LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Ypres Metal Fest) Plus Lots Of "Woods V" Updates!!

It's time for a very exciting post at the SMS which is split into two related halves, one dealing with a major upcoming album release, and the other dealing with a major LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's all that you should know!

The David Gold memorial concert in Sault Ontario is indeed official, and I can now tell you guys some official details on the event! Titled the Ypres Metal Fest, it's being held by Dismembertainment in their first announced metal concert of 2012, and quite a stellar lineup of metal bands will gather at The Canadian Nightclub in honour of late Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold on April 7th, so here's who to look for at this huge concert event! London, Ontario all-female metal quartet Kittie (fronted by David's girlfriend Morgan Lander) will headline this huge concert in what should be a fast and furious set of extreme metal! Though best known for their gold selling 1999 debut CD "Spit", Kittie have released much more (and heavier) material since then, and they should deliver a brutal set for fans in attendance on April 7th in their local debut! Joining them at the Ypres Metal Fest are veteran Chicago doom metal band Novembers Doom, who played with their friends in Woods of Ypres at a few of their American tour dates in recent years. Their death metal and gothic inspired sound is a very good fit at this concert, and they should impress all who attend with their heavy and brutal metal assault!

Also, Sudbury black metal standouts Wolven Ancestry will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario on April 7th, after a three and a half year absence, having last played here in November 2008 at The Grand Theater (with Woods of Ypres on the lineup too, ironically!) Wolven Ancestry have always been one of Northern Ontario's highest profile extreme metal bands, and it'll be great to see them back in the area after so long! Toronto melodic death metal quartet Hallows Die will make their third appearance in the area in the past year as well, last being seen opening for Napalm Death at Feedback in October. After sharing the stage with Woods of Ypres a few times themselves last year, they should also deliver a solid and brutal set of their original material on April 7th as well, so don't miss them! The out-of-town lineup will be rounded out by Windsor stoner metal band Gypsy Chief Goliath in their Sault Ontario debut, and they have a unique sort of sound you don't get much of in the area, and they'll be sure to leave a good mark on fans at the Ypres Metal Fest! There will be local openers as well, and I know who's tentatively lined up, but they're not 100% finalized yet, so stay tuned for official word on that front!

Timeslots, admission prices, and other more specific details on this major concert have not been revealed yet, but given it's location, I assume this will likely be a 19+ event. Stay tuned for more official details as they come in, and thanks to Dismembertainment's Rich Moreland for telling me about these first details and giving the go-ahead to announce them! This is shaping up to be a huge concert for both the local metal scene and in David's memory, and if you love metal, do yourself a favour and reserve April 7th on your calendars! I know Rich and David had been planning for a while to launch an annual metal festival in the Soo, and it's a shame that this is happening without David around to help bring it to fruition. I'm sure it'll feel like he's never left when this all goes down though! Stay tuned for updates on this show as word comes in, as Rich is outdoing himself with this great lineup of bands, and hopefully it's a huge hit to ensure future Ypres Metal Fests in the area!

Also of note as a related concert, a David Gold tribute show will take place two days before the Sault show on April 5th in Toronto at a venue to be announced, and it will serve as the "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" CD release show. Specific details on it haven't been announced beyond a post on the official David Gold tribute Facebook page, but it'd be cool to see former Woods of Ypres members play at that in some fashion. I'll keep as you posted as word comes in for it!

Also in Woods of Ypres-related news today, the band's label Earache Records recently addressed many of the lingering questions that fans have had about the release of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" and some other future band notes. In direct reply to a question from fan Chris Schneck on their "Ask Earache" blog, you can read the full post at this location, but here's the new and major stuff addressed in that post. At the time of David Gold's death on December 21st, "W5" was being mixed by British producer John Fryer, and their new lineup was scheduled to play their first ever overseas gigs next weekend, including sets opening for Evile in Manchester, England and Xerath in Nottingham, England, and though David's passing prevented either from happening, you can get details on what would have been at this link. The "Ask Earache" post briefly noted David's downbeat and world-weary outlook in December phone interviews prior to his death, and later discussed what to expect from the "W5" release. The North American release for the CD will take place two months after the official release on February 13th due to longer pressing plant lead times over here, so although it won't appear in physical stores until April, the American release date does coincide better with the Ontario tribute shows!

The extra track "Keeper of the Ledger" was also addressed, and it was noted that it wasn't in the free leaked copy of "Woods V" so it would be an album exclusive, which is why the second "Kiss My Ashes Goodbye" track (which doesn't look like it will be on the actual "Woods V" release) replaced it in the free copy we got in December. The track listing was also altered from what we downloaded to better reflect David's preferences for the album, and "Ask Earache" also noted that no band photos will be present in the packaging, as David hadn't chosen which ones he specifically wanted in the booklet. Though not addressed in the post, I've read on Woods of Ypres' forum that the "W5" t-shirts that are being sold on Earache Records' online store along with the CDs originally had a "David Gold, 1980-2011, R.I.P." message on the back (as seen here), but it was later removed at the request of David's family. Seems odd to me, but hey, if it's what they want, it's better to honour their request! Finally, the "Ask Earache" post noted that they still hope to re-release Woods of Ypres' first three albums under the Earache umbrella in 2012, though it's not known if "Woods 4.5", any other older releases or singles, or any unreleased material will see the light of day through Earache Records. Check the above links for the new "Woods 5" updates!

It's very nice of Earache Records to offer an honest and detailed answer to many of the "Woods V" questions we've had recently, and hopefully we'll hear a lot more about this album and any future posthumous news on Woods of Ypres this year! There's a lot of exciting stuff to come, and it's sad to know that David isn't here to be a part of it, but he still lives through his music! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes from David, Woods of Ypres, and anything else in the local metal scene in the next week and beyond! Thanks everyone!