LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Downtown Street Party #2), A New Album Release, And Much More!!

Here's another packed news post to check out on this Tuesday night, which features a newly released album from some familiar faces, clarification on private events, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning a community event next week, so here's what you should know!

Local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will be the only SMS-amenable band playing at this year's second Downtown Street Party on Queen Street East on Thursday, July 16th!  This will come three weeks after the first Downtown Street Party of 2026, and with these monthly events progressively moving west, next week's will take place on a closed section of Queen from Brock Street to Elgin Street (basically from the former BMO building to the courthouse). Like last month's street party and the two to come, there will be vendors, family activities & games, beverage gardens, and deals and events at Queen Street businesses open along this stretch. As the Downtown Plaza is facing this block, there will be events there too, including live trivia and a screening of the first Jaws movie. Click here for full details on what to expect in a non-musical sense! Now, who all is performing next Thursday?

As was the case for street party #1, there will be two distinct music stages on/near Brock & Elgin respectively, but as of the most recent public promotion from You Belong SSM, they haven't firmly specified who is playing where. Five acts are confirmed, and Dos Amigos confirmed in this poster for their remaining summer dates (more on those in this weekend's concert previews) that they'll be playing at the Brock Street Stage at 8:15 PM. Classic country band The Stumpy Coldwater Trio confirmed on Spaces that they'd be on the "Spring Street Stage" (the same block, in any event) at 7:00 PM, while classic rock trio Flathead Ford will perform at 9:30 PM, stage unclear. Veteran local/Toronto blues musician Rusty McCarthy and country musician Brendan Hodgson will also perform during next week, and at least one more act is implied (note that the June street party had three acts on each stage).

What is unsaid here is that this street party coincides with the opening day of Rotaryfest, so downtown will be hopping, and as Stage 2 doesn't operate on Thursdays anymore, could you call the street party the de facto Second Stage for night #1? Not the right block of Queen from where Stage 2 used to be, but still! Next Thursday's festivities take place from 6:30-11:00 PM, and it is absolutely a FREE & ALL AGES event. Sounds like another fun time for the whole family, with a dash of punk from Dos Amigos, so visit the above links for more details on one part of a stacked Thursday in the Soo!

Next up, I wanted to acknowledge a recent private house party concert (and another to come) that got some attention on social media. With some exceptions, I don't tend to cover private concerts here (let alone give the address publically) out of deference and respect to the location, often someone's home. On occasion though, you'll see a show advertised that, while not containing a public address, is definitely marketed publically, which was the case this past Thursday when Underground Events SSM brought Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box back for a "Not A Canada Day Show", two weeks before they swing back through here opening for The Ripcordz at Beck's next Saturday. The garage concert also featured Duncan, B.C. alt-punk band Red Lenses (who aren't playing at the Ripcordz show) and locals A.S.D.P. and 5 Dollar Bribe. If you wanted the address, you had to "ask a punk"!

That general rule will apply to Underground Events SSM's next private gig on Friday, July 24th (I cannot 100% confirm if it will be at the exact same locale), but despite being private, it is actually a benefit gig. Entitled "SOOpfest", it will feature a special acoustic set from A.S.D.P. plus rap group Fvksxvad, unspecified guests, and a freestyle/open jam block. Alongside a backyard barbecue, admission is by donation, either cash for the Ken Brown Recovery Home and the $onny Vybe$ memorial or food for the Soup Kitchen. Despite the private trappings, these are three wonderful causes, so see above for more details, and I do hope last week's Danger Box show was a hit! "Ask a punk" for SOOpfest location details later this month!

Finally for today, here's a surprise new album release, as veteran local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage put out their 72nd studio album yesterday via their Bandcamp page! In their first release in almost a year, this is entitled "No Neutrals Allowed: Double Live In Japan At The Boobikhan", which is not the first time that they have released a faux live album purporting to be from a far flung locale. If released physically, this would indeed be a double album, and it's oriented as such, as the first half of the 39 track album is comprised of re-recordings from their lengthy back catalogue (presumably as if they were performed live) with nineteen new songs in the second half. "No Neutrals Allowed" is dedicated to original SKR bassist Dennis Becker (brother of Paul & Dirk), who lost his battle with cancer in September 2024, and as "Ned", he was represented in their "Waerlogas Sagas I" concept album from that same year.

Performer credits for "No Neutrals Allowed" weren't given in text, but ex-bassist Brian Cattapan (Paul's son-in-law) was Photoshopped into the cover artwork sitting behind Dirk on the Boobikhan stage, implying that he guested on at least one song here. If true, it's good to see him working with the masters of the crash again! This album is on sale on Bandcamp for $15 and can be streamed for free there as well, though with our massive backlog of new album releases still to review, this won't be up until early 2027. It is great to see the Beckers, Shane, and Tony back with another huge array of new music, so check everything out above, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

Viscera - "From Feast To Famine" EP Review!!

It's now time for our 204th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and as our crawl through out lengthy new album release backlog continues, we're taking a detour to Sault Michigan for a look at newer local hardcore punk/metal band Viscera's debut EP "From Feast To Famine"! Independently released to major streaming services on October 30th, the band is represented here by Small Town Society alum "Blind" Bob Quinn on vocals & guitar alongside drummer Mitchell Leon. This EP was recorded before Chris Lovins joined Viscera on bass, and the band did not specifically credit who played bass here. You can hear all five songs on Spotify and Apple Music (as linked here) plus on YouTube Music and Bandcamp, and if you want to properly buy this EP, mp3 copies are on sale on iTunes for $4.95 and on Bandcamp for $9. With five tracks running for 19 minutes, let's get things rolling!

Things open with their first single "Disassociate", which is also the shortest song on offer. An in your face rocker that feels very Clutch-esque in its structure and vocal style, this benefits greatly from a catchy lead guitar riff, and Bob acquits himself well for angry hardcore singing, but ending the choruses by dramatically yelling "Ow!" felt like a stopgap measure, and if I was Mitchell, I'd have toned down the cymbals. Good stuff in a tight 2+ minute package, and a fun way to introduce Viscera to Yooper audiences! Next up is "Got Away", which has a surprisingly jaunty and bouncy structure and riff that calls to mind southern rock more than their name, imagery, and the opening song would suggest. Blind Bob sings melodically on the verses and gets away with it, though the "Ooooh oh" parts again feel like filler.

Choruses are more aggressively in-your-face, but the song on the whole almost feels like a different band aside from the production quality being similar. Not a bad number at all, and it has a fun down-home quality without dipping into country territory, but I preferred the hard-edged metal aspects of "Disassociate" more. At the midpoint, we have "Refraction", which has more of a bluesy feel with a chugging riff, more guitar solo input, and more straightforward vocals that don't have the melody of the preceding track, but are also more muted than on the opener. Bob's singing does come across a little processed compared to what came before it, but he shows off more as a pure guitarist, which I appreciate! The ending breakdown heavies things up well, and it's an improvement on "Got Away", but you do get the sense that Viscera wanted to shake things up for sounds on their original material.

Fourth of five cuts here is "Pillar Of Doom", which is giving me "Sleep Now In The Fire" vibes in terms of the verses, but the song is an interesting mashup, with the steady aggressive vocals counter-balanced with a fast bluesy rock riff, if one that gets a little repetitive as it goes. The music is (on the whole) too loud, that or Bob's singing is too low in the mix, but Mitchell's drumming is the best that I've heard yet on this EP,  More than any song so far, I think this could have been edited down without losing unique elements, but it's the heaviest wall-to-wall song yet, so that counts for something! Last up is the EP's longest song & title track "From Feast To Famine", which opens with a slow bassline and low bluesy melodic singing alternating with yelled choruses before the song gets into a faster breakdown at the midway mark. While definitely heavier, it also has that swinging southern rock affect to it.

The lyrics are more pointed and clear than what some other songs here had, but this song jumps around too much in styles for my liking, with deliberate spare instrumentation at points, fast hard rock at others, and they don't naturally flow in ways that I would have written. A good showcase of Viscera's diversity but they have better songs here. With all of that said, how do I grade Viscera's debut EP? It's a good batch of songs, but descriptions and teasers point to sounds you won't expect. Given the "visceral" lyrics and socially charged cover artwork, I wasn't expecting the southern rock and bluesy essence on these songs, which often don't feel like they're from one specific band, but it does hold credence to "whatever you need, Baby" being one of their Bandcamp tags! Bob and Mitchell pair well to bring their intense but varied music to life, and their talents are stretched to match the sounds that they're going for, and this doesn't feel like a duo effort!

As someone who tries not to spoil album reviews by listening to advance material, I didn't know that this wouldn't be as hardcore punky as implied, and while nothing here is bad, I did find the songs to be inconsistently plotted, with buried vocals, stop-start momentum on the title track, repetition on "Pillar Of Doom", and filler "Oooh" vocals on the opening tracks among things that I would address. Viscera have since released a new single, so it'll be interesting to see how it compares to any of these five songs, but this is a solid (if somewhat deceptive) debut EP, and here's to much more ahead! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and we're looking at Mike Haggith's live album "Under A Moonlit Sky" here in July! Thanks everyone!

Pillory - "Old Soul" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 203rd monthly CD review on the SMS and with our lengthy backlog for new album releases stretching into 2027, our next new album in release order is local death metal trio Pillory's full length album "Old Soul"! Independently launched at their Soo Blaster release party on October 27th, this is the long awaited follow-up to their 2013 thrash demo EP "Cringe At The Cross". In the works since at least mid-2024, songwriting for this album began during their 2015-2019 run where they evolved into a death metal band. Recorded at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall, Pillory are again represented here by singer/guitarist Robert Sartini (All The Tired Horses/All Over The Map) alongside former Issues/Lazer Queen drummer Bret Shuttleworth. Though recorded during Blair St. John's time in the band and released after Robert's old Crimson Crusade bandmate Devon Lucier rejoined, former bassist Jordan Leach recorded on "Old Soul".

Online marketing does not clarify whether Jordan (who lives abroad nowadays) recorded parts remotely for the album, or if he tracked bass parts during his 2015-2017 stint in Pillory, but it is good to see him involved in new material with a local band after almost a decade away! As linked via Distrokid, the album can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer, while it can also be heard on Bandcamp, YouTube, and a handful of other smaller services. The album can be bought on mp3 format for $9.99 on iTunes or $15 on Bandcamp, and CDs cost $20 at The Rad Zone, on Bandcamp, and at Pillory concerts. With nine songs running for about 37 minutes, let's get put in the pillory once again!

The album leads off with "The Angst Of Existence", a bass line-driven track that leans well into their modern death metal sound! With the benefit of studio recording quality, the influence from the band Death and Chuck Schuldiner's songwriting/vocal style is very evident, but Robert does have a slightly lower rasp. The first half of the song is more deliberately paced while still being intense and pointed, but there is a faster break at the midway mark. Bret's drumming and pedal work goes off like a machine gun in the closing stretch (his talents are well known by now), and while I'd like more of a guitar solo, this is a fine way to introduce modern Pillory in studio form! Next up is "Abhorred Apprension", which is a little more ferocious out of the gate, and lets Robert show off a little more for his guitar riffing and melodies. When there are are proper verses, the song does dial up in heaviness generally, which is good to see!

However, the bridge just before the 3 minute mark is almost too punishing and amelodic, and breaks the existing flow of the song. Again, I'd like to hear a true guitar solo in this relatively short track, but this delivers the brutality with professionalism and a solid edge more often than not! "Curse Of Eternal Sickness" follows with a galloping (dare I say, Amon Amarthy) riff and structure, but the verses are more relentless and in your face. This will absolutely incite mosh pits at their concerts, and can a death metal band ask for more? A relatively soft bridge does stall the momentum, but when the song is firing on all cylinders, it benefits from a strong bass line from Jordan and assuredly technical drumming from Bret. While not as intricately plotted as the first two songs, it crushes as a straightforward death metal song Fourth is "Wasting" (as in, "wasting time", not "wasting away").

This song has more in common with the first two tracks with its structure and riffing, and it has some of Robert's best guitar playing on the album so far! Some of his clearer screaming/growling too, I always appreciate when there's audible enunciation in death metal! This song benefits from a tight structure, no dead air, and steadily relentless percussion, to add up to one of my favourite songs on "Old Soul"! The ending came from out of nowhere though, I was ready to rock out for longer. The midpoint of the album falls on "Sculptor Of Cadavers", which honestly has a little groove metal flourish in its riffing at points in the first half, but it is still assuredly a death metal song. We get another soft bridge in the middle that stalls the momentum (honestly, if you're gonna commit to doing that, I'd try clean vocals then), but when at full gear, everyone performs well , and Bret's going off on drums, especially in the back half. Those pedals got a workout!

Good stuff that has a little something for all extreme metalheads within (well, aside from no guitar solo), so don't bypass it! Song #6 is "The Passing", a charging death metal song with catchy yet heavy riffs and Robert giving purposefully aggressive vocals throughout, and this is another song that is just primed to incite opening up the pit! Fast, technical, but still a fairly no frills song that gets by from their talents and aggression alone, so this is another highlight for subgenre fans! The last 27 seconds are sampled from a vintage recording of the song "It's A Lonesome Old Town" (possibly by Kay Starr?). That's followed by "Specimen Of Egotism", which is the shortest song on this album, as well as its only instrumental. Arguably, vocals would get in the way, as this is (for my money), the heaviest and most punishing song on offer, especially via Bret's hammering drums and the quality bass lines!

While they still aren't including full guitar solos, Robert does noodle a bit more late, so there is some melody in the back half beyond the crushing nature of this song. Good stuff, and it stands alone as a showcase of how heavy Pillory are willing to go as pure musicians! The penultimate song is "To Know Is To Suffer", which shows off their musical talents well, but it does feel somewhat dialed back in aggression for a slower (for them) pace that almost has trancey guitar work, if contrasting with Bret's technical percussion. By no means a bad song, it will lead to headbanging, and Robert's vocals are on point, but it has a more diverse soundscape that leans into atmospheric moreso than progressive, and if you particularly got into the earlier songs on the album, this may be too much of a jump. "Old Soul" closes with its longest song, "Exhaustive Incarnation". which brings back the technical and prog-influenced time signatures and riffing, and despite the length, they don't waste a moment!

...well, maybe the slow break with ominous sampling at around 4:40 aside. Robert lays in some of his strongest guitar work on this song, with Jordan and Bret more than holding their own in response! Honestly, some of Bret's best drumming is in this song, but in the extended fade-out, and why they decided to have the song fade out for 20 seconds is beyond me. At least it's not an abrupt ending, but still! This intricate and brutal song is easily one of the best on the album, so Pillory end things on a high note!

So, what are my final thoughts on Pillory's proper full length debut album? Overall, it's a very strong release that will appeal to fans of progressive and technical death metal! Solid production and 12 years of improved musicianship since their first EP help a lot here, and the guys apply everything well to deliver brutality while also showing off their skill sets. Robert's aggressive vocal work sets the tone, and his shredding and riffs compliment Jordan's bass lines well, and Bret's drumming has jumped leaps and bounds in the past decade (give his own YouTube channel a watch for proof of that). The influences of the band Death are obvious at points, but they do vary things enough in speed and structure, with little of their early thrash beginnings left at this stage as songwriters. If there's one thing from "Cringe At The Cross" that I would have liked to have seen retained, it's guitar solos, which are virtually absent across "Old Soul".

That was my biggest negative point on this album, though some songs also had abrupt stops in momentum for soft patches, and the closer takes way too long to fade out. The good far outweighs the bad though, and especially on songs like "Wasting" and "Exhaustive Incarnation", you get a full look at what Pillory have to offer in the 2020s. Brutal, punishing, and proficient work from everyone involved, and here's hoping that we're not waiting another 12 years for Pillory's next CD! Buy or stream it above, and I hope you guys liked this month's album review! We'll kick off the summer season by looking at Sault Michigan hardcore punk band Viscera's October 2026 EP "From Feast To Famine" next month, so look for that and more soon! Thanks everyone!

The Realignment Project - "War Songs" EP Review!!

It's time for our 202nd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and with our extensive backlog of new local album releases now stretching into 2027, let's continue our slow clear-out with a look at local industrial metal solo act The Realignment Project's third EP "War Songs"! Released to major streaming services on October 8th (their third EP in 2025 alone), this is again a one-man effort led by former Dirty Virgin drummer and Riverin frontman Matt Hicks, who sings and plays all credited instruments. Recorded locally & released through British indie label East London Recordings, you can stream "War Songs" on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Bandcamp, YouTube, Spotify, Boomplay, and KKBox (perhaps among others), and you can buy it on iTunes for $5.94, Amazon Music for $7.74, and Bandcamp on a "name your price" model. Via their label deal, you can also buy "War Songs" on CD and vinyl!

Print-on-demand copies are available in either format from ElasticStage at this link, with CDs costing $17.90 and vinyl records going for $43.90 (this does not include EP #4 "Let You Fall" as the B-side like what The Realignment Project did with their first two). Featuring six songs running for about 25 minutes, let's begin with the opening song!

The first "war song" is "Digital Sacrilege", which seems to be about calling out someone for betrayal and/or selling out. This has more of a techno base to its instrumentation, and really gives off Nine Inch Nails vibes with how Matt is singing here, though his vocals are the only real lean to hard rock or metal here. There is real emotion and frustration in the lyrics, especially in the chorus and pre-chorus, but this song honestly feels unfinished, like the electronic elements should be layered over guitar work, and the percussion is a little overdone as such. It sets a good tone to start though! The title track "War Songs" is next, and this restores the rock stylings in full while still having a distorted electronic undercurrent. Lyrically about hiding from and ignoring incoming oppression, this features ominous spoken word verses and screamed choruses, though Matt's vocals there are largely buried in the mix.

Why he made that call, I don't know, as it really breaks up the momentum of the verses, but aside from the over-processed quiet vocals there, this is an improvement in all other facets, especially if you want some metal from T.R.P.! Third is the EP's shortest song "Look In The Mirror", which is a motivational "pick yourself up and don't give up" type of song, but still intense and heavy. The distortion when Matt yells the title is a little overdone, and the structure is a tad repetitive for the song's length, but it balances hard rock and industrial well with clear passion! I'd still have varied the structure a little more. Next up is "Acid Rain", an anti-war composition that shares a lot musically with "Digital Sacrilege", in that it's primarily an industrial song which only dips into rock territory via Matt's singing. Verses are approached in a bitter yet eerie tone that slowly build into the choruses.

Not a bad composition that goes along with the themes of the EP so far, but I do prefer Matt's heavier songs in this project, which better balance the musical styles without an emptier feeling without obvious guitars. Track #5 is "Bones And Dust", which is the longest song on offer, and its lyrics are basically resigning to one's fate when things seem hopeless. Proper rock instrumentation returns here, but this is more of a deliberately paced track that milks its length and only really gets into metal territory on the choruses. If Matt ever took The Realignment Project to live concerts, the choruses would play well with audiences, but the song moves along a little too slowly for my liking despite good intensity at its peaks. "War Songs" closes with "Claim Your Dead", which is about the after-effects of the war and what the survivors have to deal with even after the fighting has stopped.

This resolves the EP's anti-war concept well, and while it doesn't dip into rock stylings at all, its effectively a coda for what came before it, with a reserved and reflective (if dystopian) bent, including heavy use of symphonics and keyboard. I do prefer the heavier and livelier songs here, but this serves its purpose in the framework of the story! That all said, how does "War Songs" compare to The Realignment Project's first two EPs? While not far removed tonally, this being a concept EP does give it a distinct vibe and message, even if only half of the songs could be called "industrial metal". Lyrics weren't repetitive, Matt is definitely using his vocals in more varied ways, and there was a little more musical freedom here, especially on "Claim Your Dead", but if you like their heavier songs (music, not lyrics), this may be somewhat lacking. Even with the overly processed chorus vocals, my favourite song on offer here is definitely the title track.

For drawbacks, I did find the first two industrial-dominant songs to be emptier without guitar work,  "Bones & Dust" was too deliberately drawn out, and there can be some uneven intensity in the vocals compared to the music. As far as The Realignment Project's discography to this point, I think my favourite is "The Frustration Sessions", but all have positive qualities and are very original in a local context, so see what you think at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review!m We'll continue clearing out our backlog when we look at local death metal band Pillory's new album "Old Soul" next month, so stay tuned for that in May! Thanks everyone!

Handsome Sandwich - "Collage" EP Review!!

It's time for our 201st monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and next up in our deep backlog of new album releases dating to last fall is local alternative/hard rock band Handsome Sandwich's second album "Collage"! Suddenly released to major streaming services on September 26th under the Sonic Sunshine imprint (and with much less fanfare than 2023's "Deconstructed" got), this EP has been in the cards since even before their debut album's release party, with sessions held at the Algoma Conservatory Of Music in late 2023 and early 2024. Handsome Sandwich are again represented here by singer Taylor "Tea" Emlaw, guitarists Jesse Cook and Mitch Sirie, and drummer Johnny Belanger, while bassist Rafael Medina made his studio debut with the band here after only contributing to the packaging on "Deconstructed", which Mitch played bass on. Former guitarist Brandon Ruch (who replaced Mitch in the band circa February 2024 and also left by early last year) worked on "Collage" as a recording engineer.

You can stream this EP on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, Tidal, Boomplay, Anghami, and BeMusic, and you can buy it in mp3 format on iTunes for $6.93. Unlike "Deconstructed", this album is not on Bandcamp, and nothing has been publically announced about physical copies (though note that the band has not played live since July of last year). With seven songs running for about 26 minutes, let's enjoy another sandwich!

"Collage" opens with "Unhappy", an upbeat rocker that opens with a catchy guitar line and has a somewhat punkier overall structure. Taylor's distinctively cutting vocals help set Handsome Sandwich apart, but the verses here are talkier than the chorus. We do get a brief guitar solo, which lets Jesse (I assume) show his skills well, and this song plays well into everyone's musical strengths, including solid bass from Rafael in his first studio track with the band. I'd have had more singing in the verses, but I'm not "unhappy" with how the EP is starting! Next up is "No Idea", which has a lighter structure driven by Rafael's bass and much softer guitar work, though things stay at brisk power poppy pace. Tea's vocals suit the song's melody, but by contrast, the guitar solo actually feels out of place and too raucous compared to everything around it. Nice little melodic number for what it is, though I'd like a little more of a steady edge like we saw on the opener.

The shortest song on offer is next, namely "Party Fuel", and they lean into the title well with a smooth,  dancy rhythm on this song, including catchy and melodic guitar work, and another strong bass intro, though the guitar solo is way too short here. Confident vocals and a fun rhythm section add up well to an early album highlight, even if there are much heavier songs in Handsome Sandwich's catalog! Though he had guested on this song live in the past, saxophonist Josh Norling does not appear here. Fourth on the album is the slightly longer "Without You", a softer jam that is really driven by Taylor's vocals more than anything (as a pure showcase of her range, this is the best one yet), but Jesse and Mitch do get some room to show off in the background. The overall music is very pleasant but it's mostly just there without doing a lot to stand out, and the ending fades out way too early.

Definitely not a favourite song on the album for me, but not badly composed, and the vocals keep things on an upbeat path! Track #5 is "Carousel", a more dynamic and emotional number with pointed metaphorical lyrics (this carousel is definitely not at the fair), and this feels like more of an intentionally structured rock song with a darker essence, and that contrasts well with Tea's sharp vocals, which don't sound as dark as the lyrics would imply. Solid track across the board, with good percussion and the return of a guitar solo (if another short one), so don't bypass it! The penultimate song here is also the EP's longest, namely "Change A Bit", which is a slower and more deliberately paced song that does ramp up the rock aspect on the choruses. The lyrics feel very direct and personal, but the song proper doesn't have the melodic energy to it beyond short guitar solos and Taylor's more impassioned chorus singing.

Not a bad song, but the verses did feel a little lifeless despite the nature of the vocals. "Collage" fittingly closes with "All Done Now." (yes, the period is in the title), and this is arguably the most consistently rock-based song on the EP since the opener. Bouncy guitar work, more steadily intense vocals (about the end of a romantic relationship), and a strong bass line add up well here, so if you like some rock in your sandwich, this is a fitting way to say that the EP is, in fact, all done now! 

So, how do I grade Handsome Sandwich's second album? Not perfect (granted, neither was "Deconstructed"), but they fit a lot of styles and sounds to appeal to many fans! If you came for upbeat edgy rock, "Collage" is bookended well, with the middle songs seeing them stretch into dancier, power pop, and softer territory (plus a dark "Carousel" ride), though I did sense less of a progressive or jazz bent here. Tea's unique, sharp vocal style continues to set them apart, the dual guitar work from Mitch and Jesse let them show their influences well, Rafael made a good impression on bass, and Johnny's drumming was reliable as you'd expect. I did appreciate that the guys dialed back on abrupt song endings here ("Without You" maybe went too far in that regard), and songs did have more varied lyrics, but of course, I would have liked a little more hard rock. Still, it's an eclectic EP with a lot to like!

The abrupt drop of "Collage" on streaming without any pre-release hype last fall, coupled with the band playing only three shows last year (all as a four-piece) doesn't paint the most optimistic picture in terms of their future, not to mention that they haven't made any public updates since its release. Hopefully they aren't indeed "all done now", as "Collage" is a varied but high quality EP that fans of Handsome Sandwich will enjoy, and you can check it out for yourself at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and next month in this series, our backlog marches on when we look at The Realignment Project's third EP "War Songs", so look for that in April, and for weekend concert previews on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

Sykotyk Rampage - "WYRD Radio 3: The Midnight Horror Show" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 200th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and I wanted to briefly thank everyone for following along this long for us to get to that milestone number after over 16 years of reviewing one local metal, hard rock, or punk album every month! As our extensive backlog of new album releases continues being rifled through, review #200 is of local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage's 71st album "WYRD Radio 3: The Midnight Horror Show"! Independently released to their Bandcamp page around August 10th of last year but given a September 1st release date by the band, this was the only album of 2025 for this prolific veteran group, and their third concept album based around programming on the fictional WYRD radio station. As always, this album was recorded in their usual improvised nature at River Front Recreation Studios.

"The original crash band" are represented by singer/drummer Paul Becker, his brother Dirk on guitar and vocals, guitarist Shane Kokis, and bassist Tony Briglio, with former bassist/Paul's son-in-law Brian Cattapan guesting on one track. "WYRD Radio 3" is on sale on Bandcamp for $15, and while you can stream the whole album for free there, consider buying it to support Sykotyk Rampage's work! With 30 tracks (a double album if released on CD) running for over 2 hours and 22 minutes, let's begin this lengthy review!

While I have yet to review the first "WYRD Radio" album from 2015, I did review the sequel "Kype The Jesus Boots" in 2022, and the concept nature carries over via the loose format of this being alleged on-air programming for the station, featuring Tony and synthesized robot voices recording bumpers and DJ segments. While "WYRD Radio 2" ended with a teaser that next week's show would be about alien abductions, the third album of the series is not the realization of that claim. Here, your "DJ" is named Zara, and the album opens with the spoken word track "WYRD Witch A1", which is set up as if we're in for 2 hours of progressive jazz from a band named Bebop Devoe, but before the first song can play, the station is hijacked by some kind of supernatural beings led by an "orange demon" (also a speech synthesis voice), who takes over the station and plans to devour our souls!

The demon substitutes the jazz for his own evil music (re: new Sykotyk Rampage originals), and the first one is "Succubus", which is 9 minutes long, and that's not even the longest song here! A slow, bass-led jam track with Paul on vocals (plus the ominous female voices threatening to kill us that first popped up in the opener), this is well played but it meanders for way too long on the same trajectory without a major change in tempo or structure, and I'd have chopped this one at least in half before compiling the album. The second proper song is "What You Gave Away", a much shorter but still almost 6 minutes-long track that is a little more lively while still having a sludgy jam essence. Not a bad showcase for Dirk & Shane on guitar, and it drives along well, but if you like their more freewheeling crash rock stylings, the album doesn't start off in such an upbeat way.

Fourth up is "Warlock", running for an album-long 9:11, and this is very reminiscent structurally to "Succubus", but it is at least more animated for Paul's vocals, and it does build in intensity with shouted vocals at the midpoint, though they do come off a little over-processed. Tony's steady bass work keeps things driving along, and there is more of an animated vibrancy to the riffs and pacing, including a late guitar solo, if layered under vocals. Definitely an improvement from "Succubus" for this album's two 9+ minute songs, but this again could have been heavily edited down. We take a brief pause from the music for to return to WYRD Radio via "WYRD Weather A2", where we get a weather report, and if you remember that an orange demon is enslaving the planet and killing us all, you can imagine that it'll be hot out! Tony appeared to voice the meteorologist for this segment.

Apparently, Sykotyk Rampage are partially known in this album's story as "Frankie Flesheater & The Burning Cowpat", who are the orange demon's favourite band, so now you know! The next "hardcore ditty" is named "Krazy Dragon Krossing", which is a fuller composition and nowhere near as long or drawn out as the previous, but it feels too tinny and processed, like they caked it in effects in post. The original raw recording would have been preferable, but it's a good mid-tempo rocker that is ticking things a little closer to how I like my Rampage! The dragon phase of the album continues with "Dragons At Wing", a more laid back rocker that has a bit of a funk essence to it, and it does pick up a bit in tempo and energy in the back half, with the closing bridge giving me "Called In Dead" vibes. It's good to see some more of the freewheeling Sykotyk Rampage late, and Paul's drumming works well, so it's an early highlight on the album!

The final dragon-themed song is "Castle Of The Dragon's Teeth", and despite is relatively short length compared to the proper songs before it, this is another measured rocker that doesn't get too wild and raucous. The processing and filtering is taken way too much of here, as I can barely hear Paul's singing and the song just has a fuzz to it that really impairs everything except the bass. Definitely a low point for the songs so far, as it just plods along in a haze. We pause for a commercial break next via "WYRD Cobra A3", which runs for an album-low 98 seconds. This has "The Crimson Nipple" (a British TTS voice) endorsing the Iron Cobra, the ideal vehicle to drive in Hell, and it's laid over a brief Sykotyk Rampage song that is otherwise not on the album without the copy. It's sad, because the "Iron Cobra" song was really promising and heavy, and I'd have recorded an extended & clean version here!

Full music returns with "Arc Of Darkness", which has an extended feedback-heavy intro including some hard-to-decipher female vocals (which resurface at the midpoint), but when the song fully gets going, it again suffers from having the recording being layered in effects or filters, as I can't make out Paul well again. The song is clearer and more defined though, with Dirk and Shane's guitar soming through in sections, but it kinda comes and goes in clarity like a radio station reception. The raw performance would be ideal, but even then, it wasn't at the rollicking levels I best like from them. Afterwards is "Harpies Bring Your Death", which doesn't really reinvent the wheel from the songs heard so far. Better and much cleaner post-production, and Paul's vocals are much more distinct, so it is a better song than we've recently had, but it does nothing I haven't heard before on the album.

On "Lich Queen's Sextoy" (they titled it, not me!), this has more of a trancey, psychedelic vibe while still being unquestionably sykotyk. Paul is on vocals here, but we again have the layered filtering taken to the nth degree here, as this song may as well be an instrumental with how quiet he is! The song is at least a change of pace that lets the guys show off some more diverse influences, so it works on that basis (the last 45 seconds is raw banter after the guys recorded this song in studio). Next is "Wicked This Way Comes", which has spacey beeping and hard-to-decipher spoken word (is that Shane?) laid in with a spare, deliberate composition. Paul does sing on this track late, but again, it's muddy background vocals that I can barely hear, and I don't know why they're leaning on that so much. Some creative aspects to this track add some zest, but this isn't a driving rocker like what works well for the guys, at least for me.

Next is another station break via "WYRD Traffic A4", as "Professor OCD" (another synthesized British voice) is delivering the traffic report, and given that demons and zombies are wreaking havoc across the planet, you might want to stay at home! The second half of "WYRD Radio 3" begins with "Rich Demon", and this is a down-and-dirty blues rocker that thankfully lets us actually hear Paul's singing. Tony shines on bass here, and I appreciate the more direct lyrics, but it's not the carefree punk-influenced rocker like I best enjoy from the masters of the crash. "Young Power Of Yung" follows with a scratchy funk rock guitar line that is a fun little shake-up for the album as a whole, but it's all that this song really has going for it. Paul's vocals are again heavily buried in the mix, the other instruments don't play a prominent role, and not much happens in its runtime. This honestly feels like an unfinished song, and I'd have worked on it more.

Track #17 is "Cruel Soul", which is a leisurely paced blues rocker that at least has clear vocals from Paul, strong bass, and a distinct structure that doesn't overstay its welcome. While well performed for what it is, I do wish that this apocalyptic, planet-destroying concept album had more intense hard rock numbers! Then we have "Dreamspell", a fitting name for this slower and more ethereal (by their standards) track, and in that respect, Paul's vocals being too layered and inaudible helps! I get how it might fit the album theme, but if you've come for "crash rock", this is too much of a diversion, and it just lies there. After being sent to Hell during the events of "WYRD Witch A1", actual station DJ Zara returns on "WYRD Crisps A5" as subservient to the orange demon, where she introduces the next songs from Sykotyk Rampage, but not before running a commercial for Zombie Brain Crisps.

Let's just say these aren't the chips you're used to seeing at the store! The next proper song is "Steam God's City", which is the first song on this album featuring Dirk on vocals, albeit sharing with Paul. It's good to hear Dirk's quavery punk snarl trading off with his brother here, and everyone's clear and in the foreground, but the song itself isn't too musically involved and has a spare, empty quality. Not my favourite composition but the vocal variance is noted! After that is "Giants", a 6 minute jam rock number that has Paul singing about the invading giants. Nice direct and suited lyrics for the album concept, but the song itself gives no horrific vibes to match, as it's just a repetitive blues rock number that moves along one track without ever shifting gears. The penultimate station break is next, entitled "WYRD Resistance A6", where an ogre battalion resistance leader (another British TTS voice) calls on humans to stand up and fight.

The resistance has reclaimed WYRD Radio from the demons and killed the invading DJs, but can mankind defeat the orange demon and the rest of his minions? This announcement is oddly played twice, once with the echoed effects used for "Zara" on "WYRD Crisps A5". The next three songs are allegedly the resistance's battle cry (though still Sykotyk Rampage), starting with "Ogres Hunt Trolls", and this is similar in pacing and structure to "Giants", but it has a little more in the way of guitar flourish. Nothing shocking to report here, if you like what the Beckers and crew have been up to far, you'll like this, but it's not peak SKR for my preferences. Next is the longer "Sword Of The Dreamlords", which is a drawn out and (dare I say) proggier composition that, while not heavy or speedy, does let the guys stretch their legs a bit.

By no means is this a favourite song (it's wanders and the buried vocals from Paul return here), but it's effective at what it's trying to be! Next is "Bridge Of The Troll", and a fuller sound with good distortion makes this a better track than many on offer, and Paul's singing is a little clearer, if still bogged down in background effects. Just too laid back and casual for an alleged "battle cry", you know? The last station break here is "WYRD End A7", where Zara (freed from her demonic enslavement) returns to thank everyone for listening to the midnight horror show, though specifics on how the orange demon was defeated will have to be deciphered out of song lyrics. Zara sets up "The WYRD Radio Touch Me Softly Music Hour" next featuring romantic songs, and a French AI voice takes over to set up the programming ahead. The album ends with four songs ostensibly from this show.

Of those, the first is "Systemic Shock", which notably sees the return of late 2000s-early 2010s bassist Brian Cattapan (I don't know if Tony is on this track too or not). How "romantic" this song is will be very much up for debate, but amazingly, it took surviving the attempted apocalypse and hellscape to get something more akin to what I most like out of Sykotyk Rampage! Brian's uncle-in-law Dirk sings lead here, and there's good energy and attitude here befitting the title, and while I think the song is way too long, it's fun for long-time fans and easily a favourite track on the album! Next is "Nightmare", which Dirk also handles vocals for, and this is a power pop song that sharply contrasts from his sharp and angry vocals that suit the title theme! If you like songs like "Lowest Of The Low", the vocals are not dissimilar, but the song is very casual and easy going with fun guitar riffs. Not a bad change of pace!

The second-to-last track is also the shortest proper song here, "Francois' Wonderland", which sees Paul return to lead vocals for the last time on the album, and this is more akin to their earlier and better known bluesy rock songs with clear and more melodic singing. Dirk and Shane deliver fun swingy guitar riffs throughout, and while it can be a tad repetitive, it's a short listen. This is a song that would play well live if they ever returned to concerts! "WYRD Radio 3" ends with "Swipe Right To Die" (maybe we should switch dating apps!), and while Dirk is singing lead, this is a more drawn out, reserved song like much of the "midnight horror show" content. The title's threat only really feels matched via Paul's backing vocals. Not a bad composition, but too long and meandering compared to what I prefer.

Having survived the orange demon's attempted annihilation of Earth, what are my final thoughts on "WYRD Radio 3"? Honestly, it's a step down in quality from 2024's "Waerlogas Sagas 1" and reminds me in ways of what might have happened if 2023's "69" had an overarching concept. Sykotyk Rampage's brand of crash rock is not everyone's cup of tea, but I like them best when they're playing energetic freewheeling jam hard rock, and this album had little of that until the midnight horror show story had wrapped up (the three songs before "Swipe Right To Die" were my favourites here). When the demons were on the warpath, this album was often very slow, deliberate, and meandering, not helped by the 23 proper songs having an average length of 5:31. My biggest issue was a sporadic one, but why were Paul's vocals so heavily processed or buried in the mix on many of the included songs?

For such a heightened and evocative sci-fi story, I'd have been accentuating it with clear vocals across the board, let alone more with more forceful and heavy music. I assume the tempo choices were to set an ominous mood, but I rarely felt chaos and despair. It's not a bad album, everyone performs to their strengths, with strong guitar and bass throughout, but I'd have made different tonal and post-production choices. See what you think at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's album review! No rest for the wicked with our backlog, as next month's album review will be of alt-hard rock band Handsome Sandwich's sophomore album "Collage"! Look for that and much more next month! Thanks everyone!

No Arrow - "Souls For Sale" CD Review!!

It's time for our 199th monthly CD review and first one of 2026, and after a Christmassy detour last month, we're back on our backlog's timeline by release date, and while we're a few months behind, that's nothing given how long this album has been in the works! This month's review is of defunct local grunge/alt-rock trio No Arrow's album "Souls For Sale", which was finally released on July 21st after first being recorded in 2009 midway through the band's original run! The posthumous release is through Mike Haggith's indie label MorningStar Records, where it is exclusive to physical formats through their print-on-demand supplier ElasticStage, and is not on most major streaming services. Recorded locally at the time and mastered in the UK by Chris Daniels, No Arrow are represented here by future SBD singer/guitarist Dann "Wayek" Pichette and Faithless Sin alum Joe Falco on drums, with Quite Frankly bassist Harley Syrette featured on all but two songs.

Harley's replacement Brad "Gortium85" Griffith (later of Bizotic) plays bass on the remaining two tracks, while a guest guitarist named Lutz Wille appears on "Lighter". You can buy "Souls For Sale" at this link on vinyl for $43.90 or on CD for $17.90, though be advised that the vinyl pressing omits "Most Of All" due to the 23 minutes-per-side space limitations given ElasticStage's printing methods ("Cuts" moves from the end of the album to replace it as track #6 there). While not on Spotify and them, Dann has freshly uploaded all 12 songs from "Souls For Sale" to his YouTube channel, so if you want to stream them for free, do so there or via the song names below!

With 12 songs running for about 49 minutes (on the CD), let's begin this album review, over 16 years in the making! No Arrow lead off here with "Genocyde Revealing Pt. 1", which gets off to a very 1960s psychedelic vibe to start (how SBD of them) before the song gets into grungy territory, with a pacing and melody not unlike Nirvana's "Breed", but with more measured verse singing. The chorus is where this song takes a bit of a step back, as it comes off too chaotic and messy with Joe's drumming not really gelling with Dann's vocals. Intro aside, this doesn't reinvent the wheel for fans of early 1990s grunge, but it's a fun rocker that would be ideal to start their set with, even with my chorus points! Next up is "Sikkha", A nice raw sound to this one with really solid kick drum work from Joe early, and Dann lets off some welcomed force and anger in his singing early!

Mid-way through, the tempo slows down for an effective but short bridge that launches back into the hard rocking with a primal scream from Dann, and with a catchy guitar riff throughout, a more original freewheeling structure, a solid (if somewhat buried) solo, and thumping rhythms, this is easily a highlight of "Souls For Sale", and highly recommended for genre fans! Third is "Lighter", featuring Lutz Wille (who I am 100% unfamiliar with) on guest guitar. True to its name, this is is a lighter and airier song that would translate well to an acoustic format if they ever went that route, though it still has distorted guitar and an alt-rock edge that slightly picks up on the bridge, plus an outro of what sounds like surfing the radio dial. The pacing and casual nature of it doesn't suit No Arrow's skill set (to me), so while well performed, I prefer their harder edged and faster stuff overall.

Song #4 is "Delayed Reaction", which brings back the heavier stylings with strong bashing of the skins by Joe and a strong lead guitar riff, but interestingly, the choruses are slow and measured whereas the verses are balls to the wall. Honestly, the guitar work feels a little proggy to me, which goes in line with Dann's known fandom of early Pink Floyd, but this is very much a heavy track. Catchy and strongly performed, but the choruses do stall the momentum enough for me to not prefer it to "Sikkha" despite a lot of good intensity on offer! Next is the shortest song on offer, namely the title track "Souls For Sale", which is a tighter and more direct grunge rocker with pointed vocals, a gritty & in-your-face guitar riff, and solid bass work from Harley, plus a spacey flourish in some of the instrumental sections. Nothing too shocking, but if you want a straightforward song for genre fans, this is it!

The first half of the CD ends (or the second half of the vinyl begins) with "One On The Line", which is the most punk-inflected song on the album yet, and it's another strong bass showcase for Harley while letting the guys let loose with something a little different, but Dann's vocals are more buried in the mix here, especially on the choruses (where only "I don't mind" comes through with any clarity). Musically, this feels the most like "organized chaos", so to speak, but it does end somewhat abruptly. Fun diversion but I wish Dann's singing was more consistently clear. Next is the song that Dann opted to drop from the vinyl copies of "Souls For Sale", namely "Most Of All", which is also the first of two tracks with Brad on bass. This is a medium paced rock song with more of an indie influence but still with grungy distortion. Joe's drumming is a highlight here, and Brad acquits himself well also!

While not an intense, fast grunge track aside from Dann's vocals, it works well enough and is structured well without any major gaps. Perhaps Dann didn't like it as much as other songs, hence why it was dropped from the vinyl copies, but honestly, I don't think it's the worst song here. We next get "Substitute Victim", featuring Brad in his last turn as a performer on the disc. Things get dialed up to a fast tempo with a punk influence, which all sounds good, but why are the vocals so processed here? It sounds like Dann's singing in a tunnel! We even get a bit of a guitar solo here, and Joe's drumming is really good, but the song feels so over-processed in post-production, and if you listen to the whole album, this really sticks out like a sore thumb in spite of the guys' strong musicianship. Harley returns for track #9, "The Pissing Song", which runs for an album-high 6+ minutes. 

Luckily, the processing from "Substitute Victim" does not recur here, so we get to purely hear the guys in action, though there is some layered-in background spoken word at the midpoint. The song does kind of meander in the later stretches, but the riffs and vocals are strong, and Dann lets out some solid screams here! A lot could have been edited out of this song without losing the essential bits, but early on, No Arrow fans will be right at home with the hard hitting alt-rock! Tenth up is the long awaited "Genocyde Revealing Pt. 2" (why not make it track #2 or #12?), and you can tell how this song must have been so casually performed despite having the requisite catchiness and a full-on grunge vibe that feels straight out of 1992 rather than 2009! Not a lot of vocals here, but it gets the point across and it is a fitting companion piece to the album opener that everyone performs well on!

The penultimate song on "Souls For Sale" is "Colderside Of The Sun" (yes, "Colderside" is one word here), which has more of a "stream of consciousness" vibe, including a relatively repetitive instrumental line, more droning clean vocals from Dann, and more of a jam rock vibe in the back half, including an extended guitar solo. I can see how this would have played well in a live concert, but to me, it ran too long as a studio offering and kinda lost its way despite hearing Dann let loose more on the six strings. A good song but a better jam than it is a composition, if that makes sense. The CD ends with "Cuts" (bumped to the end of side A on vinyl), and after a minute of Joe repetitively & methodically hitting a drum while his bandmates slowly joined in, the song finally kicks into gear with more of a doomy vibe that offers a late variance in sound while still fitting in with No Arrow's existing range!

Again, this is a song that Dann stops singing in for the back half, but it's less of an extended jam, so it still has more of a defined rock structure. Some heavy and deliberate riffs and a direct mood help give this album an effective ending, even if I do prefer my No Arrow to be faster and more raucous. So, what are my final thoughts on No Arrow's long-gestating album now that it's finally on sale? I'm just glad to finally see it out beyond loose/free uploads, and it delivers a fun and varied mix that fans of early 1990s grunge and alternative rock will be fully on board with! It is serendipitous that the namesake of 2010s' big local grunge band Haggith helped Dann finally get "Souls For Sale" over the finish line after 16 years, but if we're being honest, No Arrow always suited the genre more for performance style and attitude, and you can see that in spades with this album!

The songs all sound as good (if not better) than the prior free copies did, and "Sikkha" in particular shows off what Dann, Harley, and Joe could do at their full powers! Dann had strong and well suited vocals, the guitar work suited where each song was going, Harley was always a great bassist (as is Brad), and Joe's loud and rollicking drumming was underrated then and now! I did find that the opening half of the album (side A, if you were) was better then the back half, more or less. In terms of issues, I would have severely dialed back the processing on "Substitute Victim", "The Pissing Song" could have been edited down a lot (I'd have dropped either in favour of "Most Of All" on vinyl), and I would have liked more guitar solos than we got, but you can't knock the experimentation in styles (especially late), which portended the more psychedelic and progressive material that Dann and Brad did with SBD.

Kudos to Mike Haggith for helping get "Souls For Sale" on sale (natch), let alone their paths crossing for networking in those "independent DIY musician showcase" YouTube channels, and if you're a fan of grunge and 1990s alt-rock, you'll enjoy what No Arrow brought to the table a lot! Maybe SBD's "Sonic Experiments" will get a MorningStar/ElasticStage reissue next? Buy/stream everything above, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Our backlog continues next month with Sykotyk Rampage's latest album "WYRD Radio 3: The Midnight Horror Show", so look for that in February, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Theatre Of Night - "Christmas Night 3" Album Review!

It's now time for our 198th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and in a seasonal break from our recent run of reviews of backlogged new albums in chronological release order, we're looking at Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's new album "Christmas Night 3"! This way, our string of new album reviews will continue unabated, while we'll be able to look at this album in a timely fashion, as Theatre of Night's prior two Christmas albums (2011's "Christmas Night" and 2022's "Dreams Of Winter") were also reviewed here in December. If I kept it in our regular album queue, we wouldn't be able to get to it until the summer, so tis the season! No Arrow's "Souls For Sale" (released in July) will 100% be our first album review of 2026, so look for that next month. Independently released to the band's Reverbnation page on Friday, "Christmas Night 3" reunites Theatre of Night with German session vocalist and former permanent band member Gaby Koss, who resumed working with the band last year on new material.

While she had sang on one-off singles in the early-mid 2010s, Theatre of Night and Gaby released a "Celtic Christmas metal EP" exclusively to YouTube last year, and built on that for the full "Christmas Night 3" this year with five new recordings supplementing the EP's initial five songs. Compared to their prior Christmas albums, "Christmas Night 1" from 2011 was an instrumental effort, while "Dreams Of Winter" (effectively considered "Christmas Night 2") featured re-recordings of all ten songs from the previous album, plus two new cuts, as well as former lead singer Rachel Mender on vocals on seven of the songs. "Christmas Night 3" drops things back to ten songs, six of which are returnees from "Dreams Of Winter", but there are four new songs/carols here that Theatre Of Night never included on a prior paid album. Instrumentally, guitarist Steve Giles and keyboardist Craig Harrison are back as expected, though bassist credits were not given (note that Luke Bernard was their most recent live bassist for their early 2020s tours).

On the five songs carried over from last year's free Celtic EP, "What Child Is This" and "Carol Of The Bells" feature archival recordings from original drummer (and Steve's brother) Greg Giles, while current drummer Erik Sales drummed on the other three songs. One could infer that Erik that he drummed on the five new songs too, but again, credits were not given for the album proper. While you can stream "Christmas Night 3" for free on Reverbnation and YouTube, it is formally on sale via the former site for $7.99, so consider buying it to support Theatre of Night's work for the holidays! For the six songs previously heard on "Dreams Of Winter", I will offer comparisons between the 2022 and 2025 versions. 

Featuring 10 songs running for about 47 minutes, let's begin this festive review with the opening song "What Child Is This", which has led off all three Theatre of Night Christmas albums. The new version largely retains the same structure as the 2022 version, with a somewhat louder and more dramatic introduction, though the vocalist is the key difference. Gaby and Rachel have similar vocal performances here, but Gaby (who is classically trained) does hit higher operatic notes on her verses, and there is some multi-tracking here to make it sound more like a choir of vocalists. Otherwise, this remains an effective opener on par with the prior version! The first brand new Christmas song on offer is next, namely "The First Noel", which has a slow dramatic and symphonic opening before the first verse, and it maintains a serious but grand tone throughout. Gaby's sharper and more pointed tone of voice is very clear on this track.

I got kind of an "On The Turning Away" vibe from Steve's guitar solo here, which Pink Floyd fans may appreciate! The lyrics of this carol are somewhat repetitive, but that's not the band's fault. If you like your Theatre of Night in a more serious and orchestral mode than even their normal Christmas output, you should take to this song! Another new cover is next, namely "O Come Emmanuel" (note that they omitted a second "O Come" from their titling). A spare piano intro from Craig leads into a slow and very drawn out rendition of this somewhat lesser known carol, and while the music slowly builds in stature, the song never really gets out of second gear and remains really laboured in pacing. I've heard this cover done with more life while still being approached traditionally, so while technically sound, it's not a favourite of mine here. Next up is the second returning song from prior seasonal releases, namely "Silent Night". 

This is the shortest song on "Christmas Night 3", and it retains a similar structure and pace to the 2022 version. The big difference is the vocals, and here, Gaby does dial things back to sing this one at a more reserved pace than Rachel did, which suits the delicate and melancholy vibe of this carol a little more. Otherwise, if you like traditional "Silent Night" renditions with a slight rock kick, you'll like this! The first half of the album ends with "Little Drummer Boy" (no "The" at the start), which was also heard on Theatre of Night's prior Christmas albums. Functionally, the 2022 version is almost identical instrumentally, but the big difference is that Gaby sings the "rum-pum-pum-pum" parts throughout the verses, where Rachel omitted them until the title character started playing for the baby Jesus in the song's timeline. I do find that Rachel's singing fits this song a little better, but the full lyrics being restored helps a ton.

Otherwise, it's the same song, so pick and choose what you'd rather hear! Song #6 is "God Rest Ye Merry Gents", and yes, that is how they titled it for this album (under its full name "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", it debuted in their catalogue on "Dreams Of Winter"). Again, this song is basically a verbatim re-recording of the 2022 version, but similarly to "Little Drummer Boy", Gaby actually sings the full and complete verses here, where Rachel only sang the back half of most verses, something that I never understood the point of on the last album. The restored lyrics (including more outro singing) help a lot with this song, which still fits well in a metallized setting, so this is an album highlight for me! The next two songs are the other two brand new carols for "Christmas Night 3", starting with "Let All Mortal Flesh" (no "Keep Silence" in their title), By far the longest song on offer, Gaby's vocals really drive this one along for the duration.

It's very verse heavy, but the backing instrumentation has a very ominous building quality with really strong bass. I wasn't overly familiar with this carol going in, but it's way too drawn out and serious, and it leans too heavily on the singing, so while it's not one of my favourites, I do like how the band proper add to the ambiance, and the drumming steadily improves as it motors along! That's followed by "Good King Wenceslas", which is slowed down compared to traditional renditions, but it's well performed, and I honestly prefer Gaby's lower register singing here compared to her higher full voice work on most of the other tracks. Steve gets some room to show off with some guitar shredding in the background (even if it doesn't seem all that necessary), and while not the heaviest song on offer, it comes together fairly well and suits the mood of prior songs! The penultimate song here is "Hark The Herald", again shortening its title without "Angels Sing".

Once again, this song shares largely the same structure as prior carryovers from "Dreams Of Winter", including the between-verse interpolations of "The Twelve Days Of Christmas", but the retained structure is partially to its detriment, as the drawn out outro is back. The big change is vocally, as Gaby sings more and fuller verses here, whereas on the 2022 version, Rachel didn't sing on the first verse and only partially on others. That goes a long way towards making this song sound full, and it's a big improvement to one of the more grandiose and epic sounding songs here! The album closes with "Carol Of The Bells", which is done for the first time on a Theatre of Night album here with vocals, and even the 2022 version didn't have Rachel singing. As fans of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra know from "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24", this song bodes very well in a metal context, and the two versions only share minor differences from each other.

Obviously, the inclusion of vocals makes this one stand out a lot, and she really exercises her vocal range here, starting with upper register falsetto that gradually steps down and down later in the track. The sweet spot was in the middle, as the opening vocals were somewhat shrill and the latter ones sounded forced to get low like that, but it does show Gaby's abilities nicely! To me, the repetitive style of singing for "Carol Of The Bells" undercuts the heaviness of the guitar too much, but it's an effective capper to the album! So, three Christmas albums into their run, how does "Christmas Night 3" stack up? Really, it's not even a full sequel because it only has four brand new songs, and the only major change on the other six is Gaby on vocals, Whether you prefer Rachel or Gaby is subjective, but I appreciate Gaby's range and vocal control, while Rachel's full voice singing was a little deeper and softer edged, so both have their plusses.

Honestly, the big plus of Gaby's vocals here is that she/the band weren't pulling the "only sing half of the verses" thing like on "Dreams Of Winter", which made too many songs on that album sound incomplete. Musically, everyone performed soundly and with purpose to create classical metal magic, and while nothing major was changed for the six returning songs, the production values suited the grandiosity. Craig, Steve, and crew know what they're doing, even if we've been served most of this Christmas dinner before. I would have been curious to hear Gaby's takes on the three "Dreams Of Winter" songs with vocals that weren't carried over here (namely "Away In A Manger", "O Come All Ye Faithful", and "O Holy Night"), I did find some of the multi-tracked vocals to be a little roughly layered, "Carol Of The Bells" works better as an instrumental, and there is still a problem with some songs in terms of drawn out structures and lengthy outros.

Still, as a festive companion piece to their prior albums and a much belated end result of Theatre of Night's decade+ studio work with Gaby, this is a quality album for some heavier symphonic Christmas music, so buy/stream it above! I hope you guys liked our last monthly CD review of 2025, and we resume our new album release queue in release order next month when we look at defunct Sault Ontario grunge trio No Arrow's posthumous studio album "Souls For Sale"! Watch for that in January 2026 (hopefully early given the unexpected postponement of that review), and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone, and Merry Christmas!