Our Recap Of The Last(?) Episode Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!!

Today on the SMS, let's finally cover the final(?) episode of the Metal Morpheus radio show on local internet radio station The Borderline! As you may know, Metal Morpheus ran for an hour (give or take) on Sunday nights at 9:00 PM from July-December of last year, with host/local metal singer Josh Amendola typically featuring a genre or national scene each week, with at least one metal act with local membership per episode. However, following a heavily revised version of October's all-local episode on December 5th, the series fell into reruns for a month, and no new episodes have been posted on the station website since re-airing the power metal episode on January 9th. I don't know what happened to Metal Morpheus, especially given that Josh was very early into a planned series of alphabetical spotlights of the scenes in various countries, and he was improving as an on-air personality as time went on, so hopefully he isn't 100% done!

The possibility exists that Metal Morpheus is just on an indefinite hiatus, and hopefully we see Josh pick things back up for the series in some form when the time is right! If not, ending with the Soo Metal episode is a good way to go out, even if it was severely altered from what originally aired! I never recapped the October version on the site due to only catching up to it in the timeline after it was taken down. Alas, I do apologize for that, but how would I have known that it'd be deleted and overhauled? Just as a disclaimer, Josh does reference both the SMS and myself in this episode, and while he did ask me for suggestions of local bands to play on air last year and for input on how episodes turned out, I never knew he was going to make an all-local episode. I was as surprised as everyone else! As of this writing, I have never been on The Borderline in any on-air or behind-the-scenes capacity.

As for the revised Soo Metal episode, it runs for just over an hour, and it starts with Josh playing defunct local alternative rock band (and Papa Fogals Chair predecessors) Sulfur's song "Our Glass Universe" (0:05) from their 1997 CD "How Empty I Am". Next, we get a song by old school local hardcore punk band The Big Kahunas with their original studio recording "The Fighting Princess Club" (3:55), before abruptly switching gears to inactive Vancouver grunge trio Denderah with their song "Sweetness" (5:50). I've never heard of Denderah, but their frontman Kwin Cymons is a Saultite, so his band's material clearly found its way to The Borderline's rotation before passing my radar! They're a solid group, give their album a listen at their Bandcamp page! A rare Sault Michigan act hits the episode next via inactive progressive metal project Life's Eclipse's song "Not Dead But Dreaming" (9:05).

Fondly remembered local hardcore punk band Fistmagnet's cover of "Live To Die" (17:15) is next, followed by local/London instrumental prog metal band Hiroshima Mutant Mindframe's song "All Roams Lead To Roads" (20:10) from their self-titled album. Prominent and dearly missed local hard rock quartet Garden of Bedlam follow with the title track from their full length album "Everything Will Die" (23:15), while the second half of the episode begins with death metal quartet The Bear Hunters' song "Transcend Judgement" (28:20) from 2020's "The Dead Testament", conveniently followed by ex-guitarist Josh Stephney's old hardcore band Bring The Fallen with the title track of their posthumous EP "Stand Before" (34:40). This episode's only live cut is next, courtesy of defunct local metal band Sativa Rose with their lengthy original song "Bellows of the Beast" (39:10).

Juno Award winning local/Toronto blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres come next with their dark ballad "Finality" (48:10) from their final studio album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", before heading back to Sault Michigan for defunct local epic death metal band Integrated System of Machines' song "Road To Valhalla" (52:10) from their 2008 album "Apocalyptic Visions". The episode ends with one more song by Denderah, namely "Natal Lies" (57:35), and no, neither this episode nor the last 100% new one from the previous week left any hints that the series was ending or taking a break. While Josh did leave some gaps regarding band members' full names or back stories (especially with Life's Eclipse given how we've covered them and Werehold Records over the years), this was an entertaining episode and showed how Josh was trying to expand the range of local artists!

Definitely give this and other episodes of Metal Morpheus a listen at the above links, as it is (was?) a good series and helped fill the metal void on The Borderline's scheduled rotation, and if Josh doesn't return to record new episodes, hopefully we hear more from him in some form, let alone more metal, hard rock, or punk-centric programming on the station! That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Our Recap Of Episode #12 Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!!

After a bit too long of a delay, let's try and get caught up on some more recent episodes of Metal Morpheus, the weekly metal-centric series on local internet radio station The Borderline! After the punk installment last month, host Josh Amendola took a break from subgenre-centric episodes for a few weeks, but he returned to metal as a result, starting with episode #12 on Sunday, September 19th where he looked at (mostly) solo guitarists known for shredding. In other words, expect lots of technical and complex guitar skill here, especially as the usual theme song was severely abbreviated, and the episode proper runs for over 70 minutes! After outlining what shred guitar is all about, Josh first sets up pioneering rock guitarist Jeff Beck's 1975 song "Scatterbrain" (0:05), before truly getting into shredders with a look at Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force's "Marching Out" (7:15), which is not on Spotify, but I think it was slightly abbreviated on The Borderline.

Next, Josh looks at Joe Satriani via his classic instrumental "The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing" (11:40), followed by one of his proteges, Steve Vai with his song "Natural Born Boy" (17:40), and then with Tony MacAlpine's "Edge of Insanity" (22:10). Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman follows with his song "Dragon Mistress" (26:50) though Josh did stumble his words a bit in setting up this track. Of course, you have to follow Marty with his Cacophony bandmate, the highly inspirational Jason Becker, with his song "Eleven Blue Egyptians" (32:25), which Marty guests on. The second half of the episode begins with one of Josh's favourite virtuosos, namely the late jazz fusion guitarist Shawn Lane, via his 1992 song "Illusions", which is not on Spotify (39:05). Josh speaks over the intro of this song, and is barely audible as a result, which has occurred in some prior episodes.

Staying in a jazz fusion vein, Josh next plays late British guitar legend Allan Holdsworth's song "Above & Below" (45:50), followed by the prolific & eccentric Buckethead's ambient rock song "Beyond The Knowing" (51:45), which is also not on Spotify. We steer back into metal territory next with Rob Zombie/ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5's solo song "Damaged" (56:45), before finally hitting this week's local musician at the latest point they've ever been introduced in a Metal Morpheus episode. On this week, Josh shone a spotlight on prolific local musician Tym Morrison via his instrumental song "Souls of Serenity" (1:00:20), which you can find on his 2006 "Solo Project" CD. This extended episode ends with it's only band (second if you count Yngwie's Rising Force), namely the instrumental progressive metal supergroup Blotted Science (1:05:45) with their more recent song "A Sting Operation IV: Omitting Eyes".

Entertaining episode once again, and I like how Josh gave every musician here some sort of biographical segment, possibly aided by all but one or two of the songs being from solo acts. You can tell that he was a genuine fan of many of these shred guitarists already, especially when he touched on jazz fusion late, but if he has to introduce certain songs over-top of their beginnings, I wish he'd fix the audio levels so we could hear him easier. Josh has settled into a good groove though, so click here or above to hear this and more episodes of Metal Morpheus, stay tuned for our recaps of episodes #13 and beyond soon, and listen to episode #16 live tonight on The Borderline at 9:00 PM, or on-demand after the fact! That's all for today, but stay tuned for our previews of two big concerts on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Recaps Of Episodes #5 & 6 Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!!

Happy Labour Day, everyone! Let's take a deep dive into two recent episodes of Metal Morpheus, the weekly metal-centric series on local internet radio station The Borderline, starting with episode #5 from August 1st, which is all about the New Wave of British Heavy Metal! Running for just under an hour, the episode begins with host Josh Amendola explaining how the genre/movement came into being in the late 1970s, before introducing Motorhead, giving lots of historical context for their early years and formation. Their played song is "Stone Dead Forever" (0:45), but not the studio copy, rather the bonus live recording from a later re-issue of "Bomber". Next up, Josh showcases the legendary Iron Maiden via their Di'Anno-era classic "Phantom of the Opera" (10:05), before moving on to Saxon, from whom he plays their song "747 (Strangers In The Night)" (17:55), and Savage, who barely get an intro for their song "Ain't No Fit Place" (23:00).

The first half of the episode closes with the more obscure but theatrical band Cloven Hoof, courtesy of their eponymous song (28:40). Josh next spotlights Tygers of Pan Tang via their classic song "Insanity" (36:20), before looking at another contemporary band with a self-titled song to play on air, namely Angel Witch (43:00). We get into more extreme territory next via black metal pioneers Venom, who get a little more talking up than some preceding bands, with their song played here being "Don't Burn The Witch" (46:35). The last British band on offer is Satan (yes, that was their name), and after discussing the band & the misconceptions about witches over their intro track "Into The Fire", Josh plays their song "Trial By Fire" (51:15). The episode closes with it's weekly local band, and they are.... Destroilet? Josh plays their song "Bamberg Witch Prison" (56:35) from 2015's "Fed Up!" split.

Josh links Destroilet (a hardcore punk band) into NWOBHM based on their "quick sound", but to me, that's a bit of a stretch, as fun and intense as they are. Granted, local bands that are purely inspired by/sound like NWOBHM acts aren't plentiful (unless you want to dip into hair metal-influenced bands like Late & Loud or Amethyst), but if they have to be an act with a studio album, maybe something from Tym Morrison's "Solo Project" CD? If you expanded out to bands with just live videos, Project 421 and/or their successors Re:Born would be ideal. Still a solid throwback episode with Josh's on-air personality and energy always increasing, and though the context on some bands was lacking, this gave a good spotlight on lesser known acts!

While we're here, let's also look at episode #6 of Metal Morpheus from August 8th, where Josh spotlighted death metal! A little longer than the previous week, he begins by playing "Jewel Throne" by pioneering extreme metal legends Celtic Frost (00:45), before playing Possessed's song "The Exorcist"  (5:55), inspired by the movie of the same name. Next, Josh looks at the legendary Death, with their on-air track being "Scream Bloody Gore" (11:10), with some good context about what the late Chuck Schuldiner had to do to get the band off the ground. Three more Florida-based bands are next, including Atheist, from whom we hear "Mother Man" (17:00), and just for casual listeners, note that Atheist are largely not on Spotify. They are followed by Morbid Angel, via their song "Immortal Rites" (22:15), with the first half closing via Deicide and their song "Carnage In The Temple Of The Damned" (26:55).

Josh next introduces the highest selling death metal band of all time, Cannibal Corpse, from whom he plays their classic song "Hammer Smashed Face" (31:05). Afterwards, we get Obituary's fittingly named "Slowly We Rot" (35:30), followed by Cynic' jazz fusion-influenced song "Textures" (40:15). This episode's local content follows next, courtesy of dormant local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, whose song played on-air is the title track of their sophomore album from last year, "The Dead Testament" (44:45). We do get some information on the band & album afterwards, but it is odd that Josh only credits the guys by their first names. The episode closes with two of Josh's favourite death metal bands, including Autopsy playing "Severed Survival" (52:05) and Suffocation playing "Effigy of the Forgotten" (56:30). Another solid episode, helped by Josh's love of death metal being plainly obvious!

While Josh didn't wax poetic as much as he did for Motorhead in episode #5, you get a sense that Josh really liked all the bands he was talking about this time, and again, his jumps in emotion and intensity when hyping up bands/songs is always welcomed! Click here & here or visit the above links to hear both of these episodes, and as of this writing, Metal Morpheus is ten episodes strong, with episode #11 scheduled to air live on The Borderline this Sunday at 9:00 PM before being posted for on demand listening. I hope to recap episode #7 on the site shortly, but check out back episodes of Metal Morpheus above, and stay tuned for a new news post soon! Thanks everyone!

Our Recap Of The First Episode Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!!

Today's post is devoted to our long overdue recaps of the premiere episodes of Metal Morpheus, the new metal-centric radio show on local internet station The Borderline, which premiered on Sunday, July 4th and airs live on Sundays at 9:00 PM. Unlike some other on-demand episodes on the station's website, episode playlists aren't posted on their respective pages, so what can you expect going in? Starting with episode #1 (which runs for 62 minutes), it leads off with an introductory theme song that honestly sounds too busy, before former Winkstinger/Twistory frontman Josh Amendola (curiously credited just under his last name) introduces us to the show proper, which is themed around the beginning of heavy metal in both local and global senses. Fittingly, the first song played is Black Sabbath's eponymous song from 1970, and Josh does explain the back story of how that song was written. It's a long song, so the next segment doesn't begin until around the 9 minute mark, in case you want to skip ahead.

Josh next sets up Led Zeppelin in a very similar fashion, outlining the band & their song "Whole Lotta Love", before introducing a segment on Deep Purple at around 16:30, with the played song being an abbreviated version of their 1970 epic "Child In Time". By about 21:30, Josh transitions to a segment on Deep Purple guitarist Richie Blackmore's later band Rainbow, whose played song is "Man On The Silver Mountain". Ending the first half of the episode is a bit on Motorhead at about the 28 minute mark, from which their slower but still heavy classic "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch" is played. The second half moves into local territory, with Josh picking up here at 33 minutes or so by discussing local black/doom metal band Woods of Ypres, from which he plays "The Will To Give" from 2004's "Pursuit Of The Sun & Allure Of The Earth". Note that at 41:24, the on-demand stream glitches out.

At this point, it abruptly jumps from Josh outlining his appreciation for the riffs in that song to the middle of him appearing to credit members of Woods of Ypres' 2008-2009 lineup (back when they had members of Gates of Winter in their lineup). Speaking of which, that very band is brought up next, with Josh playing "Omega", the closing number from the long lamented progressive/death metal quintet's 2008 CD "Lux Aeterna". At about 47:30, Metal Morpheus heads back across the pond for a segment on Judas Priest, from which Amendola plays both "Dreamer Deciever" and "Deciever" (one flows right into the other, after all.) The episode's final segment hits at about 56:45 when Josh gives some closing remarks and comes full circle by playing one more Black Sabbath song, "Wicked World". Interestingly, he records a station promo at the very end and gives some biographical information, name dropping some of his bands (I never knew he was in Pillory once!)

Having now checked out episode #1, what are my thoughts on Metal Morpheus' premiere? Not bad at all, and Josh was especially good at giving each band a capsule spotlight to explain some of their backstory, songwriting, and why they made an impact! A few names could be mispronounced, but this is the premiere, and I don't know that Josh has done something like this before. Honestly, he came across very approachable and friendly in the episode, and you get the sense that he'd love to talk about metal music with others (could musician interviews happen down the line?) I would have kept Judas Priest in a chronological order with the prior pioneering bands, while perhaps elaborating on the local side of things beyond just Gates & Woods, but again, this was the first episode. Two more hour-long episodes premiered on the 11th and 18th (about doom metal and grindcore respectively). 

I will absolutely recap those episodes in future posts on the SMS (one/both could drop as soon as this weekend), and yes, both do spotlight at least one local band each, as teased in the photos on both episodes' pages. As far as I know, the fourth episode of Metal Morpheus will premiere on The Borderline this Sunday at 9:00 PM, so give it a listen to see what genre or topics are getting the spotlight! That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Kraken Mara EP Updates, A New Local Metal Radio Show, And New Videos!!

Before we get into the meat of this post, today marks the 14th anniversary of The Sault Metal Scene's launch on July 4th, 2007, and I wanted to thank the vast, vast majority of you for your support and kind words over the years! I just wish that we weren't in a pandemic during the anniversary for a second straight year, so I won't get too self indulgent, but hopefully I can time it with a proper concert to mark year #15 in 2022! Today's sixth post in as many days (amazingly) has new videos, the impending launch of a new local internet radio show, and leading off, some new album releases (maybe?), so here's what you should know!

 

Local progressive metal duo Kraken Mara may have quietly released their debut EP "Press Start" for sale.... AND a second EP.... and I mean, quietly! The band has not publically announced anything regarding a release on their Facebook or Instagram pages (they haven't even posted on either since April), but at some point in the past month, Kraken Mara posted "Press Start" and a 3 song follow-up EP named "Game Over" on their website on Wix. Both appear to be on sale for $15 each, but when I attempted to click through to see what Wix's online storefront process is like (I have never heard of a heavier local band only putting out an album this way), neither allowed you to proceed past entering an e-mail address to get the files sent, so I am thinking that they haven't completely finalized the release. In any event, this confirms that both "Press Start" and "Game Over" are complete and fully streamable there, both remain instrumental releases, and like "Press Start", the second EP features session drummer Cliff Aubut.

"Game Over" features the song "Moon's Haunted" (a prior removal from "Press Start") and new tracks named "Escort Mission" & "Antipath", mostly shorter than what made the cut on the main EP. Even if their sale postings worked, I probably wouldn't be reviewing "Press Start" on the SMS until next month (Molten Imp are waiting in the wings already), but if you want to hear all eight songs for free until/unless you can properly buy them, click here or above, and we'll keep you posted when we hear more!

Next up, do you recall the occasional teaser from musician interviews on local internet radio station The Borderline where a guest was suggested/teased as the host of an upcoming metal-centric program? Well, one is finally debuting tonight! This has not been announced on the station's website at press time, but former Winkstinger/Twistory frontman Josh Amendola tells me that he will be hosting a metal-centric series named Metal Morpheus that debuts tonight at 9:00 PM! Naturally, the first episode will go through the roots of metal in the 1960s and 1970s, but Josh did say that local bands will be in the eventual playlist. If you can't tune in live, one imagines that episode #1 will be available for on-demand streaming after the fact, once Metal Morpheus appears on The Borderline's website. For obvious reasons, it's great that The Borderline finally has a metal show!

Adding some musical diversity beyond the occasional interview or one-off interview is very welcomed, and it's nice that it's slotted earlier than you may expect for a metal radio show on an otherwise non-metal station! There are unknowns yet, but tune in to Metal Morpheus tonight at 9:00 PM to hear how Josh does in episode #1, and I apologize again for the delay in mentioning this on the SMS! He originally caught me in a busy stretch what with all of the new concert announcements in the area, no hard feelings whatsoever!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with a new cover of Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" from ex-Garden of Bedlam frontman Erik "Buzz" Boissineau's YouTube channel on Friday! His first upload there in three months, this vocal/acoustic guitar rendition lets you hear a higher and softer aspect of Buzz's range that isn't as apparent from his proper bands, and while I prefer later, more progressive Radiohead songs, this is well done across the board! Give Buzz's newest cover a watch below!

Finally, here's a new instrumental jam video from veteran local hard rock guitarist Mike Cliffe's YouTube channel on June 23rd! An progressive rock playthrough alongside pre-recorded drums by Washington-based drummer Bill Ray, Mike suggested in the description that this isn't finished and may have had a timing slip-up, but it sounds fine so far! Smooth and melodic, well handled by a prolific musician who knows complex prog rock very well, and it's nice to see more new content from Mike's YouTube channel, so give this video a watch below, and hopefully we hear more from Mike soon!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site later this week! Thanks everyone, and to all of our American readers, have a happy Fourth of July!

Diamond Head Concert Preview, Winkstinger's New Frontman, And Much More!!

The fall months are upon us, so for our first post of September 2017, we're tackling a big concert preview for tomorrow to round our our Labour Day weekend previews, but also, there's some assorted recent updates, some new concert videos, and a big lineup change to take note of as well. Now, here's what you should know!

TOMORROW NIGHT will see one of the most influential metal bands to ever play in Sault Ste. Marie, as legendary British metal quintet Diamond Head will make their first ever local appearance with a headlining set at The Rockstar Bar! One of the linchpins of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Diamond Head will be ultra familiar to many metalheads for their influence on newer acts like Metallica (who have covered a number of their songs), so it'll be a thrill to see them on a local stage tomorrow! Only two local opening bands are slated to play tomorrow night, including local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades in their first date since last month's Ontario tour run, while classic metal quartet Project 421 will play an exceedingly fitting set to kick things off! I wouldn't expect to see them cover "Am I Evil?" tomorrow with Brian Tatler and company likely to play it themselves, but this is a huge platform for 421 as they continue their resurgence, so don't miss them either! Prior indications of a third local band have since been removed from the Facebook event page.

Promoted by Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, advance tickets are likely still available for $22.50 at Case's Music, The Rad Zone, The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, online at this link, and potentially through opening band members, and while a price hike at the door isn't indicated, have extra cash on hand just in case you chance it. This is a 19+ show, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. This is a can't miss show for classic metal fans, so if you can help it, get down to The Rockstar Bar tomorrow for what promises to be a great night of NWOBHM action over the Labour Day weekend! For a preview, here's Diamond Head live earlier this year!

Next up, here's a big lineup change, as reunited local extreme metal quartet Winkstinger have added Twistory frontman Josh Amendola as their new singer, replacing Keith Gagnon. Though not yet announced on the band's sporadically updated Facebook page, Josh debuted with Winkstinger at The New American Pub last week, and later confirmed his addition to their lineup on his solo Facebook page on Tuesday. A reason for Keith's departure has not been publically announced, though whether his band status factored into their year+ long hiatus is up for debate. Best of luck to Keith in his recent solo work though, he's a talented musician in multiple roles! Josh's debut with Winkstinger wasn't without it's hang-ups, as last week's concert saw the late drop-out of Saskatchewan grindcore band Dour after miscommunication with promoters, though the local bands played on, and hopefully Dour try to play here again here during a future tour!

No word yet on how Josh sounds with Winkstinger, or if he's bringing back rhythm guitar to their live repertoire, but it'll be interesting to hear Winkstinger material with a harsher death metal vocalist compared to Alan and Keith's higher screaming work. Stay tuned for more on Winkstinger's new lineup when it rolls in, and don't miss their next live appearance at the Oh!No 2017 Music Festival in Leeburn next week!

Also today, here's our first known video footage from this year's Rudyard Musicians Festival, courtesy of Sault Michigan alt-metal quartet The Karstens' set two weeks ago! Posted to their YouTube channel on Sunday, three videos were uploaded of the online page-less band's set at Rudyard Township Park, including a cover of The Stooges' "Down on the Street" and, as embedded below,  The Deli Creeps' "Binge & Grab". The Karstens deliver some solid performances in these videos, tackling bands you don't often hear in this area, and while dark, I like how the lighting adds to the mood of the songs! Note that the Stooges cover isn't filmed from a stationary angle, so while that video gets a closer look at the band, it's also a shakier view at the same time. The other video from the show is a 30 second clip of their rendition of The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", uploaded to show vocal disparity between monitor and P.A. vocals that night, and it has a good chaotic sound from what we hear. Give these new Karstens videos a look above & below!



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

• Sault Ontario hard rock quintet Halfway Loaded announced on their Facebook page on Wednesday that they've changed their name to The Twin City Saints. The band cited "some thinking" and throwing around "a lot of names" as contributing factors, though this isn't their first name change, possibly debuting as "2 Far Gone". The new name, if it sticks, isn't a bad one, but will it conflict with Twin City Sound & Entertainment? Time will tell, but stay tuned for more on this newer band as it rolls in!
• Former Frightlight drummer Jeff De Rose is looking for "a bass player with punk rock abilities", presumably for a new band project he's working on. Jeff's been missed in local bands, so hopefully he finds someone, but if you or someone you know are interested in trying out on bass, message Jeff at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
• SooToday's Donna Hopper posted a promotional article onto the local news website on Sunday as coverage for next weekend's Oh!NO 2017 Music Festival in nearby Leeburn, so what's new to learn in it? Co-promoter Jamie Vincent is interviewed for the article, where he notes the festival's inspiration came from other regional music festivals in outskirt towns, plus noting how certain out of town bands signed on, as well as future goals and extra ground rules. Also, "Robbie's Church" is now a residence, but it was a church. Nicely detailed and laid out article, so visit the above links for much more on next Sunday's ambitious festival!

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

Mike Haggith's Newest Album, Pillory Lineup Updates, And New Song Uploads!!

As September slowly winds down, we have more news to get to today, so what's in store? New songs from two very different (but death metal-based) Sault Ontario projects, lineup changes from a local thrash band, and leading things off, a new local hard rock album release (and the identity of our next CD review), so read on below to get up to speed!

Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's 47th & newest solo album is now officially on sale! Yes, "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends" is now available for purchase digitally on Mike's Bandcamp & Reverbnation pages for just $5, which is nice and affordable! A physical pressing is also planned, and if you just want to buy individual songs, they're 99¢ on Reverbnation, but the full album is by far a better deal. All of this was released last Monday, along with the final album artwork that better reflects the "Neighbourhood Watch" aspect of the title (Mike's watch sure has escalated!), and as a result, Mike also deleted & re-uploaded the free YouTube copy of the album to add the new artwork. With the album now on sale, I will now confirm that "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends" will be our next CD review at The Sault Metal Scene! I chose it over it's predecessor "The Present Din" by virtue of it being heavier, but "The Present Din" remains a review possibility for next year, perhaps if "The Tower" is lighter. Support Mike's diverse alternative hard rock solo material by picking up or streaming "Neighbourhood Watch II" at the above links, and stay tuned for our review hopefully in early October!

Next up, here's the latest lineup news from Sault Ontario thrashers Pillory! First, they've added guitarist Josh Amendola (a.k.a. Jack Parsons) to their lineup, in place of the late Andres Duchesne. A formal statement hasn't been made about his addition, but he's had the Pillory logo on his personal Facebook page since May, and he's quietly been added to their Facebook lineup too. I'm not familiar with Josh as a musician, but I'm very curious to hear how he does live! On the flipside, the band have parted ways with bassist Cole Royal, and they are currently looking for a replacement. This was announced by drummer Bret Shuttleworth on their Facebook page on September 19th, and though a reason for Cole's departure hasn't been announced, he didn't play at their partial return set at Grinded Live In Your Ears last month. Disappointing that he left, especially after only a few months, but best of luck to Cole in the future! The band are hoping to find a bassist who's dedicated, interested in their music, and seriously wants to jam, so if you're interested, message the band at the above links or through members' personal Facebook pages, and stay tuned for more as it comes in!

We'll close today's post with new song uploads, starting with a metallized cover by Bear Hunters/Suicide Kings guitarist Mitch Sirie! Uploaded to his solo project The Sorrow Fields' YouTube channel on Thursday, this is a death metal cover of Billy Talent's "Devil In A Midnight Mass", which he recorded as a way to get reacquainted with recording for The Sorrow Fields' first album. Featuring Mitch on vocals & all instruments (plus programmed drums), he may re-record this due to clarity issues, but it's a definite improvement on the original to me! I've never been high on Billy Talent, so there's admittedly a bias there, but it has a punk edged brutality that works well, so give Mitch's first cover upload a listen below!



Finally for today, new local goregrind project Rotopsy (formerly Spitneck) have had two songs from their upcoming three-way split demo from Blood Shed Productions uploaded to the label's YouTube channel yesterday! Entitled "Transfusion of a Reverse Rectaloctopathy" and (as embedded below) "Let Us Rot", the descriptions finally tell us more on the project, which is indeed another band from label head Ringsnaps Gibson (on bass & programming), with new collaborator Dylan Taylor on lead vocals. If you throw The Fury & Crucify The Whore in a blender, and this would probably be what results, and though the vocals are unintelligible and almost sound like random coughs and grunts, but the music's well programmed. Give Rotopsy's newest songs a look above & below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!

LemmaFest Videos, Skeyes Of Seven's New Drummer, And This Week's Classic Video!!

Let's mix stories from both sides of the border into this post after a stretch of nationally separated posts, so here's what's in store! Today, we have this week's classic video, a new local band's new drummer, and leading things off, lots of new media from a pair of bands' recent sets at a notable local music festival! Read on below for all the news, and check out this month's Saultites in Out of Town Bands Profile on RedStone Riot in the post below this one! (Updated on Thursday at 1:37 AM)

Most of Brimley metal trio Half A Man's set from LemmaFest this past Saturday is now on YouTube to check out! Frontman Erik Rintamaki uploaded four video files featuring the audio from their festival-opening set outside of Dondee Lanes onto his YouTube channel over the last few days, which make up the first new live concert media of Half A Man since their last shows as a quartet last spring! Note that these are accompanied by photos of the band and related images, including plenty from LemmaFest (even the other bands), which will hopefully make up for the lack of video footage somewhat. The first video, which is embedded below, features their originals "Slow Rock 75", "Cripple", and "Drunk", while the second video features a cover of Prong's "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" and their originals "Don't Blame Me" and "Bad Way". The third video features Half A Man playing "Die In Disgrace" and their new songs "What If" and "Reborn", and the final video features the guys playing another new song "Clear", their Mike Lemma tribute song "Goodbye", and their original "Life Goes On", so click each of the above links to hear most of their LemmaFest set!

It's great to hear their set, and they sound really heavy here, even despite the lack of a second guitarist! If there was any stage rust, their show at The Bird on Friday probably shook it off. Video footage aside, I only really have two complaints: The crowd sounded extremely small (they were the first band though) and the recording doesn't include their set openers "Freedom Ride" & "Release Me", but the vast majority is still documented! It's awesome to get some media from any band at LemmaFest, let alone of this length, and their gritty and very heavy material should definitely get some due notice! Also in new LemmaFest videos: Infathom guitarist Sean Hayes posted two videos of the Munising metal band (well, 4/5ths of them) from their LemmaFest set onto his personal Facebook page, which are the first videos of a metal band I've seen from either year! As Facebook videos, I can't embed them here, but they're of Infathom's covers of Pantera's "Domination" and Shinedown's "The Sound of Madness", so click the above links or here to check them out. They sound very heavy and a nice change of pace, but there was some timing issues on the Pantera cover.

Solid stuff, and hopefully they play here again sooner rather than later, so check all of the above videos out, and the first recordings from Half A Man's LemmaFest set below!



Next up, new local hard rock band Skeyes of Seven have announced the addition of Cherry Crush drummer Jonny Amendola to their lineup, replacing Chris Thompson. The band confirmed his addition to their lineup on Monday on their Facebook page, and they've indicated that he will be with the band for their debut performance at the Anvil concert at The Canadian Nightclub on July 25th. Jonny is perhaps best known locally for his work with Cherry Crush (alongside his dad, veteran local bassist John Amendola), but you may also remember a well publicized campaign earlier this year to see Jonny join a metal or hard rock band locally, which eventually helped lead to a brief stint as Acention's drummer, but hopefully joining Skeyes of Seven will lead to some big things for him! Playing with members of notable bands like Sense of Truth, Half Past, and Tripod the Dog can only help, and his talent from the YouTube videos we've seen of his drum covers is clear as day, so check his work out above, and buy your Anvil tickets A.S.A.P. at The Rad Zone, Music Depot, and The Canadian's front desk for $20!

And finally for today, here's this week's classic video! This week, we're focusing on a band that's not local for a change, but seeing as they have Saultites in their lineup and are returning to town on Saturday night, it makes sense to post a new video of theirs onto YouTube, and the band in question is Toronto hardcore/punk quintet Maximum RNR! The band currently featuring former Detroit/The Labour Of... bandmates Brenton "Diamond Brent Panther" Ellis and Curtis Faux have played here twice in the past, but their first stop with any local members was on February 19th, 2011 at Foggy Notions (now Coch's Corner), in one of the last major metal shows under the Foggy's name. Featuring their 2010-2011 lineup (including ex-bassist Davey Dee, as Curtis hadn't joined yet), they melted many faces at their show here last year, and while I missed the show with a cold, I heard awesome things from it! One video from the concert has surfaced online that I can tell, which was shot by Brent's former Lion Ride bandmate Mikey Hawdon from a unique angle: Behind the band on stage, which gives an awesome view of a huge crowd, and though we don't see the band from a typical position, their fast paced hardcore sounds come through somewhat on this camera, even if the video is short!

Posted onto Facebook 5 days after this show, you can see the original video at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150114592587993. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Maximum RNR and Mikey, I'm just trying to share this video with a wider audience like it deserves! This is a nice unique video of Maximum RNR delivering their maximum rock n' roll to their Saultite fans, so check it out below, let me know the title of the song if you have it, and stay tuned for Round 3 on Saturday night at The Rockstar Bar, with our preview of that show coming tomorrow or Friday!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, more news, and our review of The Harsh Heads' album by the end of the week! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

It's time for our first all-video post of 2012, and we've got a nicely varied selection of new videos to share from YouTube with a local metal relevance today! So in this post, we have a new song from a local solo artist, another new track from a Sault Michigan area band, and some promising drumming videos from a young local talent, but first, here's some new live video footage of a notable local band, so here's what you need to know!

Another new video from Woods of Ypres' last tour run has been posted onto YouTube! This comes courtesy of the YouTube channel run by Winnipeg progressive metal band Grand Master, who uploaded this video on Thursday, and it's from the Woods of Ypres concert that they opened on May 16th in Regina, Saskatchewan. The video is split into two parts, starting with about 1:50 of a Grand Master song that night (which doesn't sound too bad), but the last 1:42 is of Woods of Ypres playing their song "Wet Leather" that night. It's decent quality, but the lens seems wrong for the angle that the filmer shot, and the vocals of both David Gold and Grand Master frontman Alec Schaefer are almost inaudible. Still, the footage isn't bad, and it's great to see it uploaded even 8 months later, so check out the newest Woods of Ypres footage (plus Grand Master) below, and if you want to skip to Woods of Ypres' portion, fast forward to 1:51 in the video!

Next up, here's the latest audio material from Eckerman, Michigan metal trio Swampghas (featuring Jason Mills of Life's Eclipse and ex-Half A Man drummer Doug Reed), who uploaded the projected first song from their planned debut album "The Raco Tower Incident" onto their label Werehold Records' YouTube channel on Thursday! Clocking in at just over 2 minutes long, the song's called "Bar Burner", and it's pretty heavy, though surprisingly repetitive given it's length. There's promise here though, and I can't wait to hear more from them and Jason's other projects (one of which recently reunited), so stay tuned for more on the heavier Werehold Records bands! For now, give "Bar Burner" a listen below, and keep an eye out for more from Swampghas as the year rolls on!

Third today, is your local metal band looking for a new drummer? Maybe Jonny Amendola is who you're looking for! If you're not familiar with him, Jonny's been doing work with the local pop rock cover band Cherry Crush in recent months, but he definitely has a metal background as well. His dad & bandmate John Amendola (also of Boogie Fever) has been spreading the word in recent days about new drum videos that have been posted of Jonny covering metal tracks, and though the first one was sadly blocked on copyright grounds, the newest one is still online! It's of his drum cover of Avenged Sevenfold's "God Hates Us", augmented by professional lighting, and it was uploaded onto Cherry Crush's YouTube channel a week ago today. Apparently, Jonny's looking to join a metal band of some type, and if this video's any indication, he'd sure be a quality addition! Very promising young drummer, he knows this song very well, and if you guys are looking for that piece of your lineup, Jonny's worth contacting! Click here for more, and check out Jonny Amendola's A7X cover below!

And finally, local hard rock solo artist Mike Cliffe posted some new solo instrumental tracks onto his YouTube channel on Friday! Both of them employ a more experimental softer take on his creative talents, and the visualizations the songs are set to indeed help the mood of them! One is a collaborative track called "Nu-Instrumental" that he recorded with Grand Rapids folk duo The Ducks, while the other new track is called "Starlight" and appears to be just Mike solo. I've embedded "Starlight" below, so give his creative experimental talents a listen, and be sure to check out his vast array of solo material A.S.A.P. for a lot of quality songs, many of which have a heavier bent!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and weekend concert previews shortly, including some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! Thanks everyone!