Where Are The New Albums? (October 2025 Update)

After a slight delay, here's this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Our monthly feature looking at the current release whereabouts of announced local metal, hard rock, and punk albums that have begun studio recording sessions enters October with six entries, half of which have their titles in italics due to new information. There has been one removal, namely Handsome Sandwich's successfully released new album "Collage", which is the best way for an album to drop from these posts, so do check it out on most major streaming services! So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!

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Bone Yard 225's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "F.A.F.O.", "Gypsy Spell", "Fuck!", "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" (Mike Posner cover)

Background: After months of teasers that they were planning to record original music (as previewed in their live concerts prior), local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225 began releasing their own songs on major streaming services in July 2024, a whopping fifteen years after the pre-225 band debuted as a country cover quartet. Their first three singles (all recorded at their home studio) were posted online by January, though it took until May 2025 for the band to confirm on their Facebook page that they were indeed working on a proper album. It's not immediately clear if their existing three singles will be included, but it's not a given, as Jonesy Land fans saw with "Zoom-Out". As of August 11th, it was reportedly "album tracking time", while this video from three days later shows bandmates Alex D'Ettore and Warren Reville recording backing vocals for their cover of Mike Posner's "I Took A Pill In Ibiza". That will be one of "a couple of covers" for the album, as confirmed by frontman Greg Simpson during recent concerts.

Current Release Status: In that Facebook post from May 30th, your local 225 said that "the album is coming along nicely", and they hoped to release it "by the end of 2025", but Greg has since adjusted the timeframe to "early 2026" when mentioning it during live shows. While singer/drummer Greg Simpson did release an EP with his old band Stiffler's Mom, it's hard to compare the release methods and schedule given that "The Demo" came out in 2004.  It is neat to see that Greg, Alex, and Warren are going all in on a studio album, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

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Bullet Train's upcoming EPs

Rumoured Songs: "Atmosphere", "Illusions", "Profit", "Wayside"

Background: The current hard rock band from former Sense of Truth/Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchsion and ex-Fort Creek bandmates Robin "Bones" Lee and Anthony Fabiano, Bullet Train have existed solely as a studio band so far, releasing four original songs recorded at their own home studio to their YouTube channel in 2024, all very much influenced by their take on current events. After a quiet summer due to "life's trials", Bullet Train resurfaced on their Facebook page last September to reveal that they were working on two demo EPs, with the first one entering post-production as of the 9th, though it's not clear if their 2024 singles will be on them.

Current Release Status: No idea yet, especially as this band has no prior track record for releasing albums, though all three band members have experience writing and recording studio material to varying degrees. Bullet Train claimed on September 9th that a release date for EP #1 would be announced "in the upcoming weeks", a timeline not realized as of this writing, and the band will hit a year without a public update on band activity in December. It'll be interesting to see how fast things come along for Bullet Train, so keep tabs on their Facebook page for further updates!

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Chase James Wigmore - The Chaotic Rite

Rumoured Songs: "The Cities Alive & It's Angry"

Background: Ever the prolific artist & songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore has been working on an extensive rock opera for years (once claimed to be a 33 part work), originally named "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". Worked on in between his other unrelated solo albums, released for sale or otherwise, Chase posted a lengthy elaboration of the rock opera in 2022, now titled "The Chaotic Rite", outlining its concept, recording plans, and long-term release timeline. Clips of songs have surfaced on his Facebook page, as have full songs not explicitly tied to the album, as well as the final artwork. In more recent promotion, Chase has hinted that "The Chaotic Rite" might be his final solo album as part of aims to focus on his personal life more than his prolific original material. Regardless, the final product has been pared down to 25-30 minutes.

Current Release Status: Chase elaborated on Facebook last summer that the album was 95% done earlier that year when the files "got trapped on my desktop's hard drive", and he had been unable to procure a backup of the material or recover the files as of that post. In any event, three of the full songs uploaded to Facebook in the previous year were clarified as not being planned for "The Chaotic Rite", but they could surface on a separate EP. Fingers crossed that Chase is able to save this album and put it out when able, especially given the years that he's put into the making of it!

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Convergence - In Bloom

Rumoured Songs: "Gemini", "In Bloom", "Breaking News", "It Ate The F&$%ing Moon", "Kraken Mara", "You Are Not Flesh"

Background: Just over a month after releasing their sophomore EP "Dead And Dreaming", local progressive metal band Convergence announced in February 2024 that EP #3 would be named "Gemini", with its cover artwork being released at the same time. Teaser clips of most songs from the EP were posted on their Facebook page and their YouTube channel throughout much of 2024, but most prior media was wiped as they retooled as a full band, now including singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio and drummer David Peredun. Convergence have been working in studio recently with producer Dustin Goodall at Unsalted Audio, documenting the sessions in Facebook "Reels", and while they did get cagey about the endgame for the studio sessions, they have confirmed in concert that the EP (now named "In Bloom") is still in progress. Live versions of early instrumentals (now with vocals) have also been played in their early sets.

Current Release Status: No clue, and given the complexity of their music yet their independent studio trappings so far, that could bode a quick or lengthy timeline for "In Bloom" to come out, depending on what angle you take. Since their modern studio cycle commenced in 2023, things have been relatively steady for Brendan and Jake as a recording act, and here's hoping that Convergence keep that up for their third offering! 

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Fort Creek's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "One For The Road", "Sweet Rosie"

Background: Background: Local southern/hard rock band Fort Creek have sporadically teased plans to record an EP since February 2020, but they wouldn't release any samples until almost two years later when they shared (now-deleted) clips of their original song "Hammer Down" on their Facebook page. The guys would play it regularly at concerts from 2022-2023, with studio sessions taking place in early-mid 2023 as well. After the departure of bassist Robin "Bones" Lee and drummer Anthony Fabiano (both now of Bullet Train) in the fall of 2023, Fort Creek opted to abandon material recorded with them "as a show of good faith", and have been working on new material and rebuilding their studio over the past two years. Now featuring Phil Greco on drums, their first single (the acoustic "One For The Road") was posted online in January, with the band confirming plans to now record a 10 song album at Jettison Studios prior to returning to live concerts. Their new single "Sweet Rosie" was said to be coming next, and they teased being back in studio to record that very song as of August 31st.

Current Release Status: Prior release timelines for their debut EP reflected their early 2020s lineup's material, and Justin, Shane, Bill, and Phil have largely kept things somewhat close to the vest prior to putting out "One For The Road". There are a lot of unknowns, especially given the 5+ years of production time and their decision to basically start over in 2023, and that this is a band that was primarily known for their work on the weekend cover circuit before their rhythm section left. It will be interesting to see how things develop, so stay tuned for updates!

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Pillory - Old Soul

Rumoured Songs: "End Of Small Sanctuary", "Specimen Of Egotism", "Sculptor Of Cadavers", "The Angst Of Existence", "The Passing", "Abhorred Apprehension", "The Curse Of Eternal Sickness", "A Drop Of Shame In An Ocean Of Guilt"

Background: After a five year hiatus dotted with occasional reunion teasers from band members on social media, local death/thrash metal trio Pillory fully reunited last summer, picking up where they left off in their 2015-2019 run. During that time, they fully moved to death metal with harsh/growled vocals, completely abandoning their originals from their 2013 debut EP "Cringe At The Cross" in the process. While established mid-late 2010s songs and new material have been played in concert in the past year, Pillory only confirmed in this Facebook post on band t-shirts from May 19th that they were working on a full-length album. "Old Soul" was confirmed as its title this summer, complete with cover artwork and the release of "The Angst Of Existence" as an advance single on September 30th. It's not yet clear if Devon Lucier, his predecessor Blair St. John, and/or frontman Robert Sartini will handle bass on the final product, but the album was recorded at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall.

Current Release Status: Pillory have confirmed that they will release "Old Soul" on October 25th via a CD release party at Soo Blaster, with it dropping on major streaming services two days later, and a vinyl release has also been teased. This is all very exciting for local extreme metal fans, let alone Robert, Bret, and Devon after such a long run together, so whether you come to the release show or not, prepare for brutality at month's end!

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I hope you guys liked this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! This series will return on or around November 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will likely be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile that is pencilled in for this Friday. That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Selias), More Weekend Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

As promised, this post wraps up this weekend's hard rock concert previews, but we also have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, plus some new videos, so here's what you should know on this Saturday morning!

Toronto melodic death metal quintet Selias will rock Soo Blaster for the third time in fourteen months when they return to Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, November 15th! Local metalheads may recall when Heavy North Entertainment brought Selias here in September of last year in their first relaunch-era concert (with Spades GT drummer Tyler Reiner in tow), before returning sans-Jeeb in March. Getting any original touring band to come here this much this soon is an accomplishment, and Selias are a brutal and proficient band who should appeal to established fans and new ones alike! Touring in support of their new album "Killkarma", Selias will be joined by three local opening bands, including hard rock quintet HeadF1rst (who opened for Selias in March), online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad (who opened for Selias last year), and party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, who are headlining at Soo Blaster tonight.

Diverse but heavy lineup of local talent before Selias take the stage, so don't miss out next month! Newburgh metalcore band Ascension Blacklist are advertised to be joining Selias on tour on the official poster, but the official Facebook event page does not list them otherwise. We'll let you know if they will indeed be playing in the Soo or not! This all ages concert has doors opening at 6:00 PM and tickets run for $15 plus processing fees at this link, and presumably at the venue or through promoters/openers. Prepare for a true Ontario onslaught at Soo Blaster in mid-November, so visit the above links for more details on Selias' third local stop!

Next up, let's resume this weekend's hard rock concert previews by heading to The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club, where local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will set up shop for another acoustic show TONIGHT! The prolific and talented musician and former Caveman Morrison frontman's busy solo schedule marches on into another night, with tonight's show being his first at the Eagles Club in two weeks. Hopefully there's a good turnout of Steelton and west end fans for his proficient and diverse setlist and talent range this evening as usual! If you miss out, Tym will be back at Aerie #3991 in three weeks, and his next proper show is a Misty's matinee next week. Tonight's concert is at 8:00 PM with no announced age limit or cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live not too long ago!

To close out this weekend's concert previews, let's head to  The Sault Community Theater Centre, where Winnipeg/Las Vegas classic rock tribute band Ikons Of Rock will headline TOMORROW NIGHT! This touring act will call to mind music legends shows in Las Vegas, where musicians impersonate and pay tribute to a wide swath of iconic musicians and bands, with Ikons Of Rock paying tribute to rock legends from the 1970s onward, with Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Queen, Heart, Kiss, and Def Leppard cited among the source acts in their multimedia stage show. Hard to sum things up in under a paragraph, but this will be a fun concert for rock fans, and there is bound to be something to like multiple times over! Alumni of bands like Harlequin and Streetheart also play in the Ikons Of Rock live band. Ticket's for tomorrow's all ages event at 7:30 PM run for $69 (general admission) and $59 (kids & students).

You can buy yours at this link or at the in-person box office at Station Mall. At press time, the front three rows in the center section are sold out, but there are plenty more seats still on sale (none are being sold in the gallery). Ikons Of Rock have a fun and diverse array of tributes to past and present rock legends, so definitely consider coming out to the former Kiwanis Theater at White Pines Collegiate tomorrow, even on a work/school night! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Ikons Of Rock live!

To close this news post, let's look at new videos that I would have featured here yesterday had classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down's presumably cancelled shows at Reggie's Place still taken place (read Thursday's post below for what we do and don't know about what's going on there). Last week, Double Down set up shop at Beck's Bar for a Saturday nighter with Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz filling in for a laid-up Dan Beaupre (also pictured here is Beck's owner Becky Sawyer), A camera was set up from a high central vantage point aimed downward at the band for three videos posted on their Facebook page, and they were filmed playing the first half of Green Day's "Warning" (with drummer Ric Datson on vocals), Collective Soul's "Precious Declaration" (with guitarist Joel Syrette on vocals), and as embedded below, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' "I Hate Myself For Loving You" with Lori on vocals.

Alas, all but "Warning" were uploaded in vertical dimensions with pillarboxing, despite being shot horizontally, and "Warning" was posted first, so I have no idea what happened there. As such, the other two videos are tiny, so maximize a computer window while watching them for best results. Apsect ratio issues aside (let alone the dark lighting at Beck's), everyone performs strongly with professionalism and a good chemistry on the three clips! Lori's singing voice is more melodic than edgy for a Joan Jett cover, but she fits in well with the guys, and kudos to her for helping out while Dan's off, so give these new videos a watch above & below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Our first weekend concert previews of October 2025 are here, so let's dive in with some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE! Saturday's Tym Morrison concert and Sunday's Ikons of Rock concert will be in our next news post, so don't worry, they are hitting the site soon!

Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quintet Project 906 will return to Hulbert Happy Hour in Hulbert Township for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this gig via their Facebook page on Monday. Believe it or not, this will be Project 906's first show at the 10402 South Maple Street nightclub since February 2022, and thusly their first there with Jason VanLuven and Brian Duford on percussion, but there is a reason for this return booking beyond just rocking out. SATURDAY is the Hulbert Freedom Festival's ATV Poker Run, with 906 serving as the night cap to the day's events, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for the poker run's details. Meanwhile, one of the stops for the poker run is Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard, and they'll be hosting Project 906 on Friday, October 31st for their Halloween party, as announced on the bar's Facebook page yesterday!

As you might expect for a Halloween concert, Huck's will be hosting costume contests at month's end, with the best overall, funniest, and best couples' costumes winning prizes. Good to start seeing another Halloween concert on the schedule, so stay tuned for more as spooky season continues! Project 906 will bring the hard rock on SATURDAY at 8:00 PM and on Halloween at 9:00 PM, neither show has an announced cover charge (you don't have to register for the Poker Run to come to Hulbert), and these are 21+ events. See above for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ste. Marie, where San Francisco hair metal quintet Night Ranger will headline at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW NIGHT! The first of two 1980s glam metal concerts at the Soo Kewadin this fall, Night Ranger will be rocking the casino for the first time in over 12 years tomorrow, and they will remain very familiar to local rock fans from their hit songs "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" and "Sister Christian", among others. With more classic songs, three new albums, and a switch from Joel Hoekstra to Keri Kelli on guitar, hopefully they deliver a solid night of glam metal action for fans tomorrow! Santa Monica glam rock duo Nelson (of "(Can't Live Without Your) Love & Affection" fame) will open tomorrow with an acoustic set, so come out early for Matthew & Gunnar setting the tone with some unplugged rock!

Tickets for this all ages concert are still on sale at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office. Limited seats are still available for $80 in rows 1-10 and $70 for seats further back, but the vast majority of tickets are sold, so act now if you haven't already just in case. VIP passes with extra perks are also available online if you are so inclined. This should be a fun night of 1980s metal action for you Hair Scare fans, so visit the above links for more details on this Rock 101-sponsored concert, and for a preview, here's Night Ranger live in the Soo in 2013!

Also this weekend, let's head to Sault Ontario for a special memorial concert on SATURDAY NIGHT at Soo Blaster, as local musicians will gather that night for Riffs For Rememberance: A Memorial For Tori! The show is in honour of Victoria Childs, an avid local music fan who suddenly passed away last month at the age of 34. Victoria was my ex-girlfriend and was a great person & mother who I actually met at Oddfellows Hall punk concerts in 2005 when we were in high school, and I know she would be absolutely thrilled that friends and musicians were coming together to pay their respects like this! Local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty (featuring her cousin Mikhal Muto) will headline on Saturday, and it was Paul & Amanda's idea to host a tribute concert to her, so all kudos to them for taking the initiative like this! A very diverse lineup will also include three solo artists.

These include her friend Gimiiwan Ikwe, country cover veteran Leslie Cook, and folk singer/guitarist Linsaey L.W. while the last mystery act is Bards With Beards. Paul told me that they're a new band from HeadF1rst drummer Anthony Boudreau, but I don't have any other information on them at press time. We'll know more on Saturday! This all ages event has doors opening at 7:30 PM, and admission will be $5, with all proceeds going to Hope House - Club 84, a psychosocial rehab program for those with mental illness, and who helped and supported Victoria in times of need. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on what should be a great night in Victoria's memory (I'll absolutely be there), and here's The A.A. live!

Finally, I wanted to acknowledge advertised shows for this weekend that I have doubts are on as scheduled. When local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down announced their fall calendar a few months ago, this included a return to Reggie's Place for concerts tomorrow & Saturday night (here is their Facebook event page). However, if you were following the social media promotion for Bone Yard 225's shows there last week, there was a lot of teased finality regarding the gigs. Bone Yard are alive and well (they'll be at The Esquire Club next week), but band members, attendees, and the venue dropped a number of Facebook hints towards Reggie's ending or closing in some form or fashion, with your local 225 saying that this would be their "last weekend playing there" on September 26th. What we do know is that last week's shows marked the five year anniversary of Reggie's under Randy Lapossie's management, but is he opting out after that long?

No one has come right out and said what was going on at 458 Queen Street East, but regardless, Double Down haven't newly promoted this weekend's Reggie's dates, and the venue hasn't posted on Facebook since Saturday, so with all of that acknowledged, I'm going to treat the Double Down shows as off unless otherwise confirmed. Whether Reggie's is closing, rebranding, or changing operations in some form, we'll let you know when something is firmly and publically said! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Spades GT Videos & Updates From August-September 2025!!

For our first post of October 2025, let's resume playing catch-up with local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT's recent activity by acknowledging the recap video from the fifth annual Rye Fest in Brantford on August 9th! In doing my research for our last Spades-centric post on September 21st, this completely slipped me by, which I apologize for, so kudos to guitarist Daniel Horton for sending me the link after that post went live! After we hear a clip from "Wrecked" from their new album "United", we see Daniel in his vehicle getting ready to meet the rest of the guys in Brantford, before we get to see the whole band setting up for their set and Daniel mingling with multiple Rye Fest attendees and performers (many horns are thrown in this segment). The desserts on offer looked good too! We do get brief raw video footage of Spades GT playing "Rise" late, but it's side-stage, vertical (as ever), and just of the start of that song.

I'm not sure of the advantages of the taped-together beer staff, but this was an entertaining recap video for fans of these types of uploads! I still prefer full live songs, let alone horizontally shot ones, but it looks like the guys had a blast at this all-day metal festival, so check everything out below!

On September 2nd, the band announced on their Facebook page that they were featured in the newest issue of the Niagara-On-The-Lake-based Plunk O Rama zine, but it's a legit physical zine like in the good old days, hand-stapled and everything. As such, you'll have to head down there to buy a copy and/or read the Spades article, assuming that the band doesn't re-post it online. In the former Jack Spades' first show of their fall concert calendar, they returned to their hometown of Barrie for the first time in "a while" (almost 3 months) on September 6th, where they and their friends in G.F.U. opened for Daniel's other band The Fast Life at C.W. Coop's. This show did get a vertical recap video as well, if a shorter one (granted, it was a smaller concert), so what can you see here? Along with mingling and setup, we get a lot of talk about wildlife in the Barrie area from Daniel and Tyler, and the odd sight of J.D. singing while wearing a bucket hat.

I'm not sure that the slow jam backing music in the first half is a good fit, but we do get (all too brief) raw video footage of all three bands in the back half, with a focus on Daniel playing a guitar solo in the Spades clip. Also, props to Sean's choice of t-shirt, now we just need to see him play in that band's hometown! J.D. said that they "killed it", and from what we see of the show, I'm unable to disagree, so give the Coops recap video at this link! Unfortunately, Facebook was able to content match "Wrecked" in this particular recap video, so I'm unable to embed it here. On September 18th, the guys asked on their Facebook page for suggestions towards adding a possible new cover song to their setlist, implying that it would be for "spooky season" or at least Halloween themed, so offer suggestions there in the event that they haven't added such a cover yet! The following day, they did post a new (vertical) video that I can embed here, so what is there to see?

Shot in drummer Tyler Reiner's vehicle, Tyler (or "T", as it were) shows off a copy of the Plunk O Rama zine that they're featured in, though you can't really read the shown pages clearly on the video. Copies were sold at their merchandise table at their next show, however! Tyler also plugged (in particular) their Toronto show opening for The Exploited on October 19th, which they are actively selling tickets for, as well as their debut in Niagara Falls this coming Friday. Good updates all around, so give this one a watch!

For today, we'll close with Spades' return to Newmarket at The Lion Pub & Grill on September 20th, which was basically an encore of the top half of the C.W. Coop's show, with all three bands making the 40 minute drive south for it. A vertical recap video was shared from this gig, which leads off after the titles with Daniel and bassist Sean MacNab outside of the venue. Sean teases that they may have "exciting news around October", so we'll have to see what he was hinting at now that it is October! After everyone arrives at the venue, we do get some brief raw footage of the guys playing "United" at The Lion, along with some brief clips of Daniel with show attendees and performers, as well as The Fast Life & G.F.U.'s later sets. Effective recap video within the confines of what fans can expect from them, even if vertical and heavily edited, so give the Newmarket one a watch below!

We'll pick things back up with Spades GT with a new video interview that Dan & Sean recorded last month, plus new show announcements and their gigs this weekend, so stay tuned for all of that and more soon! Thanks everyone, raise 'em up, and cause a scene!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Pillory & Half Past), An Inactive Band Note, And More Recent Updates!!

Before we begin this news post, just a heads up that Curtis McKenzie did not play at The Dive Gastro Pub on Saturday despite announcing the show on his Facebook page. Curt confirmed that "an accidental scheduling conflict" was to blame, but I don't know if it was on his end or the venue's (though note that The Dive never publically announced a Saturday musical act on their Facebook page). Disappointing for fans, but he will be back at The Dive before you know it, check back in our next weekend concert preview wave for proof! Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and other recent assorted updates from Sault Ontario bands!

Local hard rock quartet Half Past will return to Beck's Bar for one night only on Saturday, October 11th! While we just saw them open for Napoleon at Soo Blaster earlier this month, this will be this talented veteran act's first solo headlining concert in five months, so they must have been among the local covers-leaning bands who took a summer break. It's good to see Jordan, Alain, Arthur, and Johnny back in their element as four-set headliners at a local bar, and hopefully this Thanksgiving long weekend concert is a big hit! No word yet who is playing in the Saturday matinee slot that day, Beck's will no doubt announce it on Monday the 6th, but remember that Beck's hosts DJs on Fridays. This show has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Should be a fun time for hard rock fans in the west end, so visit the band's Facebook page for more details on this concert!

Next up, local death/thrash metal trio Pillory will indeed release their full-length album next month via a CD release party at Soo Blaster on Saturday, October 25th! The album will be named "Old Soul" (apologies for erroneously giving its name as "Old Stone" last week), and it was recorded earlier this year at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall. Pillory plan to release the album on major streaming services on October 27th, but concert attendees will get to buy it on CD two days early, and a vinyl pressing is also in the works. Fans will have heard the likely songs from "Old Soul" dating back to their late 2010s rebirth as a death metal act, and it will be neat to hear them fully realized, especially 12 years after their demo EP "Cringe At The Cross" came out, so come on down to Soo Blaster next month to check everything out! Support will come by way of progressive metal quartet Convergence and crossover thrash quartet Hails, so expect a very heavy night of local metal!

Admission for this presumably all ages concert will be $20 in advance through band members and at Soo Blaster "within the next week", and the door charge will jump to $25. Doors will open at 7:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more from Pillory and this album as it rolls in!

Also, we have a band to move to our inactive band links, that being skate punk trio Vanity First. We have not heard a public update from them since they headlined a free barn show just outside of Thessalon on September 21st of last year, past our one year inactivity threshold. Since then, guitarist/vocalist Mikhal Muto, drummer Keeghan McAllister, and occasional late-era guitarist Carmen Muto (Mikhal's cousin) have focused on playing in the aforementioned hardcore punk/crossover thrash band Hails, with singer/bassist Brenton Ellis in place of Vanity First frontman Andrew Beggs. Known simply as Vanity until March 2022, they debuted in 2020 and became a reasonably prominent young punk band as we emerged from the pandemic, releasing a self-titled demo in 2022 followed by their studio album "Identity Crisis" in the summer of 2024. Fans may recall seeing them open for bands like Leash, Inconsistent Me, and Rent Strike in the early 2020s, along with multiple headlining dates.

It's fairly obvious now that everyone (sans Andrew) have moved onto Hails as their primary band, after they co-existed with Vanity First for most of 2023 & 2024, and while Ha!ls are a heavier band on average, there is obviously shared DNA there. Don't bypass them if you miss Vanity First, and while I hope we haven't heard the absolute last of that project, best of luck to Andrew and Nick in their next musical outlets as well!

Finally, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

 

• SooToday's Brandon Walker got a picture of local alternative/punk supergroup BookcluB's set at Outspoken Brewing's Oktoberfest street party on Saturday for this article on the event, confirming there that the band played as a quintet sans guitarist Brandon Ruch. It was already known that Brandon moved to Barrie earlier this month, but he did come home to help BookcluB open for Forever Seger, so it remains to be seen if that was his farewell with the band or if he will keep coming home for BookcluB shows when able. We'll let you know if something is said about their second guitarist slot, but hopefully the Oktoberfest set was a hit!
• In the newest video from the aforementioned Ha!ls' Facebook page on August 22nd, guitarist Carmen Muto is seen playing through their original song "All Systems Go" from their new self-titled album. I'll hold comment on the song pending that album's review next month, but Carmen shreds beyond his years in this clip, as fans will be well aware, so if you like Ha!ls' ferocious original attack, give this playthrough video a watch above! Unfortunately, Facebook content matched the studio recording that Carmen played along with in the video, so I can't embed it here.
• Online page-less metal supergroup The Sault Side Squad have quietly added The BAG frontman Spencer MacGillivray as their new lead singer, replacing Justin Pregent, as confirmed via the artist profiles on the Facebook event page for December's Broke & Hungry benefit concert at Beck's Bar. A reason for Nadj's departure wasn't announced, but remember, The Sault Side Squad don't have an online page to announce lineup changes with. I don't even know when Spencer joined, but note that The BAG haven't issued a public update since opening for Virvum in July. Hopefully all is well with Justin, but based on what I know of The S.S.S.'s setlist, Spencer will fit in with them well going forward!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Vern03's Channel

For our last monthly feature post of September 2025, here's this month's YouTube Channel Profile, and for our latest spotlight on a YouTube channel whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and punk artists/concerts, we're heading back almost two decades to one of the biggest metal concerts to hit Sault Ontario. Here's what you should know!

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Vern03's Channel (http://youtube.com/Vern03)

Owner:  YouTube user Vern03, a.k.a. j.vernz, but I don't 100% know his full identity

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 11th, 2006; Videos uploaded on March 21st & 22nd, 2007

Channel Summary: Intended as a channel to host videos from both concerts that he attended and his then-band, Vern03 only ever uploaded six videos here, all from the Heaven & Hell/Megadeth concert at the Steelback Centre (now GFL Memorial Gardens) on March 20th, 2007, capturing footage of all three bands on this night.

Why You Should Watch: As a window to one of the first major rock concerts at the new Gardens, this is a fun look back, especially given that there hasn't been much (if any) heavier shows there since! I was there and it was a really good concert, and it's hard to believe that it was over 18 years ago now, though be advised of the scratchy and poor audio quality with hindsight. Note that Vern03 explained in the description that he had a 100 MB file size limit to stay under at the time, implying that he filmed some videos longer than 4:50 that he couldn't upload at the time, though there are a few other videos from this show floating around YouTube.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

Black Sabbath LIVE: Mob Rules: Despite headlining this concert, Vern03 only got two videos of headlining metal supergroup Heaven & Hell at the Gardens, and just to get this out of the way now, he always labelled them as "Black Sabbath" on his channel. Heaven & Hell were a reunion of Black Sabbath's "Mob Rules"-era lineup fronted by Ronnie James Dio, renamed afer Dio's first album with Sabbath to avoid confusion the then-still active Ozzy Osbourne-led Black Sabbath. Alongside footage of Vinny Appice's drum solo, Vern03 shot Heaven & Hell playing "The Mob Rules", which has had over 19,000 views in the process. That is quite a feat given the poor audio quality, but you have to remember where digital cameras were in 2007 compared to now. It was a very loud show, but excellent to witness live, and Vern03 had a good side angle of the stage from where he was!

 

Megadeth LIVE: Hangar 18: Co-headlining on this night were Los Angeles thrash metal legends Megadeth, who Vern03 must have liked more than Heaven & Hell (or Black Sabbath) as he filmed them thrice for his channel, including playing "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" and "Symphony Of Destruction". Featured here is the last uploaded video on this channel, of Dave Mustaine and crew playing "Hangar 18", which is the longest and most complete of his three Megadeth clips. Audio-wise, the Megadeth videos survive better than Heaven & Hell's thanks to quieter audio levels, and it doesn't hurt that Dave's singing voice wasn't impaired by the metal plate in his neck yet, so fans should take to Dave, James, and the Drover brothers' performances after adjusting for the camera quality!

Down LIVE @ STEELBACK: Vern03's only video of New Orleans sludge metal band Down's opening set is of them playing "Bury Me In Smoke". Down's presence on this tour notably meant that the still-surviving members of Pantera's classic lineup (Phil Anselmo & Rex Brown) played in Sault Ste. Marie, alongside alumni of Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Eyehategod, which is very neat! Unfortunately, even if the audio quality here was better, Phil's voice was really rough due to a recent illness. I prefer Pantera to Down, but there's a lot of talent in that band, and they set the tone well for who was to come on this night!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! The joys of our random selection model, as after one month looking at something else, we'll be dipping back into the waters of local "blue Chinese metal crash rock" quartet Sykotyk Rampage via another auto-generated YouTube Music channel featuring some of their studio material for the second time in three months! Like last month, this one features two recent albums of theirs, so look for that on or around October 26th, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Agnosticism - "Atticcore Fornication" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 195th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and this month, we're beginning a two month spell of reviews of new albums from prolific local rock guitarist Mikhal Muto via his emo/folk punk solo project Agnosticism's new EP "Atticcore Fornication"! Released to major streaming services on June 12th, this is the Instagram-only project's fifth album and their fourth to see a wide release beyond YouTube, with this being the third album of theirs that I have reviewed for the SMS. Mikhal did note at the time that "Atticcore Fornication" features songs that are now 2-3 years old and that he doesn't necessarily agree with the lyrics of them now, but he wanted to finally get these songs out. He also said that this EP would be their "last release for quite some time while I focus on other writing projects", one presumably being his new self-titled album with his crossover thrash band Hails that we're reviewing on the blog next month. 

Mikhal (also known from Vanity First and The Apocalypse Afterparty) is the lead performer here on vocals and guitar, but he is joined on one song by guest vocalist Kayden Simon. You can stream this independently released and recorded EP on YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Boomplay, and it is buyable for $5.94 on mp3 on iTunes. Song names below are linked to their YouTube copies. With six songs running for about 19 minutes, let's begin this EP review!

"Atticcore Fornication" begins with "Sea Of Discontent", which opens with a pleasant and intricate guitar intro that gives no indication of Mikhal's folk punk leanings until 57 seconds in, when he begins singing with his distinctive nasal tone befitting a punk project like this. The intensity quickly builds with pointed lyrics, background screaming, and abrasive guitar strumming, and it's really a tale of two songs here, but both halves work well enough depending on what you're going for! I'd have structured it with more of a balance but it works to lead the EP off! Next is its longest song, the 5+ minutes-long "Friends With A 40", this song is more of a rollicking folk number from the off that would really suit a full band if Agnosticism was one! The song shifts in tempo and structure a fair amount across its runtime, including some more deliberate strumming in the bridge and more passioned vocals from Mikhal, and the song rarely lets up.

Even at its length, its not a boring song and it is one of the highlights of this EP, so Agnosticism fans won't want to bypass it! Third is "Nightmares", featuring Kayden Simon on guest vocals. Here, Kayden does the first verse and alternates the choruses with Mikhal, and while they compliment each other well, the tone of Kayden's voice is an acquired taste for this style of music. Mikhal's anger and screaming is well handled when he takes the lead, but this song also has that abrasive scratching/clicking noise from the guitar strumming that first cropped up late on "Sea Of Discontent" and that's starting to get a little old. Good song though, and a slight change of pace! That's followed by "Every Band Has A Song Called Untitled" (I guess that is true to a certain extent!), which is a folksier and less intense number with more reserved singing. You still know it's Agnosticism via Mikhal's voice though (and that background scratching noise).

Leisurely paced but moving along steadily (a late screamed verse aside), this gets the job done for what it is, but I do prefer my Agnosticism to be more punk-influenced and aggressive on the whole. The penultimate song here is "Light Pollution", which was first released as a one-off single in July 2024 before making it onto this EP, and it is the same recording. While still having a punk attitude, this song is also relatively laid back, though you can tell that it was recorded somewhat separately from the rest of "Atticcore Fornication" based on the slight recording quality shift and that the guitar work isn't scratchy and clicky. A good song for fans of Mikhal's lighter side, and you have to appreciate the fuller structure of it! The EP closes with its shortest song, "Here's To Living", which is a return to form for fans of their more intense and freewheeling folk punk, but the pre-bridge verse sounds like it was recorded underwater.

For recording clarity, lack of filler content, and clearer/less clicky guitar work, this is another key highlight to end the EP with, and folk punk fans will take to what Mikhal's doing here a lot! Overall, I did like "Atticcore Fornication" for what it is, and fans of Agnosticism's prior output will be right at home with it! Mikhal knows the subgenre and how to write simple yet detailed acoustic punk material with intense and pointed lyrics, and he makes good use of his distinctive & impassioned vocal style! I like punk more than folk, so songs like "Here's To Living" and "Friends With A 40" were my favourites on offer, and if it was me, I'd lean more into those styles or turn Agnosticism into a full emo/punk band, but he;s doing what he wants to do with the project. Compared to their most recent EP that I reviewed previously (last year's "A Letter Of Resignation"), this EP is most differed by that clicky/scratchy noise on the guitar work on all but the last two songs.

My own musical preferences aside, that grinding noise on tracks 1-4 got increasingly abrasive and I would have re-done or edited it out if it was up to me. If you can get past that, Agnosticism delivered the folk punk goods on this EP, and hopefully their teased hiatus doesn't take too long, but give it a listen or buy it at the above links, and we'll see some of what Mikhal's been up to since when we review Ha!ls' self-titled album on the SMS next month! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent 9 & Curtis McKenzie) And A Brand New Album Release!!

Here's one more news post on this Saturday morning before we dive into some month-ending feature posts, and it includes a big new album release and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know!

We have one more hard rock concert preview for this weekend, as former Haggith/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Curt only announced this gig on his Facebook page yesterday, and the venue has not corroborated this booking on theirs. I wonder why The Dive doesn't post a monthly events calendar anymore? Despite announcing next month's Beck's show with over a month's notice, TONIGHT's Dive show (his first there in two weeks) has far less of a turnaround to get the word out, but hopefully there's a sizeable crowd at the former Low & Slow, even with Oktoberfest and Wolf Fest running opposite it downtown! You can take in Curtis' alternative and hard rock covers TONIGHT at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more on TONIGHT'S show, and here's Curt live!

Next up, let's wrap up the hard rock show announcements at The Esquire Club for this fall, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will return there on Friday, November 14th & Saturday, November 15th! These are surprisingly the only announced public shows ahead for Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve after Wolf Fest tonight, with the rest of their 2025 shows (and beyond) on their website's concert calendar being private events. No idea if we'll get interim announcements of some kind for Silent 9 at public venues or nightclubs, but in case this is it for them in 2025 for general audiences, don't bypass their hard rocking and fan friendly cover slate in seven weeks! We will let you know if any SMS-leaning bands play at the Second Line West nightclub in early-mid 2026 when announced, but Silent 9 will be on at 9:30 PM with no cover charges and 19+ age limits in November. See above for more details!

We'll close today with big album news, as local alt-hard rock band Handsome Sandwich's sophomore album "Collage" yesterday was surprisingly released to major streaming services yesterday! Keeping the album name teased as early as their return to the stage in May, the abrupt release has much less fanfare than when "Deconstructed" came out in May 2023, and reminds me of when Johnny & Mitch's (old?) local death metal band The Bear Hunters released "The Dead Testament" quietly online at the end of 2020 without similar hype or a release party during their slowdown of activity. Hopefully this isn't a bad omen for the Sandwich's future, but it's great to see "Collage" finally out! This album was recorded at the Algoma Conservatory of Music between September 2023 and early 2024, and features the seven songs teased right along, including "Carousel" and "Unhappy", the two song titles that were not widely reported on social media.

Credited to the label imprint Sonic Sunshine (not Ugly Salad this time), Handsome Sandwich are represented on this album by singer Taylor "Tea" Emlaw, guitarist Jesse Cook, bassist Rafael Medina (who didn't record on "Deconstructed"), and drummer Johnny Belanger, while former guitarist Mitch Sirie tracked parts for the album in late 2023 before his departure from the band, and he is featured on the cover artwork. Former rhythm guitarist Brandon Ruch (who replaced Mitch for most of 2024 and has not himself been replaced in the band yet) is credited in Distrokid's tags for the album on YouTube, but I don't know what songs he contributed to, nor if there are any guest performers otherwise. I don't know when/if CDs will be on sale, but this image from their Facebook page of a back cover with titles would imply that they were at least planned. "Collage" can now be streamed on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, Boomplay, and BeMusic.

The album is not on Apple Music or Bandcamp at press time, even though "Deconstructed" was released on both, and as such, it isn't on sale on mp3 format anywhere yet, just on pure streaming services. In any event, an album review on the SMS isn't imminent, as we have quite a backlog built up for new local album reviews (Agnosticism, Ha!ls, Spades GT, No Arrow, and Sykotyk Rampage are next), so assuming an mp3 or CD copy of "Collage" goes on sale by then, we won't be able to review it until February 2026. Stay tuned for more from Handsome Sandwich when updates roll in, check out "Collage" above, and look for that Agnosticism review next! Thanks everyone!