Heavy Lies The Crown - "Built For Us" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 177th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're looking at St. Ignace, Michigan deathcore band Heavy Lies The Crown's second full-length album "Built For Us"! Quietly and independently released to major streaming services on January 31st, H.L.T.C. are represented here by their mid-late 2023 lineup, including singer Brandon West and the now-departed Ted Olson on guitar, alongside bassist Christian Cook and drummer Jaxon Massaway in their studio debuts with the band. Note that ex-rhythm guitarist Christian Thanasiu appears in their music video for "Celebrate The Night", which was filmed in 2022, but it is not clear if he performed on any of the final copies here or not (he is not seen in their other music videos for the album). The follow-up to their self-titled 2021 album (later renamed "Knucklebutter"), it is unclear if physical copies of "Built For Us" have been/will be made.

You can stream the new album for free on "all streaming platforms" Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, and Boomplay, and mp3 copies of the album are on sale on Amazon for $9.49 and on iTunes for $9.99. Song names below are linked to their YouTube copies. 

With 11 songs running for about 35 minutes, let's begin this review! The opening song is "Heart Sex", which opens (and closes) with news clips of anchors reporting about bad and catastrophic events around the world, before the song proper kicks into gear 40 seconds in. A pounding song with djent-influenced guitar work from Ted, the vocal style here remains reminiscent of American Head Charge when Brandon is screaming, but he is throwing in more death metal growling than we have previously seen from H.L.T.C. in studio. This song has a strong, assaulting groove that is indicative of the band's planned move to heavier styles, and Christian's bass pairs well, so this is a quality opener! Next up is "Rat King", which has a more melodic guitar riff and a more Killswitch Engage-y structure to it, including melodic (if still full-voiced) singing from Brandon when not screaming.

With no proper guitar solo on the opener, "Rat King" lets Ted show off a little more, and Jaxon gets more to do behind the drumkit, so as a pure talent showcase, this is definitely notable! Crushing bridge aside, "Heart Sex" is definitely a heavier song though, so pick your poison, but both are effective openers with their own sounds! Third on offer is "Intro To Death", which is literally the intro to "Death", as in track #4, "Death Parade". Running for an album-low 60 seconds, it has ominous background noise and a siren before we hear 10 seconds of growling from Brandon. At least this intro track doesn't artificially break up a 3:42 song, as it has a clear end, but it doesn't really stand on its own even still. As for "Death Parade", it's a faster paced song with more of a deathcore influence, with Brandon really varying his vocals throughout, and the choruses definitely soar overtop of the riffing!

Jaxon really shines on drums here, but but to a point, I think the song is more of a noise cacophony than what came before it, and has less of a melodic base (it being a relatively short song acknowledged). Noise metal fans will take to it readily! Song #5 is the first advance single & music video "Jell-O", an intense and fast-paced metal song whose ominous cascading riffs really belie the song's title! The guitar work (lack of solo aside) is top notch, Brandon's harsh vocals are well applied, and Christian more than holds his own on the low end, so this is another early highlight! My big problem with the song is that it ends way too abruptly, just with a very quick fade-out, and for a sub-3 minute song, it was begging for more. After all, there's always room for Jell-O! Sixth on the album is "Country Song 2" (yes, that is its name). This is an 80 second instrumental led primarily by Ted, evoking the background music in a western movie to an extent.

Still relatively ominous as it goes, the song isn't badly composed and kinda serves as an intermission for "Built For Us", but the last 15 seconds really didn't need to fade out at such a slow pace. We get back to metal with "Bounty", which feels like a bit of a throwback to the more metalcore-leaning H.L.T.C. of the early 2020s, but still with a healthy technical edge, and Ted's guitar work here is among the best on the album so far (lack of a guitar solo acknowledged). Aggressive but still melodic to keep fans happy, and everyone performs to their strengths! Next is "Cigar With The Devil", which was the third and final advance single with music video before the album came out. Another hard hitting extreme metal song as you'd hope, this benefits from more soloing from Ted and some really varied vocals from Brandon, including his lowest death growling yet!

I do think that the vocal melody is somewhat forced to get these lyrics (especially ones referencing the title) to fit with the song as written, but it's a strong showcase of everyone's skill set, and the guitar flourish alone makes this worth listening to for fans! The clock ticking at the end was at least better for the song than the long fade-out from two songs prior. That's followed by "God Butter" (née "Gods Butter"), another advance single but sans a dedicated music video. The longest song on "Built For Us" by a slim margin, it begins more ominously before the song properly kicks into gear, and on this one, it has more a groove metal influence that reminds me more of something off of "Knucklebutter", complete with primarily screamed vocals, albeit getting more guttural until the midpoint. The song has a very deliberate pace at points, while also being full throttle at others, so it'll please many fans!

I would have preferred them sticking to one tempo and vocal style aside from choruses, but it's intense with solid drumming, and despite a somewhat abrupt ending, it never felt overlong! The penultimate track here is "Monster", a song heavily dictated by a steadily pounding guitar riff, not to mention nicely varied harsh vocal styles (even a bit of pig squealing at one point!). This song seemed to have some progressive influence without sticking to a verse-chorus-verse structure, which won't be for everyone, but it's suitably brutal and will get a mosh pit going in concert! Be advised that the song is actually 3:25 with 50 seconds of dead air, which explains its 4:15 runtime on streaming services. I have no idea if that was an error on Heavy Lies The Crown's part or if the silent stretch has a purpose.

"Built For Us" ends with its other released single/music video, "Celebrate The Night", which opens with a ticking clock, as if it was directly intended to come after "Cigar With The Devil" in the track order. While far from a ballad, this song has (by far) Brandon's most reserved clean singing, and it's definitely the most accessible song on offer with screaming reserved for choruses, often in a backing role. This song has more of a screamo influence from how the vocals are applied, but the song is still heavy, and it makes use of some nice evil laughter near the end! I like my H.L.T.C. to be more aggressive, but this is a catchy song that was arguably a bold choice to end the album with, albeit ending too soon given how things had progressed. So, what are my final thoughts on Heavy Lies The Crown's new album? I'd say that existing fans will easily take to it, especially with the heavier influences!

While the songs are (on average) a little shorter than on their prior album, their encroaching into death metal and deathcore, especially vocally, is a welcome shift, and Brandon was more than up to the task in singing however the songs called for! In his H.L.T.C. swan song, Ted's technical guitar work shone as you'd expect, and their new rhythm section filled their roles capably, with Jaxon drumming beyond his years and Christian's bass steadily filling things out how you want! Songs like "Heart Sex", "Jell-O", and "Monster" piqued my interest the most, but nothing here is bad, and it feels like a natural evolution in sound. However, there was even less of a focus on guitar solos than on "Knucklebutter", and I would have smushed "Intro To Death" into the next song. Plus, some tracks ended too abruptly, and a few songs ramped up the heaviness at the expense of structure, but it hits way more than it misses.

If you want to hear some brutal local original metal from a very talented E.U.P. band, Heavy Lies The Crown deliver the goods on "Built For Us", and here's hoping that Nathan Switzer's return on guitar will ensure that they pick things back up on the right foot for their next material! Buy or stream this album above, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Next month, we'll finally take a look at Sault Ontario progressive metal band Convergence's new EP "Dead & Dreaming", so look for that review and much more on the site in April! Thanks everyone, and have a happy Easter!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Vanity First & Generations), Plus New Videos!!

Here's a surprise news post on this Good Friday evening, which is half devoted to new punk videos featuring former Lion Ride bandmates, but leading off, here's two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage on Saturday, April 13th when they rock The Water Tower Pub! Unless something gets booked beforehand, this show (announced by drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group earlier today) will be their first since playing at Jay's in early March, and their first at The Water Tower Pub since a Friday nighter the previous week (the Great Northern Road nightclub historically hosts different nightly bands). Generations are celebrating their one year anniversary since succeeding Jus' Chillin last year (they debuted at Jay's on April 7th, 2023), and while they aren't returning to the origin site for this particular gig, hopefully Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre's classic and hard rock covers find another receptive audience! This 19+ show will have an 8:00 PM start time and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Generations' next gig!

Next up, local punk trio Vanity First will indeed release their new album "Identity Crisis" on Saturday, April 20th with a formal release party at Soo Blaster! Confirming the Facebook comment from drummer Keegan McAllister's dad earlier this week, the concert will indeed see Vanity selling CD copies (no word on pricing yet), but unlike the limited pressing of their 2020 demo CD, this album is getting a more professional treatment, as "Identity Crisis" is getting released through local/Barrie rock musician Mike Haggith's label MorningStar Records. Now you know how Mike "played a small part in bringing the album over the finish line"! The album will be available to order through MorningStar's website too via the Kunaki on-demand printing process, but if Vanity First have properly signed with the label, they/Mike haven't confirmed it yet. Local metal trio The BAG will open the proceedings on 4/20, and they'll set the tone well with their heavy attack!

As per the poster by Mikhal & Keeghan's Hails bandmate Brenton Ellis (more on him in a bit), this all ages & licensed concert will cost $10 if you buy advance tickets from Vanity First band members (Keeghan's dad reportedly had them too), but the price will jump to $15 at the door. The concert proper begins at 8:00 PM. It's great to see that Vanity First have gotten this far already, and hopefully everything goes according to plan next month! Visit the official Facebook event page for more info!

Also today, let's look at the newest video in Mikey & His Uke's ongoing cover series paying tribute to Green Day's breakthrough album "Dookie" for its 30th anniversary! After an unusually long 18 day gap between songs #5 and #6 in this series, the new video came just a week later on Monday, so we're back on the normal "6-8 days between videos" scheduling. Next up in track listing order on "Dookie" is Green Day's classic single "Basket Case", and here, the guest singer is none other than Descendents frontman Milo Aukerman in his fifth appearance with Mikey & His Uke and first since 2022. Mikey Hawdon plays guitar and (initially) ukelele once again, with ex-Goldfinger drummer Darren Pfieffer behind the drumkit once again, while Pennywise bassist Randy Bradbury returns for his third "Dookie" cut out of the last four. Everyone puts in a strong performance here, and Milo's intensity with the camera is noted throughout!

No major setting quirks or post-production effects here, but this video legitimately got shared on Instagram by no less than Billie Joe Armstrong himself, which has to be a huge feather in Mikey's toque! As a fan of sports jerseys and logos, I do think Darren could do better as Buffalo Sabres jerseys go, especially given their current set, but that's irrelevant to the cover. The next song in the "Dookie" series (track #8, their single "She") should arrive at any point between Sunday and April 12th, but the average gap between videos so far would place it on Wednesday. Punk fans will absolutely want to give this cover a watch below!

Finally for today, here's a throwback to local punk fans of the 1990s... remember Gutwrench? While their mid-1990s heyday long predated the SMS, their lineup included four very notable names, including current Hails/Slumshine frontman Brenton "B.G." Ellis on vocals and bass, guitarists Mike "Vinyl" Muto (ex-Issues/Band Camp Rejects) & Paul "Paulo Rage" Melanson (of newer Alberta-based metal bands like Castigate and Syryn), and Mike's brother Marc Muto (ex-Lion Ride) on drums. A lot of local bands of this era don't have much in the way of public media in the 2020s, but Gutwrench are now an exception, as Mike's son Mikhal (now on guitar in Ha!ls with Brent) has had three vintage cassette tapes of theirs to his personal YouTube channel for over two years now! These include their 1995 debut "Phantasmagoria" (recorded before Paul joined the band), and its 1996 follow-up "One Nation Under The Gun".

The other tape is a live bootleg from a show at the former Knights Of Columbus Hall (also, Mikhal posted a tape of fellow 1990s punk band The Kite Eating Maples but it has no imagery or information on the band/album there). With artwork (albeit with camera glare) and track listings on the two albums posted, the Gutwrench studio albums are absolutely eligible for reviews on the SMS once our new album backlog is cleared (perhaps this summer?), and given that Brent still plays live with his current projects, it could get priority on that basis when we do run out of new albums! Have a blast from the past with this fast paced local punk band above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review next, in all likelihood! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (HeadFirst & Soundcheck) Plus Saturday Concert Previews!!

I hope everyone is having a good Good Friday so far! Let's close out this busy slate of weekend concert previews today, thankfully all announced with advance notice, but we are leading off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month! Here's what you should know!

As part of their April concert calendar reveal on their Facebook page, Jay's Piston Broke Pub will welcome two hard rock-leaning bands to their stage next month, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck on Friday, April 19th and Saturday, April 20th! Last seen at the former Roosevelt Hotel on March 1st for Jay's second annual 1980s party, this will be their first full weekend at Jay's since January, and should prove to be another solid weekend of classic and hard rock cover action from this talented foursome! Yes, Soundcheck (no space) will presumably be hosting jam night on Thursday the 18th too, but again, we don't treat jam nights as "concerts" due to their in-built unpredictability. These shows have 19+ age limits, no cover charge, and 9:30 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details, and don't miss Cameron, Terry, Jim, and Glen rocking out at The Esquire Club tonight & tomorrow night!

Next up, the other new (SMS-amenable) Jay's Piston Broke Pub shows next month will see local hard rock quintet HeadFirst return to the former Reggie's West on Friday, April 26th & Saturday, April 27th! Of course, HeadFirst (also no space) will come just four weeks after their prior gigs at Jay's, which are... tonight and tomorrow night, so it's good to see that the band & venue are happy with how prior gigs have went there! No word yet on if we'll see Red, Raine, Liam, Claire, and Anthony anywhere else before then, but consider a late April run to this Korah Road staple for their array of crowd-pleasing hard rock covers and select originals! Like with Soundcheck the week prior, expect these to be 9:30 PM shows with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. Also visit the above links for more info, and don't miss HeadFirst at Jay's tonight & tomorrow night either!

Now let's move to this weekend's last known and announced hard rock concert previews, starting with local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's next Misty's Fifties matinee show in his current bi-weekly arrangement there, which takes place TOMORROW! Two weeks removed from playing at Misty's for their St. Patrick's Day weekend festivities, he returns for Easter weekend, and while Tym's increased Christianity in recent years is noted, there's no seasonal ties advertised for tomorrow's concert. Fans can expect his unplugged yet well produced slate of classic and hard rock covers at this Second Line West mainstay, so consider a run down to see what he has up his sleeve tomorrow evening! This concert begins at 4:00 PM, expect a 19+ age limit, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Finally, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will hit Shooters Downstairs Lounge for the first time TOMORROW NIGHT! Playing their first concert since January after dropping out of planned shows at Jay's last month, this will be an extra advantageous date for Double Down to debut at this Dennis Street venue. The show takes place around the time that the Soo Greyhounds' playoff game against the Guelph Storm ends, and given Shooters' proximity to GFL Memorial Gardens, the lounge routinely gets an influx of Hounds fans post-game throughout the season and playoffs. Give how good the Greyhounds were this year, and games getting strong attendance as such, it should be a packed house after game #2 for Double Down's hard rocking and Cancon-laden cover array! A one nighter due to Shooters' Friday DJ nights, this show is also a 19+ and 9:30 PM affair with no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Double Down live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes, plus this month's CD review, in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225) & Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

In today's post, we've diving into most of this weekend's hard rock concert previews! As a rule, the Easter weekend isn't a big one for themed events and whatnot (it moving around each year acknowledged), but this year, March is going out like a lion with lots of concerts, including on Good Friday, so fans (especially cover-amenable ones) have a lot to like! Due to the amount of shows, we'll hold the Saturday-only gigs from Double Down and Tym Morrison for tomorrow's news post. Now, here's what you should know alongside some new videos and some linked LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Following their previously announced Reggie's Place concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225 have announced two more dates for next month, which will see them return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Saturday, April 20th (yes, 4/20) before returning to Gateway Casino one week later for another unplugged "uncorked" gig one week later on April 27th! Everything else on their new website's updated calendar was either already announced or a Thursday jam night at Reggie's (yes, including tonight). Keep both new dates in mind, especially as the Shooters show is their only currently scheduled April non-jam night gig to be plugged in as normal! Of course, you can ring in Easter with the guys at Reggie's on this "triple header" weekend, and if you're curious, a list of songs that they play live is now on their website!

Notably, Bone Yard also have original songs named "Fuck" and "Gypsy Spell" in their ever-growing repertoire, joining "F.A.F.O.". This weekend's and next month's new shows are all 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges, and all except the gig at Shooters (at 9:30 PM) start at 9:00 PM. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard 225's shows this weekend and beyond, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard live!

Next up, we'll head west to Jay's Piston Broke Pub, where local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will return to the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen (publically) at The Water Tower Pub four weeks ago and at Jay's in early February, hopefully this weekend's shows will be successes with good turnouts for this fast rising young group, so don't miss out on all of the action on Korah Road tomorrow and/or Saturday! This weekend's shows have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's some new videos of HeadFirst live earlier this month! While quiet for the last few weeks, they did play a private gig for a stag & doe on March 16th, and they got permission to post three videos from it in a batch post on their Facebook page! Embedded below is a sideways video of them playing an unidentified bluesy song, perhaps an original?

Another video here is cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" featuring ex-Electric Church frontman Spencer Pine on guest guitar (really nice to see him again), but it's shorter and vertical, so only Spencer is seen in full on camera. The last video is a 6 second clip of what appears to be a stag & doe game, and I'll let you gauge what's going on for yourself there. What we see & hear isn't too long (and why was the main video uploaded sideways?), but HeadFirst seemed to have a good time at this event, so give their videos a look above & below in advance of their weekend back at Jay's!

Also this weekend (and also in the west end), you can check out classic/hard rock cover veterans Soundcheck live at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fresh off of their late notice gig at The Water Tower Pub last week, we thankfully knew about this weekend's shows in advance via The Esquire Club's concert calendar for early 2024, so there's the public word that may not come from Soundcheck's camp until maybe tomorrow. This is the third straight month to see Soundcheck (no space) rock the Second Line West venue's stage, and will see the return there of singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver after he missed their February 17th show while out of town, though of course, they're playing without him as jam night hosts at Jay's tonight. Soundcheck won't be back at The Esquire Club until the Victoria Day long weekend, so don't miss out on their hard rocking and crowd-friendly covers on this long weekend! 

Tomorrow & Saturday's Esquire gigs have 9:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on Soundcheck's shows this weekend, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for today's previews, let's head across to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Be advised that Scarkazm have not newly promoted these shows in recent weeks, but the shows were confirmed on their Facebook page last month, and are listed on Kewadin's entertainment page (erroneously dating the shows as being on the 29th and 31st acknowledged). While not Scarkazm's first E.U.P. dates of 2024, they are their first in the Soo, and hopefully Adam, Dave, and Jeff give local fans something to talk about with their hard hitting covers and originals once again this weekend! Tomorrow & Saturday's shows are at 9:00 PM with no cover charges and 21+ age limits. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and for a preview, here's Scarkazm live last year!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Double Down & Tym Morrison previews (and more) on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Skid Row/Buckcherry Concert Video Showcase (Part 1!!)

For today's post, let's take our first gander at videos from Saturday night's sold out Skid Row/Buckcherry concert at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! What I have heard from the concert has been largely positive, but you can see for yourself here, as at least two attendees so far have posted videos from Saturday's festivities, and more is absolutely to come. Just a heads up, both of the channels mentioned here don't appear to be locally based, and moreso are Skid Row fans who travel to film them at multiple gigs, so the majority of the videos on their channels are not local. We'll start with the headlining New Jersey glam metal veterans, who were the only band filmed for attendee theheidis' channel. She shot Skid Row playing "Youth Gone Wild", and while I would normally embed that one here as it's much longer, I'm instead embedding the video of them playing their new album's title track "The Gang's All Here".

Why that video? Because it's multi-camera, but not in the way you're thinking. While one half of the video is shot by theheidis, the other was shot on her friend's camera by Skid Row singer Erik Gronwall! It looks like he filmed vertically and theheidis opted to crop her horizontal video to fit both in frame within a 16:9 aspect ratio. Not ideal for her copy, but we get a very unique split view for over a minute, with Erik filming the audience and himself in "selfie mode" (as it were) while synced up with theheidis' video. Very neat, and the song is solid for fans, who shouldn't have much to worry about with Erik behind the mic! Check out theheidis' videos above & below!

Today's other videos come from YouTube user Diana, a.k.a. yuthgonwild (sic), who did film all three bands on Saturday. Diana filmed eight videos at Kewadin, with five being of Skid Row's set, including "The Gang's All Here", "Resurrected" (abbreviated when her phone cut out), and "Monkey Business", albeit in two chunks, again due to her phone cutting out during the song. The longer first part is embedded below, but you can watch part 2 here, and a forcibly vertical/abbreviated version can also be seen there in "Shorts" format. Diana had a similar vantage point to theheidis, with a close seat near the stage's far right corner, but her video quality is a little rougher by comparison. Fans will still very much enjoy her videos, especially "Monkey Business" (one of my favourite Skid Row songs), and the guys sound really good across all three songs filmed for this channel, so definitely give these a watch above & below!

Diana filmed two videos of Los Angeles hard rock quintet Buckcherry's co-headlining set, including of their song "Gluttony", but embedded below is their set closing hit "Crazy Bitch!" Now, the video is 11+ minutes long because, as is common for this song in recent years, they extended it by making it a medley with a bunch of covers and incomplete songs, along with band introductions and crowd banter (they definitely did this at their Sault Ontario show in 2021). Filmed at more of a low side-stage vantage point here, the performances are lively and well received, but Josh's vocals are definitely tired by this late stage of the night, and he can be heard to hear. Check everything out above & below!

Finally for now, Diana filmed opening Philadelphia hair metal quartet Britny Fox playing their hit song "Long Way To Love" on Saturday! Now, 15 years have passed since their last show here, during which time the band went on hiatus, with bassist Billy Childs relaunching them in 2022 with no other classic members, so any preconceptions from 2009 should be avoided. Still, this lineup seems to have a good handle on things and they have a good ear for melodies, not to mention strong vocals from new frontman Ronnie Rogers, so give their performance a watch below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Bad Chug

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we once again look at a randomly selected YouTube channel whose content is at least half focused on local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists and/or concerts! This one has a bit of an asterisk beside it, as this channel is for a band who hadn't moved operations to the Soo yet, but they eventually were based here, if not at the best time for live bands! Here's what you should know!

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Bad Chug (http://youtube.com/@badchug5849)

Owner: A member of 2016-2017 & 2020-2021 local/Ottawa hard rock band Bad Chug, exact identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 3rd, 2016; Videos uploaded from the next day until November 29th of that year

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for Bad Chug during their original Ottawa-based run, it features a 20 minute live set, each song from it re-uploaded in separate videos, two other live performance clips, a "welcome to our channel" video, and in their last upload, a studio recording of their song "Should Never Be".

Why You Should Watch: Given that Bad Chug's February 2020 relaunch as a local project was severely limited by the pandemic and only saw them play one public concert (opening for Buckcherry at Soo Blaster in October 2021), this channel will be essential if you saw them there and wondered who Bad Chug were! Beyond that, they were not an untalented group and it would have been nice to see them accomplish more & longer both here and in Ottawa! A selection of unique videos can be seen on their Facebook page, but there or on YouTube, they have no videos from after 2016 (visit this link to see fan-shot video of Bad Chug at the Buckcherry concert here).

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Welcome to the Bad Chug channel: Most local musicians don't bother with a "welcome to our channel" video for their channel's homepage, but Bad Chug did, albeit before becoming a local band. Here, their fans (or "Chuggernauts") get to meet singer/guitarist Aaron Desmoulin, bassist Kyle Dube, and drummer Matt D'Ettore, who hype up the band, promise upcoming shows/content, jam out (without live audio) and open/drink beer, which may have been implied by their name. Accidental(?) video mirroring aside, this was a good way to introduce Bad Chug to viewers!

Bad Chug Live Show: Six of Bad Chug's ten YouTube videos comprise of the same private house party concert from June 2nd, 2016 (considered their first show), where Aaron, Kyle, and Matt played five songs, all separately uploaded as their own videos after the fact. In order, the guys played their eponymous song, "Should Never Be", "Rockin' Hard Place",  and "Primal", before covering Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone" alongside guest guitarist Kevin Hallarn (Aaron just sings here). They could have used a proper lead singer (shades of Late & Loud there), but their originals had a strong groove with a nice free-wheeling attitude, and it's easy to see how they would have turned heads had they not launched as a local concern on the cusp of a global pandemic! Click here for an alternate angle of their "Mr. Brownstone" cover from this night.

Bad Chug - Sex Doll Live: The only proper concert video (as in, at a public venue) on offer here comes from Bad Chug's show opening for fellow Ottawa hard rock band Nessie at Cafe Deckuf in July 2016. Also their channel's most watched video, it sees the guys playing their original song "Sex Doll" (named Veronika, incidentally), which has more of a funk rock influence. It probably uses Aaron's vocals the best out of all of their posted originals, and it's a solid track that would surely have been a live hightlight, but the video quality does the band no favours. The dark and inconsistent lighting is a constant, and the audio is a little rough compared to the 20 minute set, so it is a shame that this song wasn't seen in another upload! Click here for Bad Chug's Facebook video from Nessie's headlining set.

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on or around April 26th for a two channel profile, as  the first randomly selected channel (ran by ex-Swampgut guitarist Rob "Rodge MacGodge" MacDonald) only has nine audio recordings by Swampgut, and I'd only want to hand select two of them to feature without getting too repetitive given what it has. As such, I'll fill things out with a channel who only has three SMS-relevant videos, all from the same concert, namely YouTube user metalfu, who filmed at Kiss' 2007 Kewadin Casino concert! Look for those next month, and for more news news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Shit Happens Concert Preview, New Videos, And Much More!!

Let's kick off the last week of the month with a new news post, which features some new videos, updates on an upcoming album release, and some shorter recent updates, but first, let's preview a punk concert taking place sooner than you may think!

Here's a special Monday night concert preview for TONIGHT, as Winnipeg punk quartet Shit Happens will make their local concert debut when they headline at The Distraction! The first full metal or punk band (i.e. not a solo project) from out of town to play at the East Street barbershop-turned-concert venue, this female-fronted group are currently touring throughout eastern Canada and even in a few American cities. Shit Happens' up-tempo and in-your-face original attack should find a solid audience tonight, so don't miss out if you can swing coming by on a work/school night! Rising young metal trio The BAG will open in their second show of the year and first ever at The Distraction, and while not a punk band, their intensity should start things off on the right foot! This all ages concert begins at 7:00 PM tonight, and admission is "$5 or pay what you can", as is typical for this venue.

The Monday night scheduling won't be ideal for many, but as an all ages show with two bands at 7:00 PM, it won't be a late night, so consider coming down to The Distraction for some hard hitting punk and metal action! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Shit Happens live!

Next up, here's the latest from local punk trio Vanity First, who have released the second advance single from their upcoming album "Identity Crisis"! Entitled "Habitual Vanity", this partial namesake song can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and (as embedded below) via YouTube, though at press time, the song is not yet on Bandcamp. If you believe a comment on their Facebook page from Jim McAllister (possibly drummer Keegan McAllister's dad?), Vanity First will release "Identity Crisis" on Saturday, April 20th with a CD release party at Soo Blaster, and he allegedly has tickets. The band has not confirmed this publically, so stay tuned for official word on the album's on-sale date and/or a possible release party when it comes in! It's also worth noting that prolific local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith "played a small part in bringing the album over the finish line", as per his Facebook page.

How involved Mike was, I can't say yet, but this is shaping up to be better produced and distributed than their 2020 "Vanity" EP! Lastly, the album's first advance single "Off With The Heads" somehow got included in Hamilton indie punk label Lockdown Records' brand new compilation "What A Wonderful World We Exist In" alongside 32 other notable bands like The Ripcordz and Broomfiller. Very neat, and there's many other name punk bands from Canada and abroad there, so buy/stream the whole thing above! As before, I'll hold comment on "Habitual Vanity" pending our eventual full album review, give it a listen for yourselves below!

Also today, here's a new live video from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's Facebook page! Despite the thumbnail being at what appears to be last year's Cory Marks show at The Machine Shop, the video was instead filmed at one of their gigs over the March 8th weekend at The Esquire Club, with the band seen covering Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk". Definitely a more poppy cover, and as is usual for Silent 9's Facebook videos, we don't see the full song (just 70 seconds of it), but this horizontal video captures a good angle of Jess and the guys in action earlier this month, and the performance is well done! Give it a watch below!

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

 

• Local concert promotion agency Dryer Fire has changed their name to Piecing It Together Shows (or P.I.T.S.), as per their Facebook page, complete with a logo of a peach to tie in with the acronym. Owner Nicole Dyble stated that the Dryer Fire name (inspired by the former Gore Street Cafe's attached laundromat) "was only ever meant to be a temporary name", but didn't give any direct insight into the new name's inspiration. I will admit that the Piecing It Together name will have to grow on me, but look for more shows from them as 2024 progresses!
• Newer local metal duo Hollow Sky revealed on their Facebook page on February 5th that they have a "new track coming soon", complete with a picture of singer Liam Tallon presumably tracking the new song in question. So far, this is their only post in 2024, but hopefully the new song (their second to be released) is coming along in studio as planned!
• I can't embed it here, as it's a "Reel", but Sault Michigan metal band Tarnished posted a clip (a horizontal landscape clip pillarboxed to fit the "Reel" dimensions, mind you) of them playing the guitar solo to Ratt's "Round & Round" on their Facebook page yesterday! It sounds good, but it's not clear who the second guitarist with Alex Traynor is, with Alex even acknowledging in the comment section that "tis a mystery". Stay tuned for updates on their identity, but give the "Reel" a watch above! No sign of their Alpena battle of the bands video yet though.
   

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

Updates & Alpena Battle Of The Bands Results From Two Sault Michigan Hard Rock Bands!!

Before we begin this otherwise all-Sault Michigan post, I wanted to apologize for missing local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's late notice show at The Water Tower Pub last night in our weekend concert previews. The band only announced the show on their Facebook page after the preview post went up (the venue never confirmed it online), and I didn't have time to rush a second post to cover it here, so it was exclusive to our Facebook page. Hopefully everything went well for Soundcheck and fans alike! FYI, the Water Tower Pub hosts ex-Thin Ice frontman Nathan Albidone tonight. Now, here's what you should know from two notable Sault Michigan bands over the past few weeks!

It's been three weeks since local hard rock bands Tarnished and Exit 808 (née Double Jack) hit the road for Alpena to compete in the Rock Recovery Battle of the Bands at The Aplex there, so why I have I waited this long to cover it on the SMS? Honestly, it's because Tarnished said that "we will be uploading our performance soon" on their Facebook page back on March 5th, but it has yet to surface, so we might as well talk about what has been posted before it gets even later still! After the former Double Jack won third place over Tarnished in the fan voted LSSU Battle last fall, the tables were turned downstate, as Tarnished finished in third place this time! The newly renamed Exit 808 missed the podium, though drummer Jackie Moon told me that they were ineligible to be voted on as per this battle's rules, as they don't have original songs yet. The winners of this battle were Elmira-based original hard rock band Driving Dawn.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think Oscoda hardcore punk band The Crunks finished in second place, and the other competitors were Ossineke acoustic duo Steve Hatley & his wife Brenda Ziesman Hatley. Manistique hard rock duo and frequent Kewadin Casino performers Fyrbird did not compete on March 2nd for unannounced reasons. While Driving Dawn won the studio recording time and electronic press kit three weeks ago, they donated the $500 winners purse back to the Freedom Recovery Center in Alpena that put this battle on. Given the center's work towards addiction treatment and recovery in Northern Michigan, that's a wonderful gesture, and kudos to Driving Dawn for helping out even further! Believe it or not, Tarnished's third place prize (as per this photo from co-promoter Vivero Industries) is an AI generated music video created by The South Of The Straits Show, a Traverse City-based podcast who has made videos like this before.

I'm not anti-AI in certain applications, and I'm curious to see how this turns out, so stay tuned when/if Tarnished get this video made and released! While the wait for Tarnished's video from the battle continues, photos from the event can be seen on the band's Facebook page. As for Exit 808, they have had a lot more to post from the battle since, so what should you know there? Along with a bunch of pictures on their Facebook page, two videos were shared of Exit 808 (featuring guest bassist Blaze Beairl) covering Black Sabbath's "N.I.B." and, as embedded below, both Van Halen's "Eruption" and their cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me". To a point, these videos best show off guitarist Alex Zimmerman's skills, both with a behind the head solo on "N.I.B.", and of course, "Eruption" is no easy song/solo to play (that EVH guitar is well earned!) Blaze fits in well too, but remember, he's not joining permanently.

Frontwoman/Blaze's mom Amy Beach fits better vocally on "You Really Got Me", but it's good seeing her in higher quality videos again, and while Exit 808 weren't eligible for the podium here, it looks like they got a good response in Alpena! Check out their videos above & below!

We'll close with some more recent updates from Exit 808, starting with their recent name change. The band revealed on Facebook late last month that they changed their name from Double Jack because there's already a Michigan-based cover rock band named Double Jack! That band (active since 2011) is primarily seen in the Midland/Bay City area, so while geographic paths likely wouldn't cross, having something more distinct does make sense. Less than a week after the battle, Exit 808 surprisingly announced that they've added a second vocalist to their ranks, namely former Infathom singer Dillion Semasky! Local fans will recall seeing Dillion front the Munising-based metal band in a handful of E.U.P. dates in the 2010s, while he also briefly served as a singer with Brimley's Half A Man in 2011-2012 (another situation where he joined a band with an existing vocalist). It's great to see Dillion back in a band, let alone a local one!

You don't see too many local bands featuring two distinct singers who don't play an instrument, so it'll be interesting to see how Exit 808 juggles this in future shows (once they get a permanent bassist, message them if you want more details). Stay tuned for much more from Exit 808 and Tarnished when news goes public, and look for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bookclub) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another concert weekend is upon us, so let's preview known hard rock/punk concerts taking place over the next couple of days! As heavier shows go, this is a quieter weekend, perhaps the hangover after St. Patrick's Day, but there is a big concert in the E.U.P. to note, and first, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for Sault Ontario, so here's what you should know!

Online page-less local alternative/punk cover band Bookclub will play their first publically advertised concert of 2024 when they return to Searchmont Resort TOMORROW for their Spring Bash! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about this event via this poster on Searchmont's Facebook page this past Saturday, and Bookclub still do not have social media pages to promote their concerts with. While this Inner City Surfers alum-laden supergroup have played Searchmont before inside at The Kiln, TOMORROW'S concert will be outdoors on Searchmont's patio, marking out first concert preview of 2024 where a weather forecast will be optimal! Along with the music, skiiers and snowboarders can expect a terrain park party TOMORROW with drink discounts, fun & games, prizes, and more, so visit Searchmont's post linked above for more details on what to expect!

Prices for skiing and such aside, TOMORROW'S show has no cover charge or age limit, and Bookclub are playing a 3:00-5:00 PM matinee, with the bash proper beginning at noon and running into the evening. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny weather at -5°, so the recent winter resurgence will likely not have new precipitation TOMORROW, but the cold temperatures will be a plus or minus depending on what you personally like if not hitting the slopes. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bookclub live last fall!

Next up, here's some previously announced concerts, stating with local southern hard rock veterans Bone Yard 225, who will return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT for an unplugged (uncorked, if you prefer) concert at Gateway Casino! Last seen in their acoustic format at The Water Tower Pub four weeks ago, this will be Bone Yard's first unplugged show since tacking "225" to their name late last month. If you like/prefer their stripped down "uncorked" set, and/or miss The Bearded Lounge, don't miss out on all of the action tomorrow, with lots of classic and hard rock hits to go around! A one-nighter as is standard for the venue, Bone Yard 225 take the stage at Gateway Casino tomorrow at 9:00 PM, and expect a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's two brand new videos from Bone Yard 225's jam night-hosting duties at Reggie's Place last night!

Originally filmed by attendee Marcy Catherine before being shared to their Facebook page, the videos are not standard fare in any sense. Reggie's was in the part of town hit by a raccoon-induced power outage last night (click here for details), so Bone Yard 225 made the most of it by getting uncorked a day early! Marcy filmed them (with Greg on vocals, Alex on guitar, and Warren providing hand clap percussion) covering Van Halen's "Ice Cream Man" and, as embedded below, Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls". Lighting is much worse on the latter, but again, they were literally blacked out at Reggie's. Fun, if vertically shot, covers that show Bone Yard 225 turning lemons into lemonade, so check them out above & below!

Finally, here's the big one for known & announced hard rock shows this weekend, as New Jersey glam metal icons Skid Row and Anaheim hard rock band Buckcherry will both return to The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TOMORROW NIGHT! This sold out concert will be Skid Row's first here since October 2005 (the cancelled 2008 show at Runway Park in Sault Ontario acknowledged), but they've had momentum on their side in recent years since their lead singer carousel stopped on Erik Gronwall, whose energy and Sebastian-esque voice have won very positive reviews as of late, so hopefully classics like "Youth Gone Wild" and "Monkey Business" go over strongly tomorrow! Buckcherry have been more prominent on local stages since we last saw Skid Row, with this being their fifth show in the Twin Saults since 2011, and third in under five years!

Readers will have last seen Josh Todd and crew in October 2021 when Buckcherry were the first major touring hard rock headliners in Sault Ontario following the pandemic lockdowns, but they last played at Kewadin during their outdoor show with Pop Evil in 2019. While I'm admittedly not a fan of theirs, Buckcherry have been good to the area in the past 13 years, and hopefully their hits like "Crazy Bitch" and "Lit Up" draw a solid response once again! Philadelphia hair metal quartet Britny Fox will open the proceedings in their first local concert since opening for Great White at the Soo Kewadin fifteen years ago, though only bassist Billy Childs remains in the band from that 2009 set. He's found a solid lineup to bring hits like "Long Way To Love" & "Dream On" to the stage, so don't be late for their set! This concert (and its tour leg) was postponed from October 28th to tomorrow due to Skid Row singer Erik Gronwall's health concerns.

Presented by Rock 101 and The Hair Scare, this all ages concert begins at 8:00 PM tomorrow night, and it is legitimately sold out (hair metal's a proven draw up here!). If you want to be notified on late ticket availability, click here, call 1-800-KEWADIN, or check the in person box office, and for reference, anything that opens up will start at $45 USD. Non-refunded tickets from the original October date will be honoured tomorrow. This will be a huge night for hair and glam metal fans, and the new Skid Row lineup definitely deliver the goods for old and new fans alike, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Skid Row live!

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