Sunday, December 18, 2011

Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's Poll!!

It's the 18th of the month, so it's time to show the results of the past month's poll on The Sault Metal Scene, and launch our brand new poll! Before we get to the new poll, let's see how you guys voted on last month's poll, where I posed this question to you guys: What's your favourite NEW local metal band of 2011? 31 people voted, which isn't a bad total, and of the non-"Other" votes, only 5 votes separated Sault Ontario and Sault Michigan bands, which is nice to see in terms of bands across the river getting picked! So, what bands did you guys pick for your favourite new local metal bands of the year? Here are the results!
Other (10 votes, 32%) View To A Kill (9 votes, 29%) Swayze Train (4 votes, 13%) Banned (2 votes, 7%) Bring The Misery (2 votes, 7%) The Highest Of Fives (1 vote, 3%) Great Bodily Harm (1 vote, 3%) Skull After Betrayl (1 vote, 3%) Sounds From The Green Room (1 vote, 3%) NoXcape (0 votes) Beyond The Surface (0 votes)
What do you guys think? Well, the score is definitely skewed towards two choices, but let's go in ascending order. I'm surprised that NoXcape got no votes given their members and quick rise earlier this year, though for Beyond The Surface, they still need some more local exposure. Of the 1 vote choices tied for 6th place, I'm most surprised that Skull After Betrayl didn't get more votes, but I like seeing three bands with no online pages getting some love from voters! Two bands shared 4th place with 2 votes each, and I'm honestly a bit surprised to see Bring The Misery score high despite their longevity, though I can understand Banned getting votes like that! In third with 4 votes was Swayze Train, the highest voted Sault Michigan band in the poll, and it's great to see them get lots of support as a favourite new area band this year! By far, the highest voted band was Sault Ontario deathcore quartet View To A Kill, scoring 9 votes on the heels of a fast rise in the scene over the past few months, and it's awesome to see them get this kind of support! However, the winning choice with 10 votes and 32% of the total was "Other", though it's doubtful everyone voted for the same band in this instance. I wonder why "Other" got so many picks? Maybe support for very new bands like General Striker or the possibly-metal T. Rex Manning made up some of that, or maybe fans of bands who've never played live, new non-metal bands, or even ones who formed in 2010 cast some votes. I don't know for sure, but it's interesting to see the final results. Thanks to everyone for voting! So what's this month's poll going to be? Originally, I was going to make it another "Favourite _____ of 2011" poll, but honestly, until Garden of Bedlam's CD release show takes place on Boxing Day, any poll of this type would be incomplete, as I couldn't go without including a show this big or an album this anticipated as a choice for those polls. Those are still coming early next year, so stay tuned then for them! This month, I'm going to try another "pick a band" poll, this time revolving around bands that aren't from here, but happen to feature one or more Saultites in their lineup. We cover one a month in our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Series, and many of them have been seen locally in the past, but I'm sure you guys have favourites and would like to see certain ones live in the Sault area down the road. In that spirit, I'm posing this question to you guys this month: "Which ACTIVE out of town band with a Saultite in their lineup do you most want to see next at a local concert?" I've chosen 15 bands for this poll, including 3 we've yet to formally profile on the SMS, so you guys can debate on which ones you'd like to see play a show here. Note that we're trying with Michigan bands again this month too, so hopefully they get a good response again! Note that I've excluded out of town bands that have broken up/became inactive (i.e. Papa Fogals Chair & Sadomasochism), who've never played live (like Thrawsunblat), or no longer have a local member (i.e. Will of the Ancients or Jar.) from this poll. Just active gigging bands with local members currently in their lineups are listed. Also, I'm using a different poll format this month due to changes that corrupted the code on AddPoll (specifically for sizing), so I'm trying out PollCode this month. Appearance aside, the only difference is you can now vote for multiple choices if you want to, though you can still only vote once if you pick 2+ bands. Now, let's go over this month's choices! Beyond Haven: We haven't covered this band on here before, but former Saultite Jason Graham is Beyond Haven's lead guitarist, and they're a frequent sight in the Barrie, Ontario concert scene, so they fit very well for this poll! With an energetic modern hard rock sound, they'd be great to have here in town for a show, but would you agree with that? (Thanks to Rick White for telling me about Beyond Haven's local connections!) Fifth Way: No strangers to the Sault Ste. Marie area, this Detroit hard rock quintet (featuring Rudyard native & LSSU graduate Zak Stelmaszek on guitar) have played twice in Sault Michigan, opening for Tesla & Three Doors Down respectively at two huge Kewadin Casino concerts last year! With an album in stores and a continuously growing name, are Fifth Way your top pick to rock the area again down the road? Gravity Crash: This Lethbridge, Alberta hard rock band featuring veteran local guitarist Paul Melanson have quickly rose up the ranks this year, notably winning a series of battles of the bands to open for Nazareth in July. They continue to play frequently in Alberta, but would you like to see Paul bring Gravity Crash's entertaining hard rock sounds home to Sault Ste. Marie in the future? The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles: One of many Windsor-area bands featuring Sault Ontario native Ash Richtig, THSMM have rocked Southern Ontario concert venues since 2009 with their unique metal and punk blend that's saw them open for bands like The Dayglo Abortions during their run! Though Ash has a lot of bands, are The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles your favourite to come play in town at some point? Infathom: This Munising-based metal band featuring Saultite Dillion Semasky on vocals are currently on a bit of a break while some members attend college out of town, but they've risen quickly in the U.P., including a set at LemmaFest this summer and a number of other high profile concert appearances! Is their extreme brand of metal something you wanna see back in the Sault area? The Lust Boys: This sleaze rock quintet featuring former Glass Statues guitarist Ben "Benny Blitz" Kemp-Reynolds are looking to play a local show here on March 30th (e-mail lustboys.management@gmail.com for inquiries), but their old school blend of glem metal and punk would surely be welcome locally any time of the year! Would you wanna seem them bring the sleaze before any other band? Mark Rand (with The Mark Rand Band): Though activity for prolific local musician Mark Rand's Toronto-based solo project has been sporadic at best in 2011, fans are sure to remember his show with his local "Mark Rand Band" at Coch's Corner last year. Hardcore punk like Mark's solo material is always welcome locally, but is his solo project something you wanna see back in town more than any other bands? Maximum RNR: Local hardcore punk fans have been aware of this Toronto cult band for years dating back to their first show here in 2002, but since Saultites and longtime bandmates Brenton Ellis & Curits Faux came on board over the past two years, we've paid even more attention! Last seen at what's now Feedback in February, would a heavy dose of Maximum RNR be welcome for Sault Ste. Marie again in the near future? NeanderTHRALL: Another Windsor-based band from Sault Ontario native Ash Richtig, NeanderTHRALL's sludgy stoner metal sound has helped set them apart in recent months since their live debut in the Windsor area! Is the jam-tinged sludgy style of NeanderTHRALL something you'd want to see in town sooner rather than later? Phatstick: This St. Catharines hard rock quartet has went from releasing well recieved original albums to playing hot covers at Southern Ontario concert venues, but members and Saultites Jason Taillefer & Joe LaVergne have occasionally brought Phatstick home for some concerts in the last few years. Would another return for this talented band be something you eagerly want the most? RedStone Riot: After local musicians Rachel Kiger and Ryan Harrison disbanded Elipzis and moved to Muskegon, Michigan earlier this year, they quickly reemerged in a similar sounding new band named RedStone Riot, who debuted in Sault Michigan in August. Since then, activity has been limited, but is their melodic hard rock sound something you wanna see back in the area in the near future? Repetitions: The next band we're profiling in our out of town series, this is another of Ash Richtig's Windsor-based bands, and they have an energetic hardcore crust sound that's making serious waves in Southern Ontario this year, and into next year! Of all of Ash's active bands, are Repetitions your top choice to play a concert here in Sault Ste. Marie? Summon: This Lansing, Michigan black metal band features veteran local drummer Mikey Bishop (Half A Man) behind the kit, and he's added very well to Summon's metal assault since the end of their hiatus a few years ago! Though live shows have been scattered at best in recent years, should Mikey bring Summon to the area for a metal concert at some point? Violet Fuse: A London, Ontario hard rock trio featuring Sault Ontario native Thom Edwards on drums, Violet Fuse have quickly became a frequent sight at Southern Ontario concert venues, with a debut album also on sale! With their planned local debut at Hempfest cancelled earlier this year, we're overdue for a Violet Fuse show here, but are they your top choice to play a local concert instead of the above bands? Other: Have another band in mind with a Saultite that should play here? Maybe you're hoping for a non-gigging band to play here first, or possibly one that no longer has a Saultite? Maybe I missed one entirely? If they're not a choice above, vote for this option! VOTE TODAY!!! You have until January 18th to cast your vote (or votes, remember that you can pick multiple options now), at which point we'll return to our "Favourite _____ of 2011" polls. So, which out of town bands with local blood do you guys wanna see here the most? Cast your votes while you still can! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news over the next few days! Thanks everyone!

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