The Ypres Metal Fest Extended Preview!!

Today's post is focused entirely on one major concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT, as one of the biggest local metal events of 2012 goes down tomorrow at The Canadian Nightclub for the planned first edition of the Ypres Metal Fest! Stemming from existing plans for a yearly metal festival between Dismembertainment's Rich Moreland and late Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold, this will not only be the realization of that goal, but it will also double as the local tribute concert in David's memory following his tragic passing in December. It's the second of two official David Gold tribute shows (following yesterday's "Woods V" CD release party in Toronto), and both shows share many bands, themes, and goals. The Ypres Metal Fest is Dismembertainment's first concert in about four months, but they've outdone themselves in securing a 12 band lineup featuring 6 bands based out of town, and from what I understand, most (if not all) of the bands tomorrow night will be covering David Gold compositions, be they from Woods of Ypres or his pre-Woods local band Proposition 86, which should be intriguing to say the least! So, who's on tap for this massive tribute concert event?

Going in rough order from the poster, the headliners are Chicago doom metal notables November's Doom, who headlined the Toronto tribute show and have shared the stage with their good friends at Woods of Ypres numerous times in the past on their American tour runs. Their mix of death metal, doom, and Gothic influences have helped them achieve a noted following, and they'll fit perfectly as headliners tomorrow night! Co-headlining the Ypres Metal Fest are gold selling London all-female metal quartet Kittie, fronted by David's close friend Morgan Lander, and since their 1999 debut album "Spit" became a major success, they've just gotten heavier and faster, so you know they'll be worth the wait tomorrow in their local debut! I'm curious to hear their Woods of Ypres cover especially, knowing Morgan & David's friendship, and hopefully they'll hit the perfect balance between mourning and face melting tomorrow! North Bay black metal standouts Empyrean Plague will also hit The Canadian tomorrow night for their first local concert appearance since the 34th Rosie metal night last September! Despite being the last confirmed lineup addition, their brutal black metal sounds will be welcome, as they surely were at the Woods of Ypres concerts they opened, so don't miss their fast paced "Against The Seasons"-esque set!

Also on the bill are Windsor stoner metal outfit Gypsy Chief Goliath, and though they're not an outward genre fit with the black, doom, and death metal surrounding them, they have an interesting slower and catchy metal sound that Down fans will appreciate, so don't sleep on these guys tomorrow night! Toronto melodic death metal quartet Hallows Die will also hit The Canadian tomorrow in their third local stop in the past year, following sets opening for Farewell To Freeway & Napalm Death under the Dismembertainment banner in 2011! I've heard rave reviews from their local sets last year, and hopefully they shred some brutal originals tomorrow night, as they have at the Woods of Ypres concerts they've opened in the past! The out of town bands are rounded out by Sudbury black metal standouts Wolven Ancestry, who are the only non-local band not at last night's Toronto memorial show, but they'll absolutely rock the Ypres Metal Fest tomorrow! Fronted by Mark "Lord Defiler" Howitt (whose company Archaic North Entertainment are helping produce the Woods of Ypres tribute CD), Wolven Ancestry are local favourites stemming from many local appearances in the mid-late 2000s, and tomorrow's set marks their first Sault Ste. Marie appearance in 3½ years, ironically at a show headlined by Woods of Ypres!

Notably, a special acoustic tribute set is also planned at this concert featuring Joel Violette and Rae Amitay from Woods of Ypres' final lineup, though details on it specifically are scant. Will we see special guests or surprise covers? I don't know, but it's fun to speculate over!

The local contingent of this concert is headed up by the 2012 debut of Garden of Bedlam, in their first concert since their "Everything Will Die" CD release party on Boxing Day (and frontman Buzz's back injury that postponed their Rockstar Bar gig last month.) They should deliver a great set tomorrow night, and it'll be good to see them again no matter what, so don't miss their metal fury! Local punk standouts Redundant are also scheduled, and though they might seem like an anomaly, frontman Justin Langlois was a very good friend of David Gold's since childhood, and that alone makes them perfect to be on this concert, so expect some great music from them tomorrow night! Musicians who opened for Woods of Ypres at their last local concert last March will also feature at the Ypres Metal Fest, including ex-State of Misery singer Steve Rhodes (with his current deathcore band The Valentine's Day Massacre) and the very last local band to open for Woods of Ypres (melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, in their Canadian Nightclub debut) so expect fast and furious sets of their quality original material tomorrow evening, and hopefully they'll leave huge marks!

The local bands are rounded out by grimecore trio Shit Liver in their first concert set of 2012 after a 4 month break (and their first Canadian Nightclub appearance), so it'll be a long time coming to see these guys brutalize the stage! Check out all of the above links to hear the entire lineup for the Ypres Metal Fest! With all of that said, how can you go to this major concert event? Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at The Canadian Motor Hotel's front desk, Northland Music, Bossy's Pub N' Grub, or through Rich Moreland, David's sister Marie, and possibly some of the local band members playing tomorrow (contact them on Facebook if you can!) Tickets will be available at the door pending availability, the show starts nice and early at 5:00 PM, and unlike last night's memorial show in Toronto, the Ypres Metal Fest is ALL AGES!! Yes, if you're 18 or younger, you can go, and it's still licensed for those of you legal to drink, so hopefully this ensures a huge turnout! Like last night, all proceeds from tomorrow's event will go towards covering David Gold's final expenses and the David Gold Music Scholarship at Sault College, and from what I can gather, band merchandise (including "W5") will be on sale tomorrow as well. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

This is going to be one of the biggest metal events we've ever had locally, and it's all for a great cause! Sure, David sang about not wanting to be posthumously immortalized, but he's far from undeserving. All of these bands are very talented and entertaining, and whether it's the rememberances of David, the Woods of Ypres covers, or just the glory of 9 hours of metal, this is definitely a can't miss event! Hell, I'm currently battling my third cold in four months, and I'm not missing this for the world! Will we see any surprises, special announcements, or anything like that tomorrow? We shall see, but all I know is that this could be the best concert for the best cause of this year, and I will 150% see you guys there tomorrow evening! Stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow featuring more on this event and some other stories from the local scene, and for a preview, here's November's Doom's video for their song "Harvest Scythe", but definitely check out all of tomorrow's bands to get hyped up for the Ypres Metal Fest! Thanks everyone, and see you guys there at 5:00 PM tomorrow!