News On Garden Of Bedlam's New CD And More, Plus Another Christmas Suprise!!

Here's another post to start your Wednesday off right with, and it's a mix of news and a Christmas surprise, including today's new holiday song upload, some updates to links featured on the SMS, details on a local photographer with some metal ties, and leading things off, details on an upcoming local metal CD release, so here's what you need to know!

I'd like to officially announce that our final CD review of 2011 at The Sault Metal Scene will indeed be of Garden of Bedlam's upcoming full length album "Everything Will Die"! There was a chance it'd have to wait until January due to my being out of town when the CD release show at The Canadian takes place on Monday, but drummer Derek Turner was kind enough to drop an advance copy off for me yesterday, so by New Year's Eve, there will definitely be a review of the CD on the SMS! That said, while I'll hold from commenting formally on the music yet (wait for the review), I'll tell you guys a few things to look for concerning the album. This preview image floating around on band pages is indeed the cover of "Everything Will Die" (sans the release date) while the album features 10 tracks clocking in at around 45 minutes in total length. We've heard almost all of them live before, ranging from "Against The Grain" to "Your Disgrace", but there is one new track entitled "2012" as well. I won't spoil anything, but I'll say it's unlike the rest of the featured songs. And yes, lyrics are present for each song in the "Everything Will Die" booklet, along with some nice photography throughout by Andrea Gosselin, so definitely check all of that out when you get your copy of the CD!

The album booklet also confirms that the CD was mastered at Silverbirch Productions in Toronto by Andy Krehm (same as on their debut EP) with artwork supplied by Derek's old Papa Fogals Chair bandmate Adam Chillman. I'll say right now that everything looks and is presented nicely, and the quality of the recording is top notch, but for anything else, you'll wanna stay tuned for my review of "Everything Will Die", which is coming next week! Stay tuned, and be at The Canadian on Monday night to get your copies of the album when they go on sale!

While we're on the subject, let's talk about Andrea Gosselin, the local photographer who took the shots of Garden of Bedlam for their new album's booklet. Her work is awesome, but I wasn't aware of her work before recently, and now, she deserves some long overdue exposure! Her website features a nice portfolio of her photograph work ranging from maternity photos to nature photography, but she has two sections in her gallery with a musical slant. One is of band promo shots, and in that gallery, there's 5 photos from the "Everything Will Die" photo shoot (one of each band member & one full band shot.) Very nice work, and I like the fire elements, so if you want to see them, click here, highlight "Gallery", click "Band Promo Shots", and check out the last 5 photos there! Aside from those (and there's much more from the shoot in the booklet), Andrea has a lot of other local metal photos in the "Live Shows" section, including shots from the Motley Crue & Heaven and Hell/Megadeth concerts at The Essar Center, and from a number of Sense of Truth concerts in 2008 & 2009, among others, so check the above links to give these photos a look! I wish we could see these photos bigger, but overall, Andrea's work is excellent, and hopefully she keeps up her great photography talents in music areas & beyond! Check everything out, and Andrea's website is now in our Other Local Metal Links on your left!

Now, before we get to our next Christmas song uploads, here's three assorted stories related to links featured on the SMS, specifically changes and additions concerning them. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band, studio, or company name:

• I've added the defunct local recording studio Lucky Limb Studio to our Other Local Metal Links on your left. This is the studio where local hardcore quintet As It Stands recorded their second EP "Kill The Music, Save The Children" in 2007, but I know little else about this studio, which didn't appear to last too long. Check their MySpace page out above, which also features "Bush Raids" from that As It Stands EP!
  
• I've moved Sault Michigan metal project Traces to our inactive band links due to their likely breakup. Featuring Swayze Train & Hoist The Sails members in their lineup, Traces were last visibly active on December 23rd, 2010, when they last logged into their MySpace page, and their Facebook page was also deleted this year, so I assume they've disbanded. Disappointing news, but the members are sure to have great stuff in the works!
• I've removed local concert booking agency Unsalted Records from our Other Local Metal Links due to the closure of their website (likely from an expired domain name) and a lack of alternate links. Ran by Free Beer guitarist Dustin Goodall, they booked a couple concerts with metal supporting acts in 2009, but I haven't heard much from Unsalted Records specifically in years. Disappointing, but hopefully Dustin returns to booking at some point!

And finally, here's today's Christmas surprise for you guys as we inch closer to December 25th, and it's a song I'm returning to the internet from defunct Sault Michigan metal quartet Nixxon Dixxon! During their local run from 2006-2010, you're bound to remember Nixxon Dixxon's proficient covers and originals at concerts big and small alike, and around 2008 & 2009, they posted some clearer recordings of a few songs they played live onto their MySpace page. I remember that they uploaded covers of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and Kiss' "Rock & Roll All Nite" at one point, then pulled both in lieu of a recording of their original "High Life", which itself was later deleted without explanation. Now, my foresight is admittedly bad, so I didn't get all of these songs before they were taken down, and I'd love to get copies of them down the road (any help?), but I did snag one when I had the chance! I do have Nixxon Dixxon's cover of "Paranoid", which I uploaded onto our YouTube channel earlier today, and it definitely shows the band's talents well! Brandon Carr's singing fits nicely, and the rest of the band (now of Trail's End & Splitshot) are on fire as I'd expect, especially Chris Hubbard on guitar!

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED WITH THIS UPLOAD!!! All credit for this song goes to the former members of Nixxon Dixxon, I'm just trying to spread the posthumous word and restore this song to the internet for fans to enjoy! Remember, this song has been deleted from the internet for possibly 2 years, you can't hear their cover of "Paranoid" anywhere else! It's a solid cover, so definitely check it out below, and stay tuned for updates on the members' next musical moves!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more Christmas surprises, news and notes, and concert previews over the next while, along with our next YouTube Channel Profiles on Thursday! Thanks everyone!