LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Generations & Double Down), Plus The First Half Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

A busy concert weekend is upon us, so let's dive right into the first half of this weekend's previews! Due to the amount, I'll hold Sault Michigan previews, plus Bone Yard and Vanity First, for our next post that hopefully drops early tomorrow, so don't worry, they are coming! Now, let's begin with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the shows were only announced on the venue's Facebook page on Tuesday, though personal Facebook posts featuring official band imagery have also been floating around this week. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows come just one week removed from Double Down's debut appearances at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, marking their first bookings in back-to-back weeks, but these will be their first gigs at the downtown Reggie's in just over a month. Hopefully Double Down's old school brand of classic and hard rock covers goes over swimmingly TOMORROW & SATURDAY! These are 9:00 PM events with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video from their Facebook page!

Live-streamed at Jay's on Saturday for attendee Beej Syrette's personal Facebook page and subsequently shared by the band publically, this has Joel, Adam, Brad, and Ric tackling Lonnie & Ed Young's "Chevrolet", albeit a later rock cover of it. Everyone sounds good on this blues rock number, and it's a good pick to showcase their musical heft, but it's a shame that Beej filmed this vertically, moreso because it really highlights how few fans were on the floor close to the stage at this point of the night. Let's hope it was more packed off camera, but check it out below, and don't miss Double Down at Reggie's TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT!

Next up, fellow new local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will hit the aforementioned Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows on their Facebook group on Monday. The Jus' Chillin successors actually debuted at Jay's on April 7th, but had not played there since, so if you've missed them at the former Reggie's West, don't miss out TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Generations last took the public stage at The Esquire Club at the end of May, but they have played at least one private gig since, and of course, Valerie sang with Soundcheck for their Obsession tribute show this past Saturday. TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT'S concerts are at 9:30 PM with no advertised cover charges and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live earlier this year!

We'll next look at two shows that did have advance notice before this week, including local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck hitting Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! As alluded above, these will be Soundcheck's first gigs since rocking The Esquire Club last week, notably including three former Obsession singers as guests on Saturday, but they have not played at Shooters in over a month. Hopefully the core four-piece lineup delivers a strong night of hard rocking covers for fans at the Dennis Street nightclub tomorrow! A one-nighter due to or resulting in a video dance party on Saturday night, tomorrow's festivities are at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Soundcheck live (yes, I am aware of the Obsession gig videos from Saturday, look for those on the site soon!)

Finally for today's previews, let's stay downtown for the only concert during this year's third annual Summer Moon Festival that crosses over with the SMS, as online page-less local alt-hard rock cover quintet Bookclub will perform TOMORROW NIGHT as part of the Street Yourself Street Party! The Summer Moon Festival is a downtown arts and culture festival at multiple locations with loads of family-friendly entertainment and specialist events for different artistic topics, so click here to see what all is planned! The Street Yourself Street Party specifically takes place on a closed section of Queen Street East from Gore to Tancred, and beyond the music, attendees can take part in a "glow in the dark foam party" and a meet & greet with artists who painted murals for the festival, while a mini-collector's convention and concessions from Ernie's Coffee House are also planned. Fresh off of their Festival of Beer set, Bookclub will be tomorrow's opening band at 8:15 PM, with roots rockers The Hustle Brothers headlining at 10:00 PM.

This is a FREE and ALL AGES event, and as our first true outdoor concert of the summer season for the SMS, I am happy to report that 9&10 News' weather forecast is calling for mostly clear conditions with a temperature of 7-14°. Hopefully Bookclub's diverse array of punk-tinged covers prove to be a fun way to kick off the street party before The Hustle Brothers get down, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Bookclub live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

The Bear Hunters/Sanktuary Concert Review!!

Hey guys, here is my review of last night's all ages metal show at The Oddfellows Hall! How was it? Did the metal flow despite unhumanly disgusting humidity? I'll tell you, but first, just an update on this weekend's post schedule. Tomorrow's two posts will be auto-posted at midnight and 6:00 PM. The first one will be the debut of our YouTube Channel Profile Series (Lion Ride fans should take note) and the post at 6:00 PM will be a news post including a new concert. A review of TONIGHT'S Rosie metal night will likely be postponed until early Saturday because we're actually going out of town tomorrow for a family trip to Manitoulin Island, so I'll be working on limited time to upload photos & videos and post a review, and I sincerely doubt it'll be finished tomorrow. That explains the autoposts, so we don't fall behind. The review's coming though, I promise! Now, to the review of last night's show! (EDIT: 2:12 AM)

First off, it was extremely hot, the second straight concert I've been to where the heat was an issue. We managed though, and the fact that pop and water were on sale at The Oddfellows Hall helped! Opening last night's show were local cello/punk trio RedD Monkey, who replaced Sativa Rose as openers. Since I first saw RedD Monkey live last fall, they've really grown on me as one of my favourite non-metal local bands, and they continued that trend last night! Amidst Steve Mozarowski's numerous reminders about the benefits of water, the set was great, and I dunno if it's just me or not, but they sounded heavier than usual last night! Fast pounding punk riffs and cello playing from Steve's brother Pete that blended in really well to their musical attack! I'm still of the belief that capping a set with a rap number is anti-climactic, but they tore it up with their unique sound, and while I enjoyed the set on it's own merits, their cover of "Ace of Spades" went over really well with much of the crowd too! Solid set from RedD Monkey, I'll absolutely be back to see them next month!

Next up were one of two out of town bands, that being Halifax metal quartet Black Moor, and despite the dark sounding name, they were straight up classic metal at it's best! These guys knew how to mix a thrashier speed metal sound with influences from old school British metal, and there was some creative touches that helped make their set far from boring! Lots of longer songs too, which is always welcome! Eric Hanlin's vocals were harsh and suited the songs perfectly, while his and Evan Frizzle's guitar playing was relentless and catchy on each song! Rob Nickerson's hair seemed to fly every which way in the midst of his entertaining stage presence, but his bass playing stood out on his own, as did Kenny Myers' rapid fire drumming! I was really impressed with these guys, who put it all out there in their original songs, and the moshpits were honestly the biggest of the night during their set, though the heat may have helped lessen them in later sets. Hopefully Black Moor come back here soon, we will welcome them back with open arms!

The penultimate band last night was another Halifax speed metal band, that being Black Moor's good friends Sanktuary, and though their sounds were similar in genre, Sanktuary stood out on their own as well! Compared to Black Moor, Sanktuary's sound wasn't as varied, taking more cues from speed metal in general, so it was more straightforward, but still very relentless and entertaining! Alan Binger's vocals were really nice, ranging from a suitable heavy metal tone to some really melodic patches and even a couple falsetto notes here and there! He and Cole Hume rocked our faces off with their crushing metal sounds, and Anders Grasholm fit perfectly with his proficient drum skills! Though their originals were really entertaining and full of great old school metal, fans of Metallica were pleased to hear them cover "The Four Horsemen" and "Motorbreath" at the end of their set, which was really cool! Though I was getting worn out by this point, I recognized the talent of Sanktuary, and hopefully they come back to the Soo really soon!

And of course, your local headliners were local melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, which seems odd given the presence of out of town bands, but hey, this ensures their local fans stay the whole night! Their set last night comprised of basically all of their quality originals, like "Dominate", "Succumb to Eternity", and fittingly (given the heat), "Collapse The Sun", and they tore it up to the fans who braved the humidity for the whole set! Nik Deubel's a great growler, but I couldn't hear him well, which sadly comes up a lot for their sets. He needs to be turned up! The rest of the band were on form, including great guitar work from Mitch Sirie and the ever-improving Josh Stephney, and Justin Lam's bass lines were as great as ever! Fans ate their set up, which was full of brutal death metal that was a fitting capper to the night, but hopefully fans will show up in even larger numbers tonight! I enjoyed their set, and here's hoping for more great death metal to come!

Humidity aside, it was a great show, but I wish more people had braved the heat to rock out for the whole thing! I despise summer, but metal lays down for no weather! I got photos last night, so click here to check them out or visit our official Facebook page, and while we're on the subject, have you ever wished I took photos of the crowd? Well, wait no more, as I'm starting a new album of just crowd shots called "Tag Yourself!" Why that name? Cause I want you guys to tag yourself in the photos if you're seen moshing, rocking out, or just enjoying the music! I've seen other bands do this for their shows, and I thought I'd try it on the SMS and see how it goes over. Besides, you guys wanted crowd shots, now I'm finally delivering! Check out the first photo at this location, and if you're in the picture, tag yourself! And yes, I got videos, so check out RedD Monkey covering Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff" in their own cello rap rendition, Black Moor's song "Acid Biker", a newer Sanktuary original (I think it's called "Hail The Villain" but I'm not 100% sure), and The Bear Hunters' own "Collapse The Sun"!

That's all for now, but I will see you guys at The Roosevelt Hotel TONIGHT for Garden of Bedlam, and stay tuned for the debut of our YouTube Channel Profile Series at midnight sharp! Thanks everyone!