LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Lion Ride & The Isosceles Project),Two Lineup Changes, And More!!

Well guys, as promised, here is that extremely packed new post! We have a lot more than just what is here now, but I don't like overloading posts and burying stories, so this is just the icing on the local metal cake! Today, we have news on a pair of bands with guitarist changes, the completed lineup for a major upcoming concert, and kicking things off, two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Lion Ride are coming back to Sault Ontario next month for their first local concert of 2011! Over three months after rocking The Canadian Nightclub at an insanely packed show, the hard hitting quintet will make their way to The Rockstar Bar for their first show there in over a year when they headline there on April 9th! Like at their last show, local country punk quintet The Billy Bastards (featuring Destroilet & Harsh Heads alumni) will open for them, giving a nice Southern flavour to compliment Lion Ride's punk inspired metal attack! Also, ironically, this concert is the same night as the Sewer Swampstravaganja concert at The Oddfellows Hall (more on that later), making this the second straight Lion Ride show to fall on the night of a major all ages concert (their December show was the same night as Soo Music Mash-Up.) There will be a $5 cover for this concert, you must be 19 to attend, and the doors open at 9:00 PM! This sounds like a great concert, and with the all ages concert preceding it, I don't know if I can handle all this great live music! I'll give it my best though, and if nothing else, I'll try and be there for Lion Ride's set! For more details, check the Facebook event page, and I'll keep you posted if updates come in!

Meanwhile, a few well known metal bands from out of town are coming back to Sault Ontario in May! Last August, you may remember a high profile metal concert at The Canadian Nightclub that featured Toronto instrumental progressive band The Isosceles Project and North Bay extreme metal trio Thekillingfield as opening bands. Well, they're both coming back to town, this time on May 23rd at Foggy Notions! This time around, The Isosceles Project will headline with their brand of instrumental and very technical music on their upcoming "Total Vandemonium" tour, with Thekillingfield set to devastate as openers! A third opening band is also confirmed, and ironically, they're also a three piece! This band is Orillia, Ontario experimental progressive band Like Animals, who possess a unique sound of their own that you'll have to hear for yourself! Check all of the above links to hear the three bands in question! Promoter Rich Moreland tells me there will be a local opener (which one isn't confirmed yet) and there will be a cover charge of around $4. I'd expect this to have a 10:00 PM start time, and you must be 19 to attend. Sounds good to me, I'll absolutely be there for this one, as all three bands are very talented, and brutal! Click here for more details!

Next up, here is the latest news from local hard rockers Sense of Truth! Drummer Ryan Haryett sent me a statement yesterday by e-mail to discuss some recent events and their long hiatus, so here's all that you should know! The band have officially parted ways with founding member & guitarist Steve Myers. The decision was due to artistic differences, and was completely mutual. As such, the statement said that the band "may be looking for a new member", which might not mean they will get one. Steve was a member of Sense of Truth from their 2008 inception onward, and it's definitely disappointing to see him leave! I wouldn't be surprised if his next musical work resembled his old Odd Man Out material, given the reasons provided for his departure. Still, if any of you guys are interested in the vacant guitar position in Sense of Truth, click here, and best of luck to Steve! As well, Ryan detailed the band's recent hiatus (not having played live since May), explaining that the band haven't been active lately due to the editing problems with their upcoming EP's artwork and scheduling conflicts. However, they have been focusing on heavier & more complex material since last year's studio sessions, and the band are "confident that things are finally progressing to a new groove"!

Ryan also confirmed that there was still no word on a release date for the EP, but they are working with a media company in Northwestern Ontario on some mystery projects. This 10 month hiatus sure has been disappointing for fans, but it's nice to know that they're still plugging away! Ryan's return from work out of town should help get the band back in gear, and when I hear more on their next steps, I'll let you guys know here, be it for their possible guitarist search, their EP, or anything else! For more details, check the above links, and e-mail senseoftruth@shaw.ca for any inquiries!

Now, to the other guitarist change in a local band, and in this case, it's an addition! Local horror punk/metal rockers Frightlight have quietly announced the addition of rhythm guitarist Kevin Powe to the band, officially making them a quintet! To go along with the horror theme, Kevin will use the stage name "St. Mayhem". Local fans will no doubt recognize Kevin as one of the original members of the defunct local punk/metal band Fitswitch, playing with them at numerous local concerts through 2007, and being featured on their "Rust Angel EP" before moving to Sudbury for a few years. Now back in town, Kevin will reunite with his old Fitswitch bandmates J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) and Rick "Styles" White once again, which will definitely be cool to see on a more regular basis again! Plus, his graphic design prowess will be put to good use even more now, hopefully! Surprisingly, this news wasn't publicized on band pages, though he was added to the band's lineups on Facebook and on Battle of the Bands (more on that soon), so there's your sources. It's great to see Kevin back locally for good, he'll add a nice dimension to Frightlight going forward! But when can you see the new five-piece Frightlight lineup next?

...at The Sewer Swampstravaganja, that's when! Frightlight have officially been announced as the last band on the lineup for this massive 12 band all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall on April 9th, replacing The Fury! Sounds good to me, and it's fitting to see the new lineup debut at a massive old school all ages concert like this! With that said, a lot of the lineup has been shuffled, so here's what's changed. Frightlight aren't co-headlining in the old Fury slot, they'll instead be playing at 6:00 PM, bumping Shit Liver back to 5:15 PM. Now in the second-to-last slot at 10:30 PM is Bring The Fallen (saying they don't break up), with WinkStinger moving up a slot to replace them at 9:00 PM. The Bear Hunters will also jump a slot on the lineup into WinkStinger's old 8:15 PM placement, leaving Sativa Rose to make a large jump from the 5:15 PM slot to 7:30 PM on this final lineup! The previously announced set times for The Tenagens, Changing Waves, State of Misery, Late & Loud (replacements for SBD), As It Stands, and RedD Monkey are no different than before. For full lineup and concert details, click here! This concert will be awesome, and even if I can't stay the whole night (Lion Ride, again), I'll be there for the vast majority! Stay tuned for updates as they come in!

That's all for now, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Rosie for their punk night, featuring Sykotyk Rampage! And yes, I have a LOT more news to share as well, so expect some of that tomorrow night as well! Thanks everyone!