LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mama Kin), Cavo Concert Updates, And Much More!!

I know news has been a little more spread out lately, but things will be a bit busier at the end of the week, so don't worry! Today, we've got a new solo performance clip, some assorted news stories, and some updates on a major upcoming concert's media coverage, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this spring! (UPDATED, 1:30 AM)

Toronto-based Aerosmith tribute band Mama Kin are coming back to Sault Ontario for the first time in at least two years in April! As currently being advertised on the marquee board outside of the venue, this talented tribute act will hit The Canadian Nightclub for a full weekend of Aerosmith classics on April 13th and 14th, so if you love Aerosmith, circle those dates on your calendar! The shows are listed on Mama Kin's website (so there's an online source), but they're credited as playing at The Knights Inn, which hasn't been the name of the hotel on The Canadian's site in quite a while. Minor error, no worries! I'd assume both of these shows would be 19+ affairs, a 10:30 PM start time would seem likely, and I'd expect a cover charge of around $5. For more details, check the above links! It's great to see Mama Kin back in the area after such a long wait for their return, and though I'm admittedly not the biggest Aerosmith fan going, there'll be lots of demand and fanfare for the next best thing to Steven Tyler and company! Keep an eye out for more on this and the rest of what is shaping up to be a huge month for the local metal scene as we get closer to this April!

Next up, here's the latest on April 6th's Cavo/My Darkest Days/Veer Union concert at The Dreammakers Theater at Kewadin Casino! Allstar Promotions (who are holding this concert) announced on their Facebook page on Thursday that they've joined forces with Cheboygan rock radio station Real Rock 105.1 to promote & hold contests for this show. This would include giveaways for tickets & meet and greets, along with a package including front row tickets and a night's stay at Kewadin's hotel. I've heard little directly referencing this arrangement from Real Rock yet, but if you listen in, things should pop up soon for advertising & contests! Remember, though Real Rock 105.1 is based out of the Traverse City area, they have a simulcast in Cheboygan, which is why better FM radios on clearer days can pick the station up in the Twin Saults. Plus, despite leaving the U.P. in 2010, stations owned by Northern Star Broadcasting in Northern Michigan still occasionally advertise & promote bigger shows up here, so it's not unheard of. If you're interested in tuning in to try and win some tickets, or you just want an alternative rock radio station in the area, tune your dials to 105.1 FM or listen online at this location!

Now, the post above also implies that the reason the radio promotions for the Cavo/MDD show aren't local is because of local stations' desires to only promote & advertise out of town shows, likely a reference to Rock 101 and their "Concert Track", which usually only mentions big rock shows in Southern Michigan and Southern Ontario. I'm not going to pass judgement on anyone for why the local deals aren't happening, as we only have one side of the story here, but there's reasons for everything, and things will work themselves out. Stay tuned for more news on this major concert as it comes in!

Thirdly today, local guitarist Neno Jovanovic has posted another solo guitar cover onto his YouTube channel! Uploaded yesterday, this is his cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" (typo aside), and like his other covers, he plays the guitar track along with the remaining parts of the song, and he adds to it well! He could have mixed it in a bit better, or boosted it's heaviness a tad, but Neno knows the original song well, and give his take on "Ace of Spades" a listen below!



And finally for today, here's three assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Sault Ontario death metal quintet The Bear Hunters have begun recording of "colossal" bass tracks towards their debut full length demo! The news was broken yesterday on their Facebook page. Good to hear, I can't wait to check out the finished product when all is said and done, so stay tuned for more!
  
• Newer Sault Michigan quartet Elements of Madness have quietly added Landon Mattson (guitarist Cody Rosebohm's cousin) as their new drummer, replacing Kyle Hummelgard. A reason for the switch wasn't announced. Landon does have experience as a former drummer in the local indie/ska band The Pick-Me-Ups, so he does have talent! Stay tuned for more band updates, and best of luck to Kyle in the future!
• Sykotyk Rampage have posted a "new" song onto their Reverbnation page! Entitled "Roll a Doobie", it's an interpretation of The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" in their own crash style, with more off-colour lyrics related to the song title. It's an interesting mix, so check it out above, and stay tuned for full details on this & more new songs as we get closer to the release of their next albums!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news over the next few days, along with weekend concert previews, this week's classic video, and this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Friday! Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!

With Super Bowl Sunday behind us, let's get back into the swing of things with some new local metal news and updates in the form of some new videos! Today, we have some cool press and new video footage from a local band's recent out of town show, new material from a formerly local metal act, some new jam footage related to a local band, and a cool new cover song, so let's get things rolling!

I'm having trouble trying to order these videos by content, so let's go in alphabetical order instead, starting with the newest video footage of Frightlight! The Toronto horror/music web series Tomb TV & their host Tomb Dragomir were on hand for The Misfits' headlining concert at The Phoenix Theater in Toronto on October 26th, which notably featured Frightlight (and debuting drummer Chris FreaknStein) as an opening band, and footage from said concert made it into their newest episode on Friday! At 2:06 into the video below, about a minute of footage cut from assorted Frightlight live videos and some horror movie segments is set to their song "Fright Night" from their "It's Alive" EP, and it includes new shots from their Toronto performance! Not a long amount though, with much of the included clips being taken from local concert videos (including one I shot, but I'm not complaining!) The audio's not completely synched with the video footage either, but hey, small press is better than none, and it's cool to see Frightlight making new fans in Southern Ontario! Check out Frightlight's appearance on Tomb T.V. below, as well as footage from The Misfits' and Juicehead's sets that night, and assorted other clips, cartoons, and segments!



Also for new videos is a pair of new audio recordings posted by Brimley metal quartet Half A Man onto their YouTube channel last week! We've already covered both songs on the SMS from their earlier postings on other pages (both of which featured their Erik Rintamaki-fronted lineup), but they're new to YouTube, so it makes sense to mention them again! One is their original song "Die In Disgrace", while the other is a cover of Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf", and that's posted below to check out as it has more to look at (thanks to an included sideshow of 3/4ths of their current lineup.) Both are very heavy, and though I appreciate how they adapted "Sweet Leaf" to their grittier sound, I probably prefer "Die In Disgrace" for it's groove and intensity, but check both out at the above links! Give their "Sweet Leaf" video a look below though, and stay tuned for more Half A Man news as it comes in!



Thirdly today, here's the first video footage in 6 months from the formerly local extreme metal band Sue Inside! As you may remember, they were based out of Sault Ontario in the late 2000s, and are surprisingly the only surviving band to have competed in either the Skid Row or YMCA Battles of the Bands from 2008 & 2009. Since their mid-2009 relocation to Oil Springs, band material has occasionally popped up online, and yesterday, frontman Shane Lipsit-Fraser uploaded two new solo performance videos under the Sue Inside name to his YouTube channel! Like much of their recent material, these are acoustic originals, though both are instrumentals, and they're of songs named "Let Us Out" and "Falling". Both are well performed, and I like the more varied guitar work on "Let Us Out", but it'd be cool to see some new plugged-in stuff like in the local days from Sue Inside. Still, it's awesome to see Shane and Sue Inside still making new music, and hopefully there's more to come! Check out "Let Us Out" below and more at the above links!



And finally, here's some new video footage of local extreme metal band Winkstinger! This video comes courtesy of drummer Jonas Gasperas, who posted this onto his YouTube channel yesterday, and it's an 8:30 long video of "new garbage"! More specifically, it's of Winkstinger members jamming two newer original songs (including Jonas on his old Soldiers of Misfortune kit), although the camera is only pointed at him, and it's partially behind a wall for some reason. Now, if you were hoping this would give clues as to who's replacing Alan Wells on vocals for the band, this video won't help, as the songs are instrumentals at the moment, but they're promising and very heavy! I just wish the camera was set-up better, as almost a third of the video is blocked off. Check out Winkstinger's new jam session footage below, go see them next Thursday at the 42nd Roosevelt Hotel metal night, and stay tuned for possible word on their new singer!



That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes later this week, along with this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Shift on Friday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Ypres Metal Fest) Plus Lots Of "Woods V" Updates!!

It's time for a very exciting post at the SMS which is split into two related halves, one dealing with a major upcoming album release, and the other dealing with a major LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's all that you should know!

The David Gold memorial concert in Sault Ontario is indeed official, and I can now tell you guys some official details on the event! Titled the Ypres Metal Fest, it's being held by Dismembertainment in their first announced metal concert of 2012, and quite a stellar lineup of metal bands will gather at The Canadian Nightclub in honour of late Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold on April 7th, so here's who to look for at this huge concert event! London, Ontario all-female metal quartet Kittie (fronted by David's girlfriend Morgan Lander) will headline this huge concert in what should be a fast and furious set of extreme metal! Though best known for their gold selling 1999 debut CD "Spit", Kittie have released much more (and heavier) material since then, and they should deliver a brutal set for fans in attendance on April 7th in their local debut! Joining them at the Ypres Metal Fest are veteran Chicago doom metal band Novembers Doom, who played with their friends in Woods of Ypres at a few of their American tour dates in recent years. Their death metal and gothic inspired sound is a very good fit at this concert, and they should impress all who attend with their heavy and brutal metal assault!

Also, Sudbury black metal standouts Wolven Ancestry will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario on April 7th, after a three and a half year absence, having last played here in November 2008 at The Grand Theater (with Woods of Ypres on the lineup too, ironically!) Wolven Ancestry have always been one of Northern Ontario's highest profile extreme metal bands, and it'll be great to see them back in the area after so long! Toronto melodic death metal quartet Hallows Die will make their third appearance in the area in the past year as well, last being seen opening for Napalm Death at Feedback in October. After sharing the stage with Woods of Ypres a few times themselves last year, they should also deliver a solid and brutal set of their original material on April 7th as well, so don't miss them! The out-of-town lineup will be rounded out by Windsor stoner metal band Gypsy Chief Goliath in their Sault Ontario debut, and they have a unique sort of sound you don't get much of in the area, and they'll be sure to leave a good mark on fans at the Ypres Metal Fest! There will be local openers as well, and I know who's tentatively lined up, but they're not 100% finalized yet, so stay tuned for official word on that front!

Timeslots, admission prices, and other more specific details on this major concert have not been revealed yet, but given it's location, I assume this will likely be a 19+ event. Stay tuned for more official details as they come in, and thanks to Dismembertainment's Rich Moreland for telling me about these first details and giving the go-ahead to announce them! This is shaping up to be a huge concert for both the local metal scene and in David's memory, and if you love metal, do yourself a favour and reserve April 7th on your calendars! I know Rich and David had been planning for a while to launch an annual metal festival in the Soo, and it's a shame that this is happening without David around to help bring it to fruition. I'm sure it'll feel like he's never left when this all goes down though! Stay tuned for updates on this show as word comes in, as Rich is outdoing himself with this great lineup of bands, and hopefully it's a huge hit to ensure future Ypres Metal Fests in the area!

Also of note as a related concert, a David Gold tribute show will take place two days before the Sault show on April 5th in Toronto at a venue to be announced, and it will serve as the "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" CD release show. Specific details on it haven't been announced beyond a post on the official David Gold tribute Facebook page, but it'd be cool to see former Woods of Ypres members play at that in some fashion. I'll keep as you posted as word comes in for it!

Also in Woods of Ypres-related news today, the band's label Earache Records recently addressed many of the lingering questions that fans have had about the release of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" and some other future band notes. In direct reply to a question from fan Chris Schneck on their "Ask Earache" blog, you can read the full post at this location, but here's the new and major stuff addressed in that post. At the time of David Gold's death on December 21st, "W5" was being mixed by British producer John Fryer, and their new lineup was scheduled to play their first ever overseas gigs next weekend, including sets opening for Evile in Manchester, England and Xerath in Nottingham, England, and though David's passing prevented either from happening, you can get details on what would have been at this link. The "Ask Earache" post briefly noted David's downbeat and world-weary outlook in December phone interviews prior to his death, and later discussed what to expect from the "W5" release. The North American release for the CD will take place two months after the official release on February 13th due to longer pressing plant lead times over here, so although it won't appear in physical stores until April, the American release date does coincide better with the Ontario tribute shows!

The extra track "Keeper of the Ledger" was also addressed, and it was noted that it wasn't in the free leaked copy of "Woods V" so it would be an album exclusive, which is why the second "Kiss My Ashes Goodbye" track (which doesn't look like it will be on the actual "Woods V" release) replaced it in the free copy we got in December. The track listing was also altered from what we downloaded to better reflect David's preferences for the album, and "Ask Earache" also noted that no band photos will be present in the packaging, as David hadn't chosen which ones he specifically wanted in the booklet. Though not addressed in the post, I've read on Woods of Ypres' forum that the "W5" t-shirts that are being sold on Earache Records' online store along with the CDs originally had a "David Gold, 1980-2011, R.I.P." message on the back (as seen here), but it was later removed at the request of David's family. Seems odd to me, but hey, if it's what they want, it's better to honour their request! Finally, the "Ask Earache" post noted that they still hope to re-release Woods of Ypres' first three albums under the Earache umbrella in 2012, though it's not known if "Woods 4.5", any other older releases or singles, or any unreleased material will see the light of day through Earache Records. Check the above links for the new "Woods 5" updates!

It's very nice of Earache Records to offer an honest and detailed answer to many of the "Woods V" questions we've had recently, and hopefully we'll hear a lot more about this album and any future posthumous news on Woods of Ypres this year! There's a lot of exciting stuff to come, and it's sad to know that David isn't here to be a part of it, but he still lives through his music! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes from David, Woods of Ypres, and anything else in the local metal scene in the next week and beyond! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Over the last while, we've seen some new videos posted online that are worth sharing on the SMS, so in that respect, today's post is a local metal video showcase! Today, we've got the latest solo performance video from a local guitarist, a solo acoustic rendition of a noted local band's original song, and new higher quality uploads of some videos we've seen before, plus this week's classic video, so here's what you should know! (Updated, 9:40 PM)

On Monday, Half A Man guitarist Erik Rintamaki was among the performers at an acoustic open mic night at The Cozy Inn in Brimley, and while there, he performed a solo rendition of Half A Man's original song in memory of the late Michael Lemma, "Goodbye", which you can now stream at Erik's YouTube channel! Posted onto YouTube yesterday, it's a solid performance of an affecting ballad, though this is just the audio recording. Give Erik's solo version of "Goodbye" a listen below, and stay tuned for more from Half A Man's new lineup as the year rolls along!



Next up, ApocalyptiCDistroyeR frontman Jesse Middaugh posted another solo performance video onto the band's YouTube channel on Tuesday, and it's a cover of Metallica's classic "Fade To Black"! Jesse said it's a bit sloppy in the video description, but he pulls off the guitar part well enough, though it sounds particularly empty without a second guitarist joining in. It's a solid cover though, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Jesse and/or ApocalyptiCDistroyeR as it comes in!



Also in new video uploads: The YouTube channel for local television channel Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie has begun uploading some older news and interview pieces that aired on the channel before their YouTube channel launched in September, and that includes a couple of metal-referencing videos! The June interview by ex-Free Beer frontman Christian Lemay with Dismembertainment owner Rich Moreland about the Rosie metal nights he promoted last year (also featuring fan comments and live clips of Bring The Misery & Winkstinger) was posted onto the Shaw channel at this location on Monday, and though I posted it to YouTube as well last summer, it's nice to see it reach YouTube on an official source! Among numerous other videos posted there (such as interview pieces on local acts RedD Monkey and Tea With Lincoln), the full original copy of As It Stands' interview with Christian from May was also uploaded on Monday, so finally, you can see the proper interview online rather than my digital camera recording of it off of the TV! Also featuring a performance of their song "Conception" at The Roosevelt Hotel, check out the full high quality interview with As It Stands below, and see much more from Shaw TV over the past many months at the above links!



And finally, here's this week's classic video! Once again, with a light concert weekend on tap, we're dipping into the general archives for our next video upload, and this week, I have a video from local old school hardcore quintet Destroilet to share! We've heard very little from them since the release of their debut EP last April, and they haven't played a live concert in almost one year, but they still have material online that deserves an audience, and in that respect, this week's classic video is a jam video of Destroilet covering The Ducky Boys' song "Cross To Bear (Walk Proud, Stand Tall)"! This comes from a jam session circa July 2009 featuring the band's entire lineup, and it was later posted to the band's Facebook group on July 25th of that year by guitarist Christian Foisy. The original video can be seen at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=107393187604 but since I uploaded it to YouTube, I corrected the lighting to make it noticeably brighter and easier to watch. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!!! All credit for this video goes to Destroilet for their hard work, I'm just trying to share this video with a wider audience like it deserves!

This isn't a bad performance, and though I'm not familiar with the original song, they show lots of old school hardcore aggression, and Mike Hull's vocals are clearer than one some other covers of theirs that I can remember! Their setup is odd though with all the members facing each other in the round, and it's easy for people to get blocked from view, but I can't complain too much. Check out Destroilet's Ducky Boys cover below, and hopefully they return to activity at some point this year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this weekend, including some overdue Woods of Ypres news! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), A New Local Band, Concert Previews, And More!!

Let's keep this hot streak of posts and news at the SMS going tonight, so here's what's in store for this latest update! Today, we have news on an upcoming mini-series I'm planning to feature on the SMS, previews of this weekend's known metal and hard rock concerts (including a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend), a concert cancellation for this weekend, and leading things off, a new local metal band, so here's what you need to know! (And check out this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post below this one!)

A new Sault Ontario metal trio named Giwakwa has been launched, featuring some notable local faces in their lineup! Named after a legendary man-eating ice monster from native folklore, Giwakwa features guitarist Chris Page (who appears to have been in older local bands like Oblige & Mimik, among others), ex-Bring The Fallen bassist Nolan Rainville, and former Frightlight/Fitswitch drummer Larry Mousseau, though it's not known yet who's handling lead vocals. Apparently, they play stoner metal, which would definitely be interesting to hear more of in the area, but no media, photos, or possible concert dates have been revealed as of yet. Chris had inquired about possibly getting Giwakwa on the Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands as a replacement act, but aside from that, I don't have too much else. The talent is there, and it's good to see these guys back with a new band locally, so hopefully we hear much more from Giwakwa as 2012 rolls along! Check them out and become a fan at their official Facebook & MySpace pages!

Now to this weekend's metal and hard rock concert previews (that I know of, fill me in if I'm missing any, especially concerning the I-500 Pub Crawl.) We're starting with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for Saturday afternoon, as Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to Bossy's Pub N' Grub for a fifth straight acoustic solo concert at the Pim Street restaurant! His latest weekly arrangement there appears to be going along nicely, and his wide array of solo unplugged covers will be sure to entertain as usual on Saturday! Admission, as always, is free (but buy something just in case), there is no age limit, and Tym will be on at 2:00 PM on Saturday afternoon. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If you're in the market for some very entertaining hard rock music, and you're free on Saturday afternoon, then make sure you're at Bossy's for Tym Morrison's latest solo concert! Check the above links for more, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" at Bossy's last month!



The other major new concert this weekend on the heavier side of things is the return of Who Made Who to Sault Ontario! The prominent Ontario tribute to hard rock legends AC/DC will return to the area for the first time since Hempfest in August to deliver a night full of high voltage rock n' roll to fans at The Canadian Nightclub tomorrow night! Who Made Who are certainly no strangers to the Sault area, and if you've loved rocking out with them at their various other local stops, you should really enjoy their faithful rendition of AC/DC classics once again tomorrow night! Doors open at 10:00 PM for this show, you must be 19 to attend, and I'd expect a cover charge of around $5 to enter. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an awesome night of AC/DC hits from one of the best tribute bands around, so don't miss them if you can help it tomorrow night! For a preview, here's Who Made Who playing "Whole Lotta Rosie" in Sudbury in 2010!



Now, I was also going to cover Marquette hard rock quartet Nudge's planned return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan this weekend, but not long after I heard about them, Nudge moved the planned dates to Wally's Bar in Gladstone, Michigan, which is three hours west of the Soo. A reason for the move wasn't publicized, but the dates have been edited on their Reverbnation page. Hopefully nothing bad happened locally, as Nudge are a very entertaining band! Note that this doesn't mean NoXcape's scheduled shows this weekend (that Nudge replaced) are back on, unless I hear otherwise. Stay tuned for updates on both bands as they come in!

And finally for today, I wanted to tell you guys about a mini-series I'm planning to launch on the SMS next month. With all the buzz surrounding the Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands on April 20th, it got me thinking about earlier battles of the bands that have taken place in Sault Ontario, and many of the more recent ones have been very well documented by local news media and the SMS. I thought it'd be interesting to flash back to many of the recent battles of the bands in a Battle of the Bands Rewind Mini-Series, and profile what happened at them, who played, what happened to the performers, and assorted other trivia and facts related to them. I'm planning to add one profile a week leading up to the Humane Society battle, and it will feature no less than 7 battle profiles (the Skid Row & Kiss battles, all 3 battles that Bring The Fallen won, the 2008 Case's Music battle, and the Scotties Tournament battle from 2010.) I'm aware this isn't comprehensive, so if you guys can help fill in any blanks related to absent battles (i.e. the old Bon Soo battles, the other Case's Music battles, among others), let me know! The problem with many of those is minimal information or coverage online for them, like complete performer lists, who placed where, and so forth. Also, many predated the SMS, so I couldn't have personally covered many of them, but if you can help at all to ensure we can include them, let me know!

Also, I'm probably not going to include Sault Michigan battles in this mini-series, simply because they're extremely hard for me to source and get details on, even newer ones. Still, feel free to send me details and information on some of them if you have anything, as I've heard of many across the river! Unless a new battle is added, this series will launch on March 2nd, with a new entry each week until April 13th. This series can continue to include older local battles when I source details on them (and this year's down the road too, of course), but the primary run would be this spring. Keep an eye out for this latest SMS mini-series next month, and help me add to the series if you can!

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

Where Are The New Albums? February 2012 Update

It's time to get into our first monthly feature post of the shortest month on the calendar, and as usual for the second day of the month, it's time for our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This monthly feature takes a look at announced and (at least partly) recorded albums, CDs, and EPs from Sault Ontario musicians, including their posted songs, updates, recording progress, and when we could expect to see them in stores. This month, we're including one new album from an already included band, along with updates to all but three of the featured bands and albums below! If there's new info, the album's title is in italics, so read on below for all the current word and details on where these new albums are!
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April Eyes - Hollow Hope

Rumoured Songs: "Goodbye", "Left Behind", "The Only Road I've Ever Known", "Fall", "Reflections", "Obsession", Escape", "I Can't Let Go", "Absolution", "Hollow Hope"

Background: The oft-renamed April Eyes (previously known as By The Gods & April Eyes) is the solo project masterminded by Bear Hunters & Borderline Divine guitarist Mitch Sirie. He's been working on solo material for some time now, featuring him on all instruments, including vocals and bass along with the guitar tracks. Over time, Mitch has deleted older audio tracks and blog entries from this project's MySpace page, but continually replaces them with newer material, although some aren't planned for an imminent album release. Blog entries in 2011 have alluded to Mitch recording and releasing a solo concept album named "Hollow Hope", which he claims will be a "shocking" full length album, though it's been set back due to "circumstances". Featuring a mix of progressive & death metal with acoustic folk and indie rock, check out the newest samples of April Eyes/Mitch's solo material at his official MySpace page!

Current Release Status: I have no real idea. Honestly, this might not even get a release where it'd be on sale anywhere, but who knows! Mitch told me in e-mail conversations that he hoped to have a physical release of "Hollow Hope" last year, for what that's worth, but we're obviously past that point. The musical quality and songwriting on his material is very underrated, so I imagine that a release of "Hollow Hope" would get a good reception if it did come out! Though concrete data on it has been lacking for the later half of 2011, I'll keep you all posted if anything new is announced!
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As It Stands' third EP

Rumoured Songs: "Conception", "Big Problem, Little Lock City", "Rise Above", "One Last Chance", "One Less Than Wayne Gretzky", "Big Bucks, No Whammy", "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Ho", "Everything Terrible", "Oh Herm, Herm Delish", "Stay Together For The Kids" (Blink-182 cover)

Background: Continuing their high success levels since their local re-emergence in 2010, hardcore quintet As It Stands started recording sessions for their third EP with Metalworks Studios in Mississauga in July with producer Kevin Dietz. The sessions lasted just a few days, but from what I hear, a lot got accomplished! You can see some of the happenings from the sessions on their official studio vlog, which features some audio samples and video of some members recording their parts. The vlog also confirmed that their cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" was recorded in Mississauga, and that the songs will be part of an EP, not a full length album as was previously believed. It's currently unclear whether the songs they recorded at Stereo Soul Studios in 2010 and/or in Stoney Creek last year will be featured on the EP in some form. A new track, oddly titled "Oh Herm, Herm Delish" was posted onto SoundCloud last month, with studio copies of "Conception" & "Big Problem, Little Lock City" also being uploaded to their Facebook page last month, both of which you can stream at this location. Mixing is underway locally with Brendan Clace at Dimension Studios, so stay tuned for more news on this EP this year!

Current Release Status: As It Stands seem to have everything under control and well planned for the sessions and their studio work, and though nothing concrete has been explicitly said about it's release, things seem on track. A recent tweet on As It Stands' Twitter page said "#feb29th", so is that a hint towards anything EP-related? I don't know, but keep an eye out for updates, album information, and so forth, as I'm hearing good things!
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The Bear Hunters' full length demo

Rumoured Songs: "Bloodthirst", "Succumb To Eternity", "Dominate", "Overthrown", "Casualties Of War", "Collapse The Sun", "Render This Void", "Karma"

Background: Local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters formally announced that they'd begun recording for their debut EP "Bloodthirst" on May 10th, just days after adding guitarist Josh Stephney to the band. The news was broken on their Facebook page, but details were extremely scant following that news, and the recording plans fell dormant until January, when the band announced plans to record material towards a full length demo release. Plans are for this demo (which won't be "slapped together") to feature at least 10 songs, and drum recording for those 10 was done as of January 20th, with guitar and bass tracking next. This appears to be an independent production towards future better quality recordings, and plans are in place to release official band t-shirts along with the demos when completed. Stay tuned to the band's Facebook page for continued updates!

Current Release Status: If things stay on track, it looks like the late spring is a possibility, but who knows how long this could take, being a demo and independently produced. Time will tell, but keep an eye out for news on The Bear Hunters' first release!
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Gates of Winter - Perihelion

Rumoured Songs: "The Stars Call My True Name", "Edin Na Zu", "Dimensions", "Time Warp", "Wormhole Mechanics"

Background: Despite a hiatus from live concerts lasting over three years, Gates of Winter never broke up, and are slowly working on their follow-up to 2008's "Lux Aeterna". The first glimpse of the new album was unveiled in February 2010, when frontman/producer Lee Maines uploaded a snippet of their new song "The Stars Call My True Name" onto his YouTube channel, and he followed that up with more demo & rehearsal clips sporadically over the last couple of years, though all were later taken down. The band launched a new Facebook page in August 2010 to keep fans updated on the sessions, including the unveiling of a new song title, "Time Warp", while Sault native Jon Morrison was announced as the album's drummer in November 2010. On November 6th, bassist Steve Furgiuele confirmed in a YouTube video that the album, now titled "Perihelion", is planned for release in December 2012, with some older re-recordings likely for the summer. Another new song, tentatively called "Wormhole Mechanics", was previewed in this video that Lee uploaded as well last year. Most recently, Lee announced on January 10th that vocal recordings had begun, so keep an eye out for more updates as 2012 rolls along! Whether recordings made by former keyboardist Brian Holmes before he left Gates of Winter last year will be included on the CD or not is not known.

Current Release Status: Well, if the band says that "Perihelion" is coming out in December 2012, then I'm inclined to believe them. It's been a long road for them to get this album completed due to the members' own personal commitments, but until we hear otherwise, I'd say circle your calendars for a December 2012 release for Gates of Winter's long awaited second full length album! For now though, stay tuned to band pages for continued updates!
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Late & Loud's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "Midnight Man", "Down Like This", "Whipeout", "Never Again". "Love Letter Lockdown", "Whisper Of The Damned", "Live For Excess", "Fast As A Bitch"

Background: Late & Loud surprisingly announced plans to being recording a demo in January 2011, despite their relative newness to the scene at the time, not having launched internet pages until November 2010. Though described as a demo, Late & Loud's debut does appear to be packaged more like a standard album, with a photo shoot for it having taken place on February 26th (click here to see the photos.) I believe this is being self-recorded, and updates towards recording sessions have been sporadically posted on Late & Loud's official Facebook page in recent months. Most recently, the band released a video indicating a likely release for last month, along with instrumental samples of three songs, and a confirmed tracklist of at least nine songs. Stay tuned to the above links for more details as they come in!

Current Release Status: Well, we're obviously past their goal for a release last month, but good art takes time. They've been working on this demo for months, and whether it will really count as an "album" or not, fans should be jacked up for it's release when it finally is finished! Check the above links for samples and news on Late & Loud's first demo!
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Lion Ride's first full length album

Rumoured Songs: "Stick It In", "Snail Trail", "Bang Bang, Bye Bye"

Background: Lion Ride entered the studio for the first sessions of their upcoming full length CD in April 2010 at Toronto's BWC Studios with producer Greg Dawson, same as when current & ex-band members recorded Detroit's last album in 2009. The band recorded four songs at those sessions, including "Stick It In", which was uploaded onto their MySpace page in May 2010 as a preview. The studio version of another original "Snail Trail" was later posted on BWC Studios' MySpace page, with another new song "Bang Bang, Bye Bye" featured as backing music in a longboarding culture video in June. Delays & external commitments (musical & personal) have delayed the album's progress, and Lion Ride would acknowledge & apologize for the sparse album updates on their Facebook page in November 2010 with this video featuring studio session clips set to "Snail Trail". As of February 2011, they were back writing new material presumably for this album, and a Facebook posting on March 7th hinted towards a return to BWC soon, but band news stalled again in late 2011, leaving a future release unclear.

Current Release Status: We've heard that Lion Ride's new album would be released at varying points from 2009-2011, but now pages just say it's "coming soon". I don't know when we'll see the album, what with the lack of real album updates recently, and unless recording sessions we don't know about happened, I doubt we'll see this come out until later this year, pending a return to activity. However, you can get a preview of the CD by checking out the studio versions of "Stick It In" at this location and "Snail Trail" by clicking here!
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Mike Haggith - Neighbourhood Watch

Rumoured Songs: "Stalking Booze & The Raptor", "Door To My Mind", "Nightmare On Reed Street", The Man In Green" (Black Hole Suns cover), "The Ballad of K2/K3", "The Day The Lights Went Out", "Limb Coast", "Neighbourhood Watch", "My Angel", "It Takes Time" (Black Hole Suns cover), "Room 822", "Fading", "Leon The Janitor"

Background: Scheduled to be local solo musician Mike Haggith's 45th full length studio album, "Neighbourhood Watch" (previously titled "Space 82" and "410 To Scotland) is scheduled to be a concept album based on differing human experiences. Originally planned for release on January 25th through Rotten Records, "Neighbourhood Watch" should be available on both mp3 and CD formats, and twelve tracks have been announced for it, including the already unveiled "Limb Coast", two covers of Kincheloe project The Black Hole Suns' songs (an instrumental mix of one of them can be heard here), and a mixture of previously heard & new material, though previously announced songs "Orion", "On A Cloud", "Who Owns Space 82?", and "Standing On The Edge" were removed from the track listing last year. Click here for complete album details, though note that recent illnesses have delayed the album's release. Stay tuned for more details on "Neighbourhood Watch" at this location, as Mike's generally good for keeping fans up to date on his upcoming solo projects!

Current Release Status: Originally planned to come out at varying points over the last two months, Mike confirmed last week that illnesses have caused it to be delayed to an unknown future date. That said, Mike has always been forthcoming & honest about album release details and hangups, so we should see Neighbourhood Watch soon when he gets better, but stay tuned in case anything changes!
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Riverin's self-titled debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Attitude", "They Lost You", "A Cold Wind", "Deflower", "Valentine", "Raining In December", "Trenches", "Something Else"

Background: An industrial hard rock project from former Dirty Virgin & Silver Dream bandmates Matt Hicks and Matt Clement, Riverin slowly worked on their debut EP for much of 2010 at Matt Hicks' Quartertone Studios. The original recording sessions for this self-produced EP have finished, and it was said to be released "soon" as of July 2010. All six songs to initially be included on the EP are now featured on their MySpace page to stream for free! E-mail correspondence with Matt Clement last fall detailed how the band were looking into the CD development process to release the album in time for a planned CD release show in the future featuring guest musicians. Two new songs, "Trenches" & "Something Else", have been announced, with "Trenches" later posted online in May, but it's unclear if they'll be on the EP or not.

Current Release Status: Not sure, but things did seem to be on the right track, given that the EP's tracks are all recorded. The way it's sounding to me, the release of the EP will likely tie in to their debut concert as a CD release show, but we haven't heard anything official from the band in over six months, which is slightly worrying. Hopefully when it does come out, it will deliver a good package of unique music, so stay tuned for updates!
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Sykotyk Rampage - "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity" & "Jonathan , Your Music Sucks"

Rumoured Songs (GM): "Running", "Legend, "Garden", "Metal", "Rain", "Parley", "Wait", "Shrooms", "Dynamite", "Acreage", "McDonalds", "Alright"

Rumoured Songs (J): Unknown

Background: Originally announced in August 2010, "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity" is the second half of Sykotyk Rampage's conceptual "Genius Mushroom" series which delves "into the realm of hallucinogenic musical brainscans". Considered Sykotyk Rampage's 25th album, it was originally the first half of a double album before it was split from it's predecessor "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Intellect", which has since been posted online. One track named "Silence" was removed from the second "Genius Mushrooms" album's track listing at that time as well. Sykotyk Rampage recorded this album at River Front Recreation Studios, with sessions taking place at varying points over the latter half of 2010. The first "Genius Mushrooms" album (and 4 other companion 2011 releases) were all posted online in August, with just "...Thoughts of Stupidity" left, though the band began work on another new album named "Jonathan, Your Music Sucks" in January 2012. Stay tuned to band pages for coming updates!

Current Release Status: The original announced release date for this album was December 2010, but no new Sykotyk Rampage albums even made it online for free streaming until August. Oddly, the second "Genius Mushrooms" album is still unreleased despite the fact that 4 newer albums not even announced until August have came out earlier, though I'll note that the first "Genius Mushrooms" album isn't up for sale yet, despite it's posting online last month. With another new album now announced, I have no clue what the status is for the older unreleased material, but until fuller word comes out, click here to tide yourself over with the band's other five albums from 2011!
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Tym Morrison's second solo album

Rumoured Songs: "Moon Patrol", "Dungeons & Dragons", "Nag Hamedi", "The Reason Why", "The Dark Shred", "Song For Jen", "No Name", "Amy", "Lay It On The Line", "Someday", "How I'm Wanting You More"

Background: I honestly don't know a lot about the background for Tym Morrison's second album, but he has posted samples of nine songs for his "next album" onto the music player on his official website! The songs are all of good quality, and feature Tym in familiarly good form! Original information about recording sessions for his solo album are either very sparse or were made quite a while ago, so I don't know a lot about it, but the songs were likely self-recorded at Morrison Studio Productions with Tym on all instruments save for the programmed drums. Status updates on Tym's personal Facebook page last year have alluded to recent recording sessions and plans for a double album, but it's unknown if the above songs would all be included. It should be noted that many of Tym's more recent solo songs on YouTube have been either acoustic or comedic in nature, but I can't see many of the comedic ones making the cut for an album release.

Current Release Status: I don't have any real idea, but recent news about recording sessions and a double album are certainly promising! Hopefully Tym does release these songs in the near future, as his older samples and newer material deserve an audience! For now though, check out the above links to hear what he has to share that could make the cut!
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Woods of Ypres - "Woods 4.5: You Were The Light" & "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light"

Rumoured Songs (W4.5): "You Were The Light", "Falling Apart"

Rumoured Songs (W5): "Lightning & Snow", "Death Is Not An Exit", "Keeper of the Ledger", "Travelling Alone", "Adora Vivos", "Silver", "Career Suicide (Is Not Suicide)", "Modern Life Architecture", "Kiss My Ashes (Goodbye)", "Finality", "Alternate Ending"

Background: Recording for what was intended to be Woods of Ypres' fifth album took place in August 2010 at Stereo Soul Studios. Intended to be a 5 track EP, producer Miguel Gauthier's Facebook page kept fans updated on the sessions, along with Woods of Ypres' pages. Originally titled "Woods V: You Were The Light", release plans noticeably changed when the band signed with Earache Records in the fall of 2010. With the label desiring a full length follow-up to "Woods IV", frontman David Gold & guitarist Joel Violette hit the studio in August to record a new full length "Woods V" at Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario with producer Siegfried Meier, who also kept fans up to date on these sessions via his Twitter page. After months of scattered song leaks & album hints, Earache leaked most of "Woods V" online (plus lyrics & the album cover) under sad circumstances in December following the passing of David Gold in a car accident on December 21st. Only the release-exclusive "Keeper of the Ledger" wasn't leaked, with a second "Kiss My Ashes (Goodbye)" track in it's place. Click here for full details on the album's release from Earache Records!

"W5" is still scheduled for a release though now pushed back to February 13th with an added two month delay for the American pressing. It will be released on CD, vinyl (along with an alternate producer's mix of "Finality") and iTunes. As for the "original Woods V", it's now considered "Woods 4.5", and though definitive release details for that EP aren't known, two songs were issued in a limited edition vinyl single release named "Home" through Practical Art Records in April (get ordering details here), and you can stream them at the band's CBC Radio 3 page!

Current Release Status: For "Woods 4.5", I have no clue. I originally thought it would either come out after "Woods V" or with it as a bonus disc, but knowing it's length and status due to the "Woods V" sessions, it may have depended on a release through David Gold's own Practical Art Records label, which is likely considered defunct following his death. Whether we ever see the remaining "W4.5" songs is up in the air, but how about "Woods V"? We should see it in 11 days, barring some new complication, so get ready for brand new Woods of Ypres material to hit stores in the next few weeks, as David would have wanted!
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I hope you guys enjoyed this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! I project that next month's post in this series will be a bit shorter, as I figure we might see one or two new CD releases above this month, but time shall tell if that's true! Until then, we've got a stacked lineup of feature posts this month along with all the news, including our Defunct Local Band Profile on Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Shift one week from tomorrow, so keep an eye out! Stay tuned as well for more news and local concert previews to come over the next few days as well! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sneaky Pete & The Valentine's Day Massacre) And Lots Of Battle Of The Bands Updates!!

A new month is upon us, but the news sure hasn't slowed up, so here's what's on tap for this stacked news post! Today, we've got all the latest updates on the Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands (including ticket details, who exactly "Inhumane Method" are, and much more), and kicking off this post, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this month, so here's what you need to know! (EDITED, 10:52 AM)

Local hard rock quartet Sneaky Pete will return to The Rockstar Bar next weekend! Three weeks after they last rocked the upstairs bar at The Algonquin Hotel, this talented group of local music mainstays will return to rock your winter blahs one week from Saturday with a wide array of hard rock and metal covers! They will be on at 10:30 PM on the 11th, you must be 19 to attend, and I'd expect a cover charge of around $4. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's nice to see Sneaky Pete book a new concert closer to their last one, as they've had a few lengthier breaks between shows in the past year, so if you missed them at The Rockstar Bar last month, seize the opportunity and go see them next Saturday for some great rocking covers! They were great when I saw them last month, just for reference! Stay tuned for any possible updates to this concert as they come in!

Also for new shows, the 42nd Roosevelt Hotel metal night is now official, but not for tomorrow night, instead taking place in two weeks on February 16th. This goes against the recent bi-weekly schedule for the metal nights, but whether they're now every four weeks or monthly now isn't known at present. That said, three bands are lined up for the second Thursday metal night at The Rosie of 2012, so here's who's lined up! Local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre (formerly View To A Kill) will play their first concert of 2012 and first since changing their name last month, and they'll have new original songs to go along with it on the 16th, so make sure not to miss their return! Desbarats death metallers For All That Is Lost will also join them in their first local show of the new year, so be sure to welcome them with open arms and get ready to mosh during their hard hitting set of originals! Also lined up for this show are local extreme metal quintet Winkstinger in their first local concert since parting ways with singer Alan Wells in December, though the band has yet to reveal if he's been replaced yet. If I hear anything on their new singer, I'll be sure to let you guys know! Admission is free for this latest metal night, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Rosie metal nights are always packed with quality music, and though the more sporadic recent bookings are a bit concerning, hopefully a great turnout is there on the 16th, hopefully including myself! I'm curious to hear Winkstinger's new frontman and the new VDM originals, for example. Stay tuned for updates on this and all other upcoming concerts as we hear news on them!

Third today, here's the latest updates on the Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands on April 20th at The Grand Theater, as it looks like the lineup is now complete! From what I can gather, the full lineup is capped at 12 bands, and three new bands have been officially named among them, including Frightlight frontman J.D. Pearce's punk band T. Rex Manning and local classic hard rock quintet Turner Up! Barring a future concert announcement, this will be just T. Rex Manning's second show, following their debut at The Rosie in November, and I can actually tell you guys a bit more about their sound now too! Videos from their debut were posted onto Facebook by Brandon St. Jules, who filmed two punk songs that T. Rex Manning played at that show, which you can watch at this location. More of a traditional punk sound than Frightlight's horror-influenced material, and the dress clothes that they wore onstage is a unique touch (reminds me of Faith No More.) Not metal from my first glance, but I'm eager to hear them live in April at the battle! As for Turner Up, their inclusion is a bit surprising given their lack of originals (that I know of), but they're sure to deliver some hard rocking awesomeness at this battle of the bands, and it'll be interesting seeing them at The Grand Theater for a change too!

The 12th band is indeed classic metal quartet Late & Loud, who were finally confirmed this morning as competitors. Awesome to finally see them official for this show, so don't miss them in April! Note that the battle's website still lists "(To Be Announced)", despite a finalized lineup, so if that means anything, I'll keep you posted. Also of note, local blue Chinese metal crash punk quartet Sykotyk Rampage are on the battle lineup, but not as competitors. Though listed among the featured bands, Sykotyk Rampage confirmed on their own event page for this show that they are the warm-up & closing band bookending the battle itself, and will not be competing against the other performers. This is surprising given their success in local battles, including a 3rd place finish at the Sault College/Scotties Tournament Battle in 2010, but they should leave a good impression on the fans regardless of their involvement on April 20th! My other lineup note today concerns the band named "Inhumane Method" that are listed among the performers. As it turns out, the name was spelled wrong there, as they're actually called Inhuman Methods, and they're a newer metal quartet from Desbarats, meaning that two Desbarats acts will throw their hat into the ring for this battle! I don't know what they play or how they sound, but check their Facebook group out at the link above and keep an eye out for them & possible media of theirs over the next few months! Thanks to F.A.T.I.L. singer Tyler Sperry for the info on Inhuman Methods!

With the newest battle additions, the lineup now includes As It Stands, The Bear Hunters, F.A.T.I.L., Inhuman Methods, Late & Loud, The Moves, T. Rex Manning, Tea With Lincoln, Turner Up, The Valentine's Day Massacre, The Vertically Impaired, and Wishbone, with Sykotyk Rampage playing out-of-competition before and after the battle. This is the final lineup outside of any potential band dropouts, and if this holds up, we're in for a treat on April 20th! The other big news in terms of this battle is that tickets are NOW ON SALE! The tickets, which are $20, can be purchased at either the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society on 962 Second Line East or at The Grand Theater on Queen Street East, though it's requested you call ahead at (705) 575-5687 if you plan to buy your tickets at The Grand, to make sure someone's there. Other details, like possible age limits, band order & performance times, and prizes are currently unknown, but stay tuned to the official Facebook event page for complete details as they come in! This is shaping up to be a huge event for a great cause, and hopefully the word picks up greatly as we get closer to the battle! Stay tuned for more on this event as it comes in!

That's all for now, but stay tuned to the SMS for new Woods of Ypres updates and more in our next news post, along with our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!