Destroilet CD Review!!

It's now time for our final monthly feature post of the month, and it's our first monthly CD review of 2013 at the SMS, as we're reviewing the first full length CD and second album from Sault Ontario old school hardcore/punk quintet Destroilet today! Independently released on December 13th, 2012, this serves as a half reissue of the band's April 2011 EP, though it does feature 6 brand new studio recordings, including 3 new original songs and 3 covers to go along with the 4 originals and 2 covers from the 2011 sessions. The new songs were recorded at "The Litter Box" (presumably their home recording studio) last year with guitarist John Conway producing, while the 2011 songs were recorded at Meat Curtain Studios that spring with producer Aaron Gibbs (John's Billy Bastards bandmate.) All 12 songs feature Destroilet's original & current lineup, including singer Mike Hull, guitarists John Conway & Christian Foisy, bassist Adam Larocque, and drummer/album artwork designer Matt Waples.

Physical copies of this EP are available for $10 by request through their Facebook page (and presumably at any future live shows), while the online version on iTunes costs the same (or 99¢ a song), though it lacks the 2 covers of non-local bands due to copyright concerns. Featuring just 28 minutes of music spread across 12 songs, this will be a quicker review (especially having reviewed half of it last year), but let's begin with the first song "Truly Infected"!

"Tape Side A" of the album begins with "Truly Infected", which starts off fast paced with quick riffing and drum hits that set off a mosh atmosphere well, though the instrumental intro of it all might last too long. Mike Hull's vocals are more varied and dirtier than I remember, including lots of variances and even some pseudo-growling at points! The drumming is consistently very good, and the guitar solo late helps, especially as it isn't cut short! The title of the song suits a lot of the style that Destroilet are playing, and while it's a bit longer than most of their songs, it doesn't get bogged down at all with any real low stretches. It's a solid opener that shows Destroilet's hardcore skills nicely! Second is "R.O.Y.C.", which opens with a scream before launching into another heavier riff that keeps a good pace, while not being quite as chaotic as the CD's opening track. The vocals are lower and harsher, which I don't think works for the song given it's aggression, but the guitar & bass work is up to par (the solo's a bit short though), and it's still a heavy track that deserves a listen! It's just hit & miss, and could use either toned down instrumentation or more yelled vocals.

The final new original song is "Eternal Fire", which launches with a drum and bass intro before getting to hardcore business, with Mike providing a more monotonous talking vocal style over the verses, which lead into gang vocals in the choruses that are oddly energetic & high. I'd have recorded these in a harsher yelling style, but the second half of the track builds heavier and more aggressive, including a solid guitar solo from John! For such a vocal-driven song, I'd have wanted it to be as brutal as "Truly Infected", but it works for what it is, and has more of a punk sensibility at points, with Adam Larcoque's bass work at it's finest so far on the disc! The next 3 songs are all new cover tracks, starting with their CD-exclusive cover of The Ducky Boys' "Cross To Bear (Walk Proud, Stand Tall)", which is definitely the most punk-inspired song so far, with a galloping punk riff and a dirty edge to it, which suit Mike's lower and more gruff singing better than the preceding hardcore originals. The pace of it is consistent and gives a good flavour, with effective drumming from Matt Waples and a catchy overall quality that helps it, but the vocals could still be a bit more energetic.

Next is the only new local band cover, that being of "Evil God Hater" (or "E.G.H.") by Fistmagnet and/or The Fuckin' Burnouts, which is a very short and fast paced track that opens with an awesome guitar solo which quickly shifts into an aggressive and dirty hardcore number with almost sleazy trade-off vocals and a clear attitude that helps the song stand out among the new recordings! If you can look past the subject matter, you'll find an entertaining old school hardcore number that honestly should be a lot longer! The quick pacing continues for the album's final brand new song, that being Destroilet's CD-exclusive cover of Nirvana's "Tourette's", which takes one of their shortest songs and makes it even faster, dirtier, and heavier, with Mike's singing almost diverging into black metal levels with it's harshness! It's not very long, and it lacks the timeframe for it to have a lot of substance similar to the originals, but their aggressive old school onslaught is at work here, and it'll no doubt start some brutal moshpits at future Destroilet concerts!

The second half of "Destroilet" (also referred to as "Tape Side B") comprises of the band's entire April 2011 EP in it's exact running order, with no changes to the quality or original tracks. Because we've already reviewed it on the site, I'll link you guys to our original review, so check it out at this location for my full thoughts on the final 6 songs on their newest album! That said, I'll sum up my overall thoughts on it again here to tie everything together. These six songs are Destroilet's original songs "End Me", "Suck It", "H.D.M.", and "My Life", along with covers of The Billy Bastards' "Mile 58" and A-Null Seepage's "Got Beat Up", and while I liked the 2011 tracks, though I did find that half of the album was hit & miss, which I partially blamed on preferring the heavier hardcore material over punk-inspired tracks, while the vocals were also more effective in a yelling hardcore style over the more monotone harsh talking. On these songs, the shorter tracks tended to be heavier and faster, and they definitely go by in what seems like no time at all! On their own, these songs stood well on their own for old school hardcore and punk action, and they still work well in this partial reissue!

So, what are my final thoughts on Destroilet's new CD? It works very well for the genres it covers, and whether you consider it a brand new album or expanded re-release, it should please all fans of Destroilet! Like on their EP, I largely have the same preferences and points to raise, as their sound hasn't drastically changed since 2011, aside from a longer average song length and maybe a slight difference in production quality, though it's minimal if noticed. Mike Hull's vocals still are most effective when yelled, but punk fans (and maybe even death metal fans) will appreciate his harsher lower vocals used on many tracks, and the members' instrumental contributions are overall very good! John and Christian's guitar work is solid and heavy, Adam Larocque's bass skills are always a plus, and Matt Waples' drumming is a constant steady presence with lots of good heavy rhythms! That said, I do admit to slightly preferring the 2011 songs over the new tracks just for their generally faster and heavier qualities, but all of the tracks could all benefit from longer guitar solos, more yelled vocals, and maybe some cleaner production on some of the noisier songs.

When completely on their game though, Destroilet are brutal and very exciting (as songs like "My Life" and "Truly Infected" will attest to), and the covers also show their wide influences and respect for the local scene really well! I have no idea when Destroilet will end their 2 year concert hiatus, but when they do, fans should be jacked if these songs are any indication, so pick up their new album at the above links for some quality noisy and crusty old school hardcore & punk!

I hope you guys liked our first CD review of 2013, but what's getting reviewed in February? I'm not entirely sure yet, but here's what we do know. As it's too soon from our last reviews of theirs, I will not be reviewing either of Haggith's new albums or any archive releases from Mike Haggith or Woods of Ypres next month, but I expect to review new Woods & Haggith material as soon as the spring. If a new album comes out in February from any other local metal bands, that will definitely be next, and you can preview possibilities in our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post on Saturday, but what's likely? Shit Liver? Pillory? 415E? Sykotyk Rampage, if they make any of their new streaming albums available for purchase? If nothing new comes out, we'll do an archive CD review, which will likely come down to either Aftersight, Candle Hour, Detroit, Foothill Road, or Sykotyk Rampage, as they're all I have access to for archive hard rock/metal albums right now that haven't been reviewed in the last 6 months. No matter what though, there's a review coming in February, so keep an eye out for that and hopefully more news on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Trapt), Sault Ontario's Next Battle Of The Bands (And How You Can Apply), And More!!

With no metal/hard rock concerts on the horizon for this weekend yet, we'll focus on some big new stories on this last day of the month, including news on a huge new battle of the bands in Sault Ontario and all of it's current information, along with some other assorted stories, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a major modern rock show across the river this spring!

Less than two weeks out from the next big hard rock show at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, another big package of bands is coming there on March 24th, including one hard rock leaning band, that being platinum-selling California alternative metal quartet Trapt! Best known for their songs "Headstrong", "Still Frame", and "Stand Up", Trapt are definitely a catchy favourite dating back to their early 2000s heyday, and they should put in a solid set of hard rock originals in what I think is their first ever local concert appearance! They'll actually be one of two bands opening for multi-platinum Oklahoma post-grunge quintet Hinder at this concert, in their second stop in the area! Last seen headlining at Kewadin Casino in September 2010, this band remain popular thanks to their hit singles "Lips of an Angel" and "Get Stoned", and while they aren't quite metal, they do have a solid fanbase here that's sure to remember their 2010 date here well! The other opening band will be Los Angeles indie rock trio Acidic, who I'm not overly familiar with, but they appear to be on the rise with their more minimalistic but well performed material, and hopefully they make some new local fans on March 24th! Also, there's been no announcements yet concerning possible local openers.

This show is being presented by Allstar Promotions in their second Dreammaker's Theater show of 2013, and tickets will go on sale TOMORROW MORNING for $29.50 at this location, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or in person at their box office, and I'd expect a 7:00 PM start time and no age limits. This show should attract a lot of fans, and even though I don't really dig Hinder or Acidic, I know they'll impress in March (as will Trapt), so check the above links for more details, and get your tickets starting tomorrow!

Next up, another battle of the bands is on the horizon in Sault Ontario (the first since the Battle for the Blood last June), and there's some big prizes on the line! The Rockstar Bar (in cooperation with Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and local singer/concert promoter J.D. Pearce) are hosting a four week long battle of the bands over each Wednesday in April, but how's this going to work? Competing bands will play 25 minute sets on April 3rd, 10th, and 17th at The Rockstar Bar, with the winners (and likely some wild cards) returning on the 24th for the finals, and first place prizes will include $1,000, recording time at Case's Music, and a guaranteed opening slot at one of J.D.'s concerts this year! Other prize details will likely be announced in the next couple of months. There are no genre restrictions (trust me, growling and yelling is A-OK!), and as best as I can tell, registration forms will be available starting TODAY at The Rockstar Bar/Algonquin Hotel, The Rad Zone, and Case's Music. To apply, there will be a $150 registration fee, but you'll also be given 10 ticket packages for all 4 nights of the battle that you can sell, which means that the registration fee will essentially be cancelled out if you sell all of your tickets! Click here for more information!

Judges for the battle will include James Case from Case's Music, Len Ward from The Rad Zone, and myself (so our coverage of the battle on the site will aim to be fair & impartial with no major critiquing of the competing bands), and judging criteria will be available at all ticket locations. As for admission costs for fans, a full 4 night package will cost $15 (or $3 for each of the 3 qualifiying rounds & $10 for the finals only), so consider the full ticket package, as you'll save $4 across the whole month! I don't know if tickets will be on sale today, but I'll confirm the news as I hear it! I would expect 19+ age limits though, and start times will likely depend on the amount of bands each night, but slots are limited, so apply A.S.A.P.!! I'm very excited for this latest battle of the bands, and of course, to volunteer and contribute to the process, and I really hope there's a huge response from bands interested in applying to compete! This could be a huge opportunity to further yourselves locally and make a larger name (and entertain your fans), so apply at any of the above locations as soon as possible, and come April, may the best band win! Click here and check the above links for more details!

Just for fun, I thought I'd throw in some random local battle of the bands trivia and facts to tie in to April's battle! As far as I know, this will be the first ever battle held at The Rockstar Bar and the first local battle to take place over multiple nights since the Kiss Battle of the Bands in late 2009, but it's staggered rounds format could call to mind some of the old Bon Soo or Eastgate Hotel battles as well! Much of the crew on board for this battle have recent experience with them, as all of the judges have judged battles recently (James at the Case's Music battles, Len at Downtown Showdown, and me at the Humane Society battle), while James competed at the Kiss Battle with Huckster. Plus, the aforementioned J.D. Pearce promoted last year's Battle for the Blood and competed at the Humane Society battle with T-Rex Manning, so there's no shortage of people on board with first hand battle experience in recent years! Again, there's no sound restrictions, so who could sign up? Recent battle winners? Newer talent? Reunited favourites? Anything's possible, so stay tuned to the SMS and the links above for details on confirmed bands, updated information, and more!

Finally, here's three more assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band or series name:

• Local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade will apparently begin recording sessions next month! No word on if these are linked to an album of some kind, but this is somewhat surprising given Crimson Crusade's minimal concerts in recent months. If the improvement they shown last year continues though, this could be very cool, so click here for more information!
• Speaking of recording plans for local metal bands featuring Robert Sartini, his local thrash band Pillory have recently had some prospective EP artwork designs posted on their Facebook page by bassist Jonathan Tiberi, partly including imagery & credits for late guitarist Andres Duchesne (which is awesome of them!) Nothing's 100% yet on the final product, but check the above links to give the artwork prototypes a look!
• The Facebook page for the Roosevelt Hotel metal nights was updated yesterday to credit the February 21st Annex Theory-headlined concert, even saying that they're returning that day, but is that entirely true? While the series' most recent promoter Mitch Sirie is playing at this show, J.D. Pearce is booking it, and his other recent Thursday shows at The Rosie weren't part of the series, so I hesitate to say it's a full return (at least right now.) If that changes though, I'll correct myself, but no matter what, don't miss this onslaught of death metal!

That's all for now, but stay tuned tonight for our review of Destroilet's new CD to cap off January 2013! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Caveman Morrison & Annex Theory), A Band Looking To Play Here, And Much More!!

It seems like forever since we've had a real news post on here! Monthly features and video-centric posts aside, we haven't really touched on news on the site since Thursday the 24th, so it's good to end this drier spell with some news and notes on this Wednesday morning! Today, we have updates to one of our monthly feature posts, assorted recent news, and a band looking to play here, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for a West End venue next month that should intrigue many of you guys, so here's what you need to know!

Sault Ontario classic metal trio Caveman Morrison will finally make their first live concert appearances of 2013 (and their first in over 2 months) next weekend at The Roosevelt Hotel! The band had originally been scheduled to play at The Rosie three weeks ago in the first weekend of the new year, but the shows were suddenly cancelled the night of the Friday gig, so it's great to see Tym, Dutch, and Johnny back at the Korah Road venue next weekend! Announced this past Saturday, Caveman Morrison's shows on February 8th & 9th should be 19+ affairs with no cover charge and 10:00 PM start times. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Caveman Morrison back at it next weekend, and hopefully Tym and company deliver a great night of metal and hard rock covers to their fans at The Rosie to kick off the year next weekend! Stay tuned for any updates if they come in, but note that this is just the start of a busy month at The Rosie for Caveman Morrison drummer Johnny Belanger, which we'll know more about below!

The other new show is a very promising extreme metal show on February 21st at The Rosie featuring two returning local metal bands along with headlining Winnipeg progressive death metal sextet Annex Theory! Last seen in the Soo opening for Laika at the 30th Roosevelt Hotel metal night in August 2011, this fast rising band featuring ex-Quo Vadis frontman Trevor Birnie should be raring to go with their technical and original take on the genre, so don't miss their return after a year and a half! The opening bands will sure be welcomed back by many local metalheads, as melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters & grimecore trio Shit Liver will finally return to the live local stage! Though they both played live in Sudbury in December, neither has been seen at a public concert in the Sault area since the summer, with The Bear Hunters last seen at the F.A.T.I.L. Requiem in Laird in August, and Shit Liver (who opened for Annex Theory at the 2011 show) having last played a public local set at the 46th Rosie metal night in June, so it's certainly been a long time coming for both! Plus, it's no major secret that both bands have been working on studio material in the past year, so that has to bode well for their setlists!

This concert is being promoted by Frightlight/T-Rex Manning singer J.D. Pearce, and with this lineup, isn't it fitting that it's taking place on a Thursday? Though not a revival of the dormant Rosie metal night series, it marks J.D.'s fourth Thursday night show at the Rosie in the past 9 months, so it's definitely familiar ground! There will be a 19+ age limit and $3 cover charge for this 9:00 PM show, and click here for more details! This should be an awesome concert, and likely very overdue for many a metalhead, so don't miss this metal onslaught on February 21st, and stay tuned for any potential updates!

Speaking of upcoming live dates, here's a show that could use a promoter, and this could be a big opportunity! Earlier this month, I got an e-mail from Apocalyspe Productions out of Montreal concerning possibly bringing Russian folk metal band Arkona to Sault Ontario this year, as unlike most of the other bands he promotes, this will be a cross-Canada tour. A preferred date wasn't given, but he's looking for metal promoters in the Soo who can help secure a date for Arkona here. Though not really common, Sault Ontario has hosted European metal bands in the past (i.e. Heaven & Hell, Behemoth, Napalm Death), so this isn't completely out of the realm of possibility, but can you help? Arkona are a well regarded metal band in Russia, and their female fronted blend of folk and doom metal with Pagan influences is very interesting, so if you can help promote or book Arkona in Sault Ontario this year, message here for any extra information, and check the above links for more information!

Next up, here's three assorted shorter stories relating to some of the above bands and personalities, so as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or promoter name:

• If you were curious as to the identity of the Misfits tribute band The Fiend Brigade that are playing the all tribute-band concert at The Canadian Nightclub on March 1st, then I can confirm that they are essentially local metal/punk band T-Rex Manning with Francis McCormick on drums in place of Daniel MacDonald, who moved out west last year, though no word yet on if Frank's fully in T-Rex Manning too. Thanks to frontman J.D. Pearce for the confirmation!
• The aforementioned J.D. Pearce has started a Facebook group named "Johnny Pints Presents..." to promote and get the word out on concerts that he books, which is a great idea to keep everything in one place for reliable announcements! Join the group above, and it's now in our Other Sault Ontario Metal Links section on your left!
• In a Facebook page posting on Saturday, Shit Liver alluded to their show at The Rosie on the 21st, while also hinting that their debut album could be done by then (but there's no guarantees), and they already have ideas in mind for a second album. Believe it or not, I think this is their first ever acknowledgement on band pages that they're working on studio material, but it's great to hear something finally, and hopefully 2013 is Shit Liver's biggest year yet!

Finally for this post, here's the rest of our recent updates to our Battle of the Bands Rewind profiles from last year! In our profile of the Kiss Battle of the Bands, I restored a photo, updated the band aftermath section to reflect finalists Wishbone's breakup & Stiffler's Mom's reunion, and added a link for Crank Sound Distribution, who provided sound each night. In terms of that profile's section on later bands with battle alumni, I replaced Big Wheel & The Spokes, High Road, March Into Regression, and That's Chester with 415E, Bone Yard, Giwakwa, and Pocketful of Scoundrel to better reflect newer & more recently active bands. On the Sault College Battle of the Bands profile, I added newer folk band The Soft Shoe Shufflers (featuring 2/3rds of battle winners' Blackwater) to that same section on newer band with battle alumni. Finally, I edited the Downtown Showdown profile to reflect competitors' SBD's now inactive status, while adding Giwakwa & Sykotyk Rampage to the same newer bands section. That's it for that batch of updates, and stay tuned shortly for more updates to another of our monthly feature post series!

That might be all for today, but stay tuned for more news as it trickles in (maybe not until we preview this weekend's metal concerts), and of course, our review of Destroilet's new CD! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Bury Your Demons

Apologies for this being a touch late, but it's now time for our first Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile of 2013! Also, it's our first in this series since the fall to be focused on an American band with a former Sault Michigan resident, and this local talent is long overdue for a look in this series! As always, we're looking at said band's biography, media, and local connections today, with some analysis on their sound, so hopefully you guys like this month's profile, and check it out below! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
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Bury Your Demons (Montgomery, Illinois) 

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Ryan Blanchard (vocals)
Glen Cooper (guitar)
John Phillip (guitar)
Scott Mills (bass)
Matt Bloomquist (drums)
Jimmy Shaddix (vocals)

Official MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/buryurdemons
Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/pages/bury-your-demons/194406627279463

Local Info: Despite being based outside of Michigan, Bury Your Demons do feature one former Sault Michigan resident in their lineup, that being bassist Scott Mills! Though public information on his local music work isn't in high supply, he last lived in the area in the 1990s, has friends & family in the area still, and I believe he was in at least one local metal band at one. Now based out of Illinois, Scott has played in bands like Life In Shadow & SkankBlack on various instruments, along with leading the Chicago chapter of The NYDM International Coalition, to go along with his current time in Bury Your Demons!

Band Bio: Bury Your Demons (previously named Ward of the State) were formed in mid-2010 by Jimmy Shaddix & Glen Cooper, who slowly formed their sound and wrote original material through the next year while completing their lineup, finally adding Scott Mills on bass in early 2011. Since then, Bury Your Demons became a popular sight in the Northeastern Illinois metal scene with their death metal sound through early 2012, including a number of headlining and opening sets in the region, along with studio work towards demo CDs in the summer of 2011. After almost a year off, Bury Your Demons returned with a new quintet lineup in February 2013, but have offered no public updates since their most recent Chicago concert in April, and likely broke up that year. There isn't a lot of media of Bury Your Demons online to preview, but their 2011-era material and live videos have a promising death metal sound that I hope they don't stray too far from this year!

Jimmy Shaddix's death growls were clear enough to make out lyrics while still retaining a bruality, though I'd like to see more vocal diversity (maybe some yelling or clean singing?) The instrumentation is also solid, with Glen's riffs coming across heavily and Scott's bass work impressing as well! I also found that their live videos had more of an audible energy than their studio track did, for what that's worth. I'm not sure how different Bury Your Demons' last shows & songs were, but as long as they maintained a similar style and make it better and heavier, we would have been in good hands! Visit their MySpace & Facebook pages linked above for a studio demo & a short live video respectively, and here's Bury Your Demons playing their song "In The Midst Of The Flame" live in Mount Prospect, Illinois circa December 2011 (also check out them playing "Blood of the Testament" that night at this link!)


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next up in this series, we'll be taking a look at Windsor hardcore/punk quartet The Line Drawn, who are the newest band from prolific Sault Ontario native Ash Richtig! Watch out for that on or around February 26th, and stay tuned for more news hopefully tomorrow, including yes, our Destroilet CD review! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

It's video time for this Friday morning at the SMS, so what are we looking at in this local metal video showcase? All Sault Ontario clips, including a live outdoor performance, a new career-spanning slideshow, and an embeddable copy of a new band's first video, but we'll start with a new live concert video from local grunge quartet Haggith, who posted this video of them playing their song "I Am" as part of The Art Gallery of Algoma's Culture Days/Boardwalk Expressions event in September on their YouTube channel last week! The first video footage that we've seen from this set that I know of, this is unique thanks to it's outdoor setting on the lawn outside of the Art Gallery, which allows for extra freedom of movement, and the guys sound good on this mid-paced rocker! It'd be nice to have seen more crowd members though, but maybe they were all in front of the band. Check out Haggith's newest video below!



Also in new videos is a new slideshow video from prominent local metal standouts Garden of Bedlam, who posted this onto their current YouTube channel on Wednesday! This compiles a ton of pictures of the band and their concerts, albums, and logos dating back to their 2008 launch, as set to their ballad "Around The Bend" from their 2011 CD "Everything Will Die", and it's a solid video that shows a lot from their run so far and how much they've accomplished! Also, it's good to hear from Garden of Bedlam again, having heard little in terms of new updates since November. Give their new slideshow a look, and stay tuned hopefully soon for more band news!



Third in new videos is one that isn't exactly "new", but we only have an embeddable copy now to share. As you may remember, we've linked to new local metal band Unbound's first jam video for their song "Deep Waters" on here, but I couldn't embed it on the SMS as it was a Facebook video, which doesn't allow embedding. Well, drummer Nick Kainula posted it on his new YouTube channel on Sunday, so I thought it could use the extra attention! A more traditional and darker metal song from 3/4ths of State of Misery's original lineup (with the late Justin Fratpietro on vocals), check out Unbound's song "Deep Waters" below, and hopefully we hear more from them in the coming months!



Finally for today, here's our second bi-weekly classic video of the year! With slim non-YouTube pickings to tie in with this weekend's heavier shows, we're dipping into the archives for another video of well regarded blackened doom metal notables Woods of Ypres in action! This video is of Woods of Ypres playing their linked originals "The Shams of Optimism" & "Crossing The 45th Parallel" at Cafe Chaos in Montreal on November 20th, 2008 during the band's "Looming Cold of Autumn" tour of eastern Canada that month. Like most of our older Woods of Ypres classic video uploads, this features the band's 2008 sextet lineup, including the entire 2008 lineup of Ga†es of Winter alongside drummer Evan Madden, which I still like to call the "Gates of Ypres" era. In fact, this is the last of late frontman David Gold's live concert videos with this lineup that he hadn't posted on YouTube, so our next classic videos of Woods of Ypres will likely come from early 2009, when they still had a 3/4ths local lineup. Well shot with a good angle of the band, I still prefer live playings of these songs compared to the studio versions thanks to the doomier and cleaner-sung vocals, and the large lineup contingent doesn't throw off the sound at all!

Originally posted to David's personal Facebook page in December 2008, you can see the original video at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=42126390671 & NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit goes to David and the original filmer, I'm just trying to share this video with a deserving wider audience! It's a great video from the midst of Woods of Ypres' most local tenure, so check it out below!



That's likely all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Bury Your Demons TOMORROW, along with more news as it comes in, and yes, our Destroilet CD review! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned), Weekend Concert Previews, And More Updates!!

After a two day run of Kewadin Casino concert videos, we're back with a more general news post for the first time since Sunday, but what's in store? Today, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend, along with some concert previews over the next two days, the latest from Sykotyk Rampage, and some more assorted stories, so here's what you need to know!

Kinross hard rockers Banned are returning to Todd's Tavern in Moran, Michigan THIS SATURDAY! I apologize for the short notice, as this fell through the cracks since they were announced on the band's Facebook page on Sunday. This will mark Banned's first show in Moran since New Year's Eve (and their first of two that have been announced this year, counting their Todd's Tavern date on February 16th), so if you're up for Alex, Don, Jim, and maybe Mike's mix of classic hard rock covers & originals, you know where to go on Saturday night! Admission should be free for this 8:00 PM concert, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details! I'd expect Banned to be on their game on Saturday night, so if you're up for the drive to Moran (50 minutes from the Soo, 15 from St. Ignace), I'd consider it for sure! For a preview, here's Banned covering Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" last year at The Bird!



The other announced hard rock show of the weekend takes place TOMORROW NIGHT, as Sault Ontario hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings will finally make their first live concert appearance of 2013! Following cancelled concerts at both The Rockstar Bar and Docks Riverfront Grill over the past two weekends, this frequently seen newer band will return to The Nicolet Tavern tomorrow night in what should be a high energy set of covers and originals, including some brand new songs to include in tomorrow's gig! This show, in what I believe is a one night only affair, will take place tomorrow night at 10:00 PM, with no announced cover charge and a likely 19+ age limit in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see The Suicide Kings finally back on stage tomorrow, and hopefully everything goes off without a hitch, so keep a trip to The Nic in mind for hard rock action this weekend! For a preview, here's The Suicide Kings playing their original song "Into The Fray" at The Canadian Nightclub last fall!

Now to some other recent news, starting with the latest updates from the Sault's resident crash band, Sykotyk Rampage! Fresh off the postings of streaming copies of their six new albums from last year, they've already announced at least three new albums to be recorded this year! As revealed in their cover photo on their Facebook page (and in scattered other online page postings), they have albums named "Eye For An Eye" and "Wonder About Baby" in the works, along with a yet untitled album (possibly self-titled?), and these three are currently labelled as their 38th-40th albums, despite having only released 35 to date. It sounds like there's at least two more in the pipeline, but official announcements should come out as more information is finalized. The 2013 album sessions will likely be their first with their current lineup, though track listings, content, and possible purchasing details are not yet known, so stay tuned for updates on this creative improvised hard rock band's latest material! Also, if you have an Android phone, click here for details on how to get Sykotyk Rampage's FREE official Android application!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or event name:

• According to final Woods of Ypres lead guitarist Joel Violette in a recent interview with Headbang or GTFO, he says that another David Gold tribute concert will happen "at some point", as ensured by the quality and success of the two tribute shows last April, and he hopes that a future event would be held outdoors in June to coincide with David's birthday, with "Woods II" played there in it's entirety. This sure is promising, and if anything comes out about it, we'll have it here! (Also, check out the interview above for lots of information on his current band Thrawsunblat!)
• Though public details are minimal, Sault Ontario thrash band Pillory are apparently hard at work on their debut EP! Drummer Bret Shuttleworth has completed drum tracks for it, with bass tracking beginning yesterday according to postings on the band's Facebook page. Nothing's been announced regarding a replacement for the late Andres Duchesne, but I wouldn't be surprised if guitarist Robert Sartini was handling all guitar parts. Stay tuned for updates when & if they come in!
• Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night have posted a new version of their 2011 original song "Ragnorok Rising" onto their Reverbnation page to stream! Considered a "2013 demo", it's expected to be completed with vocals from Gaby Koss later this year, possibly towards a new original album. The new version has a heavier and grander feel, so give it a listen at the above links!

 That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all video post likely at midnight! Thanks everyone!

New Queensrcyhe, Sebastian Bach, And 415E Concert Videos From Kewadin Casino!!

A day after we devoted an entire post to videos from Sunday's Sebastian Bach/415E concert, we're returning to similar territory tonight, as even more videos from the show have turned up, including one from another recent metal concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, so without any further adieu, let's begin today's all-video showcase! We'll start with a brand new video from the original Queensryche's concert at Kewadin Casino on January 12th, which is of them playing "Eyes of a Stranger"! Filmed by YouTube user jaymax440 and uploaded to YouTube yesterday, this has great audio quality despite an extremely far camera angle (no zoom?), and though it's just under 2 minutes in length, it's nice to finally see this online! Check out this new Queensryche concert video below, and stay tuned in case there's any more later video postings from it!



Keeping in a rough chronological order, we next have three new videos from Sebastian Bach openers 415E (including the first clips of them playing original material), all courtesy of a familiar video source! As you may remember, 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard's mom Cami was a frequent uploader of live videos from Chris' old band Nixxon Dixxon's last year together, but since their August 2010 breakup, there were no new concert video postings onto her YouTube channel (not even from Splitshot) until last night! Cami shot three videos of 415E's live debut on Sunday night, and these include covers of Van Halen's "Eruption" and their rendition of "You Really Got Me", their self-titled original song, and as embedded below, their song "Livin' It Up" & a cover of Van Halen's "Unchained"! The quality's pretty good, with nice zooming and a good angle of the action, but I still think Dave Menard's stage presence could be a bit looser compared to the other members.

The originals remind me of old Nixxon Dixxon tracks, and I find they have an energy that the studio demos didn't fully capture! As for the Van Halen covers, while Chris' guitar work is expectedly great, I don't know if Dave has the right voice for them compared to some other tracks (he really fit with their Stone Temple Pilots cover, for example), but overall, I like what I'm seeing & hearing! Check out 415E playing "Livin' It Up" & "Unchained" below, see the rest of their new videos at the above links!, and kudos to Cami for posting these!



We'll close with Sunday's headliners, as there's a few new Sebastian Bach videos to talk about! The first ones we'll mention come courtesy of Half A Man frontman Erik Rintamaki's YouTube channel (all posted last night), and they're of Sebastian covering Skid Row's "Monkey Business" and "18 & Life", as well as the video embedded below, his 2007 original song "(Love Is) A Bitchslap", complete with a tease of a special guest at the beginning! Though appearing to be in the front row, complete with some cool crowd shots, Erik's camera has scratchy audio, though Sebastian's singing is very clear, and the quality is otherwise great! Check out more from Erik's channel above, and here's Sebastian playing "(Love Is) A Bitchslap"!



Finally, here's one new video of Sebastian covering Skid Row's "I Remember You" on Sunday night, as filmed on a cell phone camera by YouTube user markandy08 and uploaded to YouTube last night! The quality's good despite the dimensions, but I wish Mark had shot this at a different point in the song (as it catches a lot of the instrumental bridge, especially given the video's short length.) It's still worth watching, so give Mark's video of Sebastian Bach a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews TOMORROW, along with plenty of news and notes in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

Sebastian Bach & 415E Concert Videos!!

In this video-heavy Tuesday, we've got (as promised) the first video footage from Sunday night's Sebastian Bach concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in tonight's post! That's the focus here, but of course, check out this morning's YouTube Channel Profiles on Phil Temporao & Tantrym Tyme's YouTube channels in the post below this one. Given the types of videos we have from Sunday night, I thought we'd go in rough chronological order for them, starting with this video from... Sebastian Bach himself? Uploaded on Sunday night before the concert to Sebastian's own YouTube channel (which is named after his old band Damnocracy from the VH1 reality show Supergroup), this is a very short cell phone video which appears to be from shortly after the former Skid Row frontman arrived at Kewadin Casino. Despite it's 12 second length, it's full of sarcastic jabs at the bad winter weather we had on Sunday, which you may take any way you want. Still, we don't see a ton of videos of touring acts arriving in the area, so it's notable on that basis as well, and give it a look below!



Next up, while we started with Sebastian's arrival, let's transition to his opening band, as Sault Michigan hard rock band 415E (featuring Splitshot & Highest of Fives alumni) made their live concert debut on Sunday night, and we have the first video of them in action to share on here! Uploaded by recent Queensryche video uploader Christopher Paci on Sunday night after the show, this is of 415E covering The Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song", but how do 415E sound? They seem to have this song down well, with Chris Hubbard shining on guitar, and Dave Menard's vocals suit it really nicely (a bit better than their heavier originals, in fact), so it's a nice taste of what Splitshot may have looked & sounded like live (they never uploaded any videos, as you may recall.) That said, Dave's stage presence is a bit stiff, and Christopher's camera work is somewhat jittery (plus, the audio fades when the camera zooms in & out), but this is still a good first glimpse at 415E, and hopefully we hear a lot more from them in 2013! Check out their first live video below!



And now, for the Sebastian Bach videos, starting with four from his set from the aforementioned Christopher Paci, where he filmed Sebastian performing the title track from his latest solo album "Kicking & Screaming" as well as covers of the Skid Row classics "Monkey Business", "18 & Life", and (as embedded below) "I Remember You", so click each link to check them out! Similar quality to the 415E video, with good audio but jittery camera work, and that faded audio when zooming in & out. Sebastian sounds as good as ever, aside from a bit more reserved chorus singing than I'm used to. Nice videos, so check out Christopher's concert videos above, and here's Sebastian covering "I Remember You"!



Finally for videos from Sunday night are four videos from attendee Loris Rugolo, who uploaded these last night onto his YouTube channel. These include Sebastian playing his 2007 original song "American Metalhead" and the Skid Row songs "I Remember You", "Youth Gone Wild", and (as embedded below) "Monkey Business", so again, click each link to check them out! Loris' videos are of a better quality, with clearer audio and a far closer seat to the stage, with easier flowing zooming, and these are pretty good to see what went down on Sunday! I'll embed my favourite of the four songs below (featuring some fun audience call & response), but check out the rest of the new videos above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news as the week wears on, including previews of this weekend's concerts! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: hmm & TantrymTyme

It's time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, though with a slight change. I'd originally selected the first channel we're looking at today for a one-channel profile, but since I last visited this channel, a number of videos were deleted for unannounced reasons, leaving just 3 videos of 2 distinct types, which is too small to fill a post now. Rather than stretch it too far, I randomly chose a YouTube channel with just one local metal video to fill it out, so for the 4th straight month, we're looking at 2 channels' videos, information, and reasons for subscribing! Without any further adieu, read on below for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! (Edited on October 16th, 2013)
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hmm (http://www.youtube.com/spt2112)

Owner: Former Amethyst/Meatplow drummer Phil Temporao, a.k.a. Sebastien Phily Temporao & Phily S. Tempo

Channel Timeline: Launched on July 31st, 2009; Videos posted between March & May 2011

Channel Summary: Prolific veteran local musucian Phil Temperao maintained this channel in recent years to feature media of his recent local metal projects, including the band originally known as Meatplow and a later solo project named Sebastien 6. Sadly, all of his Meatplow videos have either been deleted or privatized, including some very solid industrial metal jamming and a cover of Judas Priest's "Grinder" that all shown off Phil's uniquely gritty vocals, but now it just features solo performances under the "Sebastien 6" banner from the spring of 2011, including a drum solo and two studio original songs. All were recorded or filmed at his home studio Greentown Digital Studios.

Why Should You Watch: I'd give Phil's YouTube channel a look to see his recent solo material, which is definitely much different from his Amethyst days, but still well performed, and I hope he revisits his music again in the future! That said, I honestly preferred the Meaplow videos, as they were more aggressive and had a unique electronic angle, and hopefully Phil makes them available again down the road! As well, note that I don't think Phil's used this channel in over a year, in case that changes your mind on subscribing.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

drumzsolo.wmv: The earliest of Phil's surviving videos is also his only surviving live video, and it's a drum solo filmed circa March 2011 which appears to be a studio cut named titled "drum grooves/warmupz". Uploaded in a old movie-style sepia filter, it's just over a minute of Phil executing a very nice drum solo, if not blisteringly paced, and it shows his talent nicely! Note though that many of his deleted videos featured him on an electronic drum kit, rather than the more standard one in this video.



SEBASTIEN 6,,,RAIN: Phil's other surviving videos are studio recordings from his Sebastien 6 solo project, including songs named "Evil Drivin'" and (as embedded below) "Rain", which his his most viewed upload of the three. Compared to his Meatplow work, these songs (though heavy) are much softer and more varied in tone, with clean vocals and a bit more repetition in the song structures. I leaned more towards the Meatplow material, but Phil's musical range is at work here, and he can sing cleanly well (though the style used on "evil Drivin'" didn't gel to me.) Each features photo slideshows of Phil, musical instruments, and photos relating to the songs' lyrics, with plenty of effects, while "Rain" also features Phil's brother (and fellow Amethyst alum) Jose "Wales" Temperao on guest guitar, which he impresses on!


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TantrymTyme (http://www.youtube.com/user/tantrumzone)

Owner: A member of Sault Michigan metal band Tantrym Tyme from during their brief tenure as Tantrum following their name change from Abstract (identity otherwise unclear)

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 4th, 2012; Only video posted that same day

Channel Summary: This is/was the official YouTube channel for Tantrum/Tantrym Tyme, but since they updated the page to reflect their current name, there's been no major updates. As such, the channel's only video is of Tantrum playing at a talent show at Sault Area Middle School circa the spring of 2012, seemingly filmed in the school gym from the bleachers, and it has them covering The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know", and Megadeth's "Sweating Bullets"! Featuring singer/guitarist Jacob Hotlen, bassist Mike East, and drummer Ethan Twardy (guitarist Quinton Jacobson hadn't joined yet), the guys' talents for their young ages are on full display (though Jacob's singing is very quiet compared to the heavy covers), and it bridges somewhat from the Abstract era to their slightly heavier current work! Having the sound guy behind the band seems odd though. Note that for more recent & updated Tantrym Tyme videos, check out Jacob's YouTube channel!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, and I apologize again for the late addition this month, I literally only found out about the spt2112 deletions yesterday. So, what's coming up in this series next month? Well, the first channel I randomly selected didn't have three distinct local metal videos, but for the first time since July, we'll be looking at 3 different channels, as the second one we picked didn't have 2! The chosen channels for next month are Woods of Ypres' official VEVO YouTube channel (featuring their last music video), reneepaigefecteau's channel (featuring a Three Days Grace concert video from 2008), and ex-Sense of Truth drummer Ryan Haryett's channel (featuring an S.O.T. video from 2009), so watch out for this on or around February 22nd!  That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news shortly, including lots of videos from the Sebastian Bach concert on Sunday! Thanks everyone!

Sykotyk Rampage's Newest Albums, Woods Of Ypres Tribute CD Updates, And Much More!!

The last week has been heavily leaning towards Sault Michigan updates, and as the days went on, a slowly large amount of Sault Ontario news hit the desk, so it's about time we clear most of it off by covering recent news on this side of the border! Today, we have updates to one of our monthly feature series, the latest David Gold tribute album updates, and much more, but first, here's news on a prolific local hard rock band's newest material!

Local alternative/blues/hard rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage have posted their other four albums from last year onto their Reverbnation page over the past few days! Joining the previously plugged "The Cross" and "Will Do Anything, Seriously?", the band's 30th-33rd albums "Anal Disruptions", "Jonathon, Your Music Sucks!", "Smells Really Good On A Bad Night", and "Sykotyk Ramp-Age" are now available for streaming, so click each link to hear them! That all said, what should we know about these albums? They each feature 10-12 songs, and while almost all are listed via the above links, "Anal Disruptions" is missing three songs (tracks 6, 8, and 9) that are so far only available via the full song listing on their Reverbnation page. Much of these songs are brand new, but a few have been heard live, such as "Drugs & Beer" on "Anal Disruptions" and "Roll A Doobie" on "Jonathon, Your Music Sucks!" The vast majority of songs feature Paul Becker on lead vocals, with only a select few (roughly 1-2 on each album) sung by Dirk Becker, and there's an unidentified female guest singer on at least one track as well.

As well, the album "Sykotyk Ramp-Age" almost entirely features song titles starting with numbers, aside from the closing track "Wanga Danga Comes Of Age" (marking that character's return to their original material after a lengthy hiatus), though I didn't detect a visible theme beyond the titles. And finally, I believe these are among the last new albums featuring Brian Cattapan on bass (given his presence in 3 album covers), so I'd assume Tony Briglio will handle bass duties on their next original sessions. I have yet to hear every one of these albums yet (2 more to go!), but let's just say long time fans won't be disappointed with the content or quality, so stream them above! Now, I won't commit to reviewing any of these albums yet as they're not offically for sale as digital albums (counting the "Genius Mushrooms" albums, they're now up to 8 straight that are just free postings), but if and when any are added to their Reverbnation store, we'll review at least the heaviest of the new 6! Yes, I'm aware you can buy some of these tracks individually for $1.29, but that's through a charitable Music For Good campaign, and are all single downloads without an explicit "album-for-sale" bundle component or packaging.

Still, half of the proceeds from purchases of these songs will go to World Vision, which is an awesome cause, so consider buying your favourite singles above, and stay tuned to the SMS for news on Sykotyk Rampage's next shows and material!

Next up, here's the latest updates on the planned Woods of Ypres tribute album "A Heart of Gold"! Organizers have announced that they are now accepting pre-orders for the album (as per it's Facebook group last week), so what should you know? To pre-order your copy, send $10 (towards a digital download copy) or $20 (towards that and a double CD package) via PayPal to pkuhr@comcast.net as a PayPal gift, not by any other means. When sending, include your e-mail address and/or mailing address in the note section to ensure that your copy/copies are sent to you (as the gift feature doesn't send addresses by itself.) It looks like organizers are moving forward with fundraising for a physical run of the tribute CD, and they need to raise $3,000 total before releasing any links to the final product. Check the above links for more details! I know that they're past $227, which is a great start, but I encourage everyone to send in pre-orders to get this tribute album off the ground! David Gold did similar fundraising for Woods of Ypres' albums, so hopefully a similar support drive turns up for the tribute album! Stay tuned for updates!

Also today, here's three assorted stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, promoter, or venue name:

• Local singer/concert promoter J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) is looking for local opening bands for various concerts that he's promoting this year. He specified punk and thrash for genres, but long time fans of his concerts should know he books metal bands often too, so if anyone out there wants in on any of his upcoming shows, check out his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Friday!
• Though major details are forthcoming, and a release date is a ways off yet, Haggith drummer Mike Haggith will apparently release his 46th solo album "The Tower" through the Haggith band's local label/recording studio PaperClip Productions this year! Aside from posting the cover on the label's Facebook page, and describing it as a "good paced rock album with lots of heaviness", little is currently known about it, but stay tuned for updates!
• Local coffee shop & acoustic concert venue The Steamy Bean (on Great Northern Road, not Spring Street) has closed, and will be re-opened as Bruno's Breakfast and Waffle House in a few weeks. This might not seem like a major loss, but The Steamy Bean had offered up live bands and performers for many years, including scattered heavier acts like Tym Morrison & These Sins of Time, and long-time customers are bound to be bummed out. Click here for more details!

Finally for today, here's some updates to our Battle of the Bands Rewind Mini-Series, to make each profile more up to date and current! In our Skid Row Battle profile, I added a link for Crank Sound Distribution (now that they have online pages) and I also updated the recent information on competitors Sue Inside (the last surviving band from the battle), mainly to hint to their likely inactive status, not having updated online pages since April 2012. In the 2008 Case's Music Battle profile, I replaced The Glass Statues, March Into Regression, and State of Misery in the section for notable newer bands with battle alumni with Lazer Queen, Unbound, and With Blood Builds Character, as they're more recent examples. I also replaced General Striker with Lazer Queen on the YMCA Battle profile for similar reasons, while also updating Sue Inside's information for similar reasons as on the Skid Row Battle profile. Finally for today, I added Bring The Fallen frontman Josh Stephney to Giwakwa's lineup in the section for notable newer bands with battle alumni on both the YMCA & Algoma University Battle profile, while also adding Creedon & The Animal Detectives drummer Terrence Gomes' newest band The Northern Tragedy to that same section. There's more to come, so stay tuned for more updates on this series this week!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news soon, including fallout from TONIGHT'S Sebastian Bach show! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Suicide Kings & Peril), Sebastian Bach Preview, And Haggith Updates!!

Today's post is quite stacked, as we have a major concert preview to get to, some cool new updates from Haggith, and kicking things off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next month or so! Now, without any further adieu, here's what you need to know on this Saturday morning!

Sault Ontario hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings will finally play their first concert of 2013 this coming Friday when they return to The Nicolet Tavern! Visibly a one night only affair (but I'll correct this if it's not), this show follows the band's cancelled gigs at Docks and The Rockstar Bar over the past two weekends, and for the sake of everyone, I hope their show at The Nic on Friday goes off without a hitch! The guys have also confirmed that they'll have some new originals for this concert, which will be interesting to hear for sure! Admission for this show should be free, with a 19+ age limit and 10:00 PM start time to be expected. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Saying this doesn't get cancelled, this should be a great concert from The Suicide Kings, and hopefully their energetic alternative hard rock leaves a great impression to kick off the year on Friday! Stay tuned for more updates from them as they roll in!

Also in new concerts is the newest heavier concert announcement for The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, as Charlevoix metal trio Peril will make their first scheduled live appearances in the region of the new year on February 22nd & 23rd! These local favourites were last seen in St. Ignace in November, and I'd look for a very similar onslaught of metal classics from Jeff, James, and Brooks once again when they melt faces at the St. Ignace Kewadin next month! I'll note as well that these were the only heavier shows among the newest additions on Kewadin Casino's entertainment page for the three regional Kewadin branches (unless Perry Hatch is a new hard rock act), so that's why we're not doing a post centered around new metal concerts at Kewadin Casino... at least not yet. Admission should be free on February 22nd & 23rd, these should both be 21+ gigs, and a 10:00 PM start time is likely. Check the above links for more details! Peril always put on a good show, so don't miss their classic metal sets in St. Ignace next month!

Next up, here's a preview of the second major concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in a nine day span, as ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach is finally coming to the area for a full concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Five months after he filmed scenes for "Swearnet" in Sault Ontario (and years after his old band's completed & cancelled local dates), Sebastian will bring a night full of hit songs ranging from Skid Row classics like "Youth Gone Wild" & "I Remember You" to newer solo tracks from his latest album "Kicking & Screaming", and believe me, he's still got it live and in studio! Amazing singer and a very charismatic showman (as his TV appearances indicate), so don't sleep on this show, as Sebastian should deliver in his long awaited local debut! This concert will also feature a local opening band, that being new local hard rock quartet 415E, the band featuring Splitshot alumni Dave Menard & Chris Hubbard (ex-Nixxon Dixxon) alongside The Highest of Fives' Jack Slater & Devin Anderson, and expect a mix of covers and originals from their upcoming debut album in their opening set tomorrow! Hopefully it's a huge set for them, and may it lead to a banner year going forward! This concert is being promoted by Allstar Promotions in a rare concert headlined by an "older" act, but Sebastian should blow the roof off the joint, so don't miss out tomorrow!

Tickets are just $26.50, and there's still a surprising number available from the second row and back, so pick yours up A.S.A.P. at this location, at the Kewadin box office, and at 1-800-KEWADIN! This is an all ages show, and it starts at 7:00 PM tomorrow night, while I'd call ahead in case there's another ill-advertised meet & greet. Check the above links for more details! This should be an awesome show full of great heavy metal classics, so don't miss it if you can help it, and we'll of course have fallout from the show on the SMS as it comes in! Until then, here's the music video for the title track from Sebastian's new album!



Finally for today, here's the latest updates from the band you voted as your favourite new local metal/hard rock band of last year, that being Haggith! In one interesting update, the local grunge quartet have started an official store as of yesterday, where you can buy official t-shirts, hats, and even a hockey jersey(?), along with the band's 2012 albums "Dragon Joy Ride" and "Apocalypse", but possibly most notable is that their live album "Flight 75" is now on sale through there for $5! Apparently only available on a limited basis as a special order through January, it marks their third released album overall and first live release (as filmed at their Bushplane Museum show in November), so if you wanna pick it up, click here for ordering details online or by phone! For the record, this won't get an immediate SMS review, as it's too soon since we reviewed "Dragon Joy Ride", but I do project a new Haggith review in the spring. The other news is that the band posted their studio version of "Leon The Janitor" from their upcoming third studio album "Deuce" onto their YouTube channel on Wednesday!

A cover of a Mike Haggith solo track from last year's "Neighbourhood Watch", it's much faster paced than the original, though oddly muffled compared to it, so the Haggith band's version has plusses and minuses. I'm sure the preferred version will vary by listener, but give this newest version of "Leon the Janitor" a listen below, stay tuned for more updates on the "Deuce" album, and their store's now in our Other Sault Ontario Metal Links!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news tomorrow, and of course, all of the Sebastian Bach fallout from tomorrow's concert as it comes in! Thanks everyone!

Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's Poll!

It's the 18th of the month, so as expected, it's time to end our last poll of 2012 and launch our first poll of 2013! Of course, we're still in the thick of our "Favourite _____s of 2012" polls, and with that in mind, last month's poll posed this question to you guys: What is your favourite NEW local metal/hard rock band of 2012? We had a very nice turnout with 62 total votes, so thanks to everyone for voting, but what were the final results? They lie below!

Haggith (25 votes, 40%)
Pillory (15 votes, 24%)
The Suicide Kings (10 votes, 16%)
Skeyes of Seven (6 votes, 10%)
Other (6 votes, 10%)
Lucky 13 (0 votes)
With Blood Builds Character (0 votes)

What do you guys think? In ascending order, while I'm somewhat surprised that no one voted for Lucky 13 or With Blood Builds Character, I can understand how they might have fallen through the cracks, being that each debuted at multi-band concerts with no follow-up dates in 2012, but hopefully Lucky 13 surge this year, and fingers crossed that the members of W.B.B.C. turn up again at some point! I can't speak for the "Other" voters (maybe they had slightly older or non-metal bands in mind?), but it's good to see Skeyes of Seven score 6 votes for 4th place despite their late-2012 quietness! Their lineup and Anvil debut alone give a good vibe, and I hope 2013 sees a lot more activity! The Suicide Kings' 3rd place finish with 10 votes is a good sign, following their busy start to their run in the fall, and hopefully their growth this year continues once they play some shows that don't get cancelled! Pillory's second place finish was great to see, especially after noticing that their vote totals surged after Andres Duchesne's passing in December, so let's hope they continue to get their thrash on this year and keep Andres in their hearts!

But the winners, with 25 votes and 40% of the total, was local grunge quartet Haggith, and I can definitely see why they won! They played a bunch of shows in mid-late 2012, released two albums last year with plenty of originals, are different from the norm, and they already have a growing devoted fanbase! The other bands (The Suicide Kings aside) only played one public show each in 2012, so they weren't as visible, but I have faith that most of them will amend that this year! Congratulations to Haggith for their win, and thanks to everyone for voting!

With that said, what's this month's poll? Keeping with a similar theme relating to 2012, I'm posing this question to you guys: What was your favourite new local metal album of 2012? This year's poll of this type is both bigger & smaller than 2011's, as while that year's featured 10 albums by 6 bands, this year's features 9 albums by 8 bands, so I'd call it at a wash for quantity, but how about quality? The year saw a lot of notable releases from Sault Ontario to Sault Michigan, from debuting to posthumous bands, and from the unexpected to the long awaited, but which hard rock/metal CD from 2012 was your favourite? Remember, for inclusion in this poll, the album must have saw it's initial paid release in 2012 (i.e. no reissues unless there's new content), it must have proper packaging (no handwritten demos in paper sleeves), and it can't have been freely posted/distributed without a pay element, as anyone can throw a bunch of original songs together and call it an album (hence why Sykotyk Rampage's second "Genius Mushrooms" album & Mike Matthews' original material aren't included.) That said, here are your choices as you decide your favourite new local metal albums of the past year!

Destroilet - Destroilet: After months of minimal and quiet activity, and almost two years removed from their most recent show, Sault Ontario old school hardcore/punk quartet Destroilet quickly surged back into full view with the release of their first full length album and second CD overall last month! Half a reissue of their 2011 debut EP and half new content, including some interesting covers, Destroilet have set themselves up well for a big 2013, but did their self-titled album pique your interest the most last year?

End of Existence - End of Existence: The first new metal release of 2012 from across the river, the Sault Michigan/Grand Rapids quintet featuring I.S.O.M. alumni released their self-titled debut album at the end of February, just days after original frontman Bob Helsten parted ways with the band. Despite pending plans to change their sound & name, End of Existence's long gestating debut album impressed with a lot of technical and epic death metal, but was it your favourite new album of 2012?

Either of Haggith's new albums: Only months after their live debut, last month's poll winners Haggith released no less than two new albums in the fall, including their debut "Dragon Joy Ride" in October and their sophomore concept album "Apocalypse" the following month, and that's far from it in the immediate horizon! With a lot of widely varied grunge/alternative material, their fanbase ate up their early releases, but were you among them? (Both albums have their own choice in the poll, in case you have a favourite)

Insipid Brutality - Insipid Brutality: Possibly the most surprising album release of 2012, Sault Michigan death metal band Insipid Brutality saw a posthumous return in the spring of 2012 with a new digital album compiled from restored recordings from their 2006-2008 heyday, which definitely attracted some good notices! Though a full fledged return did not occur to go along with it, and the recording quality was mixed at best, it was great to hear these songs again, but was this your top album of the year?

Late & Loud - Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal: After a very short breakup last fall, classic metal quartet Late & Loud were surprisingly announced as Garden of Bedlam's replacements at The Saigon Hookers' local show in November, and for the occasion, Late & Loud finally released their long awaited debut EP! Featuring two bonus tracks, the EP was enjoyed by those who could buy a copy, though we've heard little from the Sault Humane Society Battle winners since. Was L&L's EP your favourite local CD of 2012?

Mike Haggith - Neighbourhood Watch: In between releases for his band Haggith, singer/drummer Mike Haggith put out his 45th solo album "Neighbourhood Watch" in October, after over a year's worth of recording sessions and numerous name and track changes. Though maybe not as prominent as the Haggith band's albums, Mike's latest release impressed with it's dark and varied take on alternative/hard rock, but was it your favourite new album of the previous year?

Theatre of Night - The Dawn's Early Light: Four months after End of Existence's debut album came out, the Giles brothers & Craig Harrison kept up their hot streak by releasing their second album with their Theatre of Night project, entirely based around American patriotic songs and covers! Likely their last all-instrumental CD, this served as a fitting soundtrack to the Fourth of July, with partial proceeds going to The Folds of Honour Foundation, but did you take to "The Dawn's Early Light" the most?

Woods of Ypres - "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light": Arguably the biggest local album release of 2012, "W5" only saw it's initial release in February less than two months after frontman David Gold's sudden passing in December 2011. In it's wake, "Woods V" received some of the best reviews of Woods of Ypres' career (albeit posthumously), and it was quite a dark & depressing, but very heavy & lyrically strong album that fittingly closed the band's career. Was it your favourite local metal album of the past year?

Other: Did we miss your favourite? Were you more preferential to a non-metal local album, one that hasn't been released yet, or one that's only available in a loose demo/free streaming format as of right now? Maybe your favourite new album is one from 2011 that you only first heard in 2012, or maybe I missed a local metal album release entirely? If your preferred choice isn't above, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until February 18th to cast your votes, and I hope to see another solid voter turnout this month! We'll of course have three more "Favourite _____s of 2012" polls after this month, but for now, focus on your favourite albums, and we'll have the results next month! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly! Thanks everyone!