Friday, November 2, 2012

Where Are The New Albums? November 2012 Update

It's time for our first monthly feature post of November, and it's this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Once again, we're looking at the current slate of in-progress or partially recorded metal/hard rock albums from Sault Ontario bands, in order to see each album's possible songs, background, release status, and more. For this month's post, we've removed two albums due to their formal release last month (Haggith's "Dragon Joy Ride" and Mike Haggith's "Neighbourhood Watch"), though only one entry had to be removed, as the former band has other partially recorded material to come. I've also opted to remove one more album due to it's unlikely future release, and I'll have info on that at the end of this post (where it already was alphabetically.) Also, if you were curious about Riverin's self-titled EP (which we removed during their lengthy hiatus, but before they were returned last month), I'll re-add it if the guys formally & publically resume plans on the disc.

Enough bands have returned from breaks without restarting album plans that I won't yet jump to conclusions, but hopefully they can put out this EP at some point! That said, today's "WATNA?" post features info on the statuses of 14 albums by 8 bands, with updated entries noted with the album titles in italics, so read on below to hopefully find out where these new albums are!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As It Stands' third EP

Rumoured Songs: "Conception", "Big Problem, Little Lock City", "Rise Above", "One Last Chance", "One Less Than Wayne Gretzky", "Big Bucks, No Whammy", "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Ho", "Embay the Terrible", "Oh Herm, Herm Delish", "David & Goliath", "Stay Together For The Kids" (Blink-182 cover)

Background: Continuing their high success levels since their local re-emergence in 2010, hardcore quintet As It Stands started recording sessions for their third EP with Metalworks Studios in Mississauga last July with producer Kevin Dietz. The sessions lasted just a few days, but from what I hear, a lot got accomplished! You can see some of the happenings from the sessions on their official studio vlog, which features some audio samples and video of some members recording their parts. The vlog also confirmed that their cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" was recorded in Mississauga, and that the songs will be part of an EP, not a full length album as was previously believed. It's currently unclear whether the songs they recorded at Stereo Soul Studios in 2010 and/or in Stoney Creek last year will be featured on the EP in some form. A new track named "Oh Herm, Herm Delish" was posted onto SoundCloud in early 2012, with studio copies of "Conception" & "Big Problem, Little Lock City" also being uploaded to their Facebook page this year, both of which you can stream at this location. Mixing was underway locally with Brendan Clace at the former Dimension Studios, so stay tuned for more news on this EP this year!

Current Release Status: As It Stands seemed to have everything under control and well planned for the sessions and their studio work, and though nothing concrete has been explicitly said about it's release, things seem on track, despite recent delays and absences of updates. When might we see this EP? I don't know, especially with their recent slowdown in news and the closure of Dimension Studios, but keep an eye out for any possible updates!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bear Hunters' full length demo

Rumoured Songs: "Bloodthirst", "Succumb To Eternity", "Dominate", "Overthrown", "Casualties Of War", "Collapse The Sun", "Render This Void", "Karma", "Deception"

Background: Local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters formally announced that they'd begun recording for their debut EP "Bloodthirst" last May, just days after adding guitarist Josh Stephney to the band. The news was broken on their Facebook page, but details were extremely scant following that news, and the recording plans fell dormant until January, when the band announced plans to record material towards a full length demo release. This appears to be an independent production towards future better quality recordings, and plans are in place to release official band t-shirts along with the demos when completed. Plans are for this demo (which won't be "slapped together") to feature at least 10 songs, and though progress has been made towards completions, setbacks (including a dead computer) have pushed back a planned release, including their non-album cover of Woods of Ypres' "Kiss My Ashes (Goodbye)". Stay tuned to the band's Facebook page for continued updates!

Current Release Status:
Though things seem to have been delayed from original expectations, recordings for the demo are ongoing as per their Facebook page. Recent band news has been slow at best, and no new timeline is out for the release of it beyond before "the end of the world", but they seem to have things in good order, so keep an eye out for updates on official Bear Hunters media as it comes in!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gates of Winter - Perihelion

Rumoured Songs: "The Stars Call My True Name", "Edin Na Zu", "Dimensions", "Time Warp", "Wormhole Mechanics"

Background: Despite a hiatus from live concerts lasting almost 4 years, Gates of Winter never broke up, and are slowly working on their follow-up to 2008's "Lux Aeterna". The first glimpse of the new album was unveiled in February 2010, when frontman/producer Lee Maines uploaded a snippet of their new song "The Stars Call My True Name" onto his YouTube channel, and he followed that up with more demo & rehearsal clips sporadically over the last couple of years, though all were later taken down. The band launched a new Facebook page in August 2010 to keep fans updated on the sessions, including the unveiling of a new song title, "Time Warp", and while Sault native Jon Morrison was announced as the album's drummer that fall, they are currently looking for a new session drummer. On November 6th, 2011, bassist Steve Furgiuele confirmed in a YouTube video that the album, now titled "Perihelion", is planned for release in December 2012, with some older re-recordings likely for the summer. Another new song, tentatively called "Wormhole Mechanics", was previewed in this video that Lee uploaded as well last year. Most recently, Lee announced on January 10th that vocal recordings had begun, but recent updates have been slow, and delays have been indicated. Whether Jon or ex-keyboardist Brian Holmes will be included in some capacity on the album is currently unknown.

Current Release Status: According to Lee's posting on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group relating to their session drummer search, he's hoping for the work to be done "within the next 4-12 months", which alone hints that "Perihelion" has been pushed back to at least 2013. That, the lack of formal online updates since June, and the lack of hoped summer re-recordings suggest delays from the November 2011 projections, but good art takes time, and knowing Gates of Winter's talent and attention to detail, they won't wanna release this until everything's perfect, so keep an eye out for updates!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haggith - "Deuce" & "Apocalypse"

Rumoured Songs (D):  "Leon The Janitor", "75", "Safe On The Outside", "Public Enemy"

Rumoured Songs (A): "Days", "Chaos In The Streets Of Aftermath", "Red Car", "If You Get Out Alive", "Fin (Part 1)", "Fin (Part 2)"

Background: A new local grunge act formed in May, this band featuring 20 Pack of Marshmallows & Acention alumni alongside local solo artist Mike Haggith have quickly announced plans to record no less than three studio albums. Following early plans for "basement" demo EPs, they've since confirmed that independent recording is underway for their albums, one of which was labelled "Stop the Ear Bleeding" at one point. Announcements, previews, and photos from the studio and sessions have made it to their Facebook page over the last couple months, with their planned first album "Dragon Joy Ride" already released first through Paperclip Productions last month, and at least two having begun recording or pre-production. It's likely that the planned second album "Deuce" will be their first album with new bassist Caleb Cachagee, while "Apocalypse" is expected to be a concept release with zombie themes. Keep tuned in to Haggith's online pages for further updates!

Current Release Status: I'm not entirely sure, but recent indications hinted that "Deuce" might not be out until early 2013. I'm inclined to believe them, but if Haggith operate on a similar prolific schedule as Mike does solo, you never know how fast these could come out! If you look at Mike's discography, many close releases aren't far fetched, so keep an eye out for updates!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Shit Liver's debut EP

Rumoured Songs:
"Contribute or Perish", "Fabricated Nonsense", "Hateroleum", "Helen Kellers", "It's Not My Problem", "Pennotration", "Sewer Livin'", "Shift Liver", "Shit Liver", "Shit Will Prevail", "Survival of the Shittest", "Unabomber", "(Friendly Old) Uncle Joe", "You're Scared"

Background: Curiously not plugged at all on their online pages, I have heard from those close to the band that local grimecore trio Shit Liver are independently working on a debut EP which is supposed to have 14 songs (knowing how short most of their songs are, that's not a typo.) I can confirm that there are unmastered recordings of at least some of the album tracks floating around, but as they have not publically acknowledged EP plans online, it's not clear how far along they are, but I'll keep you guys updated if they say anything!

Current Release Status: Your guess is as good as mine. Most bands that stay mum on recording plans are behind schedule or not proceeding further, but from what I have heard, Shit Liver are well into the recording process and have finished up at least much of the material. That said, they have not played a public concert since June, and updates of any kind have been incredibly slow since, but hopefully we hear some big news on this front soon!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sykotyk Rampage - "Jonathon, Your Music Sucks!", "Sykotyk Ramp-age", "Anal Disruptions", "Smells Real Good On A Bad Night", "The Cross", and "Will Do Anything, Seriously?"

Rumoured Songs: "Roll A Doobie"

Background: On May 6th, "the original crash band" Sykotyk Rampage unveiled plans to release no less than six new albums this year, mirroring the announced output of material from last year. Though little is known yet on the material for these albums beyond the album covers on their Facebook page, these six will push Sykotyk Rampage's discography to 35 releases in total, and all will feature 11-12 tracks. Similarly to their recent albums, it's expected that these new albums are or will be recorded with their current lineup at River Front Recreation Studios, and they'll likely be put on sale and/or uploaded for free streaming on their Reverbnation page when they're actually released. Aside from a potential album track named "Roll A Doobie" on Reverbnation, no song identities or media have been publically released yet (though guitarist Dirk Becker has mentioned them as being finished when referring to their discography), but stay tuned for updates on all of Sykotyk Rampage's new albums as information comes in!

Current Release Status: These albums are listed on Facebook as coming out this summer, which has long since passed us by. This isn't anything new though, as many of Sykotyk Rampage's recent albums have been delayed by as much as 8 months for their public release/posting. I'd love to see some or all of these come out soon, but a wait & see attitude might be the best route to take. No matter what though, keep an eye out for plenty of Sykotyk Rampage material (hopefully) this year!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tym Morrison's second solo album

Rumoured Songs: "Moon Patrol", "Dungeons & Dragons", "Nag Hamedi", "The Reason Why", "The Dark Shred", "Song For Jen", "No Name", "Amy", "Lay It On The Line", "Someday", "How I'm Wanting You More", "The After Life", "9/11", "His Sacrifice", "Termination of Exystence"

Background: I honestly don't know a lot about the background for Tym Morrison's second album, but he has posted samples of nine songs for his "next album" onto the music player on his official website. The songs are all of good quality, and feature Tym in familiarly good form! Original information about recording sessions for his solo album are either very sparse or were made quite a while ago, so I don't know a lot about it, but the songs were likely self-recorded at Morrison Studio Productions with Tym on all instruments save for the programmed drums. He's worked on the album sporadically since, including scattered song postings (including some of a comedic or acoustic nature) and Facebook hints at a double album release, but it's unknown how close we are to seeing a second Tym Morrison album release, or if all of the originally announced songs will make the cut, but keep an eye out!

Current Release Status: I don't have any real idea, but the song postings from this summer hint towards good things! Hopefully Tym does release these songs in the near future, as his older samples and newer material deserve an audience, but for now, check out the above links to hear what he has to share that could make the cut!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winkstinger's debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Sadist", "Fuck The Rest", "Cheese Grater Face", "Chudnugget", "From Bullshit To Buzz (Lies = Weed)", "Where'd We Go Wrong", "Poop", "In Other Words", "Stop! You Can't Interrogate Someone With Brain Damage!", "The Devil's Hand", "Feel All My Hate", "Move It, Peenie-Weenies, My Hands Are On Fire!", "Jimmy Got His New Legs (Derp.)", "Bidniz", "Nunya", "Of Steed & Steel"

Background: Little is publically known about this EP, but Winkstinger initially confirmed on March 15th on their Facebook page that recording had begun. Anything else from official band pages is open-ended or minimal, but guitarist Jesse Cook has also kept fans posted on the recording sessions for the band's first EP on his personal Facebook page, noting that recording took place from the 15th through the 27th, with mixing done and some lyric finalization left. I assume this EP is being self-produced and recorded, but again, the band hasn't said much publically about it or it's possible track listing, length, release formats, or anything else. In May, the band posted 5 demos from the sessions onto their new SoundCloud page, so stream them there in advance of the full release! Whether ex-rhythm guitarist Jason Ladouceur's recordings will remain on the final product or be redone by his replacement Anthony Orazietti is not publically known yet.

Current Release Status: I'm not sure, especially with the limited public information as of yet. A fall release made sense once, but band updates have been slow in recent months, with Winkstinger not playing a public live concert since July. No matter what though, I'm curious to hear more of Winkstinger's creative and often amusing material in studio form, so hopefully this does come out relatively soon! Stay tuned for updates!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This all said, I've also opted to remove from an album from this series due to it's dwindling prospects for a release, so here's what you need to know on it before it leaves this series:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Woods of Ypres - "Woods 4.5: You Were The Light"

Rumoured Songs: "You Were The Light", "Falling Apart"

Background: Recording for what was intended to be Woods of Ypres' fifth album took place in August 2010 at Stereo Soul Studios. Intended to be a 5 track EP, producer Miguel Gauthier's Facebook page kept fans updated on the sessions, along with Woods of Ypres' pages. Originally titled "Woods V: You Were The Light", release plans noticeably changed when the band signed with Earache Records in the fall of 2010. With the label desiring a full length follow-up to "Woods IV", frontman David Gold & guitarist Joel Violette hit the studio last August to record a new full length album, now known as "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", which left the August 2010 material (now called "Woods 4.5") shelved. Two of the songs were issued in a vinyl/online-only single named "Home" through Practical Art Records last April, which has been retroactively referred to as "Woods 4.5: Home" in some interviews. Any future plans to release the full sessions were likely dashed following the passing of David Gold in December 2011.

Reason For Removal: Because without David and his independent label Practical Art Records around to release "Woods 4.5" in full, I don't believe there's any likelihood for it to come out as was once planned. I know David preferred this material to stand on it's own as one complete unit & not with other material tacked on, but it may only realistically see a release now as either a free posting or as part of a rarities album, given that future band activity is likely restricted to putting out old material. Joel Violette has also indicated in interviews that the only future Woods release he can see being produced would be an album of piano-based re-recordings, so take that for what you will. I'd love to see these songs come out in some form if at all possible, be it for download or in physical media, but for now, click here to check out studio previews from the sessions, and buy "Home" online at this location!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post and more shortly, including our fourth ever book review in the next while! Thanks everyone!

No comments: