Overdue Updates From Two Local Metal Solo Projects!!

Today's post is designed to get ourselves caught up on two distinct local solo projects featuring guitarists from past metal bands flexing their solo muscle on original studio material, so here's what you should know from them over the past so many months!

Let's take a long overdue look at recent news & updates from local industrial metal project Molten Imp! Be advised that many of Molten Imp's posts on their Facebook page are vague or cryptic by design, often hinting at general upcoming work moreso than something finite about new material or concert dates or whatnot. Back in November, they teased a "one man electric jam" that has since been deleted from their Soundcloud page, alas, but it would have been interesting to hear! In December, project leader/AlgomA alum Boyd Rendell teased having "a great video call with an old friend about new stuff coming up", and while it may have been for the since released "Pyrolytic Punishment" split with goregrind project Crucify The Whore, I can't 100% confirm that. On January 4th, Boyd did hint that the initial plan for the split was a three-way release also featuring Chase Wigmore, but that obviously didn't pan out.

On January 29th, Boyd revealed that the movie Awakenings inspired AlgomA's old original song "Extinct Volcanoes", and if you know what that movie was about, you'll understand the symbolism! As we alluded to when Mike Haggith launched MorningStar Records in the spring, Molten Imp signed on as one of the first non-Mike acts from the Soo, and on March 8th, they announced plans to release a "double EP" through this imprint in the fall. That season is arguably less than a month away, so we'll have to see if that planned release is indeed still in the cards! Also in the spring, Molten Imp launched an official store (via MySpreadShop, a manufacture-on-demand deal like Redbubble) so you can buy various official fabric items with their new logo. That is pictured here on the cover for their fourth digital single, fittingly named "IV", which came out on their Bandcamp page on April 25th!

Yes, it came out on that day, but it has already been taken down. Why? Because Boyd bundled the songs from all four of their virtual singles onto one compilation album named "Bloom Closing: Singles ('23-'20)" that was released on Bandcamp on May 13th! Yes, this means that "IV" as a standalone digital single was only on the market for a maximum of 18 days, but at least you can still buy it (and more). Mike Haggith equalized the songs for this compilation, and it was hinted that the Bandcamp paid download-exclusive bonus songs are similarly included here. You can buy "Bloom Closing" for $16.75, and if you find that price to be steep, the whole thing can be streamed for free there as well, albeit sans any bonus songs. Boyd also hopes to release "Bloom Closing" on CDs, and he has since confirmed that this will be handled via MorningStar (I don't know if this is the previously teased "double EP" or if plans changed). 

Two new electronica songs have been posted to Soundcloud in the last two months, namely the sample-heavy "UVW 'And Another One'" and the more industrial "Bessemer Process", but again, many posts from Molten Imp are cryptic, personal, or vague by design, and often show off Boyd's gear and equipment more than finished products. In a rare Facebook video, however, Molten Imp did sample a newer original song on May 10th with a video pointed at a speaker grill, and it's a fun, in-your-face techno number with a good drum-and-bass element! That is embedded below, but get much more from Boyd's creative blend of industrial metal at the above links, and hopefully we don't fall this behind on Molten Imp again!

Finally, here's the latest from ex-Winkstinger guitarist Jason Ladouceur's solo rap/metal project In The Sun (née Less Than Zero), who we haven't talked about on the SMS in five months, so what have they been up to? Well, in April, they changed their name again, first toying with Broken By Design before settling on Failure To Remain, as per updates to their Bandlab page. Unlike the switch to In The Sun last year, a reason for the name change(s) was not announced, but I do think that Failure To Remain suits Jason's genre better than In The Sun did. New and reworked material has been steadily shared to both the Bandlab page and their YouTube channel in recent months, and on July 21st, Jason compiled 19 original songs as an "album" named "Quantum Affiliation", representing the project's evolution and as "a mix of everything meaningful".

Now, this isn't a pure "album" release, as it is a free download and you can only even get that if you have a Bandlab account, but it is the most convenient place to hear Jason's solo music in one place in the form he currently intends (he has reworked and altered a lot of his songs over these months). Failure To Remain's songs continue mixing rock and rap styles with lots of experimentation and post-production, giving them a unique sound that other local bands really aren't trying (The Apocalypse Afterparty would share the most musical DNA), but Jason's vocals can still lack in force and confidence. Check out Failure To Remain's material above, and here's a solid newer cut, "Occupied Affiliation Creation"!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!