Anvil Concert Preview, A Major Lineup Change, And Much More!!

Our busiest month at the SMS since last July is almost at it's end, but before April rolls around, we have one last news post for the month of March, so what's on tap today? A new song posting, two newly announced shows that still await a venue announcement, and a surprise guitarist change for a prominent local hard rock band, but first, here's a big concert preview for a major Canadian metal band's local return!

We'll start with a special Wednesday night concert preview for TOMORROW, as Toronto metal legends Anvil will play their third local show since their resurgence, and I guarantee this is not an April Fools joke! Though fans will remember them from their packed appearances at The Canadian Nightclub, tomorrow's show will be at The Rockstar Bar, adding to a more intimate atmosphere that will still suit the metal to come during this stop of their 2015 Hope In Hell Tour! Also, this will be Anvil's first local show with new bassist Chris Robinson (who replaced Sal Italiano last year), but how will he fare with Lips & Robb? Two of the same bands who opened for Anvil last year will return to open tomorrow, including punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and classic metal quartet Project 421, who will both add their skilled renditions to the fray to open up this highly anticipated concert! FYI, if you were hoping for Caym to come back too, we have info on their own return (as headliners) in a bit, so don't worry!

Tomorrow's concert has a 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and a $15 ticket charge (they're available in advance at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk or through promoter J.D. Pearce), though note that the door charge will be $20. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Anvil back inthe row, so do NOT miss this show ieat turnout tomorrow, so do NOT miss this show if you can help it! See above for more info, and here's Anvil live earlier this year!

Next up, we have a major lineup change to mention today, as local alternative/hard rock quartet Haggith have welcomed back former bassist Caleb Cachagee as their new guitarist, replacing founding member Daniel Horton. Other than to say his departure was "in similar circumstance" to his brief exit in late 2012, a reason for Daniel leaving hasn't been announced, but Haggith revealed the change on their Facebook page on Sunday, assuring fans "that this is for the best", and this is "the next chapter" in their evolution. While I had heard about some internal issues in the band as of late, this is still disappointing to hear, especially given Daniel's songwriting contributions and clear talent, but he's still in Project 421, and hopefully we hear much more from him musically in the near future! However, seeing Caleb back in the Haggith fold is a nice surprise following his two departures last year, but what does he bring to the table on guitar?

Haggith are next slated to open for Zaum at The Rednecks Saloon on May 11th, so we'll know by then! That said, it's yet to be determined what the guitarist switch means (if anything) for Haggith's upcoming albums "Apocalypse II" & "XIV", including if songs will be dropped like was once planned when Daniel left in 2012, but I'm sure we'll hear more shortly. For more details, visit the above links!

Before we wrap up with a Haggith-related video posting, here's some preliminary news on two upcoming concerts that fans are already anticipating, though both await venue confirmation. One will take place on Friday, May 15th, and it will feature the return of Toronto death metal band Caym for their third local concert appearance, with local support courtesy of Jack Spades, The Bear Hunters, and at least one more band to be announced. Promoted by J.D. Pearce, this show will have a $10 admission fee, but again, no venue has been announced yet (for reference, Caym's past local shows were at The Canadian.) Click here for more details in the interim! The other planned show will be on Thursday, June 25th, and it will see Dayton, Ohio "cyber pornoslam" band Menstrual Munchies (that's their name, don't shoot the messenger!) make their local debut alongside local metal bands Rotopsy, Brutally Fatal, Them, and Crucify the Whore, and rapper Mikey Thomas, along with a co-headliner to be announced.

Visibly promoted by C.T.W.'s Tyler Gibson (who's apparently working on a split of some kind with the headliners), there's no venue for this planned show yet either, but given the track record of Blood Shed & Heavy North Entertainment events, this will likely either be an Oddfellows Hall or house party event. Click here for current details, but as always, we don't call concerts on here without a confirmed venue, so stay tuned for more info on both as we hear it!

Finally for today, here's a new song from Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's solo project, courtesy of his YouTube channel yesterday, and it's "A Drive Through The Peninsula", the same song that Mike teased via this Facebook photo of the lyrics. Featuring bandmate Curtis McKenzie on guitar solos, the song is planned for Mike's upcoming solo album "The Warinside", and it continues his recent orchestral rock trajectory, but we'll hold on reviewing the song until our likely review of the whole album later this year. Check out Mike's new song below!



That's all for today (and this month), but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!