's return to the stage! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Pixo Control), Plus New Videos!!

Here's another news post to open a new week, so what can you find within? New videos from two very different recent concerts, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for a rising young band's next three shows, all with some big developments attached, so here's what you should know!

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Pixo Control will indeed play a CD release concert in honour of their debut album "Probably Not" on Saturday, December 12th... two of them, in fact! The band announced on their Facebook page last night that they'll headline two separate concerts at LopLops Lounge that day, the first being an ALL AGES afternoon gig and the latter being a nighttime 19+ show, so fans of all ages will be able to check the guys out and be the first to get a copy of their first CD! Notably, these will be The Pixo Control's first concerts since The Emergency Festival in August, and consequently, just their second & third with new drummer Matthew Thibert (no word as of yet on if he recorded tracks for the album.) Support will come via post-punk quartet Gnaeus (fresh off of their Devil's Night concert at LopLops) and glam/punk trio Caroline Divine (in their first announced concert since July), and both are great fits, so don't miss them on the 12th!

No word yet though on if the openers are playing both shows, or if each band has one each, but we'll treat them as playing both unless said otherwise. Presented by label Tidal Records, each show has a $10 cover charge (it's not clear whether that includes a copy of "Probably Not" or if that's separate from entry), the all ages show is at 2:00 PM, and the 19+ show is at 9:00 PM, both on December 12th. For more details, visit the above links! This is an ambitious idea to play two release shows in the same day, but hopefully The Pixo Control have a successful launch(es) of their debut CD, and we'll keep you posted as extra updates roll in!

Next up, we have another new Pixo Control concert to mention, as they'll apparently be opening for Saskatoon blues rock favourites The Sheepdogs at The Machine Shop at Mill Square on Tuesday, February 9th! While not announced via other sources as of this writing, The Pixo Control's Facebook page indicated that they'd be opening for The Sheepdogs on Saturday. The second February gig in as many years to feature the guys as an opening band (joining this year's Treble Charger concert), this is another huge showcase for Michael, Steve, and Matthew, and hopefully they can make some new fans in February! If you're not familiar with them, The Sheepdogs are well known from hit singles like "Feeling Good" & "The Way It Is" from their platinum self-titled album, and have made lots of fans with their roots & southern rock-influenced originals, so there should be a very solid audience for their Soo debut! Also, the show is definitely on February 9th, SooToday's advertising accidentally has it listed for the 8th.

An 8:00 PM start time is listed for this 19+ concert, and tickets are available for $30 & $35 ($25 early bird tickets are sold out) at this link, so visit the above links for full current details! While The Sheepdogs aren't a "heavy" band, they're very talented and have a great fanbase, and they should rock the house on February 9th (and it's nice to see a big non-country show at The Machine Shop, hopefully there's more to come!) Stay tuned again for updates as we hear them on this and The Pixo Control's release shows!

We'll close today with new videos, including a look at Shot In The Dark Productions' production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop earlier this month, featuring local classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester as the house band! Uploaded by drummer Ric Datson to his YouTube channel yesterday, this is of That's Chester and the cast of Tommy performing The Who's "Pinball Wizard" during one night of the production (which one isn't specified), and it gives a nice five-camera look at arguably the most famous song from Tommy! Greg Simpson does his best Elton John for the rendition, complete with the cast acting and singing in turn, and while everything looks and sounds good, Greg's vocals are very muffled (and note that there's a 31 second intro before the video actually starts.) Excellent crowd, and good details for the set and acting (yes, that is a real pinball machine being lowered in), so hopefully we see more live stage musical productions like this in the future, and yes, more That's Chester concerts! Give everything a look below!



Finally for today, here's a new video find of the aforementioned Caroline Divine from their Rotaryfest afterparty concert at LopLops Lounge on July 18th! Apologies for missing it for this long, it slipped us by in prior Facebook scans. Filmed by attendee Katie Huckson and shared on the band's Facebook page the next day, this is an incomplete video of Brendan, Devin, and Anthony playing one of their originals (title unclear, possibly "Looking For A Fight".) Solid audio and energy to be had from this promising young band in their most recent concert, albeit with dark lighting, so check it out below, and don't miss them back at LopLops on December 12th!


 
That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and updates this week! Thanks everyone!

Ten Kings Updates, Plus Lots Of Recent Assorted News!!

Believe it or not, this is our first full news post at the SMS without concert previews attached in almost two weeks, but hopefully the news will pick up in short order! Today, we're touching on a number of shorter assorted recent notes, but first, here's a pair of new Sault Michigan video finds, including some updates on a recently dissolved band, so here's what you should know! (Updated on Sunday at 11:08 PM)

Here's the latest on the now-inactive local hard rock quartet Ten Kings, so what should you know on them now? While it's still not public what happened to them, it looks like singer Brandon Carr made use of their St. Ignace Kewadin Casino bookings for this weekend by playing both last night & tonight with half of fellow local hard rockers 415E (guitarist Chris Hubbard and bassist Mitch Goetz), as well as ex-Absolute drummer Justin Lawless. Our sources are personal Facebook posts by Brandon & Chris yesterday. No word on if this is an official new band or not, and if they'd still skew hard rock if they were, but Chris did jokingly muse on if they should call themselves Nixxon Dixxon (his and Brandon's old local band) or Two Weeks Notice (presumably referencing the time they had to get ready following Ten Kings' dissolution.) Whether this is just a one-off group, a Nixxon Dixxon revival, or something brand new, we'll keep an eye on things, and hopefully this weekend's concerts went well!

As for Ten Kings, we had embedded a YouTube video of them covering Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace in August here that was still online when this post went up, but the band member that controlled the account took their YouTube channel down as well yesterday. I wish bands wouldn't erase their existence from the internet like this when they break up, as there are fans that still like and enjoy their material, even if something bad happened behind the scenes, but it is what it is. Hopefully their breakup was amicable, and best of luck again!

Next up, here's a new solo video from ex-Ten Kings guitarist Joe Jenkins' YouTube channel! Uploaded last week, this is of Joe's musical discovery when stacking his guitar pedals, and he definitely seems to like what this produced! Also, this is unique from his past videos that we've shared here, as he talks to the camera about his gear and the pedals' effects on his playing. You get some solid instrumental playing too, so give it a look below!



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

• Former local concert venue Club Princess (a.k.a. The Princess Theatre) has had it's iconic arrow sign taken down amidst ongoing renovations by new owner Marc Muto (yes, the former Lion Ride drummer), who bought the Gore Street location and is planning to reopen it in the future in some form. The sign was removed due to safety concerns and that it was showing it's age, but it will be put in storage towards a possible restoration and return to the building. It's nice to hear that the Princess is being revived, and hopefully the sign returns down the road! Click here for more details!
• According to a post on Mike Haggith & The Din's Facebook page on Thursday,  the band shared the stage with funk/hard rock quartet The Elements (an apparent late addition) and DJ Seith during that night's Jason Michaud fundraiser at The Marconi Hall, without crediting the publically listed Redundant, Project 421, and Eclypse. No word on if those bands dropped out or not, but remember, official event advertising oddly didn't credit the full lineup. Nice of The Elements to rock this benefit too, and hopefully lots was raised to help Jason out!
• The recap article and photos from SooToday's Donna Hopper's coverage of last month's "Fed Up!" split CD release party at The Algonquin Pub can at last been seen at this link! Featuring brief remarks from Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce & Destroilet singer Mike Hull, the article recaps the show and CD, and reiterates plans to release the split in other formats, while the photos (all in black & white) include 7 from headliners The Ripcordz' set & five each of the local bands, including a guest return from the departed Brent Ellis during Destroilet's set. Despite the delay, Donna got some great shots again, so see everything above!
• Local classic metal quintet Project 421 will replace Destroilet on the lineup for the Sabrina Pelchat memorial concert at The Rednecks Saloon on Friday, as per updates to the official Facebook event page yesterday. A reason for Destroilet's exit wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and Project 421 will fit in nicely in their return to the former Nicolet Tavern! Stay tuned for more on this show next week!
• We have moved local grindcore/experimental duo This Is Your Band On Drugs to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The Blood Shed Productions project has not made a public update since being advertised to play at last October's Devil's Night concert at The Oddfellows Hall, which they dropped out of after being on hiatus since last spring due to work commitments. T.I.Y.B.O.D. were an entertaining and creative band in their genre, complete with a demo CD, and hopefully Chase & Nick revive them in the future!
• As you may have seen, there was not a Friday the 13th new music event from Sault Michigan independent metal label Werehold Records yesterday, breaking a streak of six straight Friday the 13th events dating to April 2012. Label owner Jason Mills said in a personal conversation that it was due to many artists on the label having "downtime" as of late, and he didn't want to post new songs from just his own projects. Hopefully things pick back up come the next Friday the 13th in May!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more on the site in the coming week! Thanks everyone!

Friday The 13th New Music On Werehold Records (Part 9)

As we just celebrated Friday the 13th for the second of three times this year, Sault Michigan-area independent record label Werehold Records partook in a new music posting event for a seventh straight occurrence of this unlucky day! Fresh off of last month's Friday the 13th event (yes, two in two months), the label uploaded four new songs onto their YouTube channel on Friday, resulting in another abbreviated spread of new music, but hopefully the studio repairs are coming along! However, this month's uploads do not include new material from label acts Awaken Eidolen, Drayton Fever, East Branch, or Moss, though the latter were featured last month. Longtime fans and followers of Werehold Records should take to this month's uploads though, so here's what we got in alphabetical order!

We'll start with label owner Jason Mills' solo side project The 1,000,000,000s Who Died, whose new song is entitled "Faith Eraser". Hinted at being included on an album named "Warskematik", this instrumental clocks in at just under 2 minutes, but it delivers the metal goods with a melodic and crushing riff and a solid groove throughout! Not as artificial sounding as some of their prior tracks, so give "Faith Eraser" a listen below!



Next up is "For the Burning" from Jason's main band Life's Eclipse, which he said was "one of the original 5" (as in, the first songs that they wrote/recorded?) In any event, it's likely planned for their "Shadow Over Superior" album. Though also an instrumental, this has a catchy aggressive bite to it that is just dying for some harsh vocals to round it out! Great drum track too, so check it out below!



Also among today's tracks is "Explosions at the Ice Factory" by Brimley electronic artist Leonard LeBlanc's Palaver solo project, which has a catchy techno beat, but admittedly doesn't have the "video game music" vibe of some of their earlier songs. Quality work for electronic fans though! We'll close with "Born Frownin'", the first new song in nine months from Strongs backwoods metal trio Swampghas, so how does it sound? A demo from their planned "Raco Tower Incident" album, it's also an instrumental, and it has more of a lower groove to it without much of a varied melody. Grimy and effective, give it a listen below as well!



The next Friday the 13th on the calendar will strike in November (which will also be it's only occurence in the next 14 months), so might we see a bigger splash of new Werehold material in the fall? I'm very curious to find out, but be sure to check out all of their work at the above links to tide yourselves over until then! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features in the coming week! Thanks everyone!

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

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

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



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



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



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