A New Local Band, Nudge Concert Previews, And More!!

It's time to bring March in like a lion with our first news post of the month, so what's on tap? We have a new local band to introduce (as well as a related new label/recording studio), along with the last remaining concert previews for the coming weekend, and a cool archive glimpse at a local band, so read on below for what you need to know!

We have a new local metal project to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they're a goregrind/death metal act named Crucify The Whore! A solo project by a local musician named Ringsnaps Gibson (real first name unclear), the project was launched circa November 2012, and it's the flagship band on Ringsnaps' new independent label/studio Blood Shed Productions (more on them in a second.) Since the end of last year, Ringsnaps has been uploading original material to the Blood Shed Productions YouTube channel (both from this project & his own solo horrorcore/rap songs), but in terms of C.T.W., he's already recorded and released a number of original songs (many with titles and lyrics that some readers may find questionable), and while there have been two different CDs produced, they're all homeburned demos with handwritten titles and paper sleeves from what I can tell. Future plans involve some sort of split release with an artist named Splitneck, although full details aren't yet known. I imagine fans of grindcore & goregrind music will enjoy C.T.W., but I admit that this music is a really acquired taste.

Ringsnaps has skills at multiple instruments & programming, but the short, repetitious songs & distorted, guttural (and often low) vocals have the ability to wear on uninitiated listeners. It's not really my thing, but it does what it's supposed to do, and while I don't agree with or speak in favour of many presented statements, I admire the unapologetic stance for their lyrics & imagery (though supporters of Amanda Todd will want to steer clear.) If you like grindcore & goregrind metal, give Crucify The Whore a listen and see what you think, and I've embedded one of their songs below to check out!



While we're on the subject, let's touch on Crucify The Whore's label/studio Blood Shed Productions! Also launched last fall, the label already plays host to various newer local projects (mostly solo), including a death metal project named Brutally Fatal led by label co-owner Austin McRae (who apparently just released a disc of some kind), plus some horror rap performers like Miracle Man & Phat Boii, and others yet to be revealed. As well, March Into Regression/With Blood Builds Character bassist Tyler St. Amour's recently inactive death metal band Social Suicide will apparently be relaunched "soon" with new material, a new sound, and a new name under the Blood Shed Productions banner, as per a recent Facebook page posting. Judging by updates on their page, the band has also parted ways with every surviving former member except Tyler, though with no media posted from their earlier incarnations, there shouldn't be any jarring changes from what we already knew. I'm impressed with how quick this has all come together for B.S.P.'s performers, but I wonder if they would go further musically if some of them joined forces in a full band rather than assorted solo acts?

Brutally Fatal especially seems unfinished, as Austin has bass skill and decent growling abilities, but maybe things will be shored up with time for them and others. There's some ambitious plans in the works, so if goregrind and horrorcore appeal to you musically, check the above links, and both Crucify The Whore & Blood Shed Productions are now linked on the SMS on your left!

Next up, here's our previews of the remaining concerts this weekend, as Marquette/Ishpeming hard rock quartet Nudge will return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Their first local stops since the end of last year, the guys should be raring to go with a quality night of hard rock and metal covers & originals, and hopefully their local fans will be at The Frog in full force this weekend to drink it all in! Note that unlike most of Nudge's recent local concert weekends, there was no mid-week acoustic shows, so if you wanna see the Danzo, Scott, and the guys in action, you haven't missed anything yet! Admission should be free for tonight & tomorrow's shows, you must be 21 to attend, and there are 10:00 PM start times in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It'll be great to see Nudge back in Sault Michigan, and hopefully the guys bring some awesome covers and originals back to their local fans all weekend long! For a preview, here's Nudge covering Motley Crue's "Shout At The Devil" last year in Marquette!



Finally for today, here's a little bonus discovery relating to the subject of our most recent CD review. While researching defunct local hard rock band Aftersight towards our review of their only CD "Waiting For Lightning", I discovered that the website cited on the back of the jewel case (though long since expired) survives via The Internet Archive Wayback Machine, which archives & preserves websites of the past for people to look at in the present day! Three different incarnations of Aftersight's website have been archived from 2003, 2004, and 2005 respectively, but what does each contain? The 2005 archive is bare bones and features mainly placeholder text and little band info, while the 2004 version appeared to mainly exist as a host for songs from their album, though neither the mp3 files nor most of the page's images have survived. The 2003 version, however, is in surprisingly good form, despite many missing photos and page elements!

Included within is info on the band's "Hottie of the Week" contest, news on concerts at venues like The Eastgate Hotel, references to old local bands like JaxxMadd, band member bios, a number of surviving band photos, a setlist (with covers), and much more, so if you can get past missing and dead portions, check the full thing out at this location, and see more at the above links! Hopefully I'll find more similar local band pages with archives like this at some point!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news & notes shortly, including this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Aftersight - "Waiting For Lightning" Review!!

It's now time for our 44th monthly local metal/hard rock CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and with no new heavier albums released this month (handwritten paper sleeve demos & free postings aside), we've dipped into the archives to take a long overdue look at defunct Sault Ontario hard rock quartet Aftersight's only album "Waiting For Lightning"! Recorded at Easter Island Studio in Sudbury in August 2003 and released later that year, this features Aftersight's classic lineup, including singer/guitarist Ed Vowels (now of Lucky 13), lead guitarist John Albury, bassist Jacob "Maybe" McEachern, and drummer Jeff Marshall. Though copies of "Waiting For Lightning" were distributed at concerts as recently as 2008, this album is long since out of print, but I did upload the whole thing onto the SMS' YouTube channel to stream for free, so do so at this location, and each song title is linked below to the YouTube copy! With 8 songs clocking in at around 32 minutes in total length, let's begin this review with the album's opening song "Wide Open Sky"!

"Wide Open Sky" opens slowly before kicking into gear as a mid-tempo hard rock number that shows the guys' talented pretty well! Ed's vocals here are a bit higher than they tend to be nowadays, but they have an interesting mix of punk and post-grunge sounds that give the material a bit of a kick! Jacob's bass work stands out well, especially in the pre-chorus sections, and Jeff's drumming is paced nicely with the rest of the music! I'd probably prefer this song to be a bit faster or heavier, or throw some variance into the structure, but "Wide Open Sky" is a solid album opener that has a timeless sound that would still be a good fit on hard & alternative rock radio! Next is the album's shortest track, "Days Go On", which has a bouncy and faster guitar riff to lead off, and it has more energy to it than "Wide Open Sky", taking on a poppier (yet more 1990s) feel. The lead vocals are slightly more aggressive, and even if the music isn't quiet as serious as on the opening track, it's more proficiently played. Jeff Marshall also supplied backing vocals late, but their grittiness and low volume seemed out of place given the tone. This is a good song, but I liked the tone and edge of "Wide Open Sky" a bit more.

Third is "Falling From Nothing", which starts with a lone guitar intro and some low STP-esque clean singing before slowly introducing other instruments. The drumming stands out a lot, and I like the build into the heavier choruses, but couldn't Ed have amped the energy into higher and heavier singing like in the opening songs when they got there? Jacob had said on the YouTube comments that they couldn't capture the "haunted" quality of this song's demo track in studio, and I do agree with that assessment for the most part. It never feels haunted, just lower and more intimate (aside from the harder rocking ending), but the music's well played, if not overly varied! Good song, but I bet it felt more natural live. Next is the CD's title track (and the longest overall) "Waiting For Lightning", which again starts softly like the prior song, but it suddenly jumps into an aggressive verse section that adds some nice diversity and energy that the last song lacked! If anything, the title is sung verbatim a bit too much, and there could be some better transitions between the softer and heavier stretches, but the guys show their talents throughout! Ed's vocal range is on full display, Jacob's bass lines are clear, and the guitar work succeeds despite the lack of a real guitar solo. Solid stuff overall, and a nice swing upward!

The next song is "Rd. Trip Breath",  which has a quality bass intro from Jacob McEachern (if a bit long), and some nice singing, before launching into an awesome heavy stretch with nice guitar effects and well suited vocals! Good pacing and it's the best mix of heaviness and catchiness so far on this album! The structure's a bit unique, with no real consistent verse/chorus definition, and John's lead guitar work is great to go along with it all! Aside from the bass solo going a bit long, this is by far my favourite song on "Waiting For Lightning" so far, and it mixes their heavier and softer sounds to great results! Song #6 is "Life To Call My Own", which has a lighter rock feel which reminds me of "How Your Remind Me" by Nickelback a lot, and while it's well played, it never seems to get legs compared to most of the earlier songs. Ed's vocals seem more tired than on many earlier tracks, the instrumentation rarely picks up (guitar solo aside), and it just seems too safe and by the numbers. It's good, just not overly memorable in comparison to songs like "Road Trip Breath"

The penultimate song on "Waiting For Lightning" is "W/O a Trace" (W/O's short for "without"), which has perhaps the heaviest start of any song on the album, and I like the groove of the guitar riffs especially! I just wish the vocals were more energetic, as they seem too reserved and low given the harder spark this song has. Couldn't at least the choruses have had vocals like on "Wide Open Sky"? The music though is among the best on the album so far, with possibly John Albury's best guitar solo yet, and really solid drumming, but the lack of vocal energy hurts the overall quality. Despite that inconsistency, it's one of the CD's best songs! This album closes with "Lost But Not Forgotten", which opens with a short bass intro before launching into a heavy modern rock sound with some thankfully more energetic singing and a catchy overall sound! A good choice to end the album (and their old concerts), I like how Ed's singing builds near the end of the choruses, and the overal structure is well composed, but it could stand to be a bit riskier. Very nice ending to the album though, and it showcases the whole band's respective musical skills to a good degree!

So what do I think of Aftersight's only CD overall? I'd say it's a very good album full of catchy and well performed modern and alternative rock songs, and while it has inconsistencies, it's aged very well and would still be a good fit on a station like Rock 101! Individually, I liked the different vocal ranges that Ed Vowels employed, and his and John Albury's guitar skills suited the material throughout, with some very cool riffs and grooves, as well as some quality guitar solos! Jacob McEachern and Jeff Marshall also held up equally on bass and drums, and for their young ages at the time, they were clearly talented! While there were a lot of really good songs on "Waiting For Lightning", like "Rd. Trip Breath" and "Lost But Not Forgotten", it wasn't a perfect release, and there were a lot of inconsistencies. I found that Ed's vocals didn't always flow with the songs' general tones or heaviness levels, and some tracks did feel very familiar without a lot of risks being taken.

None of them were really that long (neither were some guitar solos), and most tracks followed a general structure without a lot of variance or unique twinges, and like with "Falling From Nothing", a darker haunting feel could have helped with certain songs. Still, this is a well produced and entertaining modern hard rock album that has nicely aged in the past decade, and hopefully Aftersight will reunite down the road to bring these songs back to the live stage! Check out the full album at the above links!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what album will get a look next at the SMS? I'm not sure, but I have plans in place. Of course, preference will go to a new local album release (as in, one with a paid & formally packaged release, no loose paper-sleeved demos or free postings), and you can get previews of what could be next in our next Where Are The New Albums? feature post on Saturday! I've heard rumours for many, but time will tell if something does come out by the end of March. The exceptions to that would be albums by Haggith or Mike Haggith, as it's too soon from our last reviews of either, but I'm looking at a likely review of "Deuce" or "Apocalypse" in April. If no other new albums are released, I'll do an archive review, and if I can't tie in a review of any available metal/hard rock albums with a March concert, we'll likely review Woods of Ypres' 2008 compilation album "Independent Nature: 2002-2007", as we'll be past our 6 month buffer from the "Woods III" review, and it will be a nice lead-in to the Juno Awards in April. Regardless of what review is next, keep an eye out for it by the end of March!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews tomorrow as we wrap up the month of February! Thanks everyone!

Winkstinger's Bassist Search, New Videos, And Info On Our Next CD Review!!

As the last week of February winds down, we have more news and notes to get to at the SMS, and in today's post, we have new videos from a pair of recently prolific bands, the identity of our next CD review at the site, and leading off, a local metal group's new member search! Here's what you need to know!

We have a surprising lineup change from a prominent local band to announce, as Sault Ontario extreme metal standouts Winkstinger have apparently parted ways with bassist Ryan Sherman. The news was revealed on their Facebook page last night, and while the band stated that "it's time to do a shuffle, unfortunately", a direct reason for Ryan's departure hasn't been announced. Ryan joined the Battle for the Blood winners in 2010 to replace another Ryan (Disano) as their bassist, and had played at every Winkstinger show through their most recent live appearances last summer, along with the recording sessions towards their yet-released EP. This is disappointing news, but hopefully the split was amicable, and best of luck to Ryan in the future, as he's a talented bassist that would be an asset down the road! With that in mind, Winkstinger are looking for a new bassist, and have a lot of new songs to unload, so message the band on Facebook at this location if you're interested in trying out.

This could be a huge opportunity for any aspiring local metal bassists, so I encourage you guys to give Winkstinger a shout! I have no idea why they've been so quiet in recent months, but maybe a new bassist will spark the guys back onto the stage sooner rather than later, so keep this in mind, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's our first glimpse of Kinross, Michigan quintet Banned's new lineup, and potentially, a sign of their current/future sound?  Uploaded to the band's brand new YouTube channel on Friday (no word if they're now formally abandoning Ashley Traynor's channel for new videos as a result), this is of Banned covering the Carrie Underwood song "Blown Away" at Todd's Tavern in Moran (presumably on February 16th), but how does the new lineup sound? I expected some female-sung covers now that Tara Starr's in the fold, and while Carrie Underwood seems like a jump from their classic/hard rock base, she does have a good voice that seems adaptable for varying material! New rhythm guitarist Denny Smith fits well too, but I'd like to see them play some more challenging covers. Plus, Tara needs to loosen up her stage presence a bit (though she's more active than Mike Straw was in their older videos), and the angle of the camera barely shows bassist Jim Pentland behind the one speaker.

It remains to be seen if they're going a lighter and more accessible path (a'la the original Turner Up becoming Full Circle in 2011), or if this is just some diversification given their new singer, but Banned still have a lot of visible talent and chemistry, so give their cover of "Blown Away" a look below, and no matter where they're uploaded, stay tuned for more Banned videos when they roll in!



Also in new videos, Sault Ontario grunge rockers Haggith have uploaded a pair of new studio versions of their song "75" onto their YouTube channel! Posted yesterday, the files are of the normal version (as embedded below) for their third album "Deuce", and a radio edit with muted explicit lyrics. A composition by drummer Mike Haggith & featuring backing vocals by guest performer Kristi-Lee Marshall, it's a medium rocker that fans of Haggith should gravitate to, so check out the links above and the embedded file below to hear "75"! I won't fully review it yet, as I'm still waiting for our next Haggith album review in the spring.



And finally for today, I wanted to announce the identity of this month's CD review at The Sault Metal Scene! With no new local metal/hard rock album releases that I know of (free online postings don't count), I've decided to dip into the archives for the first time since September, and for this next review, we'll be looking at defunct local hard/alternative rock quartet Aftersight's 2003 debut (and only) album "Waiting For Lightning"! As I generally like to link archive reviews in with recent concerts featuring band members, this is tied in with frontman Ed Vowels' recent gigs with his current band Lucky 13, who share a similar (albeit covers-centric) sound with Aftersight. Recent local metal/hard rock fans may not be entirely familiar with Aftersight, but they remained scatteredly active through the late 2000s with occasional concert appearances (including at the Sick Jams For Sick Kids benefit in late 2008), and their sound will be familiar to many. Watch out for this review by Thursday, and to bone up on "Waiting For Lightning", check it out online at this location!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week, including a brand new local metal act, as well as this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on The Line Drawn tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Weekend Concert Previews, Some New "Old" Local Albums Online, And A Bit More!

Hey everyone, hope you're enjoying your Friday so far! So for today's post, there's previews of this weekend's four metal concerts in Sault Michigan, new uploads of two more local hard rock albums (one out of print, one never printed), the local presence in a notable Ontario band, and three tinier news stories. But let's begin with your local concert previews for this weekend!

Thanks once again for Ernest Beaumont AND the Facebook page for The Dondee for helping to confirm this: Sault Michigan hard rockers Nixxon Dixxon will be playing at Dondee Lanes TONIGHT AND TOMORROW NIGHT! Ignore the lack of these shows being listed on the band's MySpace page, they are definitely there this weekend for a pair of awesome shows! No cover charge is announced, you likely must be 21, and both concerts start at around 8:00 PM. That's about all I know, but most Nixxon Dixxon concerts follow the same template, so don't expect too much different! Should be some fun shows, they're only getting bigger and better from here! Check out some more information and material from these guys at this location, and for a preview, here's a clip of the band covering the Alice In Chains classic "Man In The Box" from their Halloween show in St. Ignace last year!



The other concerts this weekend, take them with a bit of a grain of salt, but Kewadin Casino would not lie to me! Sault Michigan hard rockers Blind Baby will apparently be playing there at The Rapids Lounge this weekend! Same nights and general times as Nixxon Dixxon, no cover, 21+, all that. Note that the band has NOT confirmed these shows on band pages, these come straight from the entertainment page on Kewadin Casino's website, which is valid proof! Now I can't tell you a whole lot about Blind Baby, I do know that drummer Ivan Schliska also plays in the local hard rock band Scofflaw, and their images on their Facebook page do point to a band of a heavier nature, but that's about all I can reasonably determine. No audio or video to speak of yet, but I know they do play covers, if that's a help! But I'll give them this: Unlike certain Kewadin Casino performing bands like Rainbow and Gary's Driving, Blind Baby do have a page, even if it is limited, so I at least have something to go by! So head on out to The Rapids Lounge to check out Blind Baby if you want to, I'll keep you posted if I hear anything more on these guys!

Now here's some intriguing band member news that has a local connection, though it's not a local band. Do you remember the Windsor death metal band Constructed Apocalypse (formerly Emphasis on Khrysis)? Well, you may remember seeing them as recently as June 2009 at The Oddfellows Hall with Today I Caught The Plague, as well as from backing up Dead and Divine at the same venue under their old name! Well, the band have replaced former frontman Steve Giroux with.....Sault Ontario's own Jeremy Hannah! You'll no doubt recognize him as a frequent area concert promoter (including Constructed Apocalypse shows), but also from his singing work in local bands like Lorax and Armistice! Looks like the addition of Jeremy to Constructed Apocalypse is relatively recent, my best guess is March? Well, in any event, MySpace confirms Jeremy's involvement, click here for proof! Maybe they'll come back up here for a show if this pans out?

Now for three smaller news stories, in alphabetical order by band name:

• The Canadian Nightclub have launched their own Facebook event page for next Saturday's Crued concert (that's the Motley Crue tribute band!) There, it confirms that the show will cost $5 in advance or $8 at the door, there's some special alcohol deals for the concert, and there will be a contest for the craziest hair/mullet! This show is expected to sell out, so get your ticket TODAY, and confirm your attendance at the link above!
• A new band has announced their involvement for the Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival! The band is Finding Clyde, an indie rock band from Essexville, Michigan, and their MySpace page specifically says they're playing with Three Doors Down on the Friday, July 23rd portion of the event. Not metal, but it's part of the festival, so it warrants mentioning here! As I hear more, you'll know from me!
• In Lion Ride recording news, the band's Facebook page hyped that this week was the final week of pre-production for the album at Toronto's BWC Studios! They officially hit the studio on Tuesday to lay down four new tracks that will, quote, "punch you in the vagina", unquote. Gotta love a band with a sense of humour! Check the above links to keep up to date on the progress of Lion Ride's next disc!

And finally for today, I have uploaded two more local hard rock albums in their entirety to The Sault Metal Scene's YouTube channel! One is "Waiting For Lightning", the 2003 debut album from inactive hard rockers Aftersight! This was widely available back in the mid-2000s, but I haven't seen it for sale in quite some time, and the last time I even saw a physical copy was when they distributed copies at the Sick Jams for Sick Kids benefit at The Grand Theater in December 2008! Good album, radio-friendly hard rock, it deserves more local attention, so why not put it online? The other is "Souls For Sale", the still yet-to-be-released debut album from local grunge band No Arrow! Recorded from 2007-2009, a release date for it is not in the cards at all, mainly due to problems I won't publicize. The recording's finished, the artwork is made up, but the CD has never been officially released. Hopefully it will be in the future, but in the meantime, you can contact the band if you want the album for free in mp3 format! Contact them at their MySpace page if you're interested! I know they had a good reputation and fan base in their heyday, so hopefully there's interested people out there! And thanks to frontman Dann Pichette for both sending me the album and greenlighting me to upload it to YouTube as well! Gotta get this stuff out there, it needs to be heard!

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED IN EITHER OF THESE ALBUM UPLOADS!!! Neither album is for sale or in stock at a local store (except for a possible used Aftersight CD at The Rad Zone), and I want these songs to get the exposure they deserve, so fans can check them out and enjoy this music! I share no ill will or bad intentions by uploading these! So if you want to check out Aftersight and/or No Arrow's albums, head to The Sault Metal Scene's YouTube channel! I'll link you to the first song on both, so here's "Wide Open Sky" by Aftersight and "Genocyde Revealing Pt. 1" by No Arrow! Remember, YouTube has the remainder of both albums! (And yes, I WILL REVIEW THESE IN THE COMING MONTHS ON THE SMS!)





That's all for now, stay tuned for more news, updates, previews, reviews, and anything else local and metal related, right here at The Sault Metal Scene! Keep it metal!