YouTube Channel Profile Series: AshesToDustBand's Channel

Here is this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we again look at a YouTube channel whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk artists/concerts, as randomly selected from our YouTube subscriptions! This month takes us back a decade to a promising but relatively short lived local hard rock band, so here's what you should know!

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AshesToDustBand's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/ashestodustband)

Owner: A member of 2011-2014 local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust, exact identity unclear (my best guess is guitarist Alex Hemy)

Channel Timeline: Launched on December 17th, 2011; Videos uploaded from February 2012 until June 2013

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for this then-teenage hard rock band, their channel features 9 videos from the peak of their local run, including five live performances at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School, two covers at their at-home studio/jam space, their sole released original song, and a video from the recording sessions for it.

Why You Should Watch: Fans of Ashes To Dust will get the biggest repository of media from their run by checking their channel out, and while they weren't too established locally outside of school events, they had promise and developing talent that I would have liked to have seen further into the mid-2010s had they stuck together! Be advised that this channel has seen a handful of videos made private for unannounced reasons, including a blooper reel and a cover of System of a Down's "Aerials" at the second annual Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall in 2012 (their only non-Superior Heights concert).

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Stone Sour - Though Glass (Cover): This May 2012 cover is unique in that it was recorded/filmed in two stages, with singer Noah Morden and guitarist Alex Hemy recording the acoustic intro/opening verse of "Through Glass" at home, before switching to a performance at Superior Heights featuring bassist Kyle Breckenridge and future Pointless/Peach Thieves drummer David Peredun at the 1:49 mark, matching the original's structure. The transition is not seamless and there's no attempt made to blend/fade the two files, so part of me does wish that one/both versions of the cover were uploaded in their raw/full form, but the cover is well done! Noah's range was not up to Corey Taylor's higher notes, but he carries a tune well, and the youthful promise of Ashes To Dust was clear! Their cover of The Refreshments' "Banditos" on this channel was done at the same set

Ashes to Dust - Forgotten Lives: As preceded by this teaser video of the guys recording the song in studio from a week prior, Ashes To Dust released their only original song "Forgotten Lives" on June 8th, 2013. Now featuring Liam Yeomans as a second guitarist, and featuring Noah on bass following Kyle's departure in late 2012, this is a fairly straightforward hard rocker with surprisingly serious lyrics about a soldier going to serve in war and the cost of his ultimate sacrifice. This has some of Noah's best vocals on their channel, and it gives us a glimpse at Alex's lead guitar talents, plus some good backing rhythms. It's a shame that this was Ashes To Dust's only studio effort, as I'd argue that they had more potential with originals!

[LIVE] 10 Years - Wasteland (Cover): Ashes To Dust's most popular video is this 10 Years cover filmed at Superior Heights and also posted in June 2013, alongside a performance of "Forgotten Lives" from this same set. Both contain their only public concert videos with Liam on guitar, though Noah does not double up on bass on either song. Their final and most popular video, the "Wasteland" cover is well handled, and while Noah doesn't sing the exact lyrics, you can see his vocal progression over the preceding year, if still not hitting every higher note. It's a shame that Ashes To Dust didn't do more publically after June 2013 (aside from dropping out of two Swampstravaganzas), but hopefully everyone's still active!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on or around Boxing Day for another randomly selected channel getting profiled, and to end 2023, we're looking at prolific local folk punk/extreme metal solo musician Chase James Wigmore's current official channel! Yes, we looked at a separate channel of his in September, but this one is more active for upload count and recent usage. Look for that next month, and stay tuned for this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

Another Episode Recap Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!

For today's post, let's continue to play catch-up with the remaining un-recapped episodes of Metal Morpheus on local internet radio station The Borderline! As you may recall, the series has been put on hold for publically unannounced reasons since last month, and said break continued into the new year, as both of the January episodes so far turned out to be re-airings from last year, while the January 16th episode either didn't take place or did not have an episode page put up. The fact that reruns aired at all was at least a sign that host Josh Amendola will be back with more new episodes, but the lack of even a rerun this past Sunday may be concerning. We'll keep you posted, but note that if Metal Morpheus airs live on The Borderline this weekend, it'd be on Sunday night at 9:00 PM. The two last (so far?) episodes include the heavily revised Soo Metal one on December 5th, which we will look at soon.

As for November 28th's episode, it featured the next installment of Josh's planned series looking at bands from countries around the world in alphabetical order, albeit skipping six countries after Algeria to instead shine a spotlight on Austria. This takes us to Central Europe and into more hospitable territory for a thriving metal scene, given how Josh didn't have to devote nearly half the episode to local bands! The slightly longer 71 minute episode starts with Josh acknowledging that he skipped countries intentionally due to "crazy shit going on" (his words) in Austria, but he promised to cycle back to bands he passed in the As, specifically name-dropping Argentina and Australia, though obviously, neither has followed yet. After giving some information on Austria (ignore the mispronunciation of some of the composers' names), Josh starts by looking at death metal trio Pungent Stench.

He gives them lots of back story before playing two songs of theirs, namely "Extreme Deformity" (2:25) and "Games of Humilation" (8:25). Next, Josh plays power metal quartet Stygma IV's song "Earth Children" (14:05), which is not on Spotify, before playing melodic death metal band The Sorrow's track "Heart Of A Lion" (20:45). The first half of the episode ends with power metal quintet Edenbridge (a rare example of a female fronted band on Metal Morpheus), whose song played on air is the 10+ minutes long "The Grand Design" (25:35). Two songs follow from the symphonic death metal band Hollenthon, who share a singer with Pungent Stench, and these songs include "The Calm Before The Storm" (36:20) and "Woe To The Defeated" (42:25). Afterwards, Josh plays death metal band Disharmonic Orchestra's grindcore era track "Disharmonisation" (48:40).

The Austrian journey ends with two more bands, including black/death metal veterans Belphegor (the band in this episode I was most familiar with) playing "Blutsabbath" (54:25), and lastly, prog/power metal quartet Serenity's song "For Freedom's Sake" (1:01:55). Before the episode proper ended, Josh played that week's requisite local band, though only partially, as he played a song by Down In Ashes, the Ottawa-based hard rock band featuring Sault native Steve Brogno (ex-Driving Dave Home and Turner Up) on drums. Oddly, Josh did not mention Steve by name, let alone that they're not technically a local band, but their song played on air was "Veins" (1:07:30), the title track of Down In Ashes' 2012 EP. They're a solid group for fans of modern hard rock, and it's a shame Steve's never brought them to home for a gig that I know of, but at least his other Ottawa band The Red Rails have been here!

Despite a few missed details in band bios, this was an entertaining episode of Metal Morpheus, helped by having a national metal scene that is more plentiful with less need to fill time or run the supply dry! With the series' return still in limbo, it remains to be seen if Josh will return to alphabetical order as promised, but Andorra, Angola, and Antigua & Barbuda would technically be next if he does (given their small national scenes, I'd bundle them together if I was him). The final new episode (of 2021?) will be spotlighted on the SMS next week, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site either tomorrow or on Friday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Body Lens), West Of Hell Concert Preview, And Much More!!

(Review note: Links on this post exclusively go to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Blogger links except one, which was changed to an Amazon link as a precaution. If that wasn't it, I fear that this may have been a false positive, as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Blogger are all active sites that I use frequently on this blog, and I do not intentionally post malware links in my posts. If I missed something, I'll be happy to address it according to Community Guidelines if someone tells me what the offending link(s) is/are.)

Here's a new news post to check out on this Tuesday evening, and it includes a new concert video of sorts, a new compilation album release, and a preview of a special Wednesday night metal concert, but let's lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month at an unexpected locale!

Lethbridge, Alberta post-punk/art rock quintet Body Lens will make their local concert debut on Wednesday, May 8th when they play at local concert promotion agency Dryer Fire's new summer pop-up venue at 128 Bruce Street! A throwback in ways to Gnaeus with their indie-tinged post punk sound, Body Lens' sound isn't too aggressive, but it has enough punk attitude to go around while also harbouring some darker goth influences, and they should be a good fit for a Dryer Fire-hosted event! A new local "dungeon synth" project named Hot Goblin will open this concert, who I know nothing on, hopefully we can fill in some blanks at some point. In lieu of the former Gore Street Cafe and the soon-to-be moved M.S. Norgoma, Dryer Fire owner Nicole Dyble will open her own temporary venue near The Farmhouse Collective on Saturday, May 4th, and there are more concerts coming there over the summer season, while vendors like Oosik Records will be on hand for events.

I like the idea of the temporary summer space for Dryer Fire events, and while they only infrequently book punk and hard rock concerts, this should be an interesting run to see if this leads to a longer stay and/or permanent location elsewhere! Click here for details on the grand opening. As for May 8th's Body Lens show, it has a $10 cover and a 7:00 PM start time, and it is an ALL AGES event (no word on what "notaflof" means though.) Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details!

Next up, here's our preview of a special mid-week metal concert TOMORROW NIGHT, as Vancouver death metal quintet West of Hell will return to the Soo when they headline at The New American Pub! This will be West of Hell's third concert appearance in Sault Ste. Marie, and their first in over 5 years, so their brutal and melodic originals have been a long time coming for their fans, and they should be ready to melt lots of faces at The New A tomorrow! Fellow Vancouver metal quintet Expain will bring their own thrash-laden brand of original music to the stage in their own local debut as the direct openers, and extreme metal fans should take to them nicely in the lead-up! A diverse local opening roster will include the apparent live debut of Blood Shed Productions cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm, who were previously known for their studio demo output. I'm very surprised they're playing rather than C.T.W., but this should be an interesting set!

Despite event advertising saying that this show has "1,000% Metal", the opening act is local rapper Conika, who's no stranger to being a musical outlier on an otherwise rap-free concert. She's a skilled MC and should set the tone well tomorrow! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. in their first concert booking of 2019, tomorrow's concert has a 19+ age limit, $5 cover charge, and 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on this extreme metal Wednesday night blast, and here's West of Hell live!



Also today, we have a new compilation album release to take note of from a prominent artist, namely local/Thompson, Manitoba solo musician Mike Haggith, though in this case, it's the soundtrack to the film he contributed to! As you'll recall, songs from Mike and his old local band The Din comprised the official soundtrack to the Windsor-shot independent film Ashes of K, with Mike's involvement announced in 2017, preceding it's premiere last year, but the soundtrack was only released through Mike's Bandcamp page yesterday. The 11 song soundtrack features all of the tracks from his 2015 solo album "The Warinside" except "The Snake", "Candy Is A Hooker's Name", and "Of Cars & Criminals", plus 4 songs from The Din's 2016 debut CD "Give In To The Din" This does include both the solo and Din versions of "A Drive Through The Peninsula", as both are in the movie. The Ashes of K soundtrack is available at the above links on a "name your price" model.

As this is a compilation, it does not jump Mike's unreviewed & future studio albums in line for CD review consideration on the SMS, but if you really want to see our thoughts on the 11 songs, check out our reviews of "The Warinside" & "Give In To The Din", both written shortly their initial releases. It's great to see the soundtrack finally on sale/to stream, but might Ashes of K get a local screening at some point? See above for much more, and stay tuned for updates on his new album "Bridges"!

Finally for today, let's close up our coverage of Soundcheck drummer Glen Thomas' new live videos from his YouTube channel, as the last of the 11 recent uploads is the 15 minute compilation of live clips that he has (mostly) posted to YouTube already. As such, you get a lot of bang for your buck here, but if you prefer full videos, visit Glen's channel. The compilation begins with Soundcheck and then-drummer Scott McLurg at the Wawa drag races last August, with the 2nd-5th songs from their regular cover medley, including Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time", and Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer", albeit cut off. The compilation continues elsewhere with concerts featuring Glen behind the kit, including covers of Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" at The Esquire Club, Kenny Loggins' "Footloose", Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", and John Mellencamp's "Wild Night" at Toystock, and Keith Urban's "Somebody To Love" at Reggie's West.

The big scoop here is a previously unseen clip of Soundcheck covering Def Leppard's "Hysteria" (with Travis on lead vocals) at The Esquire Club, courtesy of a vertical cell phone camera angle at a crooked angle. Visuals aside, the cover is well done and melodic, if a little slow, and it's worth a special look! The video closes with their previously seen cover of Greta Van Fleet's "Highway Tune" at the Reggievelt. There's a lot to take in here, so if you want a sampling of Soundcheck at the top of their game, give this video a look below, and see most covers in full on Glen's channel!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and last month's poll results soon! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Ashes To Dust

It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, our monthly feature that spotlights one or two randomly selected defunct/inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk bands, in order to outline their run, successes, media, and current whereabouts! This month's choice should be very familiar to many Steelhawks out there, so read on below for what you should know, and check out more new concerts and videos this morning's post below!
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Ashes To Dust

Genre: Hard Rock/Punk

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics)

Noah Morden (vocals/bass)
Alex Hemy (guitar)
Liam Yeomans (guitar)
David Peredun (drums)
Kyle Breckenridge (bass)

Audio/Video: A couple dozen videos (generally with their original lineup of Noah, Alex, Kyle, and David) can be seen on Ashes To Dust's YouTube channel, mostly culled from sets at their alma mater of Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School in the early 2010s, but there are extras like jam session performances, a blooper reel, audio recordings of their only known original song "Forgotten Lives", and a System of a Down cover from their only non-school concert appearance in 2012. We also filmed them at said show covering the Judas Priest version of "Diamonds & Rust", but that's it for known public media. Here's Ashes To Dust's final lineup playing "Forgotten Lives" in June 2013!

Info/Analysis: Active from 2011-2014, Ashes To Dust were a young local hard rock band best known from frequent live appearances at Superior Heights Collegiate during the members' enrollment there. First posting videos from school events in December 2011, they made their only non-school appearance at the second annual Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall in July 2012. After founding bassist Kyle Breckenridge left that band that fall, their final lineup released a full studio version of "Forgotten Lives" and played at school events as recently as June 2013, but advertised Swampstravaganza sets in 2013 & 2014 did not pan out as planned. A.T.D. have been dormant since, though guitarist Alex Hemy has stayed active with numerous cover videos and solo originals. Ashes To Dust had promise and a nice diverse, though often heavy, range of songs, and while their stage presence was stiff, and Noah's vocal range was hit & miss, they definitely had talent and it'd be interesting to see the guys back at it in some form!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next month, our 2-1-3-1-2-1 rotation will bring us back to Sault Michigan, with our random selection bringing us to Twisted Manikin, a 2008 hard rock project featuring ex-Half Stupid drummer Jordan Gendreau, but they definitely won't have enough for a solo profile, so we randomly selected a Sault Ontario band to fill things out. As a result, we'll also look at Break the Violence, a short lived ska-punk band featuring future members of As It Stands. Watch for this split profile on or around November 10th, and stay tuned for more news in the coming week! Thanks everyone!

Jack Spades & Destroilet's Kickstarter Campaign, The Return Of Skeyes Of Seven, And More!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to acknowledge that the obituary for late Case's Music founder, country musician, and beloved music instructor Mike Case is now online at this link, which confirms that a celebration of life will be held at The Delta Waterfront Hotel on Friday at 7:00 PM, following a private family funeral, and the family's asking for Cancer Society contribitions in lieu of flowers. I know how important Mike was to the local music scene, and it's a shame that he was taken from us at just 55 years old, but his legacy will live on in everyone he taught, befriended, and performed with over the years. R.I.P. Mike!

Now, today's post features a band's return and new lineup, how a local band did at a recent out-of-town event, and three inactive bands to note for our listings, but first, here's big news on two local bands' next project!

The announced three-way split album between local metal/punk quintets Destroilet & Jack Spades and Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz is now beginning production, but YOU can help ensure it's released! Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce has launched a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the album, which will be a 15 track release with 5 songs from each band. J.D. cited that they've "decided to distill" the feeling of all three bands' playing "some of the most intense sweaty shows you could imagine" into this split, while the campaign is also intended to help Jack Spades (and Destroilet?) take a road trip to open for The Ripcordz in Montreal for a change. Like with most Kickstarter campaigns, there are incentives if you pledge to donate money to fund the album (they're looking to get $6,000 in two months), so what lies ahead if you pledge money to this cause?

At the $2 minimum, you'll get credited in the album booklet, but for more money, you could get the split on CD, mp3, vinyl, or cassette(?!) copies, as well as a VIP pass to the release concert when announced, stickers, a t-shirt or back patch, or if you're really ambitious and have $2,000+ to donate, a concert at your house or the album named after you! If you want to help fund this split, click here for full details on each incentive level and to get more details, and hopefully we can reach the optimum goal by June 13th!

Next up, we have a surprise lineup addition for the fifth annual Swampstravaganza at The Canadian Nightclub on May 9th, as local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven were added to the lineup earlier today as the tenth band on the bill! As revealed on their Facebook page and the Swampfest event page, the band featuring Sense of Truth & Half Past alumni will be making just their third concert appearance since their 2012 debut, and their first live set in over two years, so this is way too long coming! This will also be their first show on a bill without Garden of Bedlam, their first since Alain Fletcher moved from guitar to bass to replace the departed Mike Mannarino, and in a surprise, their first since their recent drummer change, as the band has added former As It Stands drummer John Mignacca to their lineup, replacing Jonny Amendola.

A reason wasn't announced for Jonny's departure, but hopefully things were amicable, and best of luck to him in the future for sure, as he's very talented! John's addition is surprising, especially given his recent focus on solo techno material, but it's been way too long since his last show with As It Stands, and hopefully he adds well to Skeyes of Seven! The new lineup is featured in this new Facebook video as well, where John suggests an amusing intro move, frontman Cory Murchison formally welcomes him to the band, and he hypes their set on May 9th and new material. It's great to have Skeyes of Seven back finally, so see more above and below!

Also today, were you wondering about local participation in this past Saturday's Rock 'N Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish? Oddly, promoters never revealed the full band lineup online, but we can now confirm via personal Facebook postings that local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements were among the competitors, marking their first appearance at this event! They also were joined by guitarist Jesse Cook's Jack Spades bandmate Johnny Belanger on guest drums, as Alex Hagerman couldn't make the trip east for the battle. However, they did not place in the top 3, and unlike past years, the 4th & 5th place bands weren't announced among the winning bands to join the Rock 'N Roar Festival lineup in August. For reference, the winning bands included Sudbury rock quintets Conflicted Minds & Forget The Circus in 1st and 2nd place, and they'll open for Platinum Blonde & Sass Jordan in Spanish on Saturday, August 15th.

Blind River rock band Drive placed third, and they'll open for 54-40 and Saga on night #1 on August 14th. We have no official word yet on the identities of the other bands, but Elliott Lake photographer Paul Kazulak was on hand getting photos of the competitors, so visit his Facebook page to see if he posts pictures of any more familiar acts! It's disappointing to see The Elements not make the podium, but hopefully they made lots of fans in Spanish on Saturday, and stay tuned for more from them!

Finally for today, here's three shorter news items, all related to bands being moved to our inactive band links, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• We have moved local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, having not posted any online updates since briefly being listed for the 2014 Swampstravaganza last spring. Best known from that event in 2012 and from various Superior Heights sets, A.T.D. had talent and a growing presence, but hopefully we hear more from Noah, Alex, Liam, David, and Kyle in the future!
• We've also moved local "derd rock" outfit The Issues to our inactive band links, as they haven't updated their Facebook page since March of last year. Active from 2008-2010 before reuniting in 2013, this amusing metal project featuring Winkstinger and Pillory alumni had a lot of promise and entertainment value, and it's a shame that they never played a real concert that I've heard. Best of luck to Chris, Vinyl, Bret, Robert, and other former members going forward!
• Lastly, we've moved local/London deathcore quartet Saints & Serpents to our inactive band links, as they haven't updated their Facebook page since February. The successors to the defunct Valentine's Day Massacre, Saints & Serpents played just one announced concert in London in December 2013 before activity quietly stopped. It's disappointing to see that Saints & Serpents never reached The V.D.M.'s heights, but best of luck to Steve, Andrew, Adam, and Ian in the future!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and weekend concert previews in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Jack Spades), Swampstravaganza Updates, And New Videos!!

I know this is late notice, but the Downtown Diversity event from Friday at Passport To Unity featuring local hard rockers The Pixo Control and local pop rock band The Frasiers was rained out and will now take place TODAY at 4:00 PM at The Essar Centre, so if you wanna see that show finally, keep this info in mind! Now, before TONIGHT'S Fuck The Facts show, we have a big news post to get to today, including new promo videos for an upcoming metal album, another local band's video commemoration of a recent milestone, and big lineup changes for an upcoming show, but first, here's a long anticipated LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month!

The long teased Jack Spades EP release show will officially go down on Friday, May 16th at The Rockstar Bar! After seeing it's digital release last month, the local punk/metal quintet's debut disc "The First" will finally get it's physical release that night, with the band also headlining with a set of originals and select covers for their fans, so don't miss this show in a couple of weeks! The only 100% confirmed opening band at the moment is local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet in their first live concert of 2014, but compared to the two year break they came off of last year, this is nothing, so get ready for their chaotic originals and covers at the release party as well! At least one more band is to be announced, but early word of Chronic Demonic or out of town punk rockers The Black Cat Attack playing this show was either premature or fell through in the interim. Admission will be $5, but if you pay $10, you'll get a copy of the EP at the door, so keep that deal in mind! You must be 19 to attend, and there is a 10:00 PM start time in effect.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to finally get confirmation of the Jack Spades EP release show after weeks of hints and tentatives, so make sure to be at The Rockstar Bar on May 16th to get your copies and jack the planet in style! Stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's some lineup updates concerning the fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall THIS SATURDAY, so what should you know? Three bands have dropped out of the show, those being local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust (who also dropped out of last year's installment) and Case's Music girls vocal groups the Neon Stars and the Runaway Voices. Reasons for their exits haven't been announced, but Ashes To Dust haven't issued a public update in 11 months, and the vocal groups never did seem like perfect fits for this style of event. Hopefully things are amicable though! Ashes To Dust have not been replaced on the lineup, and as a result, all of the non-open mic acts (save headliners The Bear Hunters, Sykotyk Rampage, and the Haggith reunion) have been bumped up an hour. The vocal groups's shared timeslot at 3:00 PM was bumped up too to 4:00 PM, but they were replaced by promoter/RedD Monkey frontman Steve Mozarowksi in a solo set! Steve originally was a tentative performer under the name "Faceityoureametalband", and it's nice to see him back for a fourth straight year, even if it's not with Pete and Joe!

Finally, the open mic block hosted by Greg Callaghan will remain at 1:00 PM, but has been lengthened to run until 2:45 PM as a result of the lineup removals (still no word on the performers though.) The dropouts are disappointing, but there will still be 10 artists & the open mic block, and for just $5, this is still a wicked deal with a lot of entertaining bands, so I hope to see you guys at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday night, and stay tuned for our preview later this week!

We'll close today with new videos, including two clips that commemorate the recent 10 year anniversary of local classic hard rock cover quintet That's Chester! Uploaded to (I believe) drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel yesterday, the videos compile assorted photos, advertisements, and live concert audio of the band from their 2004 run onward, and there's some creative use of transitions and titles throughout! Note that the audio is just scattered clips from their concerts rather than full songs, but the first clip is a customized intro cover of Saliva's "Ladies & Gentlemen". The first video concerns their 2004-2008 era with original singers Ritch Fullerton & Jim O'Leary, and it includes many rare photos of the band, family members, fans, and even some advertisements from various shows and festivals, including sets at Rotaryfest and even at the OLG Casino back when they were more frequent for band bookings, even confirming a handful of out of town gigs in Thessalon and White River!

The second video covers events since 2009 and the addition of current singer Greg Simpson, and the style is basically the same for featured photos and music, though it kicks off with former local radio DJ James Warner-Smith plugging them on air. Aside from not mentioning their 2012-2013 breakup, the videos cover a lot of solid ground of their run together, and it will be interesting to see where the guys go from here, as they're definitely one of the longest active bands that we cover on the SMS! I'll have to screen capture some of the ads for archival purposes too. Check out the first anniversary video below, and watch them both above!



Finally for today, Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night also posted two linked compilation videos onto their YouTube channel on Friday, though these are promo videos for their still-forthcoming third album (also their first all-original release and first with singer Gaby Koss.) Both videos are comprised of assorted instrumental clips of recordings for the album as accompanied by slideshows of the band and related imagery, with both followed by samples of Gaby's vocals from their yet-released "Christmas Night" reissue with vocals, and very brief video footage of the band's local members (Craig Harrison and the Giles brothers) at a recording session. The videos also confirm that vocals are being recorded, and that the album will be mixed and released at some point this year. It seems like this album has been in progress forever, but it's still in the works, and what I'm hearing sounds promising to go along with their past classical metal renditions! Check out the first video below, and the second video at this link and above!



That's all for today, but I'll hopefully see you guys at The Oddfellows Hall TONIGHT for Fuck The Facts, Empyrean Plague, the return of Shit Liver, and much more! Thanks everyone!

A New Album Release, More Anvil Concert Fallout, And Swampstravaganza Updates!!

We're back with a stacked news post today, including big updates from an upcoming all ages show, more notable fallout from a recent event, and leading off, updates on a new local hard rock album release and our spring CD review schedule, so here's what you need to know!

Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock artist Ken Sutton (a.k.a. SweetKenny) has officially released his eighth studio album "Ink!", over a week ahead of schedule! Originally slated to come out this coming Monday, Ken confirmed on his Facebook page yesterday that the new album can now be purchased on CD Baby at this link for $9.99 in digital formats, $12.97 on CD, or for 99¢ for each individual song, so visit the above links for more details! Self described as a heavy rock & fun album, "Ink!" has 10 songs, no credited guest perfomers, and features vocals again after not including any on last fall's "Cracks in the Wall". Ken also recently confirmed on his website that his ninth album "This End Up" (artwork here) is now in the writing & recording phase, and it is currently projected for a July release, though further details are not yet public. With all of that said, when can you guys expect a new SweetKenny album review at the SMS?

I had originally projected May (the earliest point after our 6 month buffer from our "Perception" review clears), but if another new album does indeed come out in July, I may hold it until then to determine whether "This End Up" is heavier than "Ink!" or not. There's still time to figure out scheduling for the late spring, so stay tuned as we hear anything, and check the above links to buy or preview SweetKenny's new album! As for this month, unless I get a copy of Telephone & Address' "Rotten EP" this week (or there's a flash new release), I've decided to give a long overdue review of Woods of Ypres' "Allure of the Earth" vinyl single this week, so look out for it shortly!

Next up, here's some more Anvil concert fallout, as the show is spotlighted in the third episode of Tuned with Donna Hopper, Local2's new music spotlight webseries! Posted on Saturday, it's the first Tuned episode to feature metal bands outside of their concert calendar segment, and it features excerpts from host/SooToday reporter Donna Hopper's interview with Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow (which you can watch in full at this link) before moving to Donna's interview with promoter/Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce, which also was previously online at this link. The "What's Happening" concert calendar segment spotlighted last weekend's Medifest fundraiser show at The Grand Theater and the upcoming fourth Sewer Swampstravaganza in May, before closing with some exclusive Anvil footage of Jack Spades' set! Coming from at least two songs (including their cover of The Ripcordz' "X"), 4 different video clips are included, and they capture the individual members well! Check out the full new Tuned episode (plus outtakes at the end) at the above links!

Lastly for our recent Anvil show fallout is YouTube user Christopher Paci's last concert video from the show on March 15th, this being opening classic metal quintet Project 421's cover of Iron Maiden's "Powerslave"! Filmed at a similar angle and clarity as his Suicide Kings video (partly thanks to lower crowd levels on the floor), the video captures their talents well, and Curtis McKenzie handles the song well on vocals, so give the full clip a look below!



Finally today, we have a bunch of updates for the aforementioned fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall, which has been postponed a week from May 3rd to May 10th, as per the Facebook event page two weeks ago. A reason for the date change wasn't announced, but it had came out a few days prior that the show was booked on the same day as the well anticipated A Tribe Called Red show at Sault College, so that could be related. The postponement is a bit disappointing, but no full bands had to drop out since, which is good, so hopefully things go well on the 10th instead! In terms of the lineup, this year's Swampstravaganza has actually gained two bands, one of which being local thrash metal quartet Pillory! Fresh off their late notice set opening for Commencing Human Desperation at the same venue, this will be this rising young band's first appearance at this annual event, though frontman Robert Sartini did play last year's installment as Crimson Crusade's guitarist. Very nice to see them staying active, hopefully they tear it up this year!

The other new band addition is young local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust, who you may remember from numerous Superior Heights Collegiate performances and at the 2012 Swampstravaganza (which is still the only non-school event I've heard of them playing.) They quietly dropped out of last year's show, and I haven't heard a public update on their Facebook page since then, so how different will things look from their camp come May? We'll hopefully find out soon! Last for lineup alterations, the previously announced joint set credited to the reunited Ye Olde Mold Pickers & their Grand Rapids-based successors The Filthy Cur has been contracted into just a Ye Olde Mold Pickers set for unannounced reasons, though remember that only Mickey MacKenzie of The Filthy Cur wasn't a Y.O.M.P. member, so he might be unavailable. Disappointing, but a full Mold Pickers reunion will be welcomed by many! Currently sitting at 9 bands (same as last year), the Facebook event page still advertises a band search, so if you want to see if your band can play on May 10th, message promoters above, and stay tuned for updates!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week, along with this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile and this month's CD review! Thanks everyone!

New Sault Michigan Videos, And Lots Of Recent Sault Ontario News Items!!

Before we get to the news, I just wanted to apologize for a possible missed concert for promotion on here, as local classic/hard rock cover band Griphook (who we recently began formally covering on here) were listed as playing at The Nicolet Tavern last night on SooToday's Don't Say There's Nothing To Do In The Soo List (link here.) However, neither Griphook's Facebook page nor members' personal pages said anything about a show at the Nic last night, so I can't definitively say if that show went on. If it did, my profuse apologies for missing it, but I have no clear proof that it happened.

Now, this post largely clears out our cache of unposted news items on the site, and it's half divided between videos from the Sault Michigan area, and a bunch of recent shorter stories from Sault Ontario! We'll start with this somewhat hard to describe promo video from local hard rock/metal band The Highest of Fives (featuring 415E, RamWagon, and Free Refill alumni), which was uploaded to guitarist Devin Anderson's YouTube channel on Sunday. According to the description, the video is a preview of an upcoming "TV show" that The Highest of Fives are making with local "Twitter personality" Crusty Puck, though I don't know much about him. The video features assorted out of context clips set to music (presumably a Highest of Fives song), though everything seems to be parts of sketches rather than performances, and I don't think the full band features even in an acting role. I wouldn't write off the video too fast, as the band's past preview clips for their upcoming album "Bang!" have amusing moments and some inspiration, so if this takes off (presumably as a web series), there might be value to it! Give the preview video a look below!



Also in new videos, remember on Monday when we covered that Tesla cover from the Music In The Park event in Brimley on July 4th? Well, there's one more acoustic hair metal cover from the event that sound engineer/Half A Man frontman Erik Rintamaki filmed and uploaded to his YouTube channel last week, and it's of The Mills Family (identities not clear beyond the family connection) covering Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" on the 4th! One of two videos of this quartet that Erik shot (joining a black & white cover of Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville"), it's well performed, albeit quainter sounding than the original, and the singer handles the track nicely! Bon Jovi fans should like the cover, so give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter stories from Sault Ontario in the past little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• In a somewhat odd replacement for the third annual Sewer Swampstravaganza on August 10th, local folk artist Guy Smith has replaced young local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust as the show's opening band, as per promoters on the Facebook event page on Thursday. A reason for the switch was not announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened in the Ashes To Dust camp! Guy's a talented musician and poet, though definitely an outlier for this type of show, but give his work a listen above and see what you think!
• Local musician Chris Raginskis is again exploring the possibility of launching a local band, this time eyeing a Christian hard rock band that would cover artists like Chevelle and Switchfoot. Christian rock bands are definitely more common in Sault Michigan, but this one sounds like it'd be heavier if it took off (similarly to Outshined), so if you're interested in being a part, message Chris at this link or at his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on June 5th!
• Late & Loud successors The Hydra's Teeth announced the addition of ex-Sativa Rose/Winkstinger guitarist Anthony Orazietti to their lineup on their Facebook page yesterday, replacing the already departed Talon Risto. Anthony proved to be a quality addition in his last two bands, so hopefully this new gig works out, and stay tuned for more as we hear it!
• Also from the Musicians Wanted group, new local musician Jason Hayward is looking to play some "angst driven rock covers" in a local band (for the record, he plays bass and can sing.) If you're interested in jamming with him, message Jason at this link or via his post from last week at the above link!
• Local thrash band Pillory are still at work on their debut EP "Cringe At The Cross", with bass and drum tracks complete, and guitar and vocal tracks now in the process of being finished, as per posts on their Facebook page this month. A return to the stage would help their prominence and exposure for the EP release, but I don't think they've found a replacement for the late Andres Duchesne yet. Hopefully things are coming along well for them, and stay tuned for updates!
• Newer local classic/hard rock quintet The Thrill Junkies have added Redundant frontman Justin Langlois to their lineup as their new bassist, replacing Jamie Cameron. With no online pages yet, my source is drummer Scott McLurg's personal Facebook page. Barring an interim announcement, their new lineup will debut at the Rock N' Roar festival in Spanish next month, so keep it in mind, and hopefully Justin proves to be a solid addition in this new band!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming week, especially as we approach Rotaryfest weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Full Throttle), A New Band Discovery, And Sault Ontario News & Notes!!

Continuing with our recent abundance of Sault Michigan news, we have even more on this Saturday morning (our first of two posts today), so we'll lead off with a new band discovery and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT! After that, we'll touch on some recent Sault Ontario updates, including a new video and much more, so here's what you need to know!

In some recent Google searching, I recently discovered a defunct Sault Michigan hardcore/punk band named Poverty Stricken, so here's what you should know about them! Previously named Death By Kickdrum, Poverty Stricken were a young band (at the time) that was active from roughly 2003-2006, and they have a fairly detailed autobiography on their Angelfire website that has even minor details about their run, along with more info on their Tripod website and their PureVolume page. Their lineup widely varied, but frontman Taylor Keller & drummer Jack Messer were constants (alongside guitarist Ian Rose & bassist Justin Menard in their last lineup), and notable local metal guitarists like Mike Libertoski & Scott Savoie were briefly members according to the above links. Poverty Stricken did play live gigs, mainly at school functions, but they did play at the local Sidewalk Sales event in August 2006, and I can't find much else for band details after that point. They also released two demo tapes featuring mixtures of original material and metal/punk covers, and four rough demos were posted onto their PureVolume page linked above, but how do they sound?

The quality's rough, but there is a carefree style and a hard edge to the posted songs, and I think Poverty Stricken sound pretty good given their ages! I also admire the work put into their websites, band pages this old (let alone from high schoolers) don't tend to be this detailed. Some of the songs are a bit punk leaning, but there's something there musically, and I'd be interested to see what Taylor and Jack are up to musically now! Poverty Stricken are now in our inactive Sault Michigan band links!

Next up, here's that SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Sault Michigan hard rock quintet Full Throttle will be playing at Golanka's Bar (a.k.a. The Bird) TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this was only just announced yesterday, and it'd have made our last Sault Michigan-only post too long if I shoved it in late. Recent favourites at The Bird, Full Throttle (featuring Absolute's Donny Newell on vocals, guitarists Jason Lamoreaux & Steve Pevarnic, drummer Mark Gillotte, and a bassist to be determined) should have a varied set of hard rock-leaning covers in store for fans tonight, so if you need something to do after LemmaFest, why not take a trip down to The Bird for some Full Throttle action? There's no announced cover charge for this 9:00 PM show, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for details, and for a preview, here's Full Throttle's current incarnation covering Velvet Revolver's "Slither" in March!

We'll close this post in Sault Ontario, starting with new videos from local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust! These are their first live concert videos since last fall, and like most of their other uploads, these come from performances on the stage at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School, where the members still attend. Featuring their current lineup (though with Noah Morden focusing on vocals only with no bass), the videos are of Ashes To Dust playing their new original song "Forgotten Lives" and (as embedded below) a cover of 10 Years' "Wasteland", and the quality's fantastic on these! Noah's vocal range is improving, and the guys have a good sound and know the songs, though they could all stand to be a bit more energetic. Check out their 10 Years cover below, see more at the above links, follow Ashes To Dust on Twitter, and don't miss the guys at the third annual Swampstravaganza in August!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from Sault Ontario, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or venue name:

• Queen Street East bar/concert venue The Bottom's Up Lounge will close this weekend, due to the building's landlords selling the location to new owners who want it vacated by July 1st. Though not a common metal venue, Tym Morrison once frequented this small (though classy) lounge, and metal band alumni have played at their open mic nights. Disappointing news for sure, but hopefully the ownership returns with a new spot down the road!
• The July 6th Promonium Jesters-headlined concert has switched venues (sort of), as promoters have quietly moved the show from The Rockstar Bar to their downstairs neighbour The Algonquin Pub. A reason wasn't announced, but a scheduling conflict wouldn't surprise me, as it is a Saturday nighter. The show should still be great no matter what floor it's on, so don't miss it!
• I've removed defunct local hardcore band With Blood Build Character (the original band under this name, not the former Unbound that guitarist Christopher Neveau is also a member of) from our Sault Ontario band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook page earlier this year. Essentially the successors to March Into Regression, they played live just once (in Laird last August) before falling inactive, but hopefully their members stay active in local music going forward!

That's all for now, but stay tuned later today for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on ex-Intrepid guitarist Donnie Hank's channel! Thanks everyone!

Concert Lineup Additions, Bands Looking To Play Here, And New Videos!!

In our second post of the day, we're covering some big recent news, including new videos from two very different local bands, two out of town bands looking to play here, and first up, new bands on two very promising upcoming concerts! Read on below for what you need to know, and check out this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Insipid Brutality in the post below this one!

First up, here's some new lineup additions for a couple of upcoming metal concerts in Sault Ontario, as per each one's Facebook event page! Firstly, both local opening bands have been confirmed for the Striker-headlined show at The Roosevelt Hotel on June 25th, as local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters and returning local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight will open this concert! While The Bear Hunters are no strangers to recent live events, this will be Frightlight's first live appearance in 8 months, so take note of their long awaited return set in two weeks! Though not an exact match for Striker's entertaining old school metal sound, there's a lot of clear talent and heaviness to be had, so click here for full details! The other new addition is to the 3rd annual Sewer Swampstravaganza on August 10th, as local/North Shore death metal quartet Crimson Crusade are the ninth confirmed band for this massive all ages show! I believe this will be their first ever Oddfellows Hall appearance, though drummer Robert Crossley almost played at last summer's Swampstravaganza with Inhuman Methods before they dropped out.

Nice to see the guys gaining momentum and playing more venues, so keep them in mind come August, stay tuned for updates on the final band to complete the 10 band lineup, and message promoters at this link if your band is interested in playing!

Also, can you help a couple of bands get concerts here? One is Vernon, British Columbia blackened death metal quintet Xul, who are hoping to get a concert booked for Sault early next week (on either the 17th or 18th), as per recent e-mail correspondence with their publicist Jon Asher. I forwarded him some contacts, but can you help in case those don't work out? Xul have a very brutal sound full of dark influences and lyrics, and some intense themes and riffs, and they'd be more than welcome here, so if you can help out, message the band at this location! The other band searching for a local date that I know if is Hamilton metalcore quartet Deterrence, as per recent contact with bassist Yannos Pigadas. Though a preferred date wasn't mentioned, I gave him some contacts too, but just in case, can you help? Their hardcore hybrid sound has a lot of intensity and moshing promise, but if you can help Deterrence get a local show, message Yannos at this link, and stay tuned in case either band come through the Soo this year!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with the long awaited upload of young local hard rock band Ashes To Dust's first studio original track "Forgotten Lives"! Uploaded to their YouTube channel as expected on Saturday, it's a well played hard rock original with nice lyrics, but the verses seem very simple, and I'd like to hear louder guitars and quieter vocals in the mix. Noah Morden's singing is on good display though, and the choruses are highlights, so give Ashes To Dust's new song a listen below, and don't miss the guys at the Swampstravaganza on August 10th!

Finally for today, here's our first visual glimpse of Sault Ontario grind project Crucify The Whore in a live setting! Among three other recent song postings in the past week (all of which have possibly disturbing imagery and/or offensive song titles) that you can stream at the band's label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel, this video was just posted yesterday, and it features project mainman Ringsnaps Gibson pig squealing and playing guitar with what I assume is a backing track. The sound quality's alright, but the cell phone dimensions of the video are somewhat restrictive. It's nice to put a face to the project, and you can see more talent than some of the songs may have indicated based on their general length and themes, but I'm still hoping that he expands to a full band and plays live at some point, as I think they'd gain a local foothold faster that way. At least things are expanding slowly, so check out the first live Crucify The Whore video below, and stay tuned for more recent uploads from other Blood Shed Productions acts!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news shortly, including (if all goes well), our review of Haggith's newest CD! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Ahna), Essar Centre Concert Statuses, And New Videos!!

Before tonight's Skeletonwitch show, we have a new news post to get on the site, so what's on tap? We have a new preview video for a new original song, new material from a new album release (sort of), and the scoop on why there isn't many concerts going on at The Essar Center, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, so here's what you need to know!

A unique blend of heavier genres will hit The Oddfellows Hall on Thursday, June 27th, and this show will be immediately different thanks to featuring three bands that only feature two members each! As previously hinted at on Jamie Vincent's promotion agency's Facebook group, this show will be headlined by Vancouver experimental grind/crust duo Ahna, who are finally making their local debut a few years after trying to get a booking here. Their droning and often sludgy sound has resulted in many EP and single releases, so give them a listen and see if this is up your alley! Joining them in the Soo (and for the second half of their Canadian tour) is Montreal "renovation grindcore" duo Powercup, who bring a brutal death metal sound in a smaller package to the table, and they should be able to incite some good mayhem come the 27th! The other confirmed band so far is a new local band named Bad Back, who appear to be making their live debut at this show. Described as "a grungy 2 piece", they appear to feature promoter Jamie Vincent in their lineup, but I know nothing else (i.e. the other member, online pages, sound samples), but I'll let you guys know if anything else rolls in!

A fourth band slot is currently open, and I'll let you guys know when/if it's filled. Admission is $5 for this ALL AGES concert, with doors opening at 7:00 PM, so for more details (and to inquire about the open band slot), visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a very unique concert compared to what we're used to locally, especially due to the size of the bands, but fans of grind, grunge, and drone metal should be right at home, so stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up, are you among the local concertgoers who notice/complain about the lack of major concerts (metal or not) at The Essar Centre? SooToday's Donna Hopper explored this in a recent article for the local news website on Thursday, where she interviewed Essar Center marketing & events manager Trevor Zachary about the lack of concert bookings at this venue. In a nutshell, Trevor said that concert promoters are completely responsible for bringing major bands to The Essar Centre, and the arena (as a public venue) doesn't spend taxpayers money, especially with the risks involved when paying 6 figures or more to bring in bands. Open dates at The Essar Centre are offered to promoters, but complications relating to scheduling (i.e. existing Greyhounds games) have been an issue, as well as the fact that major shows in Sudbury tend to sell out easier and quicker than concerts here. If concerts here don't sell out, promoters are more likely to avoid the risk of bringing bands here, and instead book a Northern Ontario date in Sudbury.

The biggest advice Trevor had to get more Essar Centre concerts is to go to the ones that do happen, so they sell out and encourage promoters to bring more concerts here. I do see what he's getting at, but judging by the comments on the article, many still feel that The Essar Centre and/or Trevor isn't doing enough. I won't pretend to know the process, but I think Trevor deserves credit for what the arena has been able to do, and compared to bigger cities and casinos in the region, they will have a rougher go of it for booking bands. It's an interesting article all the same, so give it a look at the above links, and go see the shows we do get!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with new audio postings from new local hard rock/jam project Mike Haggith & The Din! The new band outlet for local musician Mike Haggith's solo material (with 3/4ths of the band Haggith in swapped roles) apparently recorded an album on Friday at their label/studio Paperclip Productions' headquarters named "Perpetual Musings", and it's now available on special order only for $5, so message the label at this location if you're interested in buying a physical copy! Due to it's release status (and the backlog for Mike Haggith-featured albums on the site), an SMS review of it isn't imminent, but it's unique in it's structure, with 4 songs spanning 38 minutes, including the previously featured 27 minute jam of "Limb Coast", the 30 second "The Call", and parts 1 & 2 of "The Plumber". The jam nature is unique compared to Mike, Daniel, and Curtis' other local projects, though you may have to listen for a while to find elements more to your personal preferences. I've embedded "The Plumber (Part 1)" below, and check out the rest of the songs on Mike's YouTube channel, as uploaded yesterday!

Finally for today, you may have noticed hints to recording sessions on young local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust's Facebook page in the last two weeks, so here's what we know on that front. Starting with pictures of frontman Noah Morden & drummer David Peredun on May 18th in the midst of recording, the guys finally revealed that they'll release their first recorded original song named "Forgotten Lives" on Saturday, with credit given to ex-bassist Kyle Breckenridge for being "a primary reason this song was made" and to lead guitarist Alex Hemy for the work he's put in on the recording. On Saturday, this preview video was uploaded to their YouTube channel which features a minute or so of a rough take of the song, plus assorted clips of the band recording the track. I won't comment on the song yet, as they've said this isn't the final product that we're hearing in the video, but I'm definitely curious to hear the full song this weekend! Check out Ashes To Dust's new preview video below, and don't miss them at the third Sewer Swampstravaganza in August!



That's all for today, but I'll hopefully see you guys at The Canadian TONIGHT for Skeletonwitch! Thanks everyone!