Before we fall completely behind with a busy weekend ahead, let's dive into the album release and launch party for local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT in this single-topic post! As promoted in this "Reel", Spades headlined their release party for their second GT-era album "United" at The Bovine Sex Club in Toronto on July 5th. The "Reel" was mostly just guitarist Daniel Horton hyping the show from the jam room with background interjections from his bandmates, but a longer and wordier hype video came on July 3rd from drummer Tyler Reiner, and this one was not a "Reel", so I can embed it here. Shot from the drivers seat of his vehicle, Tyler pumped up the concert and album, while also noting that they'd be filming content at Rye Field Studios in Brampton on July 5th as well, much like they did in late 2023 when they took part in a "Live In The Whiskey Pit" performance and a video interview.
Whatever Spades filmed at Rye Field is not public yet (there's likely an editing turnaround), but keep tabs on their YouTube channel when things go live! Tyler next plugged their planned tour run with Kaos Attack in Southern Ontario from July 7th-9th, but all three of those dates (in London, Guelph, and Hamilton) were cancelled due to "reasons beyond our control". Very disappointing, but hopefully they turn up in all three cities soon! Tyler then confirmed that Spades GT would have new merchandise on sale at the release party on the 5th, as well as CD copies of "United", and he also plugged some of the streaming platforms that would be hosting the album. Solid updates, so check things out for yourselves below!
Before the release party, "United" was released "everywhere" early on July 5th, and by "everywhere", they mean YouTube Music, Apple Music (it costs $7.92 on iTunes), Amazon Music, and Spotify. I have no idea when/if physical copies will be stocked in the Soo, so stream it on one of the above services to check it out! If you were curious about the guest performers, they're backloaded at the end of the album's track order, with "Wrecked" featuring backing vocals from Daniel's Fast Life bandmate Andrew Moorehouse, "Strong" featuring a rap verse from Julien "Mersinary" Dos Santos, and "Die On Our Feet" featuring former second guitarist Jay Sarrazin. Due to the glut of new local albums in June & July, our review isn't hitting the site until November, but reviews from other outlets are making their way online, with LoudTO's Jay Broderick getting an advance listen for this article.
While Jay didn't get a chance to review 2023's "Sewer City Radio", he made up for lost time on "United", calling it "an exceptional sophomore release" (obviously not referencing their Jack Spades-era output there), praising the overall production value, timely lyrics, and even saying that it "just keeps getting better with each listen". High praise, and with lots of punctuation marks and enthusiasm dotted within, which is good to see! The Southern Ontario-based Facebook page New Music Showcase also gave "United" a good review, calling it "a vibrant manifesto" containing "bangers only", and while there's a lot of hyperbole without individual performer credits, it's great to see more platforms raising 'em up and causing a scene! Check out their review at this link. Dennis Eikenkotter of the German website Crossfire Metal gave "United" an 8/10, though the original review is obviously not in English.
Spades did share a screenshot of a translation of Dennis' review, and while it mostly prefaces brief thoughts with outlining Tyler's dad Robb Reiner's work in Anvil, Dennis was very complimentary of "United", and how their music is ideal to drink beer, party, and drive fast to. Another European metal music reviewer named Dennis got a hold of this album, as Dennis Jarman reviewed it this weekend for PlanetMosh out of Great Britain. Like on prior reviews highlighted in this post, Dennis J. used a lot of evocative hyperbole to pump up his feelings on the eight included songs, so click here for his very positive review of this "full on album"! We'll feature videos and highlights from both the release party on July 5th and their next show this past Friday on the site soon, as they returned to the annual Spiderfest in Meyersburg on short notice, but the guys have also teased that online availability of their new merchandise will commence soon.
Guitarist Matthew Voros reportedly recorded an interview with Dave Standridge of This Is Pop Punk Promotions that will be released soon as well, while Spades GT are also planning to release a music video for a song from "United" later this month, as well as recap videos from their last two shows and the Brantford/Rye Field trip. Click here for more on Spades GT's imminent plans, and stay tuned hopefully soon for our coverage of public videos from the album release party! Thanks everyone!
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