As promised, we have updates to our vast array of Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profiles today, so we'll note edits, photo changes, lineup shifts, recent updates, breakups, and new media for the past bands in this series that we've profiled! All of these bands are/were based out of town, but have featured a Sault-area musician at one point/presently in their lineup, and there's a lot of updates to get to, so read on below to get caught up on all of this series' profiled bands, and if there's anything missing or incorrect,
let me know! (Each band's name links to our profile of them.)
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Phatstick: I've updated this profile to largely reflect their breakup in July, which was revealed on
their Facebook page on August 1st, having last played live at a stag & doe in Hamilton in June. A reason for their breakup wasn't announced, but they hadn't been as active in 2012 as they had been in previous years. I'm disappointed to see them break up for sure (especially as they never returned to their original material beforehand), but hopefully the guys stay active musically in some form! I also updated photos on the profile, removed their deleted Facebook group, and noted that Jesse Aubertin served as a temporary live bassist for them earlier this year.
Will of the Ancients: I updated references to former drummer David "Veillko" Gold, largely referencing the late
Woods of Ypres frontman's passing in December 2011. In terms of the band's current lineup, they enlisted Peter Weinrauch to replace the departed Jeff Kurkowski in March, while band members Tristan Biggar, Dean Black, and Colin Attlesley are now handling vocals for the band in place of ex-singer Stephen Walton, retracting them to a quintet. I also deleted the link for their expired website, and added references to their recent concerts and the still-pending release of their third CD "To Our Glorious Dead". They're very much active and roaring, so keep an eye out for more from Will of the Ancients!
Papa Fogals Chair: The only real update was to note that the site of their last two local concerts (
Foggy Notions in 2008 & 2010) is now
Coch's Corner, Nothing else really needed to be updated, as Papa Fogals Chair have not reunited for even a one-off show in over 2
½ years, but hopefully they'll turn up again at some point!
The Sexual Vigilantes: I mostly freshened up some references and reinforced their defunct status, as they have not shown any major activity since 2009 or earlier, and members Brenton Ellis & Curtis Faux have largely focused on Maximum RNR in recent years. However, I did re-add the video of them playing "Motorbike The Song" with guests/future Detroit bandmates Mark Ranį¶ & Mikey Hawdon at the former Foggy Notions in December 2007, as uploader Nathan Sauve re-activated it on
his YouTube channel in September, so give it a look below!
Feral Noise: No changes, aside from notes that frontwoman Nathalie Boudreau still uses the band's name on personal pages, while adding links to stream live concert footage from her later Vancouver area bands, which likely are similar to Feral Noise. With guitarist
Tym Morrison back home in the Soo for a few years now, the Calgary hard rock quartet hasn't shown any signs of life in years, but who knows what the future holds?
Sadomasochism: Aside from some minor spelling corrections and brief notes on final drummer Mikey Bishop's black metal band Summon's recent inactivity and frontman John Rios' current band
From Hell's similar sound, there were no major edits. Sadomasochism have been broken up for 8 years now, and the members have long since dispersed into newer projects.
Levitate: I added references on frontman Cory Murchison's newest local band
Skeyes of Seven, while also deleting links for their GarageBand page, as that site is no longer active. Nothing else needed changing, as Levitate are long since inactive, with the members mostly living outside of their Prince Edward Island homebase currently.
Necramyth: Aside from some freshening up of references due to drummer David Gold's passing last December, and notes on David's unreleased "Korea Metal" documentary, there were no major changes. Necramyth broke up while David was still alive, and I've heard nothing about a reunion in recent years, but hopefully the surviving members are still delivering metal in some fashion to South Korea and beyond!
Human Disorder: All I changed was notes on most of the band's later group Phatstick breaking up earlier this year, and I downplayed some exciteable sentences late in the profile. Nothing else needed fixing, as Human Disorder have been broke up for over 13 years, with no reunion in sight that I can tell.
Summon: I updated references to their status (I believe they're inactive now, not having issued real band updates since 2010), while also restoring their posted photos, but that's about all. I'd like to see Summon back in action, as Mikey and company have good talent and chemistry!
The Disciples of Rock: All I changed was a reference to bassist James White's current local band status, as he left Caveman Morrison earlier this year, but it still on bass with Redundant. The rest didn't need changing, as The Disciples of Rock have not been reactivated since.
Violet Fuse: I replaced the expired photos and noted some recent updates from them, including continued concerts and plans for their second album. The rest is about the same as before concerning their lineup and general status, as they still play and record often in the London area!
Jar.: Only minor updates here, including brief notes on their next CD's status and recent concerts, additions of their
MySpace &
SoundCloud pages, and a photo restoration. Jar. are still very prominent in the B.C. music scene, so watch out for some big news and events from them in 2013!
Thrawsunblat: Like with his earlier bands in this series, I edited and updated references to drummer David Gold, particularly his band history and passing last year. Related to that, I updated their lineup to note the additions of bassist Brendan Hayter and new drummer Rae Amitay (both also from Woods of Ypres' last lineup.) I also added notes on Thrawsunblat's latest studio work towards their second CD "Thrawsunblat II: Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings" and it's fundraising campaign, while amending some of my analysis of their sound, replacing a photo, and adding links to
their BandCamp page &
new album's Facebook page. More updates should be needed next year as we inch closer to the CD release!
Hellhitch: My only update was to note that I don't think frontman/Saultite Mike Lawrence is still in
Brooklyn Fletcher, who have been reduced to a duo at present. The rest is still as up to date as the internet will afford me, as information on Hellhitch was extremely hard to find even closer to their active run.
Kilacel: I overhauled the local info section to give new information on guitarist Chris Webster and bassist Chris Leask, both of which have notable local ties that we had already addressed there. I also removed links to their expired website, noted that their hiatus is likely permanent, and added extra references to the Nunica hard rock band
Coldville, who share two members & a similar sound with Kilacel.
Fifth Way: First off, Fifth Way have actually had two bassist changes since we last updated their profile, as Victor Wooten replaced Mike McMann this summer, before Anthony Palsgrove replaced Victor in October. If my math's correct, they've now had five bassists in the past four years! I also added notes on guitarist/Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek's newest gig as a guitarist in the cover band
Cruizin' Jupiter, while freshening up references to their Sault Michigan stops in 2012.
Mark Ranį¶: I updated references to Mark's current musical status, including his newer bands Cross Dog & Kidshit (the latter of which sounds like his old solo material), his current homebase of Peterborough, and this solo project's inactive status, having not issued real updates since 2011. Hopefully we see him playing live in the Soo again in the future! (I also removed a redundant MySpace link, and restored a photo.)
L'anguisette: Like our profiles on his other out of town bands, I updated this one to note drummer David Gold's passing last year, along with the band's stalled activity in 2012, though they are alive! As of October, they were still hoping to release "Damning the Euphrates" formally, but a timeline for it could not be given at the time. Here's hoping they can return from recent personal setbacks stronger than ever at some point in the future, as they have a lot of promise!
S.C.A.R.: I noted here that this band reunited in January 2011 after being broke up for most of 2010, along with alluding to some recent concerts and album plans. As well, I updated frontman
Mike Haggith's local information to cover his building local prominence, including the formation of his grunge band
Haggith this year. Finally, I restored photos to the profile, as the links no longer worked for them.
The Northern Ontario Black Metal Preservation Society: As with our other profiles of David Gold's out of town projects, I updated references to him mainly due to his passing last year. As well, I restored the photos on the profile, noted the project's likely inactive status (with David gone and their Facebook page deleted, I figure Aaron isn't carrying on with it), and made appropriate edits to their releases, output, and plans to connect to the finality of it all.
Maximum RNR: Only some minor edits were needed here, including a photo restoration, newer additions to reflect the band's recent local shows and discography, and some extra comments on their current sound. Maximum RNR are still playing often and causing mayhem at many stages, so don't miss them!
Buster Cherry: The only updates needed here were for the members' recent local connections, including guitarist Terry Eaton's role in the
Asylum Country successors Asylum, and his longtime bandmate Dan Beaupre's current role in Griphook. The rest was about the same as before, as information on Buster Cherry directly is still hard to find.
The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles: In terms of lineup changes for Sault Ontario native Ash Richtig's oldest active Windsor band, they added his NeanderTHRALL bandmate Kyle Paulton to the band in June, replacing the departed Nolan Silvaggi. Aside from that, I restored some photos and notes the band's recent activity following a recent break. The guys are still plugging away with new concerts down south, with new studio material in the pipeline!
Gravity Crash: Most of our updates here to reflect Gravity Crash's likely demise, as they quietly deleted many of their online pages this fall following guitarist/Saultite Paul Melanson's second/final departure in September. The profile is updated to that end, including more recent live and studio notes, and some updated on my analysis of their sound. On the positive side though, I did replace the profile's video to include one of a full song, so here's Gravity Crash in December 2011 playing their song "Run Johnny Run"!
Jeff Nisbet: Only minor changes were needed, including a photo restoration and a note that Jeff's solo project is inactive now, having not updated
his Facebook page since August 2011. I'd like to see him resurrect his solo work though, as he is very talented!
NeanderTHRALL: This Windsor metal band are now a trio (coincidentally now all Heatseeking Moisture Missiles members), as the band parted ways with singer Chris Wilkins in mid-2012, with no replacement announced yet (though he does sing in Ash's newest band,
The Line Drawn.) That's the only major change beyond photo restorations, especially as NeanderTHRALL have offered very few updates since June.
Infathom: Along with photo restorations, I noted frontman/area resident Dillion Semasky's brief stint with Half A Man and recent solo rap material, and the band's June 2012 return at the second LemmaFest in Sault Michigan (though they've been otherwise dormant since members moved away for college in late 2011.)
Paricide: No changes. They're long since defunct, and the members who are still musically active are still credited with accurate information, so nothing needs an edit... yet.
The Lust Boys: I restored photos here, along with noting that drummer Stefano Sxdryv's real last name is Pasta (it really is!), and adding some more up to date information on their current status and happenings, including their cancelled March 2012 local date following their tour vehicle breaking down. Hopefully Benny brings the guys back home soon for a proper local debut!
Repetitions: Restored photos aside, I edited much of the profile to note the release of Repetitions only CD, along with their surprise disbanding in July 2012 following a successful year and a half run in the Windsor scene, though members Ash Richtig & Jay Buston are back in the similar Line Drawn. It's disappointing to see Repetitions end, as they were very aggressive and had a great old school sound, but hopefully the members' new bands work out for them!
Mothership: The Ottawa Led Zeppelin tribute band featuring former area resident Ritch Fullerton appear to have quietly disbanded for unannounced reasons this summer (as per the deletion of their Facebook page), which is disappointing, but Ritch is back musically as guitarist in the Ottawa classic rock cover band
Trashed Taxi, so give them a look! All edits to the profile are related to that, aside from a restored band photo.
Constructed Apocalypse: The only edits here were for a restored photo and for Saultite/ex-frontman Jeremy Hannah's more recent work as a singer in local bands like
March Into Regression and
Like Father Like Son. The rest was up to date, as Constructed Apocalypse have been defunct for over two years.
Winter of Silence: Updates here included a restored photo, a removed band from Ryan DeWinter's past work (as that was a different Ryan DeWinter), and notes on the end of the Winter of Silence project in May for unknown reasons & their succession by his new Nordic-influenced black metal band
Brynhildr. At least he's still doing original black metal work, but I liked Winter of Silence's doomy originals, and maybe Ryan revisits this material down the road!
Azriahl: I noted information on their full band's live debut on December 22nd in Peterborough, the recent release of their debut CD, and the departure of bassist Jimi Baldwin this summer for unannounced reasons, who has been replaced (on at least a temporary basis) by Mike Pickett. The rest is about accurate, but I imagine much more will need to be changed in 2013, as their prominence is building! (Yes, there was a restored photo too.)
RedStone Riot: I updated the band's recent activity, such as their recent major Lower Peninsula concerts and their recent studio work towards their planned album, but the biggest update was the addition of a live concert video! About time that RedStone Riot have some live footage, and this is of them covering Evanescence's "Bring Me To Life" at the Muskegon Rockstock Festival! It's a solid performance for sure (but Rachel's singing is a bit shaky), so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more audio and video material from them!
Under Earth: All I did here was restore a photo and update references to Ash Richtig's Windsor-area music work. Under Earth are still inactive, and with how busy Ash is in his three current bands, I don't see him revisiting this project in the near future.
The Georgian Skull: No changes. The band are long since defunct, and no updates have came out since we posted this in the summer.
Beyond Haven: Oddly enough, Beyond Haven's active local connections ended just weeks after we posted this profile, as Sault native Jason Graham left the band last month for unannounced reasons, and was replaced by Matt Davey. Disappointing, but hopefully Jason stays active musically! The only other update was to note some updated info, including their set opening for Finger Eleven next month.
Genocya: No changes. We only just posted their profile in this series last month, so there hasn't been a lot of time for things to change and warrant edits. Stay tuned for big news from their camp though!
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I hope you guys liked all of the edits to the bands in this series! I really need to update them more often, this was a lot of work to source and change. We'll return to band profiles next month to round out the year, and we'll cap 2012 with
The Dyadics, the London hard rock duo featuring Sault Ontario native Kevin Kennedy! Watch out for that on or around Boxing Day, and stay tuned for my Toystock review this afternoon! Thanks everyone!
November is almost over, so let`s end the month with our latest local metal/hard rock CD review at the SMS! For our 41st monthly CD review on the site, I've chosen a new CD for the second straight month, and this time around, it's for Sault Ontario classic metal quartet Late & Loud's debut (and perhaps only?) EP, entitled "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal"! Independently released on November 10th during the band's return concert at The Rockstar Bar, the disc was primarily recorded with producer Dave Pihlaja earlier this year at what I believe is now the Smoke & Oak Room Studio, though the last two tracks were self-recorded. Late & Loud's current lineup is present here, with singer/guitarists Jonathan Tiberi & Brendan Christie joined by bassist Benn Garside and drummer Josh Hatherley. Copies of this demo EP are available for $6 at concerts featuring band members, though it's unclear on whether further pressings will be produced. As well, the first 5 songs can all be streamed at L&L's Reverbnation page, so give them a preview listen there!
Second is "Rock 'En Roll", which after a bit of feedback, launches into more of a classic rock rhythm with a catchy swing riff, and it also captures it's sound well as an ever older school song than their sound leans towards! The vocals even have more of a casual flow, and Josh Hatherley actually pulls off this song better as a pure singer than on "Fast as a Bitch"! That said, this isn't quite as heavy as the previous track, and it's way too short, but Late & Loud's talent shows well here, including drummer Josh Hatherley's nicely paced work! It's an even better track to me, and if you like 1970s-era hard rock, this will work out for you! Third of the main 5 tracks is "Machine Gun Maiden", which has a great opening with a nice machine gun-esque drum section and more quality guitar and bass work, and it's definitely the coolest and newest sounding for the song's overall themes! The verses have that omninous dark feel vocally, but the choruses do lack, as they seem to have more melody and intensity live. They almost sound mailed in, but the guitar solo doesn't (and it thankfully longer), and Benn Garside's bass work here is the best that I've heard so far! If the vocals were more energetic, this song would be even better, but it still works well as a more modern metal track!
"Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" also includes two bonus tracks (the jewel case labels them as "unreleased Late & Loud recordings", but both are noticeably lacking in production given that they were self-recorded, including more distorted vocals and a somewhat messier overall mix. The first of the two bonus tracks is "Love Letter Lockdown", which goes well with earlier tracks for it's classic metal stylings, including a nice overall melody and effectively used vocals which flow well with the music as a whole, while the drumming fits well, and the guitar solo is proficiently played! That said, the singing does seem to get quieter late in the track, and the song is shorter than I'd have liked. The other bonus track is "Never Again", an older original of theirs that's nice to hear again, but it is noticeably more reserved than it's preceding tracks. More mid-paced with a general rock rhythm and more casual vocals, it doesn't have the blistering aggression or classic feel that better songs on this EP have, and the worse production doesn't help. That said, it's still a nice rock song with some harsher moments, and the last half of this song has a nice extended jam feel that has a spark that could have ignited the first half!
It'd have been nice to have heard more songs on the release too ("Live For Excess" is a disappointing exclusion, for example), and of course, a full time singer might have improved these songs, but the core Late & Loud members filled that role at the maximum level that they could! I hope this doesn't mark the end of Late & Loud's run (especially given their recent breakup and related concerns), but if it does, it marks some very entertaining metal originals from one of the area's most prominent recent bands, and don't let this material slip you by, so check it out at the above links, and buy it if you can! That's all for this month, but keep an eye out for a special all-video post tomorrow concerning a recent concert event, this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on Sunday, and as for our last CD review of 2012? It's still going to be Mike Haggith's new album "Neighbourhood Watch", and it's coming way sooner than you think! Stay tuned!
