Local Band Lineup Changes, Another Band's Demise, And More Updates!!

Before we post our review from last night's Roberta Bondar Pavilion metal concert, here's one more news post, and it's got sort of a negative bent. I say that because most of the stories relate to band member departures, with one leading to a band breakup, but we do end happily with some updates to some of our feature posts on the site! Read on below for this latest news post!

First today, I can now confirm that Brimley metal band Half A Man have officially parted ways with singer Dillion Semasky. A public statement about the move hasn't been made, but frontman Erik Rintamaki confirmed that Dillion did indeed leave the band via e-mail with me yesterday. A full reason for his exit wasn't given, but the tone of what I've heard is not negative, and Half A Man do hope to possibly jam with Dillion at LemmaFest, seeing as he's playing there that night with Munising metal quintet Infathom already. Dillion had joined Half A Man in December, but was only featured in one rehearsal video before questions of his band status arose in the spring, thanks to statements about Half A Man's next projects as a trio. I figured that Dillion would add an interesting dimension to their sound with his extreme style of vocals, but this move is probably the best for all parties, and hopefully Dillion continues to rock the U.P. with Infathom! As recent postings have indicated, Half A Man are reverting to a trio for their upcoming album & LemmaFest set, with Erik back on vocals, but it's not uncharted waters for them. Remember, their first gig in the summer of 2010 was as a trio due to then-drummer Doug Reed's absence, so they should do just fine as a three-piece! Stay tuned for more Half A Man news as it rolls in!

Next up, here's the latest updates from Skeyes of Seven, the new local hard rock band featuring Sense of Truth, Half Past, and Tripod the Dog alumni! Updates have been quiet from them since their March inception, but in one recent development, it looks like they've parted ways with drummer Chris Thompson. A reason for his departure has not been announced, but Chris was quietly removed from their lineup on their Facebook page in recent weeks. As a result, the band is currently looking for a new drummer, as per a post by frontman Cory Murchison on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday. They're looking for an "experienced & dedicated" drummer, and to message either Cory or guitarist Alain Fletcher on Facebook if you're interested. Cory also added that Skeyes of Seven are hoping to become an all original band and release an album, but they are planning on doing some covers initially, with Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, Tool, and Deftones covers in the works. Hopefully they get a new drummer soon, as we've missed them all on stage, and hopefully they find a perfect fit! And though I don't know why Chris left, he's still got Frightlight and Half Past (if they're even still alive) to fall back on, so best of luck to him for sure! Stay tuned for more Skeyes of Seven news as I hear it!

Finally for lineup changes, newer Sault Michigan metal band Hoist The Sails have apparently parted ways with guitarist Nathan Switzer, just weeks after we found out that bassist Joe Niemi had also left. Again, no public reason for Nathan's departure has been announced, but he's no longer listed on their Facebook lineup. I figure it has to have been a recent move though, as he's featured in the band's latest video from April 18th. This is really disappointing if true, especially knowing Nathan's talents as a guitarist, but hopefully he pops up in a new band soon, and in case there's an active search, message Hoist The Sails at the above links if you're interested in playing guitar or bass for them!

Now originally, we also had another lineup change, in that Kincheloe metal band Chained Memories had parted ways with singer Sean Roush on Sunday for personal reasons. However, the band confirmed on their Facebook page last night that "until further notice, we no longer exist. The band is disbanded." I assume this is partly due to Sean's departure, but no official reasoning beyond that was given. I'll note that their brief statement does leave open the possibility of a return ("Until further notice..."), but it may have needed better wording. I know that drummer Mike Rynberg has worked really hard to get Chained Memories off the ground since their late 2009 inception, and they've had promising lineups since then, but things have been visibly unstable for band membership and positions, and I don't believe they ever posted audio material. I personally don't know why things haven't moved forward much, but hopefully the guys stay active in area bands, and hopefully their next projects can succeed where Chained Memories couldn't if this is indeed their end. Best of luck to Mike, Sean, Ryan, and Mikaela in the future, and I've moved Chained Memories to our inactive Sault Michigan band links!

Let's end this post on a positive note, so here's some recent updates to some of our monthly feature posts! First, I've updated all of the entries in our Battle of the Bands Rewind Mini-Series to reflect the results and finishes of the Humane Society Battle on April 20th, including the withdrawls of Cowboys & Indians and The Moves, both of which had alumni from many of the battles we covered in the series. In our Defunct Local Band Profile Series, I've added a minor reference to the Death Rise profile to note guitarist Johnny Belanger's current work as Caveman Morrison's drummer, while for the Life's Eclipse profile, I added a brief note that guitarist David Mills is also a member of the Eckerman metal band Moss, which is now linked there. I restored a photo to the Out Of The Mouth Of Babes profile, while the State of Misery profile has saw numerous changes to reflect their latest reunion, including a new photo of their current/original lineup, notes on their current status, and the departure of bassist Devon Overman. Because they're re-activated, their profile's title once again has an asterisk (*) at the end. Finally, I added a brief mention to the From The Ashes Of Angels profile about frontman David Waite's current Colorado-based acoustic solo project Jibber N' The Beanie. There's more updates to come, but check the above links to get caught up on these newly updated SMS feature posts!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for my review from last night's Roberta Bondar Pavilion all ages metal show later tonight! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Hey guys, this is a special auto-post while I'm at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion for the all ages outdoors metal show, and because I'm still trying to clear out a backlog of news, I thought I'd get these up on the site before the review! So here's our first local metal video showcase of the month, and today, we've got videos relating to one band's new album, a yet-nameless band's latest videos, and some new solo performance clips, so read on below for what you need to know!

We'll start with this latest video from Sault Michigan classical metal trio Theatre of Night, and it serves as a promo video for their upcoming second album! Uploaded onto their YouTube channel on Tuesday, it reveals that the album will be entitled "The Dawn's Early Light" (alluding to lyrics in "The Star Spangled Banner"), and it will serve as a "dramatic & haunting tribute" to the U.S. Armed Forces. Likely their last all instrumental album before beginning work with Gaby Koss, the video reveals that they'll cover songs like "The Star Spangled Banner", "Taps", "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic", and the themes of all of the American military branches among the 12 planned songs, along with playing clips from three tracks. The video itself isn't anything too shocking, just images of the nice album artwork with some filters and effects. My only gripe is that the intro seems very out of season, given that they included audio from their version of "Carol of the Bells" in a video from May, but I know it's more because it's from their last album than for anything else. Other than that, this is a great promo for their new album, which already sounds like it'll be on an even grander scale than "Christmas Night" was, so check out the full video below, and stay tuned for "The Dawn's Early Light" this summer!



Next up, remember the young local band from recent Superior Heights Collegiate sets that have been featured in videos uploaded by YouTube user adamscovers? Well, two more are now up of this young (but talented) trio, as posted late last month, including their covers of Shinedown's "If You Only Knew" and (as embedded below) Billy Squier's "Lonely Is The Night!" These differ from the previous 8 videos of this band in that multiple cameras are used: The normal one to the band's right, and a more central one, and lots of transitions, rotations, and zooms are used on these videos. Plus, the band members have switched guitar & bass this time around, so note that as well. The more we see of them, the better their video quality gets, but how does this band sound on these covers? They definitely handle harder material better than ballads, as their Shinedown cover sounded a bit off, but I'm still impressed with their talent! The bassist in these videos (who I believe is named Liam Seymour) has a solid voice, and these guys definitely can go far, but hopefully we can learn some more on them at some point! Check out their Billy Squier cover below, and much more at the above links!



Let's close this post with new videos, starting with a new solo performance clip from Trail's End & London Gentlemen drummer Jake LaLonde! Posted onto his YouTube channel on Tuesday, it's of him covering Godsmack's "Straight Out Of Line", and he definitely has it down pretty well! Like his other recent solo videos, this is from an overhead view in black & white, and his skills are as clear as ever! The original backing track sounds downtuned a bit though, but that could be to skirt copyright rules. Check out Jake's new video below, and keep an eye out for more news from his solo & band work!



And finally, here's the latest solo performance videos from ApolcayptiCDistroyeR frontman Jesse Middaugh! Both of these are Tom Petty covers on the acoustic guitar, as posted earlier this week, but they differ from most of his recent uploads in that Jesse does sing in them! He doesn't do a bad job on either "Free Falling" or "Learning To Fly" (as embedded below), but the limits of his vocal range can be felt, especially on the "Free Falling" cover. The video quality could be cleaner too, but overall, if you want some mellower covers, these might work! If you prefer Jesse and ApocalyptiCDistroyeR's heavier work though, you may wanna steer clear. Check out his newest Tom Petty covers above, and here's "Learning To Fly"!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for my review of last night's metal show at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fuck The Facts), Rosie Metal Night Updates, And Much More!!

As promised, here's a stacked news post with recent news and notes relating to the local metal scene, so what's in this post? Today, we've got a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a big metal show later this month, an update for another show by the same promoter, what lies ahead for a notable concert series, news on an upcoming concert festival, and another popular music site's recent upgrades, so here's what you need to know!

Another huge metal concert from Dismembertainment is now scheduled for May 23rd at The Canadian Nightclub, and it will be headlined by the return of Fuck The Facts! Exactly one year & two weeks after they last rocked Sault Ste. Marie, the Juno nominated death/grindcore metal band from Ottawa will be sure to deliver a brutal and intense set of original songs, including material from their new albums "Die Miserable" and "Misery", to their local fans on May 23rd! They melted the faces of all last year, now it's time for more brutality! There will be four opening bands, including local metal standouts Garden of Bedlam, grimecore trio Shit Liver (the only returning band from last year's Fuck The Facts show), death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, and Desbarats' own white masked metallers For All That Is Lost, which should add up to a huge lineup of metal talent! Of the opening bands, all are returning to The Canadian for the first time since the Ypres Metal Fest, except for F.A.T.I.L., who were last seen there at Dead In The Van in March. Doors open at 8:30 PM on May 23rd, there will be a $10 cover charge, and like Dismembertainment's other recent concerts, it will be an ALL AGES event! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

This sounds like another huge concert, and kudos for Rich bringing Fuck The Facts back to Sault Ontario! It's good to see Dismembertainment back in the swing of things for booking local shows, and hopefully this string of all ages Canadian Nightclub gigs continues to be a success! I would say that Garden of Bedlam don't seem to fit in terms of genre with the other bands, but knowing their success and local following, they'll only help this show for attendance and collective talent, so don't miss them on May 23rd! Before we move to another topic, I'll also note another recent update for a Dismembertainment show, as a new headlining band has been added to next Sunday's Canadian Nightclub show featuring Tribune and returning local bands State of Misery & Borderline Divine. The new headliners are Vancouver metal band West of Hell, who are fronted by Zimmers Hole singer Chris Valagao, which is an awesome sign in itself! I'm really digging the West of Hell material I've heard, and if you like classic speed & thrash metal with modern influences, you'll absolutely enjoy these guys! With their addition, the cover charge is now $10, but the raise is worth it, so hopefully I'll see you guys at The Canadian on May 13th for this 4 band onslaught! Check the above links for more on Dismembertainment's next two shows!

Next up, here's the latest updates relating to the Roosevelt Hotel metal nights! According to a new post on the Thursday concert series' Facebook page last week, The Roosevelt Hotel has brought on Bear Hunters & Borderline Divine guitarist Mitch Sirie to help promote, book, and schedule future installments of the series. Though not mentioned there, current promoter Stephane Vincent is apparently moving to Toronto this summer (my source is his personal Facebook page), so I assume Mitch will take on primary promoting duties after that. Solid choice, as Mitch has played at Rosie metal nights a record 18 times with The Bear Hunters, and he's recently been ramping up on local concert bookings, so hopefully he can help sustain the series for many more installments to come! That said, is the May 10th Die Mannequin-headlined show at The Rosie being considered the 44th Rosie metal night? Not officially, as the metal nights' Facebook page says that the next metal night will actually come on May 24th, though performers and a future schedule have yet to be publicized. I had my doubts, as next Thursday's show has a different promoter, a heavy punk concentration, and a need for tickets, but it had metal night veterans and was next on the old "every 4 weeks" schedule, so you can see why some would be confused.

No matter what, The Rosie's Thursday metal nights appear to be in good hands, and though it looks like we'll be on our third promoter in under a year for the series in a few months, Mitch should be an excellent promoter to keep metal rocking The Rosie in 2012! Stay tuned for more updates on metal nights at The Roosevelt Hotel as they roll in!

Also in recent news, here's the latest updates concerning Sault Michigan concert festival LemmaFest! Tickets are now on sale for the second annual Michael Lemma tribute festival outside of Dondee Lanes on June 23rd, and they are $10 once again in advance, though note that purchases at the door will be $15 this year. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Dondee, Grooves Music, and The Merchant's Bar, where you can also make pre-orders for LemmaFest 2012 t-shirts for $12 ($15 for sizes 3X and up) and mugs at some locations, so visit the Facebook event page for more details! They've also recently confirmed that minors can't be in the bar after 8:00 PM, there will be drink & bowling specials, raffles, and food by donation, which should add up to a great festival in Mike's memory! As well, while the band lineup has yet to be altered, I can confirm that Brimley metallers Half A Man will be performing as a trio in their opening set at LemmaFest next month, as per their Facebook page. While specifics weren't given, I assume that singer Dillion Semasky won't be a part (despite his set with Infathom later that evening), which makes the most sense given that he won't be on their debut EP. If we hear anything more as to his band status, I'll have it here, but Half A Man should rock no matter what! Check the above links for more details, including how you can suggest what covers "3/8ths A Man" should do!

And finally for today, here's yet another music website that recently overhauled it's look! We've had to deal with Facebook, YouTube, and Reverbnation upgrades recently, and now, it's the old CBC Radio 3 music site. In February, CBC launched a new digital music service called CBC Music, and though it was treated as a new site, it essentially saw the imports of all the artists who had band pages on the old CBC Radio 3 page, which is now just for information and streams related to that radio station. CBC Music is now the home of band pages for Canadian bands & artists that previously signed up on CBC Radio 3, but how does the new site compare? For bands on there, the pages are nicely laid out with an effective use of tabs, and the music player's solid, but the experience is definitely better for bands who actively use CBC more for band needs, and I'd like to see more colours beyond grey. There's also a really diverse selection of streaming genre-specific radio stations, though metal & hard rock are lumped together and not given as much attention. Though not the widest used music site for local bands, it's a good and well run site that bands should look into! After all, if Frightlight, Woods of Ypres, and Sykotyk Rampage use it (among many others), then CBC Music must have done something right! Check out the new CBC Music at the above links!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a special all video auto-post this evening while I'm rocking out at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion for the FREE ALL AGES metal show! Thanks everyone!

Weekend Concert Previews & This Week's Classic Video!!

It's time to preview this weekend's metal & hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults, so that's the bulk of today's post, but we've also got this week's classic video, as linked to one of the performing bands over the next few days! I know that there's a pretty big metal show that was announced on Facebook this afternoon, but I promise that's coming in our very next news post! For now though, let's begin our previews!

As a late addition to National Youth Arts Week in Sault Ontario, Bear Hunters/Borderline Divine guitarist Mitch Sirie is promoting a FREE ALL AGES metal concert TOMORROW at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion! The large white tent downtown isn't a familiar site for heavier concerts, especially being outdoors, but the hope is to make this the first of many, so here's who to look out for tomorrow night! Five metal bands (4 local) will descend upon the Roberta Bondar Pavilion tomorrow night for their first public outdoor concert, including headlining grime/crust notables Shit Liver, melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, Desbarats death metal quartet For All That Is Lost, local deathcore standouts The Valentine's Day Massacre, and extreme metal quintet Winkstinger (replacing As It Stands), so take note of this extremely brutal lineup! Most of the bands were last seen at the Humane Society Battle of the Bands last month, but Shit Liver will hit the stage for the first time since the Ypres Metal Fest, while Winkstinger haven't been seen live in almost three months. Sounds like a great lineup to me, and hopefully these guys can melt all the faces that are there tomorrow! Also, note that drag queens & kings from the "Drag It Out" at Sault College will be in attendance later tomorrow night, so be ready to work!

The bands are slated to start at 5:00 PM tomorrow (not 4:00), it's a FREE & ALL AGES event, and though they're aiming to wrap up by 10:00 PM, it may run a bit later. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I'll absolutely be there to rock out with you guys tomorrow, and I hope this is a huge and issue-free success so that more metal can rock the tent downtown in the future! Celebrate National Youth Arts Week & local metal tomorrow night, and I'll see you guys there! For a preview, here's Shit Liver playing their song "Shit Will Prevail" at the future Coch's Corner last fall!



Meanwhile in Sault Ontario, after his set with The Bear Hunters wraps up, drummer Johnny Belanger will head across town to The Roosevelt Hotel for the first of two weekend concerts with his other band Caveman Morrison! Previously a one night only gig, the prominent local metal cover trio will rock The Rosie tomorrow night & Saturday night for the first time in three weeks this weekend, and you know Tym & company will have some awesome metal & hard rock covers in store for their fans! Their latest Rosie stops were announced in March, and I again apologize for the extremely late coverage of them on here, so make sure to spread the word and check them out this weekend! 9:30 PM start times look likely, you must be 19 to attend, and there shouldn't be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be another solid weekend of great music from Caveman Morrison, especially with the frequency of their recent gigs, which is awesome to see again after months of sporadic shows and live absences. Go see Caveman Morrison this weekend if you can, and for a preview, here's the band covering a Foreigner classic in December!



Finally for known metal/hard rock concerts this weekend, Marquette hard rockers Nudge are finally back in Sault Michigan this weekend! This prominent & talented quartet haven't been seen in the area since November, but it'll be great to finally have Nudge back at The Satisfied Frog after an almost 6 month break! These will also be their first local dates with new drummer Jed Thibeault, following the departure of Eric Schlumpf in December, so be sure to give Jed a warm welcome to the Soo this weekend! After the move of their planned February local dates to Gladstone (which featured Eric's short lived replacement Tim Rousseau), we're definitely overdue for Nudge's hard hitting cover attack, but also note that they'll have new merchandise on sale, and frontman Danzo McCracken will be playing an acoustic solo show at The Frog TONIGHT as well, so head on down there to hear his softer side! As usual, Nudge's shows this weekend have 10:00 PM start times and 21+ age limits, but I don't believe there will be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should be some solid nights of hard rock and metal covers this weekend, so go rock out with Nudge tomorrow night and/or Saturday night at The Frog! For a preview, here's Nudge covering Queen's "Tie Your Mother Down" in 2008!



And finally, here's this week's classic video, and I've chosen local extreme metal quintet Winkstinger for our latest older non-YouTube video upload! They've been bringing their entertaining and brutal brand of metal to the stage since late 2010, and one of their earlier concerts was on January 20th, 2011 at the fifth Roosevelt Hotel metal night (more on that series soon), which I reviewed on the site way back when. As has become custom at their live concerts, they covered Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" (a.k.a. the Blues Brothers car chase theme) followed by their original "Stop! You Can't Interrogate Someone With Brain Damage!" at this show, and that very performance (along with on-stage banter from singer Alan Wells) was filmed by an attendee! Drummer Jonas Gasperas later uploaded the results onto Facebook the next day, and though people's heads get in the way, the quality isn't bad at all! If anything, the original video (which you can see at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=1807806922881) is dark, but I've corrected the lighting since uploading it. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to the original filmer and Winkstinger, I'm just trying to share this video with a wider audience like it deserves!

This is another fun and very heavy video of Winkstinger in action, including their resident merman Jesse Cook, and it definitely shows their energetic brutality nicely! Check out this 2011 video of Winkstinger below, and go see them TOMORROW NIGHT at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for a stacked news post tomorrow morning! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest Second Stage News, Concert Updates, And Much More!!

Let's keep the recent business at the SMS going strong with another packed news post, so here's what's on tap! Tonight, we have news on how YOU can apply to perform at a major upcoming festival, updates on a pair of upcoming metal concerts, upcoming album hints from a local band, and more stories, so read on below for this latest news, and check out this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post below this one!

Applications for bands for this year's Tenaris Second Stage at Rotaryfest are now open! The annual second stage for local bands with original material and select out of town acts outside of The Grand Theater on Queen Street East is back once again, and as usual, they're seeking applications for bands to perform at Sault Ontario's annual summer festival over the July 19th weekend. With Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie's recent public campaign for a greater metal presence at Rotaryfest, there are hopes for either more metal bands or a third day for heavier acts this year, so the odds may be better than ever to see more than one heavy act among this year's Second Stage lineups! As you may remember, the last metal act to rock the Second Stage was 2010 headliners Garden of Bedlam, and with no heavy bands last year, we're definitely overdue. So, what do you need to know to formally apply for consideration for this year's Second Stage lineups? Click here to apply online, where you must include your name & e-mail address, your band's name & online pages, along with a full band photo & a brief biography & history. Once past there, you can submit your band's original material, where at least three good quality original songs must be submitted.

You can also submit Second Stage applications physically with press clippings and discs of your audio/video material to the mail address at this location, but note that you must include the listed materials there, and regardless of if you're selected, the materials you send to the selection committee can't be sent back. You have until May 31st to submit your applications for the Second Stage, and remember, you must send an application in to be considered to play there. With the recent campaigns for an increased metal element this year, there's even more optimism in the local scene to widen the general playing field beyond indie rock at the Second Stage, but no matter your genre, send in applications for your band with original material A.S.A.P. at the above links! I'm still of the opinion that original bands of any genre shouldn't be sequestered away from the main stage at Clergue Park, but again, I understand that all cover bands there is more familiar for a general audience. Still, let's try and make this the best and most diverse Second Stage lineup yet, so send in your applications today, and maybe you'll be rocking the Queen Street outdoor stage in July before you know it!

Next up, here's some more recent concert updates! First, this Friday's free all ages metal show at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion has had it's fifth band added to replace As It Stands, and they are local extreme metal quintet Winkstinger! This will be their first concert in almost three months, their first since their recent recording sessions wrapped up, and it should be their first outdoor gig as well, so they'll add to this concert nicely! They'll be the opening band, and for reference sake, previously scheduled openers For All That Is Lost have been shifted to the middle of the band lineup. Also of note: the start time is now given as 5:00 PM on Friday, and participants at the drag queen/king event "Drag It Out" at Sault College will be in attendance later that evening, so that'll add a unique touch to this concert! For all this and more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for our preview of this show! The other news that I had for a recent Sault Ontario concert was that next Thursday's Die Mannequin-headlined punk concert at The Roosevelt Hotel (featuring Frightlight & Pools of Booze) now has tickets on sale for $10 at Music Depot, Northland Music, and The Rosie itself, alongside some local band members and The Rad Zone. Get your tickets while you can, and stay tuned for more updates!

Also, here's an update concerning the next albums from the original crash band Sykotyk Rampage! As you may remember, this unique local alternative hard rock quartet are one of the most prolific bands in the area, and their back catalog currently includes no less than 28 albums, 5 of which were put on sale or posted within a 2 month span last year. Since then, the band has yet to release their (chronologically) 25th album "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts of Stupidity", but since then, they've also announced a new album named "Jonathan, Your Music Sucks" in January, along with posting a partial Proclaimers cover named "Roll A Doobie" on Reverbnation a few months back. Well, it looks like there's more where that came from, as guitarist Dirk Becker announced via this photo on his personal Facebook page in March that their 33rd album will be entitled "Smells Real Good On A Bad Night"! This appears to be the album cover, and the album is slated to feature 12 songs. More details on it haven't been announced, but if you count all of their released albums, the second "Genius Mushrooms" CD, and the two recently announced ones, that only adds up to 31 albums, meaning that to get to 33, there's likely another two in the pipeline!

Time will tell how Sykotyk Rampage's next albums come along, but if we get 5 new albums again this year, I sure won't complain! Note that the band has changed album names and plans in the past though (such as the planned 2007 release "Urges For Green"), but with their prolific nature, there's bound to be a lot more material to come, so stay tuned for more Sykotyk Rampage updates as they come in!

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

• Brimley metal quartet Half A Man are looking for people to film their set on stage at LemmaFest on June 23rd, so if you're interested in helping record their first live concert footage in over a year, give them a shout at their Facebook page!
• It looks like Humane Society Battle of the Bands winners Late & Loud are taking another hiatus, and though specifics weren't announced, it's likely for similar reasons that led to their summer break last year. Their Facebook page promises a return in July though, so this break won't be as long, and get ready for their summer comeback!
• I apologize for being badly late on this, but in March, I heard that Sudbury hard rock band Set were looking to play here in the future, and were looking for possible bookings. Thanks to frontman Jamie Rowlings for letting us know on the SMS' Facebook page! Solid catchy hard rock sound, so if you wanna help book them in Sault Ontario this year, give them a shout at the above links!

That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for more news and weekend concert previews shortly! Thanks everyone!

Where Are The New Albums? May 2012 Update

Another month has begun, so another month of feature posts will follow that, and leading off for this month once again is our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Once again, we're looking at the current statuses, whereabouts, and news concerning the Sault Ontario metal/hard rock albums on the horizon that have a likely future release in their cards, and this month, all but four have new information! As always, any updated entry below has the album's name in italics. Note that one new album has been added as well, though to a band's schedule that's already included this month, so read on below to find out where the new albums are, and if there's anything missing or incorrect, let me know! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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", "Embay the Terrible", "Oh Herm, Herm Delish", "David & Goliath", "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 in early 2012, with studio copies of "Conception" & "Big Problem, Little Lock City" also being uploaded to their Facebook page this year, 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, despite recent delays and absences of updates. When might we see this EP? I don't know, but keep an eye out for updates, album information, and so forth, as I'm hearing good things! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bear Hunters' full length demo Rumoured Songs: "Bloodthirst", "Succumb To Eternity", "Dominate", "Overthrown", "Casualties Of War", "Collapse The Sun", "Render This Void", "Karma", "Deception" Background: Local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters formally announced that they'd begun recording for their debut EP "Bloodthirst" last May, 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, with drum & bass recording for those 10 songs finished as of February 16th. 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. Recent updates have been minimal, but time will tell, and keep an eye out for news on The Bear Hunters' first release! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, but recent technical difficulties may push the album to a 2013 release. It's been a long road for them to get this album completed due to the members' own personal commitments, but keep watch for a potential December 2012 release for Gates of Winter's long awaited second full length album, and stay tuned to band pages for continued updates! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Late & Loud's debut album Rumoured Songs: "Dark Sunrise", "Midnight Man", "Down Like This", "Never Again", "Love Letter Lockdown", "Whisper Of The Damned", "Live For Excess", "Fast As A Bitch", "Machine Gun Maiden", "Heavy Or Bust" 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. Alternately described as a demo and an EP, it does appear to be packaged more like a standard album, with a photo shoot for it having taken place in February 2011 (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. The band released a video last year indicating a now-passed release date, with instrumental samples of three songs, and a confirmed tracklist of at least nine songs. Recent updates have alluded to a July release, but stay tuned to the above links for more details as they come in! Current Release Status: According to a recent Reverbnation posting, Late & Loud are planning to use recording time won at the Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands on this album, which already has five completed original recordings. That might postpone recent indications of a July release, but time will tell, so stay tuned for updates on Late & Loud's debut, which we'll hopefully see within the coming months! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Haggith - Neighbourhood Watch Rumoured Songs: "To Whom This May Concern", "Room 822", "Door To My Mind", "The Man In Green" (Black Hole Suns cover), "The Ballad of K2/K3", "Wicked Midnight Ride", "Limb Coast", "It Takes Time" (Black Hole Suns cover), "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 Galactic Records (formerly Rotten Records), "Neighbourhood Watch" should be available on both mp3 and CD formats, and ten 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?", "Standing On The Edge", "Stalking Booze & The Raptor", "Nightmare On Reed Street", "The Day The Lights Went Out", "My Angel", and the album's title track were removed from the track listing in previous months. 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 few months, Mike confirmed last month that illnesses have caused it to be delayed to an unknown future date, and vocal sessions have yet to begin for the album. That said, Mike has always been forthcoming & honest about album release details and hangups, so we should see Neighbourhood Watch soon, but stay tuned in case anything changes! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 seven 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! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sykotyk Rampage - "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity", "Jonathan , Your Music Sucks", and "Smells Real Good On A Bad Night" Rumoured Songs (GM): "Running", "Legend, "Garden", "Metal", "Rain", "Parley", "Wait", "Shrooms", "Dynamite", "Acreage", "McDonalds", "Alright" Rumoured Songs (J and/or S): 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. 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. Another album named "Smells Real Good On A Bad Night" was announced via this photo last month, and it's listed as their 33rd album, hinting at other albums to be announced that go before it chronologically. No matter how much material is coming soon, Sykotyk Rampage recorded it all at River Front Recreation Studios, with sessions taking place at varying points in recent years. Stay tuned for more updates! Current Release Status: For the latter two newer albums, we haven't heard a whole lot on them since they were originally announced, but as for the second "Genius Mushrooms" album? The original announced release date for it was December 2010, but no new Sykotyk Rampage albums even made it online for free streaming until August. Oddly, it's still unreleased despite the fact that 4 newer albums not even announced until August have came out earlier, but I'll note that the first "Genius Mushrooms" album isn't up for sale yet, despite it's posting online last month. With two other new albums 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! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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", "The After Life" 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! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winkstinger's debut EP Rumoured Songs: "Sadist", "Fuck The Rest", "Cheese Grater Face", "Chudnugget", "From Bullshit To Buzz (Lies = Weed)", "Where'd We Go Wrong", "Poop", "In Other Words", "Stop! You Can't Interrogate Someone With Brain Damage!", "The Devil's Hand", "Feel All My Hate", "Move It, Peenie-Weenies, My Hands Are On Fire!", "Jimmy Got His New Legs (Derp.)", "Bidniz", "Nunya" Background: Little is publically known about this EP, but Winkstinger initially confirmed on March 15th on their Facebook page that recording had begun. Anything else from official band pages is open-ended or minimal, but guitarist Jesse Cook has also kept fans posted on the recording sessions for the band's first EP on his personal Facebook page, noting that recording took place from the 15th through the 27th, with mixing done and some lyric finalization left. I assume this EP is being self-produced and recorded, but again, the band hasn't said much publically about it or it's possible track listing, length, release formats, or anything else. Last month,t he band posted 5 demos from the sessions onto their new SoundCloud page, so stream them there in advance of the full release! Current Release Status: I'm not sure, especially with the limited public information as of yet, but I'd guess a summer release would make sense. No matter what though, I'm curious to hear more of Winkstinger's creative and often amusing material in studio form, so hopefully this does come out relatively soon! Stay tuned for updates! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Woods of Ypres - "Woods 4.5: You Were The Light" Rumoured Songs: "You Were The Light", "Falling Apart" 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 album, now known as "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", which left the August 2010 material (now called "Woods 4.5") temporarily shelved. Though definitive release details for that EP aren't known, two of the songs were issued in a limited edition vinyl single release named "Home" through Practical Art Records last April (get ordering details here), and you can stream them at various online pages as well. However, no updates on the remaining material have come since then, and it's future status is in limbo following David Gold's passing in December 2011. Current Release Status: 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. I know David preferred this material to stand on it's own as one complete unit and not with other material tacked on, but it may only realistically see a release now as either a free posting or as part of a rarities collection, given that future band activity is likely restricted to putting out old material. Whether we ever see the remaining "W4.5" songs is up in the air at best, but if I hear anything on a release or posting of this EP, I'll be sure to let you guys know! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, and stay tuned for much more news very soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Caveman Morrison, Garden Of Bedlam, And RedStone Riot) And More Concert Updates!!

Let's kick off May in style with a packed news post, and today, we have updates for a pair of big Sault Ontario concerts in the next couple of weeks and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for concerts later this month and in July in the area, so here's what you need to know, starting with the new shows in chronological order!

Caveman Morrison are returning to the stage THIS WEEKEND for two more shows at The Roosevelt Hotel! I apologize for not having these on here sooner, but they somehow have slipped past my radar since the Facebook event page was launched almost 2 months ago, so I better get the word out A.S.A.P.! Previously listed as a one night only gig on Friday, this talented local cover trio will instead make their first Rosie appearances in three weeks on Friday and Saturday for a standard weekend set of metal and hard rock covers! Both shows will have 9:30 PM start times and neither has an announced cover charge, but you must be 19 to attend them. Check the above links for more details, and I apologize again for having these so late on the site! It's good to see Caveman Morrison back at The Rosie this weekend, and hopefully they continue their recent frequent streak of local concerts beyond this Friday & Saturday with even more hard rocking shows! Keep these new dates in mind for your weekend concert-hopping to help begin May in style!

The next new show is coming up next weekend, and it's the long awaited return of Garden of Bedlam to The Rockstar Bar! Last seen at the Ypres Metal Fest last month, this show on May 12th (one week from Saturday) serves as the rescheduled date following the cancellation of their planned March 10th Rockstar Bar gig following the back injury and pneumonia that frontman Buzz got hit with a couple months back. As such, this will be Garden of Bedlam's first Rockstar Bar gig in eleven months and their first headlining show in over four months, and it'll be good to see them back for a full night's worth of their hard hitting originals! Like their past Rockstar Bar concerts, there will not be an opening band. Doors open at 9:00 PM with an 11:00 PM start time next Saturday, you must be 19 to attend, and there will be a $5 cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like an awesome concert, and if you're craving more of one of Sault Ste. Marie's biggest metal bands, you'll wanna circle this date on your calendars for next weekend! Stay tuned for any updates as they roll in!

Finally in new concerts, Muskegon hard rock quintet RedStone Riot are coming back to Sault Michigan this summer! After 11 months away from the local stage, the new band featuring former Saultites and Elipzis alumni Rachel Kiger & Ryan Harrison will play just their second weekend set locally at The Corner Pub Bar & Grill on July 13th and 14th! These dates, along with a number of Muskegon-area concerts, were revealed on their newly redesigned official website this morning. I believe both of these dates should have 10:00 PM-ish start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charge, but check the above links for more details! As you may remember, this is the band that was formed after Rachel & Ryan moved to Muskegon last year, and they also feature final Elipzis drummer Wally David and guitarists Tony Hulings (Wally's ex-One Past Mars bandmate) & Brock Warber (formerly of Kill Tomorrow), so there's definitely talent present! I have yet to hear media of RedStone Riot, but if Elipzis were any indication, this current band will rock the house with some great modern hard rock originals & covers come mid-July, so don't miss these concerts, and keep it locked to the SMS for any updates!

We'll close this post with updates to a pair of upcoming Sault Ontario concerts, starting with THIS FRIDAY'S outdoor metal show at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion as part of National Youth Arts Week! A new band has been added to the lineup, that being Desbarats death metal quartet For All That Is Lost, who will be making their first local concert appearance (along with most of the other bands) since their Humane Society Battle of the Bands set last month. They're a solid addition to bolster this brutal death metal lineup, but with that said, scheduled headliners As It Stands have pulled out of the show, as revealed by promoter/Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie this morning on the Facebook event page. The reason is due to an injury suffered by a band member, and though specifics weren't elaborated on, hopefully whoever's hurt gets well soon! The lineup now features Shit Liver as the listed headliners with The Bear Hunters, The Valentine's Day Massacre, and F.A.T.I.L. as openers, but the official lineup could change depending on scheduling concerns. A new fifth band could be added to replace As It Stands as well, so if you or your band are interested, message Mitch at this location A.S.A.P.!

Also to confirm for this Friday's show, it will be FREE & ALL AGES, and the 4:00-10:00 PM runtime has been finalized. For more details, check the above links and this new Sault Star article promoting the metal show's addition to National Youth Arts Week! It's short, but given the concert's later notice, it's still solid press! That said, it lists the start time as 5:00 PM, credits The Valentine's Day Massacre as their acronym only, forgets a word when mentioning "For All Is Lost", and doesn't even mention The Bear Hunters, but hey, at least this show is getting some wider press! I hope to be there on Friday, and stay tuned for more updates on this show as they roll in!

Finally for today, here's the latest updates for Frightlight's next concert one week from Thursday at The Roosevelt Hotel! Whether it's officially the 44th Rosie metal night or not isn't known yet, but if it is, it'll be the biggest since The Dayglo Abortions came in June, as there are now 5 bands lined up for this show, including two new local bands! One is actually local hard rock/punk trio Pools of Booze in just their second live concert, following their debut in March at The Canadian. You may remember that Pools of Booze are essentially a heavier variant of T-Rex Manning with bassist Bill "Orthae" Bennett on lead vocals in place of J.D. Pearce, and while J.D. will be focusing on rocking with Frightlight as Johnny Pints that night, he will join his other bandmates for a couple songs as T-Rex Manning during their set! The other new band is local punk trio Redundant, and they should have some solid originals from their recent recording sessions ready to rock with next Thursday! The other update for this show, which features headlining Toronto alternative/punk bands Die Mannequin & Dearly Beloved on their Danceland Tour, is that tickets are now on sale through both The Rad Zone at The Wellington Square Mall & through J.D. personally, though more ticket locations are forthcoming.

Check the Facebook event page for more details! This is shaping up to be a huge punk concert with some metal touches, and make sure to get your tickets A.S.A.P.! Stay tuned for updates on this show as they come in, and that's probably all for today, so keep an eye out for more news and notes very soon, including this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!