There's still a lot of unknowns for Hydra (i.e. who'll finish their lineup, live concert statuses with Talon out of town, what their existence means for Late & Loud's future), but I like what I'm hearing from them so far! Their songs show classic heavy metal promise, but these demos would sound more complete if they had even placeholder singing from Brendan and some computer drum tracks. I'll keep my eye out for more Hydra news, so become a fan above, and I've added them to our Sault Ontario band links!
Next up, here's the latest updates from local progressive death metal standouts Gates of Winter! Updates from their camp have been slower than recently usual over the fall, but on Saturday, frontman Lee Maines posted a status onto the band's Facebook page which noted recent & new stuff relating to their future. Lee addressed the status of their planned third CD, saying that it won't be coming out in December as was previously announced, but he did confirm that progress is ongoing for it, while also adding that it will now have just 6 tracks and be of EP length (like their original demo), and will likely be renamed from the previously announced title "Perihelion". He explained the delays were due to personal commitments (i.e. family, education, and work) and the members' distance from each other (only Lee currently lives in the Soo), but he did note that the three current members still hope to finish this album A.S.A.P., as well as calling a return to the stage "an inevitability." Lee closed by saying that when the EP is finished, it will be "much more heavy, fast, and
sophisticated", and will be "perpendicular" to their 2000s output. Check the above links for the full statement!It's great to see Gates of Winter still slowly plugging away at this CD, and this has to be some cautiously good news for fans, especially given their four year stage hiatus & recent slow activity! A lesser band may have thrown in the towel already, but you know as well as I that Gates of Winter have the necessary talent & drive (even if the time & proximity isn't currently there), so hopefully we see the new disc at some point in 2013! I just wish they didn't discredit their earlier originals so much, as they're still well received by fans to this day, even if they're not as heavy & technical as what's to come. Stay tuned for more Gates of Winter news when it all rolls in!
Thirdly today, here's the latest news from newer local sludge metal band Giwakwa! Yesterday, they confirmed on their Facebook page that they've added Bear Hunters guitarist Josh Stephney to their lineup as their new singer, replacing the already-departed Jason Bourcier. In their most recent Facebook status, the band confirmed that they'd been jamming with Josh for a few weeks, and they plan to begin playing live in the new year. Though best known recently as a guitarist, Josh was well known as the singer for defunct local death metal band Bring The Fallen (who Giwakwa bassist Nolan Rainville was also a member of), as well as a brief vocalist stint with the recently-inactive March Into Regression this summer (are they still together?) It's great to see Josh back as singer in another death metal band, as he was definitely very good at it with his older bands! It's also good to see much of The Bear Hunters staying busy with other live bands while their demo is in progress (such as The Suicide Kings & Caveman Morrison), but hopefully we hear some death/sludge metal from Giwakwa on the local stage shortly, and check the above links for more details!And finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band, promoter, or venue name:
- If you're wondering what ever became of the old Coch's Corner location (under the Days Inn at 320 Bay Street), the whole building was converted into a Holiday Inn Express over the summer, which likely explains the construction there mid-year & Coch's Corner's move to the old Foggy Notions building. The move must still be disappointing to some, but at least Coch's Corner has a new home!
- Local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade have launched their own Twitter page, so follow them at the above link for band updates! Note however that there's no tweets yet, but hopefully soon! (Also, for the record, the band has yet to confirm the full identity of their new guitarist, "Rob #2", but we'll know by Sunday if nothing else!)
- Frightlight/T-Rex Manning frontman J.D. Pearce is apparently now doing some concert bookings for The Algonquin Hotel's two bars (The Algonquin Pub & The Rockstar Bar), as per postings on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group recently! Bookings through December at The Rockstar Bar are being offered (preferably to classic rock bands), but bands downstairs will be more diverse from what I can tell. If you're interested in playing any weekends at the Algonquin, message J.D. at this location!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week! Thanks everyone!
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