LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sneaky Pete), Plus Lots Of News And Notes!!

Let's close May on a high note today, as we have a lot of news to share in this post! I would have had some of this earlier, but I've been busy with personal stuff earlier (it's actually my 22nd birthday today), so hopefully it isn't too delayed! Today, we have news on our post schedule, new songs and news from a pair of local solo projects, and this week's classic video, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Local hard rock quartet Sneaky Pete are taking the stage on June 11th for their third local concert! After a show each in both of the past two months, the band will make their first ever stop at The Vibe Lounge on Goulais Avenue for a night of hard rocking music! Slightly short notice compared to their last two shows, but the music will still be great! This concert will be at 10:30 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an entertaining show, and it's nice to see Sneaky Pete back out there, though I hope they increase their schedule beyond just one show a month! Stay tuned for more updates from Sneaky Pete, and click here to check out audio and video samples of the band in action!

Next up, here's the latest from a couple of local projects, and we'll start with Galactic Alignment, the new local death metal project from local solo artist, guitar instructor, and ex-Slackjawed Rats frontman Mike Libertoski! Mike has posted three new versions of their original songs onto the project's Reverbnation page, though the songs are merely re-uploads with bass tracks added. Good and heavy stuff with a lot of technical floruishes, and a jazz influence that adds to the material effectively! Fans and mailing list subscribers of Galactic Alignment's Reverbnation page can also download the newest version of "Melted on Sight" for a limited time as well, which is a nice bonus! I would like to hear some better production and vocals, but that'll come with time. Check the above links for some more really promising tracks from Galactic Alignment, and the more visits they get, the closer they get to posting videos too!

Also, two newer songs by local solo artist Mike Cliffe to mention, including A spacey techno number named "Spring Storms" that was posted last month, but we only JUST found about it now. Has a cool sound, but it's not a metal track. Give it a listen if you want some trippiness though! The other new song is "Salsa On My Shoes", which Mike called a "Sunday jazzy ditty." That sums it up well, and it has a light easy going feel, give it a listen if you want at the above link, along with many other varied original songs and covers (yes, there's lots of heavy tracks too!)

Also in news from local solo projects, Sault Ontario solo guitarist Mike Haggith has a few updates worth mentioning! The recording and writing for his next studio album "Space 82" is ongoing, as he's updated on his Facebook page, and he's also looking for cover ideas for the album! Got an idea? Give him a shout! Also in the field of audience suggestions, he was asking fans if they'd be interested in seeing a music video for his song "Limb Coast" at the abandoned Grace Hospital in his hometown of Windsor. That'd be cool to see, he's gotten some good mileage out of that building for photo shoots! He also announced that two back albums of his are now on sale at his official Reverbnation store, those being his 2009 album "I Hate My Life & I Want To Die" & his second "Best Of" album from earlier this year, boosting his total of albums on sale to 8! Hell, both can be ordered on CD too for a bit extra! Nice to see more of his back catalog online, check the above links to buy some more of his quality original music! And finally, Mike managed to get a video review of his album "Suspended Animation" done by the LaSalle rock project Dead Night Sky, and you can check it out at this location! Positive review of the members listening to the album online, it's worth checking out! Stay tuned for more from Mike Haggith & his solo material!

And finally, here's this week's classic video! This is relatively newer than the videos we've usually posted for this weekly feature, but seeing as this band's now broken up, I suppose people won't complain too much. As the new local death metal band Bring The Misery are debuting on Thursday, I thought that this week's classic video should be of singer Steve Rhodes & guitarist Ray Cowan's old band State of Misery, who broke up earlier this month. The video in question is of State of Misery's original quartet lineup covering Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell" from a jam session that took place around December of last year! This video was originally posted onto their Facebook group in late December by group member Joey Bourgeois, though I believe it was filmed by another person. With the BEST POSSIBLE INTENT, I have uploaded this video to our YouTube channel. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED, I want people to see this video like it deserves! The original video can be seen at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1262675383426. Good performance, sounds about as good as you'd expect State of Misery to have sounded, though I personally felt it wasn't an ideal song for a band of their style to cover. Good stuff though, check it out below, and go see Steve & Ray's new band on Thursday night at The Rosie!



That's all for today, but stay tuned, as tomorrow we have two posts, one of weekend concert previews, and one of just brand new Woods of Ypres videos! And yes, we have this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post scheduled for Thursday as well, so stay tuned for all of that! Thanks everyone!

News From Frightlight, Half Past, And Much More!!

Hey guys, here's some more assorted news for your Memorial Day! In this post, we have a potential new concert, details on an upcoming concert, and more assorted stories, but first, we have a double shot of news from a notable local band, so here's what you need to know!

Local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight have launched an official YouTube channel! Though guitarist Rick "Styles" White has his own Fitswitch-branded channel with Frightlight videos, this is a brand new official channel for the band, and despite only first uploading videos on May 4th, there's already 12 live videos on there! Nine are from what appears to be their set at The Sewer Swampstravaganja at The Oddfellows Hall last month, but the first three are from what looks like their live CD recording show in July at Coch's Corner. All of the videos have had post-production work done to them, specifically an old school black and white film grain to give them a more "horror" feel, and it works well enough! At least it fits their style, rather than just putting a filter on them for the sake of putting a filter on them. I suspect more videos will make their way to this channel when filmed (maybe at their Roosevelt Hotel show on June 16th?), and when more new footage pops up there, I'll be sure to let you guys know! Check the above links for more, and here's one of the videos from the "Official Frightlight Dead Zone", and it's of Frightlight playing "She Screams" at The Sewer Swampstravaganja!



As well, Frightlight have entered another online contest to try and win some awesome stuff, courtesy of a band page on The Mobile Artist Community! This is a largely mobile phone-driven music site that's offering a contest for Canadian bands that could see the grand prize winner getting a deal with EMI Records to release a single nationally through EMI, open for an EMI band, and other goodies relating to a record deal like this! Finalists will still appear on an upcoming EMI compliation CD which would get a wide national distribution. Frightlight are giving this a shot, and they'll basically get 3 chances over the next 9 months to be one of the highest 5 voted bands for a 3 month cycle. If this occurs, they'd be a finalist, and would be eligible to be selected as the grand prize winner for the complete EMI deal. Click here for full details. If you guys want to vote, you'll need a free MOA account (which is free and painless, but you'll need a phone number), and you can vote and sign up at this location! You can vote once a day for Frightlight (or any other competing band) by clicking on the "Vote for Fright Light" button. You can vote through text message too, but it's a longer process. VOTE TODAY, you never know how far Frightlight could get in this competition!

Next up, here's some details on another potential band you guys could see this year that are looking for a booking! Winnipeg hardcore metal quintet Scarlet Halo posted on our Facebook page yesterday asking if they could get any help to book a local concert on August 12th in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. I forwarded them to Dismembertainment in the event they'd be interested, but just in case that doesn't lead somewhere, I'll let you guys know about them! They sort of have a death metal-influenced hardcore sound, nowhere near screamo or "scene" sounds, and they are a talented group with lots of originals under their belts! I have a hunch they'd get a good crowd here, but that won't happen unless they get a booking, so if you're interested in booking them for a show on August 12th (or helping them to that goal), give them a shout at their official Facebook page! Fingers crossed, and as I hear of more bands on the quest for a local booking, I will let you know!

Fourthly, here's some more details on Half Past's return to the stage this summer! The band has now given added confirmation to their return gig on July 23rd at The Rockstar Bar, thanks to this new Facebook event page! The poster for the show, though sort of bare, does show off their nice new logo, and confirms that band members Alain Fletcher & Arthur Lacasse's new live sound company Double A Sound will be working this concert! This is the first announced concert that Double A Sound will be on hand for (barring any announcement to the contrary beforehand), so it will be interesting to see how Al & Art manage with their own sound! I have faith they'll do great! As you may remember, this show is also notable in that new frontman Jordan Rains will debut with Half Past, and they've also hinted that they have some "exciting news" to share at the show, possibly including giveaways of some kind. Should be interesting, and I hope to be there to see what all goes on! Check the above links for more on the long awaited return of Half Past, and I will keep you guys posted!

And finally for today, here's three shorter (though by no means unimportant) stories from the last little while! These are, as usual, in order by band or site name:

• As It Stands are now on Twitter! The local hardcore quintet launched their Twitter page one week ago, and it's so far given scattered updates largely referencing their upcoming studio plans for early June. Click here to follow them, as there's a lot more coming to mention there!
• The new local death metal band featuring 2/5ths each of Bring The Fallen & State Of Misery has fittingly changed their name from Bring The Blood to Bring The Misery, as announced on their Facebook page! The change was due to "popular demand", and I fully agree with that sentiment, as it's a better (and fairer) name overall. Check them out on Thursday at The Rosie!
• I have deleted two message boards from our listing of local metal-relevant forums & message boards (under the CD reviews on your left.) The deleted forums are Caveman Morrison's forum (likely deleted by the band due to inactivity) & SooNews.ca's forum, which came down (along with every other SooNews.ca site) in the wake of the changeover to it's successor, LOCAL2. So if you're wondering where they went, now you know!
  

That's all for now, but despite my own personal goings on tomorrow, I should have at least one new post for you guys, be it general news or one more Woods of Ypres-centric post. Stay tuned!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Lemmafest & The Darwin Project) And Much More!!

The news keeps coming today, and hopefully the rain's not getting you guys down at all! In this post, we have news on an upcoming concert, a new local band's lineup additions, some updates to one of our monthly series, and to start, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including one rather SHORT NOTICE one! Also check our post below this one from this morning for FIVE new shows that should get your attention! Now, to this post, so here's what you need to know!

I REALLY apologize for having this concert so late, I only just heard about it within the hour. Cheboygan hard rockers The Darwin Project are playing a concert TONIGHT in Rudyard, which is just outside Sault Michigan! Unlike their usual shows there at Joe's Bar, this show will be at Dan's Place, another Rudyard bar which is 18794 South Tilson Road. You may recognize it as a frequent stop for defunct local hard rockers Absolute, if that's any help for a reference. This show was officially announced in a Facebook event page on May 4th, but it somehow slipped me by completely, and I'm only just mentioning it tonight. Again, I'm really sorry! So the show tonight will have The Darwin Project taking the stage at around 9:30 PM, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details! This should be a fun concert, hopefully it goes over well! The Darwin Project have a lot of entertaining hard rock songs that appeal to a diverse crowd, and hopefully a good crowd turns out! For a video preview, here's The Darwin Project playing their song "Disco Rockstar" in Traverse City in January!



The other new concert today is now official as a "metal" show, and it's LemmaFest at Dondee Lanes on June 25th! In case you forgot, this is the first annual festival in honour of the late Michael Lemma, a well-liked Dondee employee who tragically passed away last July at the age of 38. There will be activities going on all day that you can get details on at this location. That said, a schedule has been released for the bands playing at LemmaFest next month, so here's who to look out for! At least 5 metal/hard rock bands are confirmed, starting with Great Bodily Harm at 2:00 PM! This is the local metal band featuring ex-members of I.S.O.M., Half A Man, Hammerspace, and Kilacel, and they have the talent to deliver a great set! If anyone has any band info, internet pages, or videos of them, please tell me, as I have very little on them! Speaking of Hammerspace, they've officially re-united and will be on at 3:00 PM themselves! It's true, they returned late last month, as cited here, and will be back to rock the Dondee at Lemmafest! At 4:00 PM, local hard rock quintet River Witch will take the stage to play some entertaining songs of their own! I wish I could tell you how they sounded, but I can say that guitarist Chris Leask will pull double duty as a member of both River Witch & Great Bodily Harm, which is cool in itself!

Then at 5:00, Scofflaw (also featuring a River Witch member, drummer Ivan Schliska) will return for a set of their unique metal music! Nice to hear about one of their shows in advance for a change, they'll fit in well here! Finally for metal bands, Munising metal quartet Infathom (featuring Sault High graduate Dillion Semasky on vocals) will hit The Dondee at 7:00 PM, and if you wanna check out their promising brand of metal, click here! Hopefully they play here more often! As for the other bands scheduled for Lemmafest, the show will be opened at 12:00 PM by classic/Southern rockers The Hixx (featuring Grooves Music owner Gary Hatch). A local band named Bucksaw may be playing at 6:00 PM, although band member Jason VanLuven expressed uncertainty about their status due to some lineup concerns. I'm not familiar with them at all, so if you guys know of a page or videos or something, let me know! A pair of local acoustic duos are at 8:00 PM & 9:00 pm, including indie cover duo Fallen Heroes at 8:00 PM (they opened for Buckcherry in March) & the more "offbeat" 2PumpChump at 9:00 PM. The last advertised band is Electric Motor Fish at 10:00 PM (featuring Shift's Tony Rogers & Clownsack producer Fran Blackwood), though The Hixx are also advertised to perform inside in the evening, implying that the LemmaFest stage itself will be outdoors.

The lineup is subject to change (it's in fact already changed once), so stay tuned to all of the above links for details! Also, I should note that Half A Man are NOT playing, despite their own preliminary confirmation, as they're focusing on writing and working on new songs towards their album. This sounds like a great event, and who knows what will happen for this great cause? Stay tuned for LemmaFest updates as I hear them!

Next up, here's the latest updates from new Kincheloe metal band Chained Memories! First, they've announced the additions of guitarists Jacob Zeeryp & Ryan Nicklas to the band, replacing Brandon Mason & Isaac Suggitt. Jacob is best known as the singer & keyboard player in the inactive area Christian hard rock band Outshined, and it will be interesting to see how he does as a guitarist! He was a good singer in Outshined, maybe he'll sing a bit with the new band? As for Ryan Nicklas, I'm largely unfamiliar with his work, we'll have to see how he does! The band (including drummer Mike Rynberg) are still looking for a bassist and singer to complete their lineup, so head to their Facebook page for details on how you can try out! I'm interested to see how the band sounds, hopefully they succeed where Silent Despair failed! Check the above links for more, and as details come in, I'll have them for you guys!

Finally, I wanted to go over some edits I made to one of our monthly series for accuracy, that being our Defunct Local Band Profile Series! There's enough changes to warrant a block mention like this, so here's what you should know! The AtrophiA profile was edited to further downplay the Bring The Fallen references, given their breakup, and include a couple mentions for Bring The Blood, which is AtrophiA guitarist Dan Souliere's new band. Both the M7K & Death Rise profiles now reference the fact that Mike Vincent (from both bands) left The Bear Hunters. The Lower S.E.S. profile now links to my review of their EP at the end, and The White Knights profile has a minor edit related to Justin Langlois' work in Motion Carried, as I mentioned his work with multiple White Knights members in later bands. Finally, the Life's Eclipse profile now features a new embedded video (for their song "Out Of The Cold", as it has vocals), as well as minor updates on the reason for their original breakup, their current album statuses and info, some extra personal thoughts on the band, and a tiny reference to Jason Mills' work in Moss. Hopefully everything's up to date now, check the above links to see the newly updated profiles! Any profiles not mentioned above were still basically accurate.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes very soon, including more from Woods of Ypres! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! (Unleash The Archers, Lion Ride, WinkStinger, Sykotyk Rampage, And Tym Morrison)

Oh man, this might be our most stacked post in a long while for new concerts, as we have no less than FIVE new shows today, so let's not waste any time! Here's what you need to know for these LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, in order by date!

Firstly, we have the next Roosevelt Hotel metal night, taking place this coming Thursday! Two bands are currently confirmed, as posted on Dismembertainment's Facebook page, including (in their metal night debut) Sykotyk Rampage! The "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet will take the stage for the first time since March as the advertised headliners on Thursday night, which is also being hyped by the band itself for a special occasion! The concert is taking place close to a wedding in the Becker family, and the concert's also going to double as a celebration of that event. Click here for their event page on the show! Also scheduled for Thursday are debuting local death metal quintet Bring The Blood, just over a week after their public launch! How will this band featuring Bring The Fallen & State Of Misery alums sound in their debut? Time will tell, but it'll be interesting! The third band, slotted in the middle for the show, is not known at present, though The Bear Hunters were briefly advertised before being dropped. As always, this has a start time of 9:30 PM or later, you must be 19 to attend, and there is no cover charge. Check the above links for more details!

This should be a great show with a lot of new sights, including two first time bands for these metal Thursdays, and I'll be there to rock out! Stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene for details on the last confirmed band and anything else that could come up! Also, the June 9th lineup hasn't been revealed yet, but we'll have more on these Thursday nighters later in this post!

Just two nights later at The Rosie, a HUGE show is lined up for next Saturday, and I've been itching to promote this on here for a while, but didn't have official go ahead or complete details until just recently. Three talented out of town metal bands who we've promoted the local gig searches of on here are banding together next Saturday to rock The Rosie, including headliners Unleash The Archers! This extreme progressive quintet have a melodic and very heavy mix of styles to give us, including elements of everything from power to death metal, and they're touring "through the astrowaste" in support of their new album this summer! I'm digging these guys (and girl), and you should give them a listen! Also scheduled are two Winnipeg-area hardcore bands, those being Wear Your Wounds & Abstract & The Artist, who'll look to devastate with their hard hitting metalcore sounds! The local openers are hardcore quartet Changing Waves, fresh off two straight Rosie appearances of their own! Good to see them getting an opportunity like this again, they deserve it! Admission is $5, but don't complain, as it's well worth it for this package of bands! Everything starts at around 9:00 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, check the above links and the Facebook event page!

There was a lot of talk, uncertainty, and preliminary word on this show in recent weeks, but now everything's locked in and official, and it sounds like it will be awesome! As with the show on Thursday, I should be at this one too, especially with bands this talented! Check the above links for all the details, spread the word on this show, and check out SooToday's article on it at this location!

Now to the last Rooosevelt Hotel concert I have for you guys today, and it's on June 16th for what should be the 20th Rosie metal night (assuming one is announced for the 9th.) Three bands are confirmed, including headliners WinkStinger, in (believe it or not) their first Thursday night Rosie show since January! Despite the wait, they'll do awesome at this show with their uniquely extreme sound! Backing them up are, in what I believe is their first Roosevelt Hotel show of any kind, Frightlight! The horror punk/metal quintet will add a different flavour to the proceedings with their heavy Misfits-influenced music, and they should get a warm welcome! Opening will be Sativa Rose, whose classic metal sounds and ever improving originals will set the tone nicely on the 16th! Nice to see a varied lineup like this, hopefully I can make it out! General rules apply, no cover charge, 9:30 PM-ish start time, 19+. Check all of the above links for more details, as well as Dismembertainment's Facebook page (check the "BandPage" tab) and as I hear more, I'll absolutely have it here on these (and future) Dismembertainment concerts!

The last two shows today are not from Dismembertainment, but they're still worth your time, so here's what you should know! Firstly, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is bringing his solo acoustic project back for a concert in Goulais River on June 17th! This will be Tym's first publically announced solo gig since the end of his bi-weekly Eagles Club engagement in March, and it will take place at a new venue for our coverage: The Zone Roadhouse on Highway 17 in Goulais River! I don't live in that area, so I can't comment on how it is as a concert venue, but it is a restaurant & bar of some sort, which would fit in the mold of some of Tym's past solo venues. This show has a 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and though an age limit isn't advertised, I wouldn't risk going if I was underage. You never know though! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's nice to see Tym's solo project back out there, and The Zone should be graced with some great music on June 17th! Stay tuned for news from Tym (and Caveman) Morrison as I hear it, and head down there for the show if you can!

Finally for new shows, Lion Ride are coming home in July! The local/Toronto-based hard rock quintet are coming back to Sault Ontario on July 2nd for a concert at The Rockstar Bar! This will be their first local concert in three months, following their April 9th headlining show which was also at The Rockstar Bar. The news on this show was officially broken on the band's Facebook page yesterday evening, along with details on a few other scheduled shows. No other details have came out yet, but I assume it'd have similar rules to the April concert, which had a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time. Openers (if any) haven't been announced yet, but if it's any help, The Billy Bastards have opened for them at their last two local concerts. For all current details, check the above links! Sounds like a great time, and this could turn out to be this year's "Sault Metal Scene Anniversary" concert that I like to hit around July 4th! Either way, I should be there, and hopefully you guys will be there too! Stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene for more updates on this show as well as they come in!

That's all for now, but I should have a new news post either tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned! Thanks everyone, and make note of all of the concerts we mentioned today!!

Rosie Metal Night #17 Review, Plus A Cancellation!!

Well guys, before I get to my review of last night's show and a cancellation, I do want to say that I have only two videos from last night & no photos. Why? Because my camera is officially dead. The reason why my battery drained faster than normal at the Fuck The Facts show was because it wasn't charging at all, and through some multimetre testing, I've proven that the AC adapter and/or charging port on my camera no longer work. So I brought my camera last night strictly to film as much video as I could before it finally drained the last juice on the battery, and as such, it died 1:41 into my attempted As It Stands video. That's not substantial enough to post given their songs' lengths, so I won't upload it, but I'll make it up to them! So I apologize for the lack of photos or an AIS video, but I hope to get a new camera for my birthday, for what that's worth! Now, to the review!

Yes, last night was the seventeenth Roosevelt Hotel metal night, and after a late start, the first band was Desbarats death metal quintet For All That Is Lost, who I was seeing live for just the first time! I'd heard promising things from them online, but how were they in person? Very impressive! From their opener "Graves of the Ancestors" on, they employed a lot of brutal, fast, and technical death metal that stands up with the best we have in the Soo! Tyler Sperry has really good death metal vocals that have some well needed clarity, though I found that his asking us how we liked certain songs didn't seem very confident. Their music spoke for itself, including some fast proficient drumming from Kameron Nicholson and some really cool guitar and bass work as well! With originals like "The Return of Dionysus", "Viscosity of Blood", and "Blood Law" in store, they shown exactly why they're one of the most promising bands in the Algoma District, and they had a nice chemistry and stage presence to go along with it! I can't wait to see these guys again, hopefully they're back sooner rather than later!

Second were local hardcore quartet Changing Waves, in their second straight metal night appearance! They were the advertised headliners, but they were quietly moved to the middle in the band order. No matter though, they delivered another high energy set that actually happened to take place at the beginning of frontman Benjamin Kallonen's 21st birthday! Luckily, he didn't mail it in due to his birthday being on, and the guys sounded as good as ever, possibly better than last week! Setlist-wise, things weren't much different, with originals like "Tital", "Jung Jung", and "Lockdown" getting some moshpits going in the (thankfully) growing crowd! Terrence Gomes is growing more and more into his role in the band, Mike & Alex Hagerman were as good as expected on guitar and drums, and Ben's stage presence continues to get better and better! Another entertaining set with lots of influences adding to their unique hardcore sound, and just wait til you see them next on June 4th (more in our next post!)

Finally was As It Stands, in what will likely be their last local concert before heading to Mississauga to record their new album! I've seen them a lot this year, but luckily, their talent and chemistry never seems to change between each show, and it was evident again last night! Justin Pregent, in particular, seemed to be on his best game, showing more energy and aggression in his vocals than I remember at their last couple shows! The rest of the band were on form, and as I say often, the sheer amount of movement and energy that Garrett Masters and Angelo Huckson have on-stage is always impressive! Originals like "One Last Chance", "One Less Than Wayne Gretzky", and "Conception" were in store for fans last night, which led to some high level moshing and a lot of entertaining breakdowns and heaviness that we ate up! I can't complain too much about As It Stands' set last night, they've never been better, and I can't wait to hear their album when it comes out!

Good concert overall, I had a fun time, although the camera issues and the delays before & after For All That Is Lost's set did put a dampen on things a tiny bit. Great way to kick off my birthday weekend! Here are the two full videos I got from last night, of For All That Is Lost playing their original "Graves Of The Ancestors" and Changing Waves playing their song "Bingo"! I'll make it up to you guys for the lack of photos & As It Stands video, I promise!





And finally, here's a concert cancellation that you may have heard about already. The planned all ages concert tomorrow night featuring Dancing With Paris, Horizons, and local openers has been cancelled due to the inability to secure a new venue for the show. Promoter/As It Stands drummer John Mignacca confirmed this in an e-mail to Facebook attendees this morning. The concert was originally scheduled for The Oddfellows Hall, but it was announced on Tuesday that it was being moved to a new venue for unannounced reasons. Nothing came of that until he let us know about the cancellation earlier today. I was hoping it'd find a venue, or at least stay at The Oddfellows Hall... I wonder why it was moved in the first place? It's disappointing to see the show cancelled, especially for Dancing With Paris, who've now had two local concerts in the same month called off, including their planned Foggy Notions concert earlier this month with punk and screamo bands. Hopefully they can play here again soon, it sucks to see a bad luck string like this! So the show tomorrow is not happening, sadly, but I have a feeling you'll see these bands around sooner rather than later!

Oh, and I edited yesterday's weekend concert preview post to reflect the cancellation, so we're not falsely previewing a show that's not on. That's all for now, but stay tuned, as we have a HUGE post featuring FIVE LOCAL CONCERT PREVIEWS early tomorrow! Stay tuned for that!

New Woods Of Ypres Videos & Interviews!!

One week after we last focused a whole post on Woods of Ypres, we're back with another post all about our resident blackened doom quartet! Today, we have a mix of videos and interviews, including a few new interviews in text, audio, and video formats, and kicking things off, a new concert video, so here's what you need to know! Firstly, here's a new live video from Woods of Ypres' concert at Station 4 in Saint Paul, Minnesota on May 14th, and it's of the band playing their song "Pining (For You)" from "Woods IV: The Green Album"! Uploaded by YouTube user SpaceKev from Black Wind Metal on Tuesday, the quality's really good on this widescreen video, though aside from the stage, everything is really dark. The audio's good but David Gold's clean singing isn't as clear as it could be. Solid video though, well worth checking out, which you can do immediately below!



Now to the interviews, and to start, SpaceKev also interviewed the whole band for a video interview on Black Wind Metal, which you can check out below! In the interview, the various band members discuss their name, their border issues, the Woods of Ypres cult following, their live sounds and instruments, their thoughts on "the rapture", and more! It's definitely a more informal interview than some I've seen, and it's cool to finally see a video interview featuring the entire band answering questions! Also bookended with introductions by SpaceKev, it's a good interview with lots of well thought out answers, so check it out below, and lots more at the above links!



Next up, here's some audio interviews, and this first one is long overdue, but I only just recently managed to get it to play. Tyler McCaig from the music site Vision The Net posted an interview with David Gold recorded during their March stop in Halifax, and you can listen to it at this location! It's about 10 minutes long with Woods of Ypres audio clips bookending it, and in the interview, David discusses how the tour's going, reaction to the "Woods IV" re-release, the increased recognition since signing with Earache Records, and their lyrical inspiration. Fairly to the point as interviews go, but it has a lot of good discussion and clear audio, so click here to give it a listen! As well, a podcast interview with Fearless Radio on May 10th has been posted at this location as well! Clocking in at over 16 minutes, this interview features David discussing his varied musical influences and lyrical themes, the sounds of their past albums, the complex themes and sounds of "Woods IV", and their upcoming tour dates. Good interview, and it's even capped off with Woods of Ypres' song "Our Union (In Limbo)" too! Lots of nice band talk here, check the above links to listen in!

Also for print interviews, David was interviewed by Sarah Kitteringham of the Canadian music site BeatRoute earlier this spring, which you can check out at this location! Shaped more as an article with interview excerpts, he talks about the band's new state of touring following the Earache Records signing, the band's musical evolution and it's haters, their plans for "Woods V", and most surprising of all, some real discussion of their fake breakup last year! Though short on interview content compared to other print interviews we've seen, it's a solid read that answers some questions, so check it out at the above links! And finally, a lengthy interview with David was posted onto the metal blog Malicious Intent on May 1st, where interviewer "Wulf" asks David about the reception of "Woods IV", how that album almost never happened, David's overseas work, their musical evolution and themes, their upcoming tour plans, his favourite places to play, and their upcoming recording plans. It's really long, but David's answers and replies are well worded and you get the vibe that he and Wulf had a nice long friendly conversation! Check out that interview at this location, and of course, the above links have much more!

That's all for tonight, but I will see you guys at The Roosevelt Hotel TONIGHT for metal night! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Garden Of Bedlam & Changing Waves) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, we have more news coming today, courtesy of our weekend concert previews! It's a smaller than expected weekend on the metal side of things, though this is partly due to a few cancellations. Full Circle (formerly Turner Up) were supposed to play The Canadian Nightclub this weekend, but the shows were cancelled due to unforseen circumstances (drummer Scott McClurg is my source), while Half A Man tentatively scheduled a show for Sunday night at The Bird, though it's been postponed anyway. There's still shows to get to, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, but we have one major new show I don't want to break the previews up with, so let's lead off with that! Here's what you need to know!

Garden of Bedlam are finally returning to stage! The prominent local hard rockers will take the stage at The Rockstar Bar on June 17th for their first concert in seven months, and just their second in ten months! It's been a long time coming for these guys, but with a new album forthcoming later this year and a ton of big stage experiences and lots of great originals under their belts, they'll be sure to melt every face in the building next month! Things should be similar to their Rockstar Bar show in November, as there's no openers, a 11:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I've been eagerly awaiting Garden of Bedlam's return to the local stage, and you can bet a packed house and a lot of great music will be present, including some surprise new covers! I just hope their's no issues with the venue sound like at the November show. I'll be there, and I hope to see all of you there too for Garden of Bedlam's next local concert! Stay tuned for updates!

Now to the weekend concert previews, and first, here's the SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!! My apologies for having this so late, it was actually announced on Tuesday, but my computer and Blogger issues made me bypass it. I can suck and/or be negligent, and I sincerely apologize for this being late. That said, the 17th Roosevelt Hotel metal night is TONIGHT!! Yes, Dismembertainment has another quality package of metal bands tonight, including headliners Changing Waves, in their second straight Thursday night appearance! With a lot of varied and entertaining hardcore originals, and possibly some free demos to give out, they'll be sure to make a big mark tonight! Fellow hardcore outfit As It Stands make their record 9th appearance at a Thursday Rosie metal night as the middle band tonight, in what is being advertised as one of their last shows before they hit the studio at MetalWorks Studios in Mississauga to record their new album! Should be good to see them again tonight, they're constantly improving and ready to throw down! Opening tonight are Desbarats death metal quintet For All That Is Lost, who'll make another roadtrip to rock the Rosie to it's core with their brutal original songs! Check the above links for more on all scheduled bands!

As always, this concert will start at 9:30 PM, there is no cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend. Check the above links for more details! I always like to load up on concerts over my birthday weekend (I turn 22 on Tuesday), so you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be at The Rosie tonight! I hope to see you guys there, and for a preview of TONIGHT'S show, here's Changing Waves playing their song "Tital" (also called "State of Emergency" on their setlist) from last Thursday!



Also this weekend is a pair of shows in Sault Michigan, courtesy of local hard rock quartet Monkey's Uncle! This frequently seen band will return to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino for concerts tomorrow night & Saturday night, as their new lineup (featuring new singer/guitarist Donny Newell) continue to leave an impression on the local scene! Not a lot is known specifically on the show, it seems about normal for their usual Rapids Lounge stops, though their pages aren't updated frequently enough to indicate any differences. So in that event, I imagine these shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Sounds like fun though, and if you're in the mood for some well played hard rock across the river, you'll wanna head to Kewadin Casino this weekend! For more details, check the above links, and for a preview, here's Monkey's Uncle covering Finger Eleven's "Paralyzer"!



(EDIT: Friday, 3:52 PM) The announced all ages concert on Saturday featuring Dancing With Paris, Horizons, and local openers has been cancelled. Promoter/As It Stands drummer John Mignacca confirmed this news in an e-mail to confirmed attendees on Facebook on Friday morning. The show was cancelled due to an inability to secure a new venue for the show, which was moved from The Oddfellows Hall for unexplained reasons on Tuesday. I'll have more on this in a post on Friday, so stay tuned for that, but remember that this show is no longer on for this weekend.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new Woods of Ypres-centric post later tonight (barring another Blogger maintenance issue or a computer problem), and I hope to see you guys tonight at The Rosie! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, Abstract News, Review Updates, And This Week's Classic Video!!

Hey guys, I apologize for the lack of posts since Sunday. I've been going though a lot of major computer grief (I think it's overheating too much), and I may have to take it to the shop soon for (at least) a look-over. That, and Blogger had more issues over the past day that prevented me from logging in to make any posts, and you may have seen similar issues when trying to log into your own accounts, comment on posts, or watch embedded videos. Luckily, those problems appear to be fixed, and hopefully we're done with Blogger outages already for this month! I wanna get at least three posts in by Friday, and we'll start today with a new news post, including this week's classic video, a bunch of updates to some of our feature posts, and news from a young local band, but first, here's a brand new band to check out!

If you're still bummed over the breakups of Bring The Fallen and State Of Misery, then I have good news, as members of both bands have united into a new local death metal band named Bring The Blood! This new band features State of Misery members Steve Rhodes & Ray Cowan, Bring The Fallen's own Dan Souliere & Travis St. Amour, and new bassist Kory Derasp rounding out their five-piece lineup. Drawing influences from bands like The Black Dahlia Murder, Lamb Of God, and Children Of Bodom, Bring The Blood launched their Facebook page yesterday. Aside from plans to post a band logo later today, there isn't much to say yet on their page, although postings on Steve's personal Facebook page pointed to demos being posted "sooner rather than later", originals and covers in their setlists, and a planned live debut next month. I was thinking it'd be cool to see members of these broken up bands uniting into a new band, and they should be impressive when they debut this summer! Their talents speak for themselves, though I'm curious to see how Kory Derasp does on bass, as I'm unfamiliar with his work. I do have one question though: Why aren't they called Bring The Misery? That would have fit perfectly! No worries though, I'll keep you posted as updates on Bring The Blood come in!

As for the other members of both of the above bands, we know Josh Stephney joined The Bear Hunters, and I've heard talk of Nick Kainula already working with a new band, but the rest of the old BTF/SoM band members haven't said much publically as to their next musical plans, if any. When I hear anything, I'll have it here!

Next up, here's some news from Sault Michigan hard rockers Abstract, who are really making a big name for themselves right now, especially considering their young ages! For one, the band were interviewed live on Rock 101 on May 13th during "Scott & Brian In The Morning", which is awesome news for them! It's great to see them giving some local exposure, and these kids could use it! A complete recording of the interview isn't posted on their Facebook page, but a video of the band during the later portions of the interview (and photos from the Rock 101 studios) are all available to check out at this location! I wish I'd have known about this beforehand, I'd love to have listened in! Also, a number of videos from their recent gigs are posted there, and before anyone asks, I didn't advertise them here because information was extremely lacking, if even posted, on them. That said, all their recent gigs have been outdoor daytime sets, usually at benefits, special events, and at stores, but I've heard good things! The newest unembeddable videos have the band covering songs from bands like Velvet Revolver, The White Stripes, and Blue October, and they show their talents well!

It's great to see kids rocking this young, I see bright things for them quickly if they keep this up! Check the above links for all current details on Abstract, and if you wanna see them live, they'll be at the IGA grocery store on Osborn Boulevard across the river at some point tomorrow!

Now, I wanted to update you guys to some edits I made to one of our special monthly feature series, that being our monthly CD reviews! I didn't edit the review content, as I want the reviews to reflect my original thoughts without going back and revising everything, which wouldn't be fair. I stuck to the album information and photos, so here's what's changed! Our review of Gates of Winter's debut EP now lists the band's complete lineup, which I didn't have originally. The review of Lion Ride's "Awesome" now has details on where it was recorded and mastered, who produced it, and who provided backing vocals, along with a replaced photo due to a dead link. The review of Fitswitch's EP has more current information on the lineup, including some more Frightlight references, a clearer and larger version of the album artwork, and completely replaced photos. The Stillbroke EP review was edited to reflect the fact that the album isn't brand new anymore, and one dead photo was replaced. The review of "Woods IV: The Green Album" now reflects that the band's then-lineup's current status, it's re-release through Earache Records, and a bunch of new purchasing links for the reissue. The Clownsack review for "Rotten Candy" is updated to reflect future lineup changes, a restored photo, and details on where the album was recorded.

Also, the Detroit & I.S.O.M. CD reviews have both had minor adjustments to reflect their respective inactive statuses, the Frightlight review was slightly adjusted to reflect the new year and other time notes, and the Lower S.E.S. review now includes references to drummer Mikey Bishop's work in Half A Man. Check out the above links for the newly updated information and photos concerning each review! All CD & EP reviews with no changes above are still basically accurate, though I have my eyes peeled!

And finally, here is this week's classic video! With a quiet weekend in the metal/hard rock scene, and it being too soon for another As It Stands video upload, I picked another higher profile video not yet on YouTube, and it's from Gates of Winter! This comes from their very last local concert before their 2 ½ year+ live hiatus, which took place on November 2nd, 2008 at The Grand Theater when they opened for Fuck The Facts! This is one of the few songs Gates of Winter covered after 2006, and conveniently, it's of Woods of Ypres' "Your Ontario Town Is A Burial Ground"! This was played often during the three month stint where Woods frontman David Gold drummed live for Gates of Winter. The video is nice quality and, oddly enough, the filmer travels around the floor to different points and views, which offers a cool perspective! The audio's great too, you hear everything perfectly! Brian Holmes' keyboard playing seems too light for the song, and Lee Maines does miss a few words here and there, but it's a very solid version of the Woods of Ypres standard, and as far as I know, it's the only publically viewable footage of Gates of Winter covering this song.

This video was uploaded to Facebook by David Gold not long after this concert, and can be seen at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=38221735671. As always, NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED! I want people to see this video, it's a nice performance, and it deserves a wider audience! All credit to this video goes to Gates of Winter, David Gold, and the original filmer! With that said, check out Gates of Winter covering Woods of Ypres from their last show in our burial ground (to date) below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews (including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT) and another Woods of Ypres-centric post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Half Past), The Isosceles Project Concert Preview, And Much More!!

One more news post before Victoria Day, and if you're home not camping or vacationing for the weekend, you can enjoy today's slate of news on The Sault Metal Scene, including new songs from a handful of local hard rock acts, some assorted stories from across the river, and a preview of a big metal concert taking place tomorrow night, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Local hard rockers Half Past are returning to the stage in July! The band will make their long awaited debut with new singer Jordan Rains when they return to The Rockstar Bar on July 23rd for what should be an interesting return show! This will be their first concert appearance in five months, following their return from a lengthy hiatus in February, in what would also be their last concert with then-frontman Luke LeBlanc. Though hinted at without a concrete public date late in a post on their Facebook page last month, they've since quietly posted the show with date on their Reverbnation page, and cause it's publically viewable, it looks official enough to call it. This show has a listed start time of 10:30 PM start time, it is a 19+ show, and a cover charge isn't listed. Check the above links for more details! It's great to see Half Past getting back out there, and with this show and their sets at Hempfest lined up, here's hoping they'll be back in their rightful spot in the scene very soon! And yes, the curiosity about how Jordan will sound with Half Past will be in full force as well, but I have faith he'll do just fine! I should be at their July return, and stay tuned for updates as I hear them!

Now to a big concert preview, as Dismembertainment are bringing you another high quality package of metal tomorrow night at The Roosevelt Hotel! Three out of town bands are making their way here tomorrow, all of which are very familiar with the Soo, including headliners The Isosceles Project! Last seen locally in August at The Canadian Nightclub, this Toronto-based all-instrumental progressive metal trio will be sure to turn heads tomorrow night with their highly proficient and technical sounds! North Bay experimental metal trio Thekillingfield (who also played at that August concert mentioned above) are also scheduled for tomorrow night, with a highly brutal and relentless sound that will surely get us moshing! Toronto hardcore punk band The Endprogram are also on for tomorrow as a late replacement for Orillia metal band Like Animals, who dropped out for unexplained reasons. Also no strangers to Sault Ste. Marie, The Endprogram just headlined at Coch's Corner last month, and their punk-inspired hardcore attack will find lots of fans tomorrow! The local openers are extreme metal quintet WinkStinger, who'll look to unleash a bottle of fury on their fans just two weeks after opening for Fuck The Facts! Check the above links for more on each band playing tomorrow night!

Admission is $4 for this concert, and before you complain about the price, keep in mind that it's just a dollar a band, it's worth the money! Doors open at 9:00 PM with it likely starting not long after, and it's definitely a 19+ event. I should note that, at least as recently as Thursday, The Rosie was increasing security on checking ID, so make sure you have ID cards on you. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! There's no better way to spend Victoria Day on the long weekend then by rocking out with 4 great bands at The Rosie, so I hope to see all you guys there tomorrow night! For a preview, here's The Isosceles Project playing their original "The Factory" from their 2008 live DVD!



Now, we have some new songs from a handful of local hard rock acts, and first, former Browbeat mainman Dutch Vanderploeg's new Training Snakes project has finally posted their first song! Posted on their Reverbnation page earlier this month, it's a solid hard rocker, though the production seems slightly off, and the drums don't sound all that clear. Dutch's voice seems impaired too, possibly due the vocal issues he had that helped cause Browbeat's demise earlier this year. I'd like to hear this song with some better production and possibly with a different singer, but I see a lot of promise with it, and check the above links to hear it! As well, local industrial project Riverin (featuring past & present members of Dirty Virgin) have posted a new song named "Trenches" onto their Reverbnation page! A slower and more deliberate song, Matt Hicks' vocals are getting more aggressive, and it still has some industrial flourishes to set it apart! Parts feel empty, but it has good pacing and would be a good addition to their EP if they opt to include it when it's released! Check the above links to hear "Trenches" and many more songs from Riverin!

Also for new songs, veteran local guitarist Mike Cliffe has three new songs on his Reverbnation page to mention as well! One's called "Cinderella Run", as inspired by my comments on his surprising semifinal run in our March Mayhem tournament, and it's a softer experimental guitar track with a dreamlike quality, though not skimping on some good guitar playing either! Not a whole lot to say on it, Mike's showing his impressive guitar range here! Also posted is a cover of Frank Zappa's songs "Wedding Dress" and "Handsome Cabin Boy", which has a more energetic bouncy pace fitting of a Zappa song like this, though it does go by too quickly! I like it, but if you're looking for heaviness, you'll wanna hear his other new song "Vote No To Elections", which has a hard charging riff, though it seems layered under some higher experimental sounds for much of the song. Pretty good though! Mike's varied work continues to impress, and if you check out his material at the above links, you're bound to find lots of stuff to enjoy, so check his work out at the above links, and watch out for more from him soon!

And finally for tonight, let's close with a trio of shorter stories from the last little while! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• In case you were wondering, Sault Michigan hard rockers Clownsack's new EP "Funny Farm" is indeed on sale at Grooves Music across the river! This is the only place I know of that's physically selling the EP at present, and it goes for $5 American. Thanks to Schloppy for the info, and definitely give it a listen!
• I deleted the defunct Eckerman, Michigan metal quintet Moss (of Eckerman) from our band links, as band member Jason Mills (of Life's Eclipse fame) opted to delete the page due partly to his lack of satisfaction for the material. For archival sake, I did save the posted songs & bio information, just in case, as I didn't want everything lost for good. So if you're wondering where Moss went, now you know!
• Sault Ontario metal band Skull After Betrayal are looking for a full time singer. They're looking for one with a hardcore base, as the band are hoping to transition away from a death metal sound, though growling and clean singing are also being sought in their ideal singer package. If you (or someone you know) are interested, contact frontman Mike Vincent at this location!
  

That's all for tonight, but have a good Victoria Day, stay tuned for my Soo Stories review this week (along with more news), and I'll see you guys at The Rosie tomorrow night1 Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Saigon Hookers) & New Videos!!

The holiday weekend is on, the Rapture is avoided, and The Sault Metal Scene keeps rolling on! Today's post is mostly video-related, as we have a new rehearsal video from a local band, a new demo from another band, and a recent TV appearance that you may have seen, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Kitchener hard rockers The Saigon Hookers are coming back to Sault Ontario! Last seen on March 4th, the good friends of Lion Ride will play in town for just the second time when they return to The Rockstar Bar on June 25th! The news was broken on the band's Facebook page on Thursday, with the show also listed on the band's itinerary on Reverbnation. Doors are listed to open at 9:00 PM, but further details aren't given on the concert. For what it's worth, The Saigon Hookers' March show didn't have an announced cover charge and it was 19+, so I'd assume these would be similar the second time around. I also figure there will be an opening band, which hasn't been announced yet, but for reference sake, punk supergroup Brad Example & The Role Models filled that role in March. Check the above links for all current details! The Saigon Hookers were really fun to see live when they played here the first time around, and here's hoping I can check them out next month too! Stay tuned to The Sault Metal Scene for updates as they come in!

Now we have a three way dance of new local videos, and first, here's a brand new Life's Eclipse demo! The Eckerman, Michigan quartet uploaded this track onto the Werehold Records YouTube channel yesterday, and it's the full version of their song "Out Of The Cold" from their "Deeper In The Woods" album! This was previously posted as a one minute instrumental demo, but was deleted and replaced with this longer version! It;s actually just the second full song with vocals that we've heard from the band (following the demo of "Red Dawn" from their MySpace page), and how do they sound? Very good, harsh and suited to the song, but unique at the same time! Very heavy track, and it's nice to hear a lot more of this song compared to the original upload! It ends abruptly, but it's well played and you can hear the talent readily! So here's the new version of Life's Eclipse's "Out Of The Cold", with vocals!



Also new for videos is that first Gates of Winter rehearsal video! It was only hinted due to the "rehearsal 002" video that guitarist Bryan Belleau posted on Tuesday, which implied there'd be a "001", and it's now up on frontman Lee Maines' own YouTube channel! Like the second rehearsal video (which Lee also uploaded), this is under a minute long, but this just features Lee playing new riffs by his desk. Nice and brutal, as I'd expect, with the technical flourish we've came to expect! Not a whole lot to say on it, but if you want 58 seconds of preview metal from 1/5th of Gates of Winter, check the video out below!



And finally, as you may have heard, local hardcore quintet As It Stands were recently on Shaw TV! The band were featured in a interview/performance on Channel 10 (if you have Shaw) once every half hour on rotation all this past week, as conducted with Shaw TV's Christian Lemay. The interview features all 5 members of As It Stands discussing their musical influences, the band's history, their songwriting process, their touring and recording plans, and much more! As for the performance, clips of the band playing their original "Conception" at The Roosevelt Hotel were specially filmed for the piece, and were shown between the interview portions. With rotation of the interview likely to cease tomorrow with the beginning of a new week, I figured I should save the piece as best as I could, so last week, I propped my camera in front of my TV and filmed it for perseverance! I apologize for the quality, I don't have proper capturing equipment or programs for television broadcasts. I have no clue if any sites or pages would have this video posted in it's original quality after the fact, so I figured I should upload it just in case. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit goes to As It Stands, Christian Lemay, Shaw TV, and Shaw Cable, they did all the hard work and deserve the attention!

Good video, overall! The performance clips are as good as you'd expect, and it's nice to see high quality video at The Rosie! The interview is different in that Christian Lemay isn't shown on camera asking the band questions, with the band passing the microphone between them to narrate the video themselves, which works well enough! It's always good to see some TV exposure for any local band, and in case you missed As It Stands on Shaw TV this week, you can check out the video below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned tomorrow for a new news post featuring a bunch of new songs, a preview of Monday's Isosceles Project concert, and more! Thanks everyone!

Rosie Metal Night #16 Review, Plus Info On Changing Waves' Demo!!

Hey guys, it's time for our latest concert review, as I was back at The Roosevelt Hotel last night for the sixteenth metal night, courtesy of Dismembertainment! I'll also include information on the demo given out by one of the bands last night as well, so keep an eye out for that, but let's begin with the actual concert review!

First was local hardcore quartet Changing Waves, making this the first time I've ever seen them at a venue other than The Oddfellows Hall. This actually is the longest set of theirs I've seen too, given that they didn't have to share the stage with as many bands, so they had lots of time to impress the crowd, and they sure did! They seem to be diversifying their sound more and more, and seem to be using a lot of influences and sounds into their brand of hardcore, which I welcome! Though the promising "Let's Try It Again" wasn't played, a punk-sounding track named "Jenny" with no screaming was on the setlist, which didn't sound too bad. Their hardcore songs like "Jung Jung", "Lockdown", and "Divine Intervention" got fans going, and their cover of System of a Down's "Suite-Pea" was well recieved! I was glad to see Benjamin Kallonen's stage presence improved to the point where he looked at the audience for the set, and luckily, his screaming was brutal & clear! Mike Hagerman was great on guitar, probably the best I've seen from him in Changing Waves, and Terrance Gomes was solid on bass, even when operating sans one string for the end of their set! Alex Hagerman kept the beat really well on drums also, no real complaints there! Good set, I see bright things if Changing Waves stay on this track!

Second were Sativa Rose, and if there was a local metal definition for "stealing the show", their picture would be beside it for last night! The classic metal quartet were rocking out on guitarist Anthony Orazietti's birthday, and he was on fire last night! Actually, so were the rest of the band, especially Andrew Angelic, who also tore things up on guitar on each song, with a seemingly permanent smile on his face throughout! Adam Veale's bass work was great too, and compimented each song, while Alex Palmer's drumming was as good as I expected! Their only glaring flaw was in vocals, an area where neither Adam nor Andrew excel, and to be honest, it does hurt vocal-intensive songs like their Iron Maiden covers. Their originals were in full force last night, with the 7 minute-plus "Bellows of the Beast" serving as a blistering guitar showcase that us fans ate up! Late in the set, Dismembertainment head Rich Moreland joined in on vocals for a cover of Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell" (with Bear Hunters singer Nik Deubel) & another new Sativa Rose original, which were cool! The vocals just blended together for the Pantera cover, but Rich sounded like a key part of Sativa Rose on the original, very brutal work! Awesome set from these guys, all they need now is a singer, and then, the sky's the limit!

...oh yeah, Sativa Rose are formally looking for a singer, as they publically announced last night, so if you or someone you know are interested, give the band a shout at their official Facebook page, cause you never know! They'll need someone really good though, given the songs they cover (everything from Gwar to Iron Maiden) and the style they employ, so keep that in mind. Best of luck, the guys deserve a great frontman (or woman? Who knows!)

Headlining were grimecore trio Shit Liver, in what's actually the third time I've seen them in the last two months, all at The Rosie! You'd think I'd be running out of things to say about them after seeing them so often this spring, but they had some new stuff to make note of! For one, there was no string breakage incidents, so their barrage of originals like "Shit Liver", "Friendly Old (Uncle Joe)", and "Contribute or Perish" was uninterrupted! Along with expected originals from bands like O.B.C.D., Macabre, and Dystopia, Shit Liver broke out some surprises, including a set-opening cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" (imagine that with growling), the return of the MXC theme song, and in a cool surprise, a cover of Green Jelly's "The Three Little Pigs" featuring Rich Moreland on vocals, and 2/3rds of the band (Josh Penno & Matt Baic) switching instruments! Not a bad cover, and interesting to hear in a death metal style! Funny song too, gotta love Green Jelly! On the whole, Shit Liver's crusty death metal sound really hasn't changed beyond the songs they add to their sets, but they got some moshing going and employed a relentless energetic (and Brava-fueled) assault onto the crowd, and they ate it up! Still a polarizing sound, but moshers wouldn't notice that anyway, so it's all good!

Solid night of metal last night, and it did me good to get out and enjoy myself after some recent personal disappointments. I'll be back on Monday for The Isosceles Project & Thekillingfield, and I hope to see you guys there! Yes, I got photos, so click here to check them out (or visit our Facebook page), and I also got videos! Here they are, Changing Waves' song "State of Emergency", Sativa Rose's lengthy original "Bellows of the Beast", and Shit Liver's cover of Dystopia's "Stress Builds Character"!







Finally for today, how about that demo from last night? Here's what you should know! After their set, Changing Waves singer Benjamin Kallonen handed out a free demo to fans in attendance, and yes, I have a copy! Entitled "Demolisten" (sounds like "demolition" on purpose, I assume), these were handburned with custom marker designs on each disc and jewel case, with only relevant information and a logo sticker carrying over on each. Mine has the track listing on the back, and everything else on the CD, but this varied depending on the CD & case. Now, because it's just a blank CD with drawn on information and designs, it doesn't really count as an official "release" for our purposes (it'd need proper labels and presentation), but the quality isn't too bad for the six songs ("Tital", "What's It Supposed To Do", "Jung Jung", "Jenny", "Lockdown", and "Away"), and their varying influences are on display here! Not bad at all, it's nice to have clearer versions of their originals, and for free, it's a great value! Keep an eye out at their next concert, as they could have more free copies of "Demolisten"!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post featuring a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT either tonight or tomorrow! Thanks everyone!