Coch's Corner Halloween Party Review, Plus News On Our Next CD Review!!

Happy Halloween! Hope you guys have a great night, whether you have party plans, are taking the kids out, or are going out for candy yourself! I'm handing out candy tonight, but I had my fun last night at Coch's Corner's fifth annual Halloween party! So today's post is largely dedicated to reviewing that. Stay tuned afterwards for news on our next CD review, but let's first go over what went down last night!

First off, I should say that the $5 cover was warranted, as Coch's Corner was more than made up for the Halloween season, with spider webs, skulls, spooky lighting, and more covering the interior! There was a great turnout for this show, which I was very pleased to see! And many fans in attendance were in the Halloween spirit, including a few local band notables decked out in costumes! There's too many to count, but I'll give huge metal points to Adam Chillman from Papa Fogals Chair for his Zakk Wylde costume! There was a costume contest later in the night, but we'll get to that in a bit. For the record, I was Mr. Hat from South Park, but when the bands played, I removed the hat to avoid an obstruction of view. The opening band of the evening was The Mothermakers, who traded in their Glamoween persona from last year for an old school punk look and theme this year. They got a warm reception from the crowd, and people did dance to their tunes, which included covers of bands like The Dead Kennedys, The Buzzcocks, The Ramones, The Clash, and more!

I have to say, they underwhelmed me a bit. Though they looked the part, much of their songs didn't have a lot of the punk aggression that I was hoping to hear, and the singer seemed to be a bit lost when trying to improvise backing vocals. Their double covers of Radiohead's "Creep" seemed especially odd given that it wasn't a punk classic, and they played it twice in the normal style AND in a punk fashion. They're not bad, but they need to have a bit more aggression to their stuff. Also, this is just a personal remark, but it'd have been nice to hear some Black Flag covers!

Following them on the bill was horror punk/metal band Frightlight! The fact that they weren't headlining seemed odd to me given their local profile and what they were selling at the show, but hey, it gave WinkStinger a nice high profile! Keeping with the Halloween spirit, the band members were mostly in their usual Frightlight stage makeup, though drummer Jeff De Rose played the first chunk of their set dressed as The Count from Sesame Street! As usual, we got a bunch of great originals like "Fright Night", "C.H.U.D.", and "She Screams", along with some Fitswitch and Misfits covers like "Rust Angel" and, fittingly, "Halloween", among others! Plus, Andrew McDonald (in his bag of weed costume) joined in once again to cover GG Allin's "Bite It You Scum" as well! I felt that they were playing a couple of songs faster than they have on earlier performances, and you could sure see in Rick "Styles" White's guitar playing. His right hand seemed to be on fast forward at points! The great thing about Frightlight is that their songs are easy to get into, and are hard to mess up, so you tend to know what you're getting, and that's good! Johnny Pints has a great handle on aggressive punk singing, Eddie Fright's bass work stands out well, and Jeff's coming into his own on drums! Great set, I can't wait to see them again!

Oh yeah, the costume contest? Some of the best costumes were called up to the front of the stage to be judged by crowd reaction as to who won a free pizza from Coch's Corner! There were some great ones up front, including Freddy Kreuger, Beetlejuice, Magnum P.I., and a pair of contestants on The Price Is Right (complete with Contestants Row), but the prize easily went to a guy crossdressing as Cher from her video for 'If I Could Turn Back Time"! If you've seen that video, you'll know why seeing a guy dressed like THAT would turn heads, and he deservingly won!

Headlining were local hardcore metal band WinkStinger in just their second live performance, and you want to know my biggest disappointment of their set? No costumes, save for Jonas Gasperas' tiny top hat. But really, when that's my only real complaint, that says a lot for them, cause they were awesome! They sound just as brutal as they did last week, and they have a great handle on their originals so far! This time around, I tried to pick up more of their music and their stage presence, and Jesse Cook really stood out on guitar! His solos were great, and he played with a lot of technical savvy and melody! Alan Wells' vocals are awesome, high pitched yet very aggressive, but I have to say, he needs work on his stage presence. Much of the set saw him looking sideways and not moving around much, but hey, that will likely improve over time! Jason Ladouceur's riffing was spot on, and Ryan Sherman's bass lines sounded good as well, even if neither were front and center. And Jonas is just as good on drums as he ever is, and he really seemed to enjoy himself! After just two shows, these guys have a very bright future if they keep on the same path, but the crowd response for them was VERY surprising. Compared to the Zombie Walk afterparty, it was almost night and day. Where was the enthusiasm? They ruled, they're brutal as hell, and I can't wait to see them again!

Overall, that was a fun first trip to a Halloween show at Coch's Corner, and hopefully I'll be at next year's! They pulled out all the stops and delivered a great night of Halloween entertainment that was worth the $5 cover! For my photos from last night, including a couple costume shots, head to this link or visit The Sault Metal Scene's Facebook page! And yes, I have videos, so here's Frightlight's new original "World War Z" and Winkstinger's "Fuck The Rest"!





Now, you guys may be aware that with November beginning tomorrow, we have another CD review to get to next month. So what are we reviewing? I honestly wasn't sure, but now we know! Last night at the Halloween show, Frightlight announced that their new album, "It's A...Live!" was on sale! That news was not promoted in advance, so that was a nice surprise! It went for $10, and features 6 of the songs that they performed at their July 10th concert at Coch's Corner, including their originals "Fright Night", "She Screams", "Dead Town Anywhere", "They All Float", "C.H.U.D.", and their cover of Fitswitch's "Rust Angel"! Note that their original "Dead Skin Mask" didn't make the cut, along with their various other covers. The packaging is fold out cardboard, and it features acknowledgments, credits, band members, internet links, and the track listing on the interior. No lyrics though, sadly. Nice of them to thank me in the acknowledgments too! I should also note that the artwork, as you can see on the left, is NOT of any of the public entries in the album art contest, for whatever reason. I thought Kevin Powe's should have won, but hey, what can you do? As for the songs themselves, I'll wait until the CD review before I make judgements, but the quality is fantastic, so kudos to Nick Jackson for the great production! Remember to buy "It's A...Live!" at Frightlight's concerts, and stay tuned for my review of the album THIS WEEK!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a load of big stuff this week! On Tuesday, our newest entry in the "Where Are The New Albums?" series returns, while I have some news to share and get to over the next couple of days as well. And yes, we'll review "It's A...Live" too, hopefully sooner than later! Stay tuned for all that very soon! Thanks everyone, and have a great Halloween!

SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Clownsack), Frightlight News, And Some More Updates!!

Hey guys, here's one more post before tonight's Halloween concert at Coch's Corner, so get ready! We have a new page from a local band, updates on an article we'd heard about concerning CD Plus' closure, and some updates to some old SMS posts, but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

I apologize for the short notice of this show, it only reached my attention earlier today. Sault Michigan funk hard rockers Clownsack will return to the stage TONIGHT for their first show since the summer when they play a special Halloween weekend concert at The Satisfied Frog! Event pages on Facebook and MySpace confirm this. They'll be on at around 10:30 PM tonight, and will be on after a planned Halloween costume contest at The Frog this evening. There is no likely cover charge, but considering the seasonal appeal, there could be something. And of course, you must be 21 to enter. It's great to see Clownsack back on stage, hopefully they rock the house down! So if you're in Sault Michigan and need something to do tonight, make note of this concert! I'm booked tonight for a show on this side, but I'd love to go if I could! Check out all of the above links for more, I again apologize for missing this until now, and for a preview, here's a classic video from 2006 of Clownsack playing their song "Social Homicide"!



Next up, local horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight have joined MySpace! Well, this page has been registered since last summer, but only this month has it been properly updated and launched. The page isn't too elaborate yet, featuring some basic info, band photos, and a fitting colour scheme, but the big story is that it has two new songs on it! Well, not "new", we've heard them before, but these are two of the tracks from their forthcoming debut album "It's A...Live!!"! Their songs "She Screams" and "C.H.U.D.", as performed at their concert on July 10th at Coch's Corner, are available to check out there, in great quality! Now because a CD release is anticipated, I'll wait for judgments on the songs until I do a review, but I will say that the production by Nick Jackson is great, and I have to say, these songs honestly sound different from what we hear in the crowd. That's good, don't worry! For more, check out Frightlight's brand new MySpace page at the above links, and remember to check them out TONIGHT at Coch's Corner for this year's Halloween party!

Thirdly today, I wanted to go over something I'm sure you may have been expecting from a local news source. As you may remember, local music store CD Plus officially shut down it's last Sault Ste. Marie location (in the Cambrian Mall) one week ago today. The Sault Star's Brian Kelly posted a video that same day onto The Sault Star's website, which previewed a planned article on why losing CD Plus will be a big loss for local music lovers. It's just 20 seconds long, and it features Brian talking and some exterior and interior footage of CD Plus. It's not embeddable, so click here to check it out. So, where's the article? Your guess is as good as mine. Nothing has popped up online referring to the piece Brian discussed in the video, which is odd when you consider that a video was posted hyping it. I'm fairly certain that anything that makes the paper tends to make it online, so unless there's some special print-only article on the CD Plus closure in last Saturday's paper, it didn't make the cut. If I'm wrong though, please tell me at robertfigures@hotmail.com! It still sucks that CD Plus closed, as they were a great source for more obscure titles, and of course, local albums too! Hopefully they return down the road!

And finally for today, I wanted to share with you guys some updates I recently made to one of our past series on the SMS. You may remember that we had our "GarageBand Profile Mini-Series" from June 30th-July 15th to profile and archive the pages of the six local metal/hard rock acts who were on the now-defunct music website. I've been wanting to update some of our older profile and feature posts to make them more current and factual, so I went back and checked all six of the posts in this mini-series to see if anything needed to be edited. The profiles for Recognition, Lee Thomas Maines, Mike Cliffe, and Gates of Winter have had no real changes, be it for inactivity, slow progress, or the lack of a major change to the band. Two of the profiles do have changes, so here's what's new! In the profile for T H E I D, I edited the "SMS Analysis" section to reflect drummer Matt Hicks' current involvement in Riverin, as that's where he's currently plying his musical trade. Nothing else current has been added, as T.H.E.I.D have long since broken up.

As for Sin Stereo, the updates to their profile largely reflect info gathered from Stiffler's Mom's new Facebook page (remember, the two bands are one and the same, members-wise.) I added a link for that page, and referred to a Stiffler's Mom video from their supporting performance at the 2007 INXS concert at The Essar Centre there as well. I also de-emphasized the fact that they played Sin Stereo material at the Kiss Battle of the Bands because, really, we know that's common for them at any show. Also note that Stiffler's Mom's Facebook biography is largely taken from their Sin Stereo bio, but the latter half is much different. So click on the above band links to check out the newly updated profiles, and make sure to be on the lookout for updates to this series, and our other series, in the coming months!

That's all for today, but I will hopefully see you guys at Coch's Corner tonight! I'll be dressed up, hopefully you will be too! Hope to see you there! Thanks everyone!

Halloween Weekend Concert Previews & A Cancellation!

Halloween weekend is drawing near, and luckily for you metal and hard rock fans, the area's got tons of concerts this weekend to capitalize on the occasion! Halloween itself is on a Sunday this year, so the concert selection is small for Sunday, but there's plenty tomorrow and Saturday (Devil's Night) to get excited over! In most cases, Saturday will have the more Halloween bang for your buck in terms of costumes and themes, but that could vary! On the metal/hard rock side of things, we have eight concerts to go over in this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews, but before we get to that, here's a cancellation!

I just recieved word earlier today that the scheduled Keep The Faith concert tomorrow night at The Canadian Nightclub has been cancelled. Jay Perron confirmed the new to attendees on the event page via a Facebook e-mail, but did not give a concrete reason for the cancellation. Replacing them tomorrow are debuting local pop rock band Cherry Crush, featuring Foggy Notions owner Taryn Bugyra on vocals. Shame that this show was cancelled, especially for Bon Jovi fans, as they have a really good sound close to the real thing! But I have a hunch they'll be back, as they play here a lot for a tribute band! Remember, Keep The Faith are NOT playing here tomorrow!

Firstly, we'll head to Sault Michigan for the only KNOWN hard rock concerts taking place there this weekend, as new local metal band River Witch return to The Bird for two shows this weekend! Note that their Facebook page hypes these shows as being on October 20th and 30th, but they very likely meant the 29th for the first show, so I chalk that up as a simple mistake. These will be the first local dates for River Witch since a pair of unannounced shows three weeks ago. Though details aren't specified on the dates, they will very likely have 10:00 PM start times and no cover charge. You must be 21 to enter. No word on if they'll do anything Halloween specific there this weekend, but if you're looking for that, Saturday will be more likely to have it than Friday will. Remember, River Witch are the modern/classic rock band made up of 3/5ths of defunct local rockers Blind Baby. They feature members of Kilacel and Scofflaw in their ranks as well, so there's talent to be had! I still don't know how River Witch in particular sound, but check out more on them at their Facebook page linked above! Check out Blind Baby's page too to get a possible glimpse at their sound! So if you're in Sault Michigan and want some Halloween weekend entertainment, here's an option!

Back to Sault Ontario for the rest of the weekend previews, and we'll start at The Nicolet Tavern, where local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison return for a pair of weekend concerts! These come a week after a late cancellation of their planned shows there, but they're absolutely playing there this weekend! No word on any specific Halloween festivities for this weekend, but don't be surprised to see costumes and such around the Nicolet on Saturday! As usual, both of these shows will have 10:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charge. Get more details at the official Facebook event page! After a weekend off from public concerts (though they did play a house party last weekend), expect some great metal and hard rock covers from Tym and company this weekend, as they play a little something for everyone! And of course, loads of metal! For more, check out the above links (including some Tym & Caveman Morrison clips at their website), and for a video preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know" from a show last month!



Next up, local classic hard rock cover band Turner Up hit the stage for not one, not two, but THREE shows this weekend! And of the bands covered in today's previews, they're the only ones actually playing on Halloween itself! We'll get to that in a second, but first, make note of their "Halloween Bash" at The Vibe Lounge tomorrow night and Saturday night! They're openly encouraging the Halloween theme for both nights at The Vibe Lounge, so make sure you're in the spirit of the season if you go see them there! But then, if you're looking for something on Halloween night itself, you'll wanna be at Foggy Notions instead, as Turner Up play a special one night only set there on Sunday night! Foggy's are pulling out all the stops for this one, including Halloween drink specials and costume contests as well! But above all else, go for the classic hard rocking that Turner Up always deliver on! All three shows start at 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charge for any of them, and all should have 19+ age limits.

Should be fun shows, they're a fun band to rock out with, so make note of their Halloween shows all weekend! For more, check the above links, click here for the Vibe Lounge event page, here for the Foggy's event page, and here for a video preview of the band covering a Gavin DeGraw hit!

Finally, we head to Coch's Corner, where an annual Halloween weekend tradition continues! Yes, the famous Halloween party at Coch's Corner returns for a fifth straight year on Saturday night, and this promises to be a great night of music and Halloween entertainment! As was the case last year, the lineup is three bands, so here's what to expect! Headlining, in just their second live concert appearance, are local hardcore metal band WinkStinger! Fresh off their successful debut at the Zombie Walk afterparty, look for these guys to bring the house down with their very brutal and heavy brand of metal! Trust me, WinkStinger aren't to be missed! Also on the bill are horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight, one year after their live concert debut at last year's Halloween show, and also returning from the Zombie Walk afterparty! With a built-in horror theme and loads of Halloween-fitting material, there's arguably no local band better suited from the get-go to play a Halloween concert! Opening the show is a local band called The Mothermakers. They don't have a webpage of any kind, but I have it on good authority (Frightlight band members) that The Mothermakers are one & the same as Glamoween, who played at last year's Halloween concert. The only differences are the name and sound/theme, as they'll be playing old school punk covers this year instead of glam rock covers. Sounds promising, but I have no audio to go on.

Unlike most Coch's Corner concerts, this one will have a cover charge of $5. Don't complain though, as this show will go beyond what you typically see there thanks to the Halloween decor, atmosphere, and themes! You might have caught a glimpse of some of it during Frightlight's set at the Zombie Walk afterparty, but I won't spoil nothing if you weren't there. The show starts at 10:00 PM on Saturday night, and you must be 19 to enter. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I hope to be at this show, and hopefully a great crowd turns up for it! Who doesn't love a good Halloween party, after all? Check out all of the above links for more on the bands and show, and for a preview, here's WinkStinger playing their original song "Cheese Grader Face" at their debut concert!



That's all for public concerts this weekend to my knowledge, but also make note of the Halloween house party/music video shoot by Brimley hard rockers Half A Man taking place on Sunday night at frontman Erik Rintamaki's house! Click here for more details, but remember, it's a house party and not a public event at a bar or concert venue, so make sure of everything before you go. That's all for today, but stay tuned for a likely news post tomorrow or Saturday, and hopefully a review of the Coch's Corner Halloween show on Sunday! Thanks everyone!

New Videos And Songs From Four Local Bands!!

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates since Sunday. I've been bogged down with a lot of family issues and homework, so things have been regrettably slower than I'd like. That's about to change, as the month will end with a bang! There's today's post, weekend concert previews tomorrow, and a likely review of Saturday's Halloween show at Coch's Corner to come, with more possible as well! But today, we cover some new topics, namely, new songs and videos from four local bands! So let's begin today's post!

We'll start with videos, then transition to new songs, then back to a video at the end. And kicking things off today is brand new videos from Sault Michigan classic hard rockers Bad Side! They've been on what I'd consider a hiatus for some time now, but if you remember correctly, they did reunite for a pair of shows in the Milwaukee area in June, notably at this year's Summerfest in Milwaukee on June 27th! Well, four months later, video footage from their set has finally popped up online, with two brand new videos uploaded onto their ViciousMusic YouTube channel yesterday! One is a music video with effects for their song "I Could Make You Want Me", with video taken from the pro-quality Summerfest footage. It's nicely made, but I was hoping we'd hear the original audio in it! I really like this song though, it's one of my favourites on "...Bad Things Come In Threes"!

The other new video, which you can see below, is a straightforward live video of their song "Dig That Hooch" from Summerfest! It's also a good song, not as heavy though, but it's nice to see that Bad Side still sounded good and tight! Hopefully it's not the last time they play together! Check the above links for more, click here to hear their entire set on SoundCloud, and check out "Dig That Hooch" below!



Next up, local hard rock trio Browbeat have finally begun posting new audio tracks featuring their new lineup onto their Reverbnation page! Unlike the older tracks that just featured frontman Dutch Vanderploeg on all instruments, these new ones feature James and Rick White on bass and drums respectively! These are just live demos, but from what I'm hearing, they don't sound too bad! One's a brand new song named "Sorry", and I like it's pacing and energy! Dutch's singing is melodic and in control, and the guitar work is nice too! James and Rick play as well as I'd expect, and though it can get repetitive, it sounds pretty good! The other new upload is a redone version of their original "Walk Away", and though it's a bit bouncier than "Sorry", it's also well played, and the new lineup shines! I think the bass could stand to be boosted though, it sounds a bit washed out at times. Good start for the new lineup, I can't wait to hear more from Browbeat! Click here for more, and be on the lookout for new versions of their other songs!

Thirdly today, Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie has released two new solo tracks from his Animas solo project onto it's MySpace page, which was also recently updated to match the new MySpace page layout! One is a 2:13 sample entitled "Live For The Sunrise", which gives off the vibe of a progressive metal song mixed with very synth-ish sounds, and it works in a "marching" sort of way! It gets a bit repetitive after a while though, but to be fair, it's a sample and might not even be finished. The other new song is entitled "Squirrel Buddy", and the offbeat sense of the title reflects on the opening about wanting a little squirrel to be his buddy. Then, out of nowhere, the song launches from a low-key folksy vibe to balls out relentless death metal! The song has a lot of sudden changes in tone from lighthearted to brutal, but the vocals are very repetitive throughout. That being said, the song produced some chuckles from the comical non-death metal sections, and the death metal parts are extremely moshable! Good stuff on different ways! Check more from Mitch's Animas project at the above links, and stay tuned for updates on his "Hollow Hope" album that he's been working on as well!

And finally, here's one more video. I've been sitting on this audio track for a while, and figured that it'd be a good time to share it now, cause this band's back in the local news. That, and it'd make a good story to fill a post too! Last year, you may remember that Woods of Ypres released a vinyl single for their 2004 doom ballad "Allure of the Earth", from their second album "Pursuit of the Sun/Allure of the Earth". It featured that song, and a cover of it by Australian cellists Sebastian Simpson & Chris Doig, which I really liked. If you know me well, you'll know that I am a big fan of using orchestral elements and string instruments in metal, as it tends to give it a more epic and grandiose feel. So a few months back, as an experiment, I synced up the original version of "Allure of the Earth" with the cello cover using Audacity. It mostly lined up well, but certain parts needed tempo adjustments or faded audio. I liked the final product, and the cellos do add a certain something to the song, but only now have I posted the results onto The Sault Metal Scene's YouTube channel for you guys to check out! Remember, I'm not highly skilled with Audacity, so be nice if I messed something up, and NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED! That being said, check out my "orchestral version" of Woods of Ypres' "Allure of the Earth" below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews tomorrow night, and more by the weekend! Thanks everyone!

Zombie Walk Afterparty Review!!

Hey guys, I'm back from last night's Soo Zombie Walk festivities, and my review is the sole topic of today's post! Mostly the afterparty concert, but I will start with a bit of a recap of the actual walk, just in case you guys weren't there and want to know what went down! So, here we go!

I won't spend too much time on the non-concert events, but here's a recap. The Zombie Walk was hosted out of The Grand Theater (nice to be back in there) where you could buy t-shirts, professional photos, makeup, zombie books and artwork, and more! There were easily over a hundred zombies there to make the rounds for brains, including me in my black metal corpse paint, designed to look like Abbath Doom Occulta from Immortal. The walk itself went from The Grand Theater on Queen Street East to East Street, then through the park area in front of the library and the boardwalk before resuming down Bay Street before turning on Dennis Street, and then all the way back down Queen to The Grand. It was really fun roaming for brains, acting evil, and fighting the zombie resistance, as they shot the zombies with Nerf guns. Nice assortment of zombies too, from your standard rotted flesh ones to more elaborate themed zombies, like Zombie Jesus and a zombie waitress, who won top prize after the walk. After prizes were awarded, a zombie film festival took place, which honestly underwhelmed me from the lack of zombie-specific films, especially early. Good work from the filmmakers, but the title was a misnomer. Check your favourite local news sources for extended coverage of the Zombie Walk itself!

The afterparty at Foggy Notions immediately left an impression from their detailed Halloween decor, and you can tell that the staff are in the spirit of the season! I was surprised by the crowd in both it's large size and from the large presence of fans not in zombie makeup. I would have thought the crowd would be mostly zombies! The opening band was Wojtek, the band I had heard nothing about going in beyond their presence at Clusterfolk. I had figured they'd be some acoustic indie band, but they actually deserve more credit than that. Though not metal by any stretch, their songs honestly had a catchiness to them, though at parts, the music seemed a bit disjointed. The bassist deserved huge props for playing despite a hurt ankle (he apparently fell down some stairs), and it's nice to see a female drummer in a local band, playing southpaw, no less! Their big problem in their set wasn't their fault, it was the amps for the vocals, as I could barely hear the bassist or the guitar/keyboard player over their instruments. They're not my thing at all, but they admittedly exceeded my expectations! Couldn't they have gotten into the zombie spirit more though?

Next were, in their debut live performance, local hardcore metal quintet WinkStinger! First, I should say that it's great seeing Soldiers of Misfortune alumni Jonas Gasperas and Jesse Cook back on stage again, even if its while Jesse wore a garbage bag, which was amusing! The band mostly got into the zombie swing of things for their appearances, but where they really shined was musically. I was telling people last night that they stole the show, and it wasn't even half over! They were brutal in the best possible way! I think the recording quality of their demos is a detriment to how tight, heavy, and technically sound they were last night! Alan Wells is a great screamer, he reminded me of Peter Dolving from The Haunted with his tone and agression! I was also really impressed by Jesse and Jonas again, and not just cause I miss their old band. Jesse's solos were awesome and creative, while Jonas was drumming like a madman! And of course, props to Jason Ladouceur and Ryan Sherman for keeping the riffs and lines heavy and moshworthy throughout, and yes, some fans did attempt to mosh for their set! Nice to see, you don't get mosh pits as much locally as you should! Their sound was heavy and relentless, and the crowd loved it! I can't wait to see WinkStinger unleash their metal assault next weekend at Coch's Corner, cause they've got loads of promise!

After them were The Fury, the local band who are known for having two bassists and no guitarists. Paul Stanghetta and Tony Briglio handled their basses well last night on each song, which aren't genre-definable, but had their own levels of catchiness! At points, you sometimes forget there's no guitar. This was the first time I've seen them play more than three songs live since last winter, and it was nice to see the crowd respond well to them, even with a bit of moshing! There was some interesting cover sections and some well written originals that went over well, even if their style remains unique locally! Not metal, but good stuff, and nice to see them in zombie gear!

Fourth at the show were local horror punk/metal band Frightlight, who already fit the zombie mold of things well from their normal stage getups, but pulled out extra stuff last night! The band littered the stage with dismembered body parts and a smoke machine to better fit the theme! It worked, and I wonder if we'll see similar things at Coch's Corner on Saturday night? Musically, they were completely on their game, except for one of Rick White's guitar strings breaking mid-song, though he managed to finish the song and get the string fixed, so it was all good! Including their great originals like "Fright Night" (which seemed sped up) and "Dead Town", we also got some covers like The Misfits' "Helena" and Fitswitch's "Rust Angel", among other songs that sounded just right! I was particularly impressed by their newest song, "World War Z", which they played at the Browbeat show earlier this month. It was super fast and heavy, and I have a feeling it will become a live favourite! This was also their first live show with former Strictly Classified drummer Jeff De Rose, and he held his own on every song, and seemed very happy to be back on stage! I have no real complaints about Frightlight's set, they sounded just as good as they ever do, and I can't wait to see them again on Saturday!

Headlining were RedD Monkey, and honestly, this was the first time I've EVER seen them live, which surprises even myself. Wasn't the full band though, drummer Kevin Overton was absent, so The Fury's Joe Bumbacco stepped in for them. Woulda been nice to see Kevin though, I miss him from the Gates of Winter days, and who knows, there could have been a Smeltzer reunion if he was there! I have to admit, RedD Monkey are becoming one of my favourite non-metal local bands! Steve Mozarowski (in his best zombie dress) had some nice riffs (though his vocals were hard to make out), while his brother Pete rocked the cello! You read that right. Honestly, if you didn't see them, you might not have noticed that there was a cello, cause it totally blended well! I especially liked their cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" featuring Tony from The Fury! They're not really "metal", but RedD Monkey are very entertaining, and I hope to see them again soon, cause they're unique and have a bit of heaviness going for them!

Overall, this was a fun night of music from differing genres and styles, and the Halloween/zombie ambiance made it even more special! It was a great way to cap off the Zombie Walk, and hopefully it happens again next year! I of course got photos, click here to check them out or visit the SMS' Facebook page! And yes, I have some videos, so here's Winkstinger playing their song "Cheese Grader Face" and Frightlight playing their original "Scream"!





That's all for today, but I do have some news stories waiting for a new post, hopefully by Tuesday, so stay tuned for that and more very soon1 Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Garden of Bedlam), New Concert Videos, And Much More!!

One more post before the Zombie Walk for you guys, and we're packed with news in this one! Today, we have the first videos from a recent major concert, how you can get merchandise from two local bands, and the ticket situation for an upcoming show, but first, here's a notable LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

Garden of Bedlam are back! After a few months away from the stage following their supporting slot at the Kiss show in August, the local metal standouts will be playing a solo headlining show on November 12th in their first ever concert at The Rockstar Bar! This is the same spot from where they held their Kiss afterparty at, but does it surprise anyone else that Garden of Bedlam have never played a show there? And yes, this is the same show that was hinted by Buzz on their Facebook group that I mentioned last week. The group is also my source for information on the show. They will be playing two full sets comprised of the songs from both their debut EP and their upcoming full length album, plus covers, including some new ones! There will be a $5 cover charge, a 19+ age limit should be in effect, and a start time has not been announced. An event page will be posted online in the coming weeks as well. This should be an awesome show, pencil me in to attend this! It's been a while for Garden of Bedlam to play again, and I bet many of you guys will be itching to see them on stage again! Check out the above links for more, and I'll keep you posted with updates!

Next up, the first YouTube videos from Tuesday's Sevendust show at Kewadin Casino are now online, but surprisingly, these aren't of Sevendust. YouTube user Joe Niemi was at the show, and captured two cell phone videos of supporting band 10 Years, which are now on his YouTube channel! One is from the end of their set, where one of the guitarists (not sure which one) smashes a cymbal with a hammer in time with the end of their last song! I think it's "Shoot It Out", but don't quote me. It's only 61 seconds long, but check it out at this location! The other video is of 10 Years playing their biggest song, "Wasteland", and you can check it out below! Good quality for a cell phone, but note that the video is on a strange format as a result, so it's a lot taller than it is wide. Good stuff, huge props to Joe for getting videos from the concert! Now we just have to see what else pops up from it. Check out his video of 10 Years playing "Wasteland" below!



Now, here's some notes on local band merchandise, and we'll start with... Woods of Ypres? Wait, didn't they sell off all remaining merchandise prior to David Gold's move to Kuwait? Well, not completely. Band members Evan & Shane Madden have some merchandise hanging around themselves, and this will likely be your last chance to buy independent Woods of Ypres merchandise before Earache Records takes over that end of it! So what do the Maddens have that you can still buy? Well, they have all Woods of Ypres albums except "Woods IV: The Green Album", which you can buy for $10 each. In a package deal, you can get "Woods I-III" and "Independent Nature" for $35 as well. Plus, there are $20 Woods of Ypres t-shirts (no specifics beyond that) and $12 "Allure of the Earth" vinyl records as well. All prices are in American, as the Maddens live in Philadelphia. If you're interested in buying the last of the independent Woods of Ypres albums and t-shirts, e-mail your PayPal orders to woodsmerch@gmail.com, and click here for more details! Buy now, cause if you don't, it could be a while before more comes out!

Also on the topic of merchandise is this bit of news from local punk/metal band Destroilet. Remember them? We have heard very little from them since their May concert at Coch's Corner, but drummer Matt Waples announced that they will be selling brand new band t-shirts soon on their Facebook group! This is the logo that will adorn them, and I believe Matt designed it as well. He is a talented graphic designer, after all. They'll be available in mid-November in sizes M-XL, and they can be yours for just $20! If you want a Destroilet shirt before their next concert, e-mail the band at info@destroilet.com, and click here for more details! Also, Matt mentioned that Destroilet will be getting ready to record some originals in the next few weeks, with hopes to release the songs by year's end. I can't wait for more, I've been missing Destroilet! Check out all of the above links for more info!

And finally for today, tickets for the Grady concert at The Grand Theater on November 16th are now on sale in a unique way: online! Usually, online ticket sales are just for major shows at The Essar Center or Kewadin Casino, but this is through Beyond Borders at LopLops, who sell a lot of tickets for their shows in this fashion. They just don't have much metal, so it's new to us. Tickets are $15, which is somewhat steep, but Grady will deliver with their patented brand of country/metal, so it should be worth the cost! Click here to buy a ticket online, but if you want to buy it in person, printed copies are apparently coming out this week (thanks to Stephen Alexander for the info!) No word on where they'd be available though, presumably LopLops Lounge and The Grand Theater though. For more information, visit the official Facebook event page! I hope to be at this concert myself, cause Grady sure impressed me last year! They're not country enough to bother me, they have a nice groove to them, and they're LOUD. Hope to see a good crowd there, so maybe The Grand can book more heavy shows again!

That's all for now, but stay tuned tomorrow for my Zombie Walk afterparty review, with more news and notes to follow as I hear them! Thanks everyone, and I'll see you downtown!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: L'anguisette

Hey guys, it's time for our tenth monthly installment of our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Series! I have some news about this series' format going forward, but I'll leave that for the end. As usual for now though, today's profile focuses on a metal band that, though not based in Sault Ontario, feature a local member in their lineup! They're among the many bands and projects that he has been a part of in their musical career, and it's not his best known, so this could be new! So let's begin the profile, and if there's something incorrect, missing, or lacking info/details, please tell me! Also check the post below for previews of this weekend's concerts. (UPDATED: November 26th, 2014)
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L'anguisette (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Bianca Lindblad (vocals)
Joe Winiarski (guitar)
Greg McNichol (bass)
David Gold (drums)

Official MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/languisettemusic
Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/pages/languisette/62399432989

Local Info: Joining his vast array of bands and projects, Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold drummed for Philadelphia experimental/progressive metal band L'anguisette prior to his sudden passing in December 2011. You'll best know him for his work as singer, guitarist, and former drummer for local doom metal band Woods of Ypres, but David's also well known from his drumming work in other bands (local and abroad) like Gates of Winter, Necramyth, Will of the Ancients, Thrawsunblat, The Northern Ontario Black Metal Preservation Society, Proposition 86, and Mister Bones! Despite his death, David's influence is still being felt to this day, and hopefully his work in all of his bands isn't forgotten!

Band Bio: L'anguisette's early days were born out of a Philadelphia metal band named Enola that were active from 2002-2005, who featured three of L'anguisette's members, along with drummer Francisco Galarza. They recorded many demos and played live frequently in this incarnation, but would disband in 2005 to pursue other interests. Aside from some acoustic sets and recording sessions involving Bianca and Joe, the band didn't completely reform until 2008. They renamed themselves L'anguisette, and enlisted David Gold as their new drummer that year, with Greg MacNichol rejoining the band in early 2009. David recorded his drum tracks for L'anguisette's planned debut album, "Damning The Euphrates", at Stereo Soul Studios in Sault Ste. Marie that spring, but the band quietly dissolved after his death in December 2011, and despite frontwoman Bianca Lindblad's hope for a full release of "Damning The Euphrates", surviving members have since had a falling out.

Compared to most of David's bands and projects, L'anguisette are probably the most different, not that that's a bad thing! Their sound is much more melodic and not quite as relentless and dark as you might be expecting. Bianca Lindblad turns out to be a pretty good singer with a nice tone and melody, and though I expected some black/death-ish singing, this works just fine! I'm impressed with the operatic notes she can hit especially! The music as a whole isn't as "experimental" as I was hoping it'd be, but the band is made up of very capable musicians, so that works! Joe Winiarski has a good eye for his guitar, and he should play solos more often, cause his solo on "The Whore" is really cool! Greg MacNichol's bass is solid through every song, and David Gold handled the drums as good as ever, even if this isn't ripe for blast beats! The whole atmosphere of the songs is nice too, they all flow together well. Though their style might seem odd to those of you expecting something blacker, L'anguisette had enough talent and edge to take them as far as they want to go, and hopefully their album sees the light of day!

Though a release of "Damning The Euphrates" is in limbo, there are a few select places to hear L'anguisette material, most prominently at their official MySpace page. Three original demos, along with a surprising cover of Woods of Ypres' "Looming Of Dust In The Dark", are posted there, so check them out! They haven't played live since re-forming (as far as I know), so that's your best bet. A couple of scattered songs have also found their way to YouTube, including the title track, which David uploaded onto his YouTube channel in 2009, so check it out below!


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Now did you notice that I only did one band this month? Well, I have to be honest: I'm running out of known bands from out of town with local members, and I couldn't find out enough information online about Ninth Day Sin to give them an effectively comprehensive profile. In retrospect, I probably should have only profiled one band a month, but my foresight was admittedly bad. I have a couple more bands I can do at the moment, but I've really got to stretch this out so I don't completely exhaust my resources. So from here on out, I'm only doing one out of town band for each entry of this profile, and next month, I won't have a new one at all. Why not? Well, I'm instead going to update each of the old posts with updated info on the bands, members, their current statuses, and corrections, and dedicate a post just to the changes and edits so you guys are aware of what's changed. Just letting you guys know ahead of time! And, if you know of a metal or hard rock band from elsewhere in the world that has at least one Saultite in their past or present lineups, LET ME KNOW!!!

That's all for today, but there may be a new news post tomorrow before the Zombie Walk, so keep an eye out! And yes, I'll be at the afterparty, with a review, photo album, and videos on Sunday! Stay tuned for all that, and more!

Weekend Concert Previews, Including The Zombie Walk And A Cancellation!!

Well guys, it's time once again to preview this weekend's slate of local metal and hard rock concerts! Those, and related news, are the sole topic today, so in case you've heard about a big upcoming concert, I'll have the dirt on that by Sunday. Today, we'll preview five scheduled local metal/hard rock concerts, along with the events surrounding one in particular, but first, here's a cancellation.

This weekend's scheduled Caveman Morrison concerts at The Nicolet Tavern have been cancelled. Frontman Tym Morrison confirmed the news to me on Facebook Chat, and the event page for said shows has since been deleted. No reason has been publicized as to why the shows are cancelled, but for what it's worth, the band will play at a house party at Tym's place tonight instead! I won't publicize details on it out of respect for personal privacy, but if you want more info, send Tym a message at his personal Facebook page!

And for concerts that are still scheduled and announced publically (to my knowledge), we'll start in Sault Michigan for a local hard rock band's quick return to one of their favourite concert spots! Yes, Monkey's Uncle will be back at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino for their second weekend run of October, with concerts there tonight and tomorrow night! You may remember seeing them there two weeks ago, but if you missed them, now's as good a time as ever, especially with their lack of concert updating on their MySpace page! If they played a show anywhere last weekend, my apologies for missing it, and if it was advertised online, I'd surely have told you all! Just in case, my source for these shows is Kewadin's entertainment page. As for this weekend, the concerts will be at 9:00 PM tonight and tomorrow, with no announced cover charge. You must be 21 to enter both nights. These should be fun, as you'll get to hear covers and originals from a talented trio of local hard rock veterans who definitely know how to get a crowd going! For more info, check out all of the above links, and for a video preview, here's a clip of Monkey's Uncle covering Nazareth's "Hair Of The Dog" back from their Jager days!



Meanwhile, back in Sault Ontario, Turner Up will return to the stage for what appears to be a single show at Foggy Notions tonight. There was a Saturday show there originally announced, but it appears to be no more due to another concert happening there tomorrow, which I'll have lots more on in a second. So the classic hard rockers are scheduled for a concert at Foggy's tonight, but might there be some type of difference with it compared to what we're used to? It is on, don't let the lack of an event page fool you, but here's what I mean. Drummer Scott McClurg's personal Facebook page announced for fans to come see a special "emergency edition" of Turner Up at Foggy's tonight, where the band would "try to rock it hard". What is meant by that? I have no clue. My first guess is that a band member is unavailable or will have an impaired ability to perform tonight, but no other band pages have shed any light on this. I'll of course let you guys know if I hear what Scott meant, but just be warned that if you go see them tonight, things might not be 100% what you're used to.

Aside from that, expect a 10:00 PM start time, a $3 cover, and a 19+ age limit. Head on out and enjoy some classic hard rock hits, it never hurts to! Check out all of the above links for more, and click here to see some recent video footage of Turner Up!

And finally, it's the Saturday show at Foggy Notions, but before we get to that, let's go over all of the related events! Why? Because it's the second annual Soo Zombie Walk! Brought to you by The Arts Council of Sault Ste. Marie & The Algoma University Student Food Bank, this charitable event will see dozens of brain-hungry zombies roam the downtown core, and you can be a part! It's free to enter, but it is recommended that you bring non-perishable food items for the Algoma Student Food Bank. A full schedule is included at the Zombie Walk's Facebook event page, but here's the gist of it. Doors open for zombie preparation at The Grand Theater at 4:00 PM on Saturday, where you can get your face painted for a fee, buy official Zombie Walk shirts, buy signed copies of the book "Zombieland Weekly", and get professional photos of yourself. The walk itself begins at 6:30 PM as all of the assembled zombies will roam the streets for brains around downtown! Then at 8:00 PM, prizes from The Rad Zone will be awarded before a $5 zombie short film festival at The Grand Theater from 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM! For full details on these events and related news and notes, please head to any of the above links!

Now, we didn't talk about the Zombie Walk on here last year, so why are we discussing it this time? Simple: There's an afterparty concert at Foggy Notions! Yes, after the brain hunting and short films wrap up, head to Foggy's to enjoy a quintuple bill of local music! Luckily for you metalheads, there are two metal acts scheduled for the afterparty, including local hardcore metal band WinkStinger (in their long awaited live debut) and, fittingly, horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight, in their first live concert featuring new drummer Jeff De Rose! WinkStinger should deliver some brutal metal tomorrow night, and Frightlight are a perfect fit to rock out at this show themselves! Three other bands are also scheduled, including Toronto based (but Saultite comprised) classical/punk trio RedD Monkey, local guitar-less rockers The Fury (both of which feature local metal band alumni), and the local act known as Wojtek, who played at the Clusterfolk show this summer, though I don't know much else about them. Note as well that a band known as "The Coffins" were advertised on old posters or the afterparty (like the one on your left), but nothing recent online has referred to them, so I take it they're not playing. Could be wrong though! If you know anything about them or their status, let me know!

Admission is FREE for the afterparty, and you must be 19 to enter. Doors are scheduled to open at 9:00 PM, with the concert to begin after the film festival wraps up, so make note of any possible hangups between staying past 9 at The Grand. And make sure to leave your zombie costumes on too! For all details on the Zombie Walk, the afterparty, the performing bands, and any related events, head to all of the above links! I'll be there, in full black metal zombie regalia, and I hope to see you there, lest I crave your brains! For a video preview, here's (who else?) Frightlight playing their original song "Fright Night" from a show in July!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post likely tomorrow featuring updates from Garden of Bedlam, Browbeat, next month's Grady concert, hopefully some Sevendust fallout, and more! But first, our next Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile is TONIGHT, so stay tuned for that! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Total Chaos), New Woods Of Ypres Updates, And More!!

Hey guys, hope the week is going alright for you! I have some more assorted news to share today, and before anyone asks, weekend concert previews are coming TONIGHT! But for now, I have the latest Woods of Ypres updates, a new concert video from a major local concert (not the one you're likely expecting though), and more, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!! (EDITED 11:28 AM)

It's official: The Total Chaos concert scheduled for November 25th is a go, with a confirmed venue and everything! This long awaited show will indeed be taking place at The Oddfellows Hall, in a (sadly) rare concert there! This was confirmed on the Facebook event page and in an e-mail sent by promoter Aisha Day to attendees on Facebook yesterday. A run time of 7:00 PM-11:00 PM is listed, with no announced ticket prices or cover charges yet. Aisha stressed in the e-mail that she doesn't want people at the concert to be openly drinking or starting a scene at the show as a result, lest the cops show up. So if you're there and are drinking/drunk, be sneaky about it! And before you guys say that this isn't a metal show, remember who's opening! Local horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight and debuting grimecore band Shit Liver are still scheduled to open, along with Toronto-based classical punk outfit RedD Monkey, featuring ex-Gates of Winter drummer Kevin Overton! Note that the previously announced Bring The Fallen are now no longer playing at this show, likely because of their current lead guitarist search (more in a second.) More details are forthcoming, so be on the lookout!

Also, I recieved an e-mail yesterday from former Bring The Fallen guitarist Andrew Chiarello, where he explained why he left the band. Basically, he left to pursue other musical interests, namely in a more "rock based" band, though he is also working on an instrumental project with former BTF bandmate Dan Souliere as well. Nice to clear that up, best of luck to Andrew in whatever's in store next! And of course, Bring The Fallen are still searching for a new lead guitarist, so click here for more details!

Next up, here's the latest from Woods of Ypres, who have NOT broken up, just in case you missed the word! Their new record label, Earache Records, has released a full official press statement to hype the signing, and you can read it at this location! It's largely made up of stuff we've already read from frontman David Gold where he explained why the band made up the whole "band break-up" story and their excitement to work with Earache, but there are a couple of new notes! There's some nice comments and sound descriptions from the label, and at the end, it was announced that Earache Records will release "Woods V: You Were The Night" and reissues of their entire back catalog next year! I wonder if this puts to rest David's original claims of only releasing "Woods V" on vinyl and iTunes? It's also great to see Earache reissuing their older albums, but I wonder if they'll do just Woods I-IV or include everything, including "Independent Nature" and the "Allure Of The Earth" vinyl? Time will tell, I suppose!

Check the above links for more on this huge news from Woods of Ypres, as well as no less than TWO articles on the signing from Blabbermouth, which is (for my money) the best metal news site on the internet! Click here and here to check them out, and note that these are the first Blabbermouth articles with Woods of Ypres as a title subject in almost two years, since their December 2008 article announcing their performance at the Adrian Bromley Tribute show in Toronto! Good stuff, I'll keep you all posted!

Thirdly tonight is a brand new video clip from a major Sault Michigan concert, and no, it's not from the Sevendust show. Stuff from that is bound to show up on YouTube sooner or later! This is a 68 second video of Alice Cooper's most recent concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino, from August 18th, 2007 (Thanks to Duane Roy for letting me know which show this was from!) It was uploaded by YouTube user Duguay1711 on Tuesday, who oddly has mostly Detroit-area rap concert videos on their channel, so this is a clear outlier of a video. I'm admittedly not well knowledged in Alice Cooper songs, so I don't know which song is playing during the clip, but it's the portion of one of his more famous stage theatrics, where he's led to the gallows and hung! Nice quality too, but it is short. Check it out below, especially as videos from Alice Cooper's local shows are hard to come by online.



And finally, here's three quick smaller news stories in order by band name:

• Sault Ontario hard rockers Browbeat have launched a brand new Facebook page, replacing their now closed Facebook group! It currently has photos, basic band information, and a forum topic where you can discuss their best song, with more likely to come! Check the above links to become a fan!
• If you hadn't heard, Lion Ride's return to the stage last week at The Bovine Sex Club in Toronto was a successful one, as they made the Toronto Indie Week Semifinals at The Hard Luck Bar on Saturday! I don't believe they made it past that round, but congratulations regardless!
• Local experimental grunge trio SBD have released a new original song onto their Soundclick page! Named "HUAW!!! I'm The Best", it's short and very hard to define, it seems to meld a couple of genres together while still rocking! Not a bad song, it keeps their experimental style well, and hopefully they have more to come! Check it out!
  

That's all for now, but stay tuned TONIGHT for previews of this weekend's concerts, including everything you should know about the Zombie Walk and it's attached afterparty! Thanks everyone!
Lion Ride Semifinals
New Browbeat Page (group closed)
SBD - Huaw!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Death Rise & The White Knights

It's time once again for the fourth installment of our Defunct Local Band Profile Series, and for the first time, it's a double feature! Because the band I initially randomly chose for this month has no known audio online, I added a second band without available material to fill out this post, so it's a special two-for-one post today! So like with past months, these are profiles on two randomly selected defunct/inactive local bands from our metal/hard rock band links, with no prejudice or special selection for genre, membership, longevity, talent, quality, or prominence. Just as long as they have an internet page, they could be next. So let's begin this month's profile with our first band from the past! (Edited on August 21st, 2013)
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Death Rise

Genre: Punk/Metal

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics. E-mail me at robertfigures@outlook.com if you know of any omissions or errors to their lineup!)

Mathew Ladouceur* (Despised Eyes), vocals
Mike Ladouceur* (Skull After Betrayal, The Bear Hunters), guitar/vocals
Johnny Lowrie* (The Bear Hunters, Caveman Morrison), guitar/vocals
Adam Brett (Skull After Betrayal, Despised Eyes), drums

(The * refers to band members whose last names have since changed. Mathew & Mike's current last name is Vincent, while Johnny's last name is now Belanger.)

Audio/Video: None known from this band in particular, but members of Death Rise have produced likely similar music in other projects, notably Skull After Betrayal, Despised Eyes, The Bear Hunters, and Devastation of the Heavens, which each featured multiple members of Death Rise. Check the above links to hear them, but note that none feature the exact same instrument makeup as they had in Death Rise.

Info/Analysis: Death Rise only appeared to be active in the summer of 2006, and I don't believe they made it very far locally under this name. Members of Death Rise saw some local success as Devastation of the Heavens in the following months, but it's unclear from what is online as to how connected the two bands were. I'd assume that Death Rise evolved into D.O.T.H., but that's just a logical guess. Beyond two optimistic postings on their PureVolume page and a number of photos of the band, little was posted there concerning Death Rise. A Piczo page was also hyped, but if there was band info there, it's long gone. As stated above, your best bet to get a taste of Death Rise's sound is to check out band members' other projects, but from what I know of these guys, I imagine Death Rise couldn't have been too bad! Mike's a pretty good guitarist, and Johnny is talented at multiple instruments himself, but alas, I can't tell you much else. They sounded like they had some promise though, even if we don't have much to go on! However, their work lives on in a bunch of later bands, so check those out!
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The White Knights

Genre: 80's Metal/Modern Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics. The instrument makeup could be wrong. E-mail me at robertfigures@outlook.com if you know of any omissions or errors to their lineup!)

Ellyn White (Scattered), guitar?
Bill Merriman, guitar?
Charles Gibson (Fingerbone, The Pisstanks), bass?
Rick White (Frightlight, Redundant, Chronic Demonic), drums?

Audio/Video: I honestly have even less of an idea how The White Knights would have sounded compared to other bands I know their members from, but again, the above links could give you some ideas, so check them out! If I had to guess, I'd assume Fingerbone (later Half Past) would be the closest in overall sound given The White Knights' genre, but that's just an assumption. After all, Fingerbone/Half Past weren't known for 80's stuff, so who knows?

Info/Analysis: The White Knights were seemingly only active in the fall of 2007, and would have played a mix of classic and modern metal and hard rock, with a likely covers-heavy setlist. The name "The White Knights" was likely an allusion to Rick and Ellyn's last names, while the "Knights" part became a running theme for the band, including knighted stage names like "Sir Beer Drinker of Gord's House". With postings & topics on their Facebook group now removed, little exists online concerning The White Knights. They previously had a website on the now defunct Geocities (that was my source for Charles Gibson's involvement in the band), but it was only sparsely updated to my knowledge. Members of The White Knights later regrouped in two new bands, The Pisstanks and Scattered in late 2007, both with Redundant frontman Justin Langlois, but connections between the three bands aren't clearly stated online. Though I can't share much about The White Knights in terms of sound or bio, their members have clear talent, and it'd be interesting to see what music they would have produced had they stayed together!
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Hope you guys enjoyed this month's profile! Kinda hard to get information on bands who weren't active for long without known music to share, but I did my best to tell you guys what I could! That's all for now, but stay tuned tonight for a new news post, hopefully with Sevendust fallout, new Woods of Ypres updates, and much more, plus weekend concert previews and our next Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Thanks everyone!