Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's Poll On Your Favourite Concerts Of 2011!!

It's the 18th of the month, so that means it's time to close down the previous month's SMS poll and launch a new one! As you guys may remember, last month's poll posed this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal concert in the second half of 2011? 35 votes came in, which was a bit less than our poll on your favourite concerts in the first half of last year, but still gave us a decent sample of your thoughts! You'll be seeing the upper half of last month's poll again shortly, but for right now, here's the final results from last month, so what were your favourite concerts from July 1st to December 31st, 2011?

Skull Fist at The Canadian Nightclub on November 6th (8 votes, 22.5%)
Napalm Death & Shit Liver at Feedback on October 15th (6 votes, 17%)
Garden of Bedlam at The Canadian on December 26th (4 votes, 11%)
Garden of Bedlam at The Roosevelt Hotel on July 21st (4 votes, 11%)
Helix at The Rockstar Bar on December 3rd (3 votes, 8%)
Other (3 votes, 8%)
The Bear Hunters at The Oddfellows Hall on July 20th (2 votes, 5%)
Fatality & Immersed at The Roosevelt Hotel on July 10th (2 votes, 5%)
Caveman Morrison at The Rosie on December 9th-10th (1 vote, 2.5%)
Half Past at The Rockstar Bar on October 22nd (1 vote, 2.5%)
Smeltzer at The Oddfellows Hall on August 12th (1 vote, 2.5%)
Hollow at various venues on August 5th-6th (1 vote, 2.5%)
Lion Ride at The Rockstar Bar on July 2nd (1 vote, 2.5%)
Titan's Eve & Sativa Rose at The Roosevelt Hotel on July 4th (0 votes)
Gunz N' FN' Rosez at The Rockstar Bar on July 23rd (0 votes)
Laika at The Roosevelt Hotel on August 25th (0 votes)
Thekillingfield at The Roosevelt Hotel on September 15th (0 votes)
Empyrean Plague at The Rosie on September 22nd (0 votes)
The Bear Hunters at The Rosie on November 10th (0 votes)
Turner Up at Feedback on December 10th (0 votes)

What do you guys think? I notice that the results are a bit more spread out than in our first half of 2011 poll, which is nice to see! Of the concerts with no votes, I think I'm most surprised to see no less than 5 concerts from The Roosevelt Hotel score no votes, especially given the high profile out of town bands at most of them! I assume many people picked some bigger shows from common promoters later on though. Of the 1 vote choices (which tied for 9th), I'm most surprised to see Lion Ride's last concert and the Smeltzer reunion gig score just a single vote each, but it's all in who votes. The Bear Hunters-headlined and the Fatality/Immersed all ages shows' 7th place tie with 2 votes each didn't surprise me too much, but the 5th place tie between the Helix show and "Other" definitely did. I thought Helix would be a 1st place contender, and after "Other" got no votes in the first half of 2011 poll, I assumed it'd finish lower this time around too! Garden of Bedlam's last two shows of 2011 tied for third in the poll, predictably high, and if you count them together, they're tied for first place, which is good to see! I'm honestly very surprised to see Napalm Death finish in second place, given the scope of that concert, but the Skull Fist-headlined show at The Canadian last fall is a solid first place winner! They have a very big local following and the show was well attended with some entertaining local openers, and hopefully Skull Fist are back in the area shortly!

Thanks to everyone for voting! With our second half poll about your favourite concerts from 2011 done, it only makes sense to cap off our "favourite _____ of 2011" polls by grouping the highest voted concerts from both half-year polls into one again to see just what was your absolute favourite of last year! That said, I'm posing this question to you guys this month: What was your favourite local metal concert of 2011? Along with "Other", I've picked the 14 concerts that scored multiple votes in the two polls, along with 5 shows that got a single vote, and those were decided by how close they were to their original poll's respective launch date, as they had less time in the public conscious for voting than the earlier ones. As such, the Icy Metal For Aborted Therapy all ages show from last January, Lion Ride's last concert in July, and the Hollow reunion weekend in August didn't make the cut because they had the longest time between date and poll and only scored a vote each, but if they were your favourite concert of the whole year, you can vote for them in "Other"! So with that said, here's a refresher on each concert in this month's poll, so read on below for info on all of your possible favourite concerts of 2011!

Bands: Woods of Ypres, The Bear Hunters, and State of Misery
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: March 10th, 2011
Info: After 18 months away from the local stage, blackened doom metal standouts Woods of Ypres finally returned to our burial ground for the ninth Thursday metal night at The Rosie! The first show on their "Woods IV: The Green Album" re-release tour, Woods of Ypres brought a metal assault to fans in attendance, with some great local support, though it would sadly mark Woods of Ypres' last local concert before frontman David Gold passed away in December. Was this the best show of last year?

Bands: Sneaky Pete
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: April 8th, 2011
Info: After months and months of anticipation, local hard rock quartet Sneaky Pete FINALLY made their local debut at The Rockstar Bar on April 8th, and by all accounts, the show was a hit! This talented group of local veterans rocked the stage with some great covers, and firmly stamped their name into the local scene with further shows over the next few months before they disbanded this year, but was this the best of 2011?

Bands: RedD Monkey, As It Stands, Winkstinger, Frightlight, The Bear Hunters, Sativa Rose, Late & Loud, The Tenagens, State of Misery, Changing Waves, and Skull After Betrayl
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: April 9th, 2011
Info: What started as a show to pay for RedD Monkey's new tour van turned into The Sewer Swampstravaganja, an 11 band all ages concert full of great local talent, including 9 metal bands! The music was wall to wall, notably including the live debuts of Sativa Rose guitarist Anthony Orazietti & Changing Waves bassist Terrence Gomes as well! Amazing show full of great bands, but is it your top pick of 2011?

Bands: Lion Ride & The Billy Bastards
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: April 9th, 2011
Info: There was no camping weekend in the way on April 8th, as Lion Ride made a triumphant local return to rock The Rockstar Bar for the second-last time with their energetic mix of punk and metal! A huge crowd took in this exciting high impact show, with country punk stalwarts The Billy Bastards delivering their unique musical blend to their fans as the openers! This show was awesome, but is it your #1 pick for 2011 as a whole?

Bands: Dead & Divine, As It Stands, The Bear Hunters, and State of Misery
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: April 29th, 2011
Info: Burlington hardcore rockers Dead & Divine made their long awaited return to Sault Ontario on April 29th for an intense night of hardcore and metal for all ages at The Oddfellows Hall! Three local bands opened the festivities, including promoter John Mignacca's hardcore standouts As It Stands and local death metal band State of Misery in their last local concert! Was this Oddfellows Hall show your favourite of last year?

Bands: Fuck The Facts, Shit Liver, As It Stands, and Winkstinger
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: May 9th, 2011
Info: Ottawa grindcore rockers Fuck The Facts made their triumphant return to Sault Ontario on May 9th, headlining a brutal Dismembertainment-promoted metal show at The Rosie that night! Their return was welcomed, and all the openers (including late addition As It Stands) threw down some heavy stuff to add to this concert, but of all the 2011 metal shows, is it your favourite?

Bands: Farewell To Freeway, No Bragging Rights, Hallows Die, and As It Stands
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: May 12th, 2011
Info: Who says a Rosie metal night has to have mostly locals? Three touring metal bands from two previously booked concerts joined forces on May 12th to deliver a devastating set of death metal and hardcore, including Guelph's Farewell To Freeway, California's No Bragging Rights, and Toronto's Hallows Die, with As It Stands fittingly opening the show! Was the 15th Rosie metal night your top concert in 2011?

Bands: Unleash The Archers, Wear Your Wounds, Abstract & The Artist, and Changing Waves
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: June 4th, 2011
Info: As Vancouver power/death metal quintet Unleash The Archers toured through the astrowaste, they stopped at The Rosie on June 4th for an awesome night of metal! Accompanied by Winnipeg hardcore bands Wear Your Wounds & Abstract The Artist, and locals Changing Waves, this show was a success with lots of metal to go around, but did you like it enough to pick it as the best concert of last year?

Bands: The Dayglo Abortions, Frightlight, Skull After Betrayl, Sativa Rose, and Shit Liver
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: June 16th, 2011
Info: What started as your usual Roosevelt Hotel metal night (the 20th overall) took a major upgrade when it was announced that Canadian hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions would be headlining! And then it snowballed, leading to a huge audience, huge moshpits, and one hell of a concert from the legendary Dayglo Abortions! Also featuring four great local opening bands, including Frightlight's Rosie debut, was this your favourite concert of 2011 so far?
Bands: Garden of Bedlam
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: June 17th, 2011
Info: After seven months away from the local stage, prominent local metal quartet Garden of Bedlam returned to the stage for just the second time since opening for Kiss when they headlined a solo show at The Rockstar Bar on June 17th! With loads of newer material and some surprise new covers (Metallica, anyone?), Garden of Bedlam returned with a vengeance last month, but did this late June concert manage to top the half year for you?

Bands: The Bear Hunters, Sanktuary, Black Moor, and RedD Monkey
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: July 20th, 2011
Info: This was one of a few extremely hot all ages shows featuring The Bear Hunters and out of town bands, but this was at The Oddfellows Hall with The Bear Hunters oddly headlining! A good crowd turned out to see them, punk favourites RedD Monkey, and two Halifax classic metal outfits in the first of two gigs last summer that Sanktuary, Black Moor, and The Bear Hunters were a part of! Was this your #1 show from last year?

Bands: Garden of Bedlam, The Bear Hunters, and Winkstinger
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: July 21st, 2011
Info: The 25th Roosevelt Hotel metal night (and last Dismembertainment-promoted one with three local bands) finally saw local metal standouts Garden of Bedlam make their Rosie debut in their last show before the "Everything Will Die" CD release party, and fans sure came out to rock out with them on July 24th! Also notably featuring Winkstinger's last concert set for four months, was this metal night your favourite 2011 concert?

Bands: Smeltzer, RedD Monkey, Changing Waves, The Tenagens, Shit Liver, and The Bear Hunters
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: August 12th, 2011
Info: An old school all ages show was in store for local fans on August 12th, headlined by a one-off reunion set by local alt/punk trio Smeltzer and frontman Steve Mozarowski's current active band RedD Monkey! Among the openers: Changing Waves in a well recieved set, The Tenagens in their most recent local concert appearance, and death metal standouts The Bear Hunters and Shit Liver, but was this show your favourite of last year?

Bands: Napalm Death, Shit Liver, Hallows Die, The Bear Hunters, and Wake
Venue: Feedback (soon to become the new Coch's Corner)
Date: October 15th, 2011
Info: After Foggy Notions became Feedback, the newly renamed Queen Street venue launched it's high profile two month run with British grindcore legends Napalm Death in a huge metal concert event featuring a stacked lineup of out of town and local bands! The buzz and fallout from this concert was huge, and Dismembertainment outdid themselves for this major event, but was it your favourite metal concert of 2011?

Bands: Half Past
Venue: October 22nd, 2011
Date: The Rockstar Bar
Info: Following their successful return to the stage at Hempfest in August, Half Past debuted new singer Jordan Rains to a Sault Ontario audience at this one night only concert on October 22nd at The Rockstar Bar! Also featuring guest bassist Harley Syrette, this is Half Past's most recent concert to date, but despite a cut short set due to noise complaints, they rocked the house with some great covers! Is their return one of your favourite 2011 concerts?

Bands: Skull Fist, Late & Loud, and View To A Kill (now The Valentine's Day Massacre)
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: November 6th, 2011
Info: The first metal concert at The Canadian since the flood in July saw Toronto speed metal quartet Skull Fist return to the Pim Street venue once again for another classic and fast paced set of heavy metal! Also featuring local standouts Late & Loud and the live debut of the band now known as The Valentine's Day Massacre, this concert attracted a solid crowd of local metalheads, but was it your top local metal concert of last year?

Bands: Helix & Boogie Fever
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: December 3rd, 2011
Info: Three and a half years after they last rocked the Sault area, Kitchener metal legends Helix rocked The Rockstar Bar on December 3rd with a set full of their classic hits, including "Rock You" and many more songs! Their set got a great response, and with Boogie Fever kicking off the night, a lot of fun was had, but did this show top the latter half of 2011 for you?

Bands: Caveman Morrison
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: December 9th-10th, 2011
Info: Though frontman Tym Morrison was a frequent sight on the local scene last year, his band Caveman Morrison played more sporadically, and their December concert weekend at The Rosie marked their first shows in five months. Still, with the debut of new bassist James White and the return of his brother Rick as their then-new drummer, their return was a notable late-2011 sight on the local scene, but was this concert weekend #1 for last year for you?

Bands: Garden of Bedlam
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: December 26th, 2011
Info: Capping the year in style was Garden of Bedlam's CD release concert at The Canadian on Boxing Day, where fans got their first opportunity to buy "Everything Will Die"! This well received headlining concert sent 2011 out on a clear high note with lots of high impact original songs, and the success of "Everything Will Die" is still felt around the area, but was this your favourite local concert of the year?

Other: Did I miss your favourite concert from the second half of 2011? For reference sake, bands like 5150, Abriosis, Blizzard of Ozz, Bring The Fallen, Bring The Misery, Browbeat, Crued, Destroilet, Dirty Virgin, Empyrean Plague, Fatality, Fifth Column, For All That Is Lost, Full Circle, The Great Sabatini, Gunz N' FN' Rosez, Hollow, The Isosceles Project, Thekillingfield, La Promesse, Laika, Laugh At The Fakes, Maximum RNR, No Arrow, Phatstick, The Saigon Hookers, Sykotyk Rampage, That's Chester, Titan's Eve, Tribune, Turner Up, Tym Morrison, We, The Undersigned, and Who Made Who (among many others) have played concerts in the Sault Ontario area in 2011, along with other concerts featuring bands already covered in the poll choices. Or maybe your favourite concert was one with less than 50% metal bands, or in Sault Michigan? If I didn't touch on your favourite, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!!! You guys have until May 18th to submit your thoughts in this final "favourite _____ of 2011" poll, so what was your top concert of last year? Remember, you can vote for multiple concerts, though only once in this poll. Make your voices heard, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more news shortly! Thanks everyone!