AlgomA/Chronobot Split Release Details, Punk Rock Bingo III Preview, And C.T.W. Updates!!

We're nearing the mid-point of March 2016 already, and let's keep March going like a lion on this Monday morning with a post heavy on extreme metal content, including the latest from a prolific goregrind artist, a preview of the delayed third installment of a punk-themed event, and first, big updates on an upcoming split release from a talented local band!

The long teased split EP from local doom metal trio AlgomA and Saskatchewan stoner/doom quintet Chronobot will officially be released on Friday, April 1st through AlgomA's label Deadbeat Media! As recently revealed on their Bandcamp page, the split is visibly untitled (I guess "AlgomA/Chronobot Split" will have to do), and it will be released in both digital formats and on a 12'' vinyl record, with each band having a side of the record to themselves. AlgomA are contributing two new songs to their half, namely "Phthisis" and "Electric Fence", while Chronobot will include three songs on theirs (don't read too much into that, remember that AlgomA are no strangers to long and slow originals.) And yes, artwork for the split was provided by Adam Geyer, who also did the art for AlgomA's 2014 debut CD "Reclaimed By The Forest". You can pre-order digital copies now via the above links for $6 (no word on if that will jump upon release), though physical records will likely be primarily available through Deadbeat Media or at AlgomA concerts.

No word yet though on AlgomA's other teased split album with Hooded Menace, or if these AlgomA songs will be included on any future solo releases by the band. It's great to hear more on AlgomA's first of two split EPs, and it will be interesting to hear how this sounds and is recieved! Check the above links for more info, and get ready for April 1st!

Next up, here's our preview for the third installment of punk rock bingo at The New American Pub THIS WEDNESDAY, courtesy of AlgomA members' promotion agency & studio Six, Two, Oh.! After the late cancellation of February's planned third installment, things are back on for the delayed trilogy of this ongoing event, though for what it's worth, the Facebook event page notes that "this is going to be the first organized one." Like it's first two installments last year, punk rock bingo will see irreverent prizes for winners who get a line on their bingo cards (of which there's 9,000 ordered, with dabbers), and you could win everything from albums, movies, and video games to used clothing, artwork, skateboard decks, and.... breakfast with caller Brent Ellis at The Gore Street Cafe?! If that's a legit prize, it's a carry-over from the planned February bingo night. As usual, there is FREE admission (but cards are 50¢ each), this is a 19+ event, and everything starts at 9:00 PM.

Also note that reunited local extreme metal band Winkstinger were originally advertised to play their first public show in almost two years on Wednesday, but they have since dropped out of the event, possibly due to their ongoing singer vacancy. As such, this will be like the inaugural punk rock bingo via being just a punk-themed bingo night, not a concert with bingo (if you want that, be at The New A on April 6th), but it should be a fun & unpredictable time, so keep it in mind for Wednesday night, especially if don't plan to be at the VM Radio Battle of the Bands semifinals!

Finally, here's the latest from local goregrind musician Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson's solo projects, mainly Crucify the Whore! C.T.W.'s newest demo album "The Beautiful Sounds of Nature" was released onto their Bandcamp page on Saturday, featuring 20 songs (including a Mortician cover), and while the songs will please fans of their minimalist goregrind and death metal sound, the songs are a bit longer than average compared to older releases, with only 6 songs coming in at under 90 seconds in length. I won't list every song name here due to potentially offensive content, but some newer titles include "I Love Godzilla But I HATE Cloverfield" and "TEXAS". Physical copies are coming next month, but if you won't be chatting with Tyler in the interim, when are C.T.W. playing live next? In a post on their new Facebook page (more on that in a second) from last week, Tyler conceded that he hasn't "gotten as much set in stone" as he'd hoped, "but the word is still out there, and anything can happen."

Tyler did confirm that he'll be playing live at an event of some kind on Tuesday, August 2nd in the Soo, and he believes that C.T.W. or his two-man-band Rotopsy will be involved in a house show and maybe an Oddfellows Hall concert in April, and maybe a show in June, but the only firmly announced event at the moment is the Iskra-headlined concert at The Moose Lodge on July 14th. No word on if any of these potential shows will be courtesy of Heavy North Entertainment, who are still "no longer active until further notice", but one would imagine that Blood Shed Productions artists would factor into H.N.E. shows if do come back this year. And lastly, at some point since last fall, Tyler took down C.T.W.'s original Facebook page for unannounced reasons, and moved that project's activity in full over to his cybergrind project Malignant Neoplasm's page, essentially taking that page over.

This can't be a good sign for Malignant Neoplasm's future, but barring an official announcement regarding their status, we'll keep them in our active band links until at least August, and they're now linked on the SMS via their Bandcamp page. Though still as polarizing as ever, Crucify The Whore and Tyler's other active metal bands continue to do what they want without apologies, and fans should get a kick out of the newest C.T.W. originals, which are as heavy as ever, so check out more from them at the above links, and here's one of two new YouTube uploads of their new songs to the Blood Shed YouTube channel, namely "Organic Hipster Beer"! The other's title may be offensive to some readers.



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our preview of Wednesday night's last semifinal in this year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!