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April Eyes - Hollow HopeRumoured Songs: "Goodbye", "Left Behind", "The Only Road I've Ever Known", "Fall", "Reflections", "Obsession", Escape", "I Can't Let Go", "Absolution", "Hollow Hope"
Background: The oft-renamed April Eyes (previously known as By The Gods & April Eyes) is the solo project masterminded by Bear Hunters & Borderline Divine guitarist Mitch Sirie. He's been working on solo material for some time now, featuring him on all instruments, including vocals and bass along with the guitar tracks. Over time, Mitch has deleted older audio tracks and blog entries from this project's MySpace page, but continually replaces them with newer material, although some aren't planned for an imminent album release. Recent blog entries have alluded to Mitch recording and releasing a solo concept album named "Hollow Hope", which he claims will be a "shocking" full length album, though it's been set back due to "circumstances". Featuring a mix of progressive & death metal with acoustic folk and indie rock, check out the newest samples of April Eyes/Mitch's solo material at his official MySpace page!
Current Release Status: I have no real idea. Honestly, this might not even get a release where it'd be on sale anywhere, but who knows! Mitch told me in e-mail conversations that he hopes to have a physical release of "Hollow Hope" this year, for what that's worth, but the year is almost over too. The musical quality and songwriting on his material is very underrated, so I imagine that a release of "Hollow Hope" would get a good reception if it did come out! Though concrete data on it has been lacking for the later half of 2011, I'll keep you all posted if anything new is announced!
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As It Stands' third EPRumoured Songs: "Conception", "Big Problem, Little Lock City", "Rise Above", "One Last Chance", "One Less Than Wayne Gretzky", "Big Bucks, No Whammy", "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Ho", "Everything Terrible", "Oh Herm, Herm Delish", "Stay Together For The Kids" (Blink-182 cover)
Background: Continuing their high success levels since their local re-emergence last year, hardcore quintet As It Stands started recording sessions for their third EP with Metalworks Studios in Mississauga in July with producer Kevin Dietz. The sessions lasted just a few days, but from what I hear, a lot got accomplished! You can see some of the happenings from the sessions on their official studio vlog, which features some audio samples and video of some members recording their parts. The vlog also confirms that their cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" was recorded in Mississauga, and that the songs will be part of an EP, not a full length album as was previously believed. It's currently unclear whether the songs they recorded at Stereo Soul Studios last year and/or in Stoney Creek earlier this year were re-recorded at Metalworks, or will be added to the album as is. A new pre-production track, oddly titled "Oh Herm, Herm Delish" was posted onto their Facebook page on July 17th, which you can stream at this location, but few updates have came since. Stay tuned for more updates!
Current Release Status: As It Stands seem to have everything under control and well planned for the sessions and their studio work, but public word has been minimal over the past couple of months (aside from the new song.) Drummer John Mignacca came down with a broken jaw in August, from what I understand, which could have stalled things, but a recent Facebook update alluded to mixing and a return to activity soon. Keep an eye out for updates, album information, and so forth!
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The Bear Hunters - BloodthirstRumoured Songs: "Bloodthirst", "Succumb To Eternity", "Dominate", "Overthrown", "Casualties Of War", "Collapse The Sun", "Render This Void", "Karma"
Background: Local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters formally announced that they'd begun recording for their debut album on May 10th, just three days after adding guitarist Josh Stephney to the band. The news was broken on their Facebook page, though details are scant so far on the CD. Named after their song "Bloodthirst", this will be an EP release, and it is being self-recorded. There's more to say on the recording front as it related to others in the scene, but nothing's been publically stated. Guitarist Mitch Sirie's Facebook page has also kept fans updated as to the EP's progress, if you wanted to get possible details there as well. More details are sure to leak in soon, so keep an eye out!
Current Release Status: Given the lack of concrete information we've heard, I have no positive idea. It was definitely being recorded, but public word on the sessions is either slow, secretive, or has been put on hold, but the band haven't addressed their album lately for us to know either way. Stay tuned for possible details, as I know The Bear Hunters do want to see this disc completed!
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Garden of Bedlam - "Everything Will Die"Rumoured Songs: "Against The Grain", "Three Days", "New Rain", "Everything Will Die", "Torment", "Your Disgrace", "Around The Bend", "With A Spark", "Emptiness Without A Name"
Background: Sessions for Garden of Bedlam's debut full length album began last June at Stereo Soul Studios with producer Miguel Gauthier, who kept fans up to date on the recording sessions at his Facebook page. Recording for the album wrapped up last September, though the band were still working on extra tweaks and changes as of October 6th, 2010. Miguel's page & Garden of Bedlam's Facebook group did a good job of keeping fans posted on the sessions, head there to check out updates! Select fans heard their first taste of unmixed tracks from the CD at Garden of Bedlam's Kiss afterparty on August 10th, 2010 at The Rockstar Bar. The album was said to be sent away for mastering and duplication "very shortly" as of October 21st of last year. In April, the band uploaded studio versions of "Against The Grain" & "Three Days" onto their Battle of the Bands page, so stream them there to help tide yourself over until the CD comes out! Most recently, the band announced that they'd be doing a photoshoot for the album on May 28th, but little has been said about it specifically since.
Current Release Status: Past claims had suggested a 2010 release during varying points of the year, but we're obviously past that point. Drummer Derek Turner confirmed on their Facebook group that the album will be released "in the new year" (2011), although a general timeframe wasn't added, and time is running out for that prediction to hold. Band activity was sparse for much of this year, though they played a number of Algoma District shows during the late spring & summer. A release (likely tied in with a local CD release concert) isn't known at present, and I'm starting to think we may not see it until early 2012, but maybe I'm wrong. In the meantime, search for Garden of Bedlam on YouTube to hear live versions of all nine of their newest originals, and check the above links for much more!
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Gates of Winter - PerihelionRumoured Songs: "The Stars Call My True Name", "Edin Na Zu", "Dimensions", "Time Warp", "From Nothingness" (leftover song from 2008 sessions)
Background: Despite a hiatus from live performances lasting over three years, Gates of Winter never broke up, and are slowly working on their follow-up to 2008's "Lux Aeterna". The first glimpse of the new album was unveiled in February 2010, when frontman and producer Lee Maines uploaded a (now-deleted) snippet of their new song "The Stars Call My True Name" onto his YouTube channel, and he followed that up with two more demo clips that June. The band launched a new Facebook page in August 2010 to keep fans updated on the sessions, including the unveiling of a new song title, "Time Warp", while Sault native Jon Morrison was announced as the album's drummer in November 2010. Some live rehearsal videos were posted online at this location in May, and on November 6th, bassist Steve Furgiuele confirmed in a YouTube video that the album, now titled "Perihelion", is planned for release in December 2012, with some older re-recordings likely for the summer. More updates are likely to come over the coming year, so keep an eye out!
Current Release Status: Well, if the band says that "Perihelion" is coming out in December 2012, then I'm inclined to believe them. It's been a long road for them to get this album completed due to the members' own personal commitments, but until we hear otherwise, I'd say circle your calendars for a December 2012 release for Gates of Winter's long awaited second full length album! For now though, check out Gates of Winter's posted demos by clicking here!
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Late & Loud's debut album
Rumoured Songs: "Midnight Man", "Down Like This", "Whipeout", "Never Again". "Love Letter Lockdown", "Whisper Of The Damned", "Live For Excess", "Fast As A Bitch"
Background: A newer metal band in the Sault Ontario metal scene, Late & Loud surprisingly announced plans to being recording a demo in late January, despite their relative newness to the scene, not having launched internet pages until November 2010. Though described as a demo, Late & Loud's debut does appear to be packaged more like a standard album, with a photo shoot for it having taken place on February 26th (click here to see the photos.) I believe this is being self-recorded, and updates towards recording sessions have been sporadically posted on Late & Loud's official Facebook page in recent weeks. Most recently, the band released a video confirming it's likely release in January, along with instrumental samples of three songs, and a confirmed tracklist of at least nine songs. Stay tuned to the above links for more details as they come in!
Current Release Status: January's looking likely, from what I can tell. They've been working on this demo for months, and whether it will really count as an "album" or not, fans should be jacked up for it's release when it finally is finished! Check the above links for samples and news on Late & Loud's first demo!
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Lion Ride's first full length albumRumoured Songs: "Stick It In", "Snail Trail", "Bang Bang, Bye Bye"
Background: Lion Ride entered the studio for the first sessions of their upcoming full length CD in April 2010 at Toronto's BWC Studios with producer Greg Dawson, same as when current & ex-band members recorded Detroit's last album in 2009. The band recorded four songs at those sessions, including "Stick It In", which was uploaded onto their MySpace page in early May as a preview. The studio version of another original "Snail Trail" was later posted on BWC Studios' MySpace page, with another new song "Bang Bang, Bye Bye" featured as backing music in a longboarding culture video in June. Delays & external commitments (musical and personal) have delayed the album's progress, and Lion Ride would acknowledge & apologize for the sparse album updates on their Facebook page in November 2010 with this video featuring studio session clips set to "Snail Trail". As of February, they were back writing new material presumably for this album, and a Facebook posting on March 7th hinted towards a return to BWC soon, but band news has stalled again this year, leaving future album news unclear.
Current Release Status: We've heard that Lion Ride's new album would be released last fall & this summer, but now pages just say it's "coming soon". I don't know when we'll see the album, what with the lack of real album updates recently, and unless recording sessions we don't know about happened, I doubt we'll see this come out until next year. However, you can get a preview of the CD by checking out the studio versions of "Stick It In" at this location and "Snail Trail" by clicking here!
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Mike Haggith - 410 To ScotlandRumoured Songs: "Who Owns Space 82?", "Door To My Mind", "Nightmare On Reed Street", The Man In Green" (Black Hole Suns cover), "The Ballad of K2/K3", "The Day The Lights Went Out", "Limb Coast", "Standing On The Edge", "My Angel", "It Takes Time" (Black Hole Suns cover)
Background: Scheduled to be local solo musician Mike Haggith's 45th full length studio album, "410 To Scotland" (originally titled "Space 82") is scheduled to be a concept album based on differing human experiences. Now planned for release on January 25th through Rotten Records after a delay, "Space 82" should be available on both mp3 and CD formats, and ten tracks have been announced for it, including the already unveiled "Limb Coast", two covers of Kincheloe project The Black Hole Suns' songs (an instrumental mix of one of them can be heard here), and a mixture of previously heard & new material, though the previously announced songs "Orion" & "On A Cloud" were removed from the track listing. Click here for complete album details, including the album artwork. Stay tuned for more details on "410 To Scotland" at this location, as Mike's generally good for keeping fans up to date on his upcoming solo projects!
Current Release Status: Originally planned to come out on Thursday, Mike confirmed last week that technical issues have caused it to be delayed almost two months to a January 25th release. That said, Mike has always been forthcoming & honest about album release details and hangups, so we should see "410 to Scotland" as scheduled early next year, but stay tuned in case anything changes!
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Riverin's self-titled debut EPRumoured Songs: "Attitude", "They Lost You", "A Cold Wind", "Deflower", "Valentine", "Raining In December", "Trenches", "Something Else"
Background: An industrial hard rock project from former Dirty Virgin & Silver Dream bandmates Matt Hicks and Matt Clement, Riverin slowly worked on their debut EP for much of 2010 at Matt Hicks' Quartertone Studios. The original recording sessions for this self-produced EP have finished, and it was said to be released "soon" as of July 2010. All six songs to initially be included on the EP are now featured on their MySpace page to stream for free! E-mail correspondence with Matt Clement last fall detailed how the band were looking into the CD development process to release the album in time for a planned CD release show in the future featuring guest musicians. Two new songs, "Trenches" & "Something Else", have been announced, with "Trenches" later posted online in May, but it's unclear if they'll be on the EP or not.
Current Release Status: Not sure, but things did seem to be on the right track, given that the EP's tracks are all recorded. The way it's sounding to me, the release of the EP will likely tie in to their debut concert as a CD release show, but we haven't heard anything official from the band in over six months, which is slightly worrying. Hopefully when it does come out, it will deliver a good package of unique music, so stay tuned for updates!
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Sykotyk Rampage - "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity"Rumoured Songs: "Running", "Legend, "Garden", "Metal", "Rain", "Parley", "Wait", "Shrooms", "Dynamite", "Acreage", "McDonalds", "Alright"
Background: Originally announced in August 2010, "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity" is the second half of Sykotyk Rampage's conceptual "Genius Mushroom" series which delves "into the realm of hallucinogenic musical brainscans". Considered Sykotyk Rampage's 25th album, it was originally the first half of a double album before it was split from it's predecessor "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Intellect", which has since been released. One track named "Silence" was removed from the second "Genius Mushrooms" album's track listing at that time as well. Sykotyk Rampage recorded this album at River Front Recreation Studios, with sessions taking place at varying points over the latter half of 2010. The first "Genius Mushrooms" album (and 4 other companion 2011 releases) were all posted online in August, with just "...Thoughts of Stupidity" left, though keep an eye out, as you never know when the band will reveal their latest work of harsh music for harsh minds!
Current Release Status: The original announced release date for this album was December, but no new Sykotyk Rampage albums even made it online for free streaming until this August. Oddly, the second "Genius Mushrooms" album is still unreleased despite the fact that 4 newer albums not even announced until August have came out earlier. Still, I have it on good authority that "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity' will come out (hopefully) very soon, so keep an eye out for it, and click here to tide yourself over with the band's other five albums from this year!
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Tym Morrison's second solo albumRumoured Songs: "Moon Patrol", "Dungeons & Dragons", "Nag Hamedi", "The Reason Why", "The Dark Shred", "Song For Jen", "No Name", "Amy", "Lay It On The Line", "Someday", "How I'm Wanting You More"
Background: I honestly don't know a lot about the background for Tym Morrison's second album, but he has posted samples of nine songs for his "next album" onto the music player on his official website! The songs are all of good quality, and feature Tym in familiarly good form! Original information about recording sessions for his solo album are either very sparse or were made quite a while ago, so I don't know a lot about it, but the songs were likely self-recorded at Morrison Studio Productions with Tym on all instruments save for the programmed drums. Status updates on Tym's personal Facebook page earlier this year have alluded to recent recording sessions and plans for a double album, but it's unknown if the above songs would all be included. It should be noted that many of Tym's more recent solo songs on YouTube have been either acoustic or comedic in nature, but I can't see many of the comedic ones making the cut for an album release.
Current Release Status: I don't have any real idea, but recent news about recording sessions and a double album are certainly promising! Hopefully Tym does release these songs in the near future, as his older samples and newer material deserve an audience! For now though, check out the above links to hear what he has to share that could make the cut!
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Woods of Ypres - "Woods 4.5: You Were The Light" & "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light"Rumoured Songs (W4.5): "You Were The Light", "Falling Apart"
Rumoured Songs (W5): "Death Is Not An Exit", "Lightning & Snow", "Career Suicide (Is Not Suicide)", "Kiss My Ashes (Goodbye)"
Background: Recording for what was intended to be Woods of Ypres' fifth album took place in August 2010 at Stereo Soul Studios. Intended to be a 5 track EP, producer Miguel Gauthier's Facebook page kept fans updated on the sessions, along with various Woods of Ypres pages. Originally titled, "Woods V: You Were The Light", release plans noticeably changed when the band signed with Earache Records last fall. With the label desiring a full length follow-up to "Woods IV", frontman David Gold & guitarist Joel Violette hit the studio in August to record a new full length "Woods V" at Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario with producer Siegfried Meier, who also kept fans up to date on these sessions via his Twitter page. The first two rumoured song titles above come from varying posts David has made on his online pages over the past couple of months, while the last two songs are available for streaming at this location! Mixing is underway for the newly titled "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", which David has said in interviews is the best record they've ever done, so keep an eye out for more previews!
As for the "original Woods V", it's now considered "Woods 4.5", and though definitive release details for that EP aren't known, two songs were issued in a limited edition vinyl single release named "Home" through Practical Art Records in April (get ordering details here), and you can stream them at the band's CBC Radio 3 page!
Current Release Status: For "Woods 4.5", I have no clue. I expect it will either come out after "Woods V", though I can see it being released as a bonus disc with "Woods 4.5" (a'la the Necramyth CD with the original "Woods IV" pressings), but aside from the "Home" vinyl, nothing finite has been hinted towards that. We'll in all likelihood see the new full length "Woods V" on Earache Records first, but when? According to recent band postings, it will be out on January 30th, but will that stick? Time will tell! There's a lot in the works from Woods of Ypres, so keep your eyes peeled for all the big news!
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With those albums all covered, I've reluctantly opted to remove an album from this series' coverage, so here's what you need to know on that front:
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Sense of Truth's debut EPRumoured Songs: "Push & Pull", "Crawling", "Land of Greed", "Pieces of a Mirror", "Vicious Cycle"
Background: Sense of Truth began work on their debut EP in February 2010 with Miguel Gauthier at Stereo Soul Studios, finishing the recording sessions the next month. Miguel kept fans up to date on the sessions at his Facebook page, with some updates on Sense of Truth's Facebook group as well. The songs were mastered last spring, and the band announced that the EP would be sent off to print after June of last year. Songs from the EP were on rotation on Energy Rock Radio, numerous originals were played at their concerts, and samples of multiple songs are posted on their MySpace page & on Stereo Soul Studios' website, with an "early summer 2010" release date announced. However, personal commitments and issues relating to the EP's artwork slowed band activity from the summer of 2010 onward, and official band updates ceased in April 2011. Though live returns were rumoured, the band split up in the fall of 2011, leaving the status of their debut EP in limbo, or worse.
Reason For Removal: Basically, I'm removing it from the series because Sense of Truth have disbanded, and with it pushing two years since the recording sessions for the EP, the odds of it ever coming out are very unlikely. Posthumous CD releases aren't unheard of, but we were waiting an abnormally long time even before we knew they'd broken up, and I can't project a possible release for it now. Two full songs and samples of two others are available to check out though at the above links, so check them out, and maybe in the future, the full tracks from the sessions will come out!
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That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news this week, including an interesting note on a local author with a cool new hard rock book, this week's classic video, weekend concert previews, and more! And barring a new album release over the coming week, our next monthly feature post will be our Defunct Local Band Profiles on SIGHdEFECT and Mugwort one week from Saturday, so keep an eye out! Thanks everyone!
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