Last Month's Poll Results & Our New Poll!!

Today's post is all about last month's and this month's polls on the SMS as we continue our "favourite _____ of 2017" poll run! Last month's poll is now closed, as we posed this question to you guys: "What was your favourite new local metal, hard rock, or punk album released in 2017?" Only 13 votes, though this was a jump in vote totals from the previous month, so thanks to everyone who case a vote! Now, here are the final results!

The Din - Suburban Dream (5 votes, 38.5%)

AlgomA & Shit Liver - Trading Faces (5 votes, 38.5%)

Other (3 votes,  23%)

Abhorrent Forest - "The End of Life" or "Ethereal" (0 votes)
AlgomA & Hooded Menace's split vinyl single (0 votes)
The Apocalypse Afterparty - Bufflesnort (0 votes)
Mike McCleary - In Ruins (0 votes)
Any of SweetKenny's 2017 score albums (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, given the vote totals, I'm not terribly surprised that digital-only albums and ones from solo acts received no votes, with the soft release of "Bufflesnort" and "In Ruins" being taken down for heavy revisions also not helping their cases here. I'm most surprised by the lack of votes for the AlgomA/Hooded Menace split, but with a longer, entirely local split with it's own release tour also coming out later that year, it's clear which one was a reader favourite. I can't speak for the 3 "Other" voters (perhaps some Pixo Control fans voted for Mike Mikus' solo debut?), but first place was a tie between last year's AlgomA/Shit Liver split cassette tape and The Din's final studio album, which both got high profile release concerts last fall and positive fan responses! As both got 5 votes, my tiebreaker in cases like this is which album was released more recently, as it had less time to get the same fan support, so the "winner" is "Suburban Dream", but that and "Trading Faces" were both solid releases to end 2017 with! Thanks to everyone who voted!

As for this month's poll, I'm once again posing this question to you guys: What was the biggest local metal, hard rock, or punk news story of 2017? For positive and negative reasons, 2017 was a very eventful year for our coverage (aside from one day in July...), and there was no trouble cobbling together 25 choices (plus "Other") for you all to pick from this month! From concerts to album releases, to band breakups, and everything in between, I hope that I covered the biggest stories from our covered genres last year! To make the poll, stories and news items must have primarily occurred in the 2017 calendar year, so don't look for the Big Wreck show or Re:Born's debut here (wait until our 2018 poll!) Of course, if I forgot something major, "Other" is an available choice, as I admit that I had a tough time debating some choices over others. There's lots of options below to pick from, so here's some info on all 25 news stories in this poll from last year!

AlgomA release splits with Shit Liver & Hooded Menace: No strangers to the concept of a split album thanks to their 2016 release with Chronobot, local doom metal trio AlgomA put out two splits in 2017, including a vinyl single with Finland's Hooded Menace in January, and their all-covers cassette tape split with fellow locals Shit Liver in September. Both releases got positive notices from fans, but where these your top story of last year?

Alter Bridge and In Flames hit Sault Michigan in May: One of the biggest hard rock shows of last year saw Orlando hard rock notables Alter Bridge and Swedish alt-metal veterans In Flames join forces for a well received concert at The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino. A lot of videos made their way online from this one, and both bands delivered with their old and new songs alike, but would you pick it in this poll?

Bankshot reunite for Guy Thiffault Memorial Concert: The second annual memorial show for late Hangdowns frontman Guy Thiffault brought numerous bands to The Canadian Nightclub in December, all seemingly returning after a break or a lineup change, but the most notable was the one-off reunion of late 1990s skate punk band Bankshot after a 17 year breakup! Featuring 3 members of their classic lineup, would you agree to select it here?

Bret Michaels rocks Kewadin Casino once again: Already well regarded by Hair Scare loyalists locally from his six prior headlining shows in the Twin Saults, Poison frontman Bret Michaels made it a lucky 7 in November when he headlined at The Dreammaker's Theater once again. As usual, attending fans had nothin' but a good time with his solo and Poison hits alike, and there's surely demand for Bret to roll back through, but would you vote for it?

CKY and The Wild rock The Canadian Nightclub in June: One of the biggest nightclub shows of 2017 in Sault Ontario saw the local concert debuts of Pennsylvania alt-metal trio CKY and Kelowna hard rock quartet The Wild, whose set lived up to their name! Also featuring Jack Spades' then-new lineup and A Dire Setback, this packed show gave fans quality looks at CKY's current sound and The Wild livin' hard & free, but was it the #1 moment of last year to you?

Diamond Head perform at The Rockstar Bar in September: After helping kick of the summer with CKY, promoter J.D. Pearce helped send it out by bringing British NWOBHM legends Diamond Head to Sault Ontario for another highly anticipated local concert bolstered with hits like "Am I Evil"! Also featuring Jack Spades and one of the final live sets by Project 421, The Rockstar Bar sure was rocking on this Saturday night, but does it have your vote?

The Din dissolves following final CD release concert: With frontman Mike Haggith moving to Manitoba late last year, his local alt-hard rock trio The Din announced their breakup following their farewell concert at LopLops Lounge in October, which doubled as their release show for their second and final studio album "Suburban Dream", with a belated live album also recorded that night. This sure was a bittersweet night, but was it also the most notable?

Dokken & Firehouse play at The Essar Centre: After a couple years away from local concert promotion, Sault Michigan's Superior Entertainment returned to that area in September with the regional returns of hair metal legends Dokken and Firehouse, though curiously across the border at Sault Ontario's Essar Centre rather than The Dreammaker's Theatre. Despite comparatively low attendance, the bands delivered for assembled rockers, but were you among them?

Gnaeus suddenly disbands in March: In one of the biggest SMS-covered band breakups of 2017, local post-punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus surprisingly announced their demise last spring, despite publically storyboarding a music video the previous month. This talented quartet came out of nowhere in 2014 to become one of the most prominent local bands of the mid-2010s, including 2 battle wins and their "Meditations" CD, but did their end win here?

Grooves Music reopens as Crooked Music: A long-time staple of Sault Michigan business and music equipment changed hands and names last spring when Gary Hatch sold Grooves Music to solo musician/ex-Half Stupid frontman Zac Crook, who changed the music equipment store's name to Crooked Music and promptly refurbished the business, including bolstering their stock with a large selection of records. Things sound good at Crooked Music, but would you vote for it?

Handsome Sandwich debuts: In a lean year for metal, punk, and hard rock band debuts, Handsome Sandwich were one of the few to make a notable impact on concert stages with any regularity. Featuring Bear Hunters, Elements, and Winkstinger alumni, this punk/alternative trio became a fan favourite sight on local stages last year with their varied array of covers. We haven't heard much from them yet in 2018, but was their launch your biggest story last year?

HMV closes and is replaced by Sunrise Records: After a decade-long run as The Station Mall's resident record store, HMV began liquidation sales early last year as part of the entire chain's closure, shutting it's doors for good at the end of March. However, the location didn't stay vacant for long, with Sunrise Records coming to the Soo in it's place as part of their newfound national expansion. It's great to have a new music store, but would this change be your choice?

Jack Spades return with lineup overhauls: After a 9 month hiatus, local metal/punk quintet Jack Spades returned to the stage at the CKY concert in June, but it was the public start of major lineup changes in their ranks, with all but J.D. being replaced in time for that show (including new guitarist Daniel Horton), and by year's end, Rob Speers would join on bass, and they'd welcome back Tiffany Stocco and Johnny Belanger for good measure. Was this your top story in 2017?

Lita Ford & Great White's outdoor concert in St. Ignace: As part of Kewadin Casino's summer concert series at their St. Ignace branch, a rare outdoor concert took place there in June, where hard rock legends Lita Ford and (Jack Russell's) Great White took the stage for fans on the waterfront! Despite the drop-out of April Wine, this concert was well received and seems to have helped encourage more St. Ignace bookings, but does it earn your vote?

NLFB Meltdown battle takes place at LopLops Lounge: The only battle of the bands-styled event to take place in Sault Ontario last year was a local branch of the annual NLFB Meltdown competition at LopLops in April, with six acts competing to earn a slot on the Northern Lights Festival Boreal festival lineup last summer. Solo artist M.D. Dunn pulled off the surprising win over bands like The Din and Id Iota at this well recieved event, but was it your #1 choice?

Oh!No Music Festival debuts in Leeburn in September: Promoters Six, Two, Oh! revived plans to host a large-scale concert festival when they held the first annual Oh!No Music Festival at "Robbie's Church" in nearby Leeburn, Ontario last fall, which was a big hit with attendees and campers! Bands like Lightmares, Beaver Slap, Artificial Dissemination, the reunited Winkstinger, and many more took to the stage, and with year #2 announced, would you vote for year #1?

Pop Evil returns to The Dreammakers Theater: The first major headlining hard rock concert in the area of 2017 saw Muskegon rock standouts Pop Evil return to Sault Michigan on February 25th to wake the lions at Kewadin Casino once again! Featuring openers Badflower and Kaleido, this concert was another hit for the increasingly popular band and their array of rock radio hit singles, and fans surely are hoping for a return engagement, but is this your preferred option?

Project 421 breaks up in October: Another major band breakup in 2017 was the demise of llassic metal quartet Project 421 after a four year run (shortly before sister band Eclipse's quiet second and final breakup.) 421's end was more surprising, especially given their high profile resurgence in mid-2017, but they accomplished a lot in the mid-2010s and made lots of new fans that will hopefully follow to their successors Re:Born. Is this your top pick?

The Quiet Riot & Rock the Border Fest cancellations: In early 2017, Sudbury promoters CSA International announced plans to bring metal pioneers Quiet Riot to The Machine Shop in March, and then the Josh Todd-headlined Rock the Border Fest at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion in June. However, both were cancelled for differing reasons, with restless fans and online discussion a big point of discussion in the latter case. Did these sagas win your vote here?

Skeyes of Seven return after 2 year stage hiatus: Despite a talented pedigree with Sense of Truth, As It Stands, and Half Past alumni, local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven's live concert appearances have been sporadic at best, with their opening set at September's Project 421 show at The Canadian being their first since 2015. Fans welcomed them back with open arms, and while their debut EP and next show are still up in the air, was Skeyes of Sevens return your top story?

The Tea Party headline free ONTour concert in July: As part of the Ontario Government's ONTour concert series in honour of the province's 150th birthday, Toronto hard rock trio The Tea Party came back to Sault Ste. Marie for the first time in almost 20 years with a free concert at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion to a rousing response! Also featuring Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker, Andrew Hyatt, and McLean, this was a nice surprise over the summer, but do you agree?

Theatre of Night launch their Christmas tour in December: After years spent as a 2-3 man studio project with occasional female vocal input from overseas, Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night announced a Christmas tour for the holidays, including shows at the renovated Soo Theater and in Pickford, plus dates in Jackson and Midlothian, Illinois. Their metalized Christmas carols gave a boost to the holidays, but were they your favourite item out of all others here?

Theory of a Deadman end year with Kewadin show: Ending 2017 with a bang, Allstar Promotions brought Burnaby, B.C. hard rockers Theory (of a Deadman) back to Sault Michigan for a sold out new concert, with fans eager to hear old and new originals alike, including their new hit "Rx (Medicate)"! Also featuring a return east from Munising hard rock quartet Infathom as openers, was Theory's December 30th show here your top story last year?

Treble Charger return for LopLops headlining concert: Despite promotion being oddly under the radar for a while, local/Toronto punk/indie quartet Treble Charger played a sold out "sneak peak" concert at LopLops Lounge last summer to end a 2 year public hiatus, with a Kingston festival date also following. Also featuring A Dire Setback as openers, it was great to see Greig, Bill, and company back, but would you agree?

Vol. debuts: Last year's other major hard rock band debut in Sault Ontario, Vol. (pronounced "volume") merged Pixo Control and Aldous alumni into a high energy indie/hard rock outfit that became a frequent sight at shows in mid-late 2017, including a trip to Leeburn for the Oh!No Fest, and preliminary plans for a debut album were also announced. We haven't heard much from Vol. yet this year, but was their debut your #1 story?

Other: Did we miss your favourite story of 2017? Perhaps a band debut, concert, album release, or general news event that we didn't address was your pick as last year's biggest story on the metal, hard rock, or punk spectrum? If we missed your preferred choice, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!! You guys have until April 18th to cast your votes, and it'll be interesting to see what comes out on top over the month ahead! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week! Thanks everyone!