LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Apocalypse Afterparty), A Tribute Song, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Die Mannequin frontwoman Caroline Kawa (a.k.a. Care Failure), who just passed away according to numerous social media postings at the age of 36. Read her obituary at this link. A standout presence on the Toronto alt-rock scene from Die Mannequin's launch in 2005 onward, Care will be familiar to SMS readers from her set with Die Mannequin at the former Roosevelt Hotel in May 2012, when they and Dearly Beloved stopped in town on their Danceland Tour, but a planned June 2014 return gig at The Rockstar Bar was cancelled. Die Mannequin peaked in the late 2000s and early 2010s with songs like "Bad Medicine" and "Dead Honey", and would land songs on the final two Big Shiny Tunes CDs in the process. Care also had a well received turn as an actress in the 2010 film Hard Core Logo 2, with the band factoring into the plot & soundtrack of the long-awaited film.

I wasn't at Die Mannequin's local concert, nor can I find public videos from it, but Care was an original and a very talented musician who crossed punk and alternative genre boundaries to strong effect, and it's a shame to lose her at such a young age like this. Do check out Die Mannequin's original material and live videos, and consider donating to Musicares in her name to pay tribute. R.I.P. Care! Now, here's a new tribute song to another musician we lost, and first, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local rap/party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty will be among the openers at TOMORROW'S Madchild-headlined concert at Soo Blaster! Apologies for the short notice, organizers R-Evolution Media only confirmed The A.A. for this show in promotional materials posted online this week, though the Stanghettas were previously teasing their involvement on their personal Facebook pages. This marks a trilogy for rap concerts at Soo Blaster with The Apocalypse Afterparty as the lone rock band outpost, following their appearances at last fall's Tech N9ne and Afroman gigs, and clearly things went well for Paul & Amanda's minimalist hybrid sound to get called back TOMORROW NIGHT! Madchild is the Vancouver rapper best known from the Juno and MuchMusic Video Award winning rap group Swollen Members, who were easily one of the biggest domestic rap acts of the 2000s, so fans will want to note that aspect!

I don't know that Madchild does many Swollen Members songs live, but it'll be interesting to see him in town TOMORROW, and he has a deep solo catalog that dips into horrorcore now, even! Guelph rapper Robbie G (who also opened for Tech N9ne & Afroman here) is the top billed opener, and the other opening acts include Sound Syndrome, Sawbe & Stoney, RyxnNick, Ille$t, and Superskunk Lucas. For reference, Sawbe & RyxnNick were also seen at the Afroman show, and there may be other ties to the Tech N9ne and Afroman lineups if you count solo rappers who were seen in groups or ensembles (and vice versa). While uncredited on the poster, Madchild's own Facebook promotion of TOMORROW'S concert confirms that his DJ on this tour is Dow Jones. A later 10:00 PM start time is in effect, and tickets run for $34.11 online at this link or $25 if bought through local openers. 

Note that at there are higher priced VIP packages for meet & greets and signed posters and whatnot, plus a deal on a booth for 6 people, while at least The Apocalypse Afterparty were selling two tickets for $40. Also note that the online sale page says that this is all ages, but use your best judgement on that given the locale and timing of the concert. Should be a fun night for hip-hop fans, with The Apocalypse Afterparty back to bridge the gap between the rap and bass-led metal worlds, so keep TOMORROW'S show in mind, and here's The A.A. live at Soo Blaster!

We'll close today with a tribute song to a local musician who passed away two years ago, namely former Highway 63/Monkey's Uncle frontman Henry Switzer. A staple of the Sault Michigan scene since the 1990s, Henry died in February 2021 after a heart ailment at just 49 years of age, and he would have turned 52 this past Monday. In honour of his birthday, Soundcheck drummer Glen Thomas (who played in a band with Henry back when he taught guitar across the river & remained friends long afterwards) posted a song in tribute to Henry named "Forever Highway 63" on his YouTube channel. Glen had actually been working on this song since the spring of 2021, as Facebook friends of his may recall, and he elaborates about how quickly the song came together and what he went through writing it in the description (yes, it is a lyric video too). His old Flat Stanley bandmate Tony Kajnar provides lead guitar in the outro.

Other than some directly music-centric lyrics late, the song isn't hyper specific to Henry, but it comes from a place of loss and respect, and it shows in Glen's voice. He's not a skilled vocalist and he admits as much in the description but the mood is right and I'm sure Henry would appreciate Glen's gesture here! Glen has other original songs with him singing on his YouTube channel, and while they're generally not musically heavy, his talents are present! Give "Forever Highway 63" a listen below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!

Chase James Wigmore - "We Are All Going To Die" Album Review!!

It's time for our 163rd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene and first one of 2023, as we're taking a look at local extreme metal/folk punk musician Chase James Wigmore's newest album "We Are All Going To Die"! Independently released to his Bandcamp page on November 19th, this is the twenty-sixth album of his to go on official sale there, though he has more albums that stalled as free postings elsewhere. Perhaps Chase's penultimate solo album if you believe some of his teasers last year, "We Are All Going To Die" (formerly named "Is This The End Of...") was recorded at his home studio last year, and credits Chase alone on all instruments. You can buy this album for $7 on Bandcamp, where you can also stream it for free, but consider a purchase to support Chase's work! With 12 songs running for about 45 minutes, let's begin this review!

The opening song is "What Really Matters", which is basically the calm before the storm, serving as a reserved instrumental guitar/bass performance with no vocals, percussion or obvious effects. As the effective intro, it gets the job done, but it may have served better for contrast if Chase had recorded this unplugged? Next is "Spiritual Casualties", which continues the metal-leaning album's build-up with an ominous, but still not full-bore, song that introduces more (but not all) of the full band experience. Chase delivers slow & cryptic vocals as the background effects build around his instrumentation, and aside from some industrial beats in later stretch, drums are not heard again. As a longer track that feels more like a proper song, this is an improvement as "We Are All Going To Die" continues getting built up! Drumming finally appears on track 3, "You're Dead", as do Chase's harsh vocals, if in a backing role.

The steady upward metal progression continues here, as the song is more aggressive, yet in the background, with the band approach is done more in an unplugged style (if still plugged in). Chase lays down a good guitar solo, but this song got somewhat noisy and jumbled at parts, feeling oddly spare at points when you don't expect it to, so it's inconsistent for me. Fourth is "Don't Worry, We Have A Plan", which is a techno instrumental piece not unlike Chase's old Black Lodge Masters work, featuring an assortment of instruments and effects, including what sounds like a synthesizer riff out front. Honestly, this sounds like video game music, which isn't entirely a bad thing, but it is definitely a tonal shift, if one that will intrigue progressive rock fans. Neat diversion, but fans of Chase's intense extreme metal may not take to this the same.

Next on the album is "Psycherosion", which returns to more of a traditional structure with vocal & guitar input (at first), with more of a dark ballad before dipping back to electronica for the bulk of the runtime, including scratchy background noise, though Chase's guitar and percussion tracking does recur.  The song directly runs into track #6, hence the abrupt ending, but why not smush them together, especially when "Psycherosion" feels unfinished? The direct follow-up, entitled "Without You", is the album's shortest song, and it really marries the earlier dark & ominous overtones with the electronic music here, pacing the mid-tempo singing with some very game-inspired samples and a nice (if somewhat too layered) guitar solo. Is it bad that some of Chase's singing and lyrics here remind me of slower Static-X material? I like the style contrast here, and this song is a definite highlight from the first half of the album!

Song #7 is "The End Part One: Loss", which is the only song on the album to exceed 5 minutes in length, and here, Chase finally lets loose with a full on extreme metal fury! However, he warms up to the aggression with low spoken word layered under post-production effects, including some audible clipping (at least to my ears). This song jumps in tone dramatically at points, but it's a good change of pace, and it shows his knack for programming while still showcasing his heaviest work, and some of his late guitar riffing has a nice funk element to it, so the album is on an upward swing for me! Of course, "The End Part Two: Ender" follows, though the two songs don't share a ton of musical similarities on surface level. This song is more techno-driven, with Chase's low, ominous spoken word returning in the mix, but the drum programming peeks through, and Chase does deploy some very grindcore-esque harsh vocals as well.

I can't say that "Part Two" works as a song as well as "Part One", as it's not as heavy and mixes its genres less distinctly, but it's not bad for what it is! Next is "The Guilt & Shame Of Being", which will be a familiar idea if you best know Chase from solo acoustic performances (in concert, Facebook, or otherwise). It starts with him in campfire ballad mode, if very downbeat and morose about it, but the last stretch of the song sees him go haywire with some unplugged shredding buoyed by some background echo effects. This is the tale of two songs, but I do like Chase's solo stuff when done like both halves, so fans will be into it if they're prepared! Tenth up is "Everybody Now Apparently", an oddly jazzy song that's spiced up by an overly loud drum track, layered effects irreverent dialogue (some about the Soo), and primarily harsly sung lyrics, contrasting sharply with the music.

Definitely an eclectic song, and never boring, but I can't help but assume that the pieces would be accentuated better if the song proper was heavier (it can still have a jazz influence, just pump things up a bit!) The penultimate song on offer belatedly completes the trilogy with the album's title track, "The End Part Three: We Are All Going To Die", which doubles down on any techno influence of earlier songs for a full-on industrial noise collage to start before mellowing with spacier effects, layered spoken word, a some more funky guitar soloing late, and some anguished screaming at the end. Of the three "The End" tracks, I'd put this in the middle for enjoyability, as it had a better balance of styles than "Part Two", but wasn't as heavy and intense as "Part One", punishing industrial opening acknowledged. The album ends with "The Crisis That Became The World", which is something of a softer coda at first.

While always layered with effects and background noise, things end on an extreme metal note with Chase's harsh screaming vocals (if mixed low) along with more of his trademark guitar excellence, and the increasing piling-on of effects and music ends the album on a fitting note, so fans of Chase's heavier side will like the ending! As for the whole album, this is definitely a stylistic departure from his prior 2022 album "Sonic Apocalypse", heavily influenced by techno and industrial genres, something that he was more known for including in Awokest and Black Lodge Masters material rather than eponymous stuff. Hr knows he's doing to make audio collages with samples, effects, and dialogue layered on top of each other, and I can't imagine the work it took to put some of the more complex songs together, but this may come at a cost for fans of Chase's more metal and folk punk-leaning material on past albums & videos.

He hasn't really made a true folk punk album in a while now, and the full-on extreme metal sides were used sparingly here, often in partial form to contrast with more reserved or electronic-themed material. I can get behind "We Are All Going To Die" conceptually, and there are standout tracks here, like "The End Part One" and "The Crisis That Became The World" for the metal quotient, while "Without You" and "The Guilt & Shame Of Being" struck a good balance, especially for the darker overtones! That said, some of the songs' mixes could be a little muddled compared to others, his vocals were sometimes inaudible as such, I'd have combined "Psycherosion" & "Without You" into one track, and I get the sense that this album had an overarching theme and story that could have been explained more beyond Facebook posts. Overall, Chase delivered some more intriguing stuff here, and diehard fans shouldn't bypass it!

Buy or stream "We Are All Going To Die" at the above links, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Look for our review of one of Sykotyk Rampage's late 2022 studio albums on the site next month, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Kiss'd), New Videos, And More!!

Before we head off to TONIGHT'S Jack Spades EP release show, we have a new news post for you guys today, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent notes (including a concert cancellation), a new cover video, recent coverage of a major all ages show, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for across the river this summer, so here's what you need to know!

Continuing the recent influx of Charlevoix, Michigan metal musician Jeff Hudson's bands into Eastern Upper Peninsula concert dates, his Northern Michigan Kiss tribute band Kiss'd will hit The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, July 4th and Saturday, July 5th! Note that these shows are still to be announced on Kewadin's entertainment page, but I imagine it's just a little behind. Joining already-announced 2014 dates for Jeff's other bands Scarkazm, Audio Circus, and (of course) Peril at our regional Kewadin branches, these will actually be Kiss'd's first announced shows on their Facebook page since 2012, though I'm not sure if they've played a show unadvertised there in the interim. Featuring Jeff on vocals and bass as "Paul Stanley", Kiss'd have a faithful sound that fans of Kiss should take to if their older videos are any indication, though the vocals aren't always close ringers with the original songs. Be sure to check them out in July though! You must be 21 to attend, there's no announced cover charge, and there are nightly start times of 10:30 & 9:00 PM, so check the above links for more updates on how to get Kiss'd!

Next up, we have some recent local coverage of last weekend's fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall to share on here! Posted to the YouTube channel of local event promotion and entertainment website Sault Online on Tuesday, this features video footage of Sudbury unplugged hard rockers Aggressive Acoustic covering Monster Magnet's "Space Lord" during soundcheck, which bookend a minute long interview clip with promoter Steve Mozarowski outside of the hall, so what is discussed there? Steve talks about how he started the annual event in 2011 as a RedD Monkey tour fundraiser, though it has since transitioned into a showcase for youth-centered local talent, while he'll also look into grants for next year's event and the possibility of free admission. Aside from the windy conditions impairing the interview, it's a solid promotional sample for the event, and the Aggressive Acoustic footage is well shot! I wonder what became of the Brutaly Fatal video footage that the same Sault Online correspondent filmed that evening?

Also to note: Steve described RedD Monkey as "broke up" in the video, though official Facebook statements only go so far as to say they're on a hiatus, so we'll go on that until/unless something else is stated. As well, the video description incorrectly lists both Ashes To Dust & Pillory as playing that night, misspells Aggressive Acoustic, and accidentally calls Haggith "Haggard", but hopefully that all gets fixed! Nice to see some new local media coverage of the Swampfest, so check out the full video below!



Also today, Pillory frontman and Crimson Crusade guitarist Robert Sartini posted a new cover video onto his YouTube channel on Wednesday! His first video there in 5 months (and first solo cover video since last August), this is a guitar rendition of Wisconsin death metal band Putrid Pile's "Blood Fetish" that he learned by ear. Though I'm not too familiar with Putrid Pile, this a solid rendition, but I think the original backing track is a bit high in the video. This should tide Pillory fans over while we wait for public news from their camp, so give Robert's new video a look below!



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

• Former(?) Social Suicide guitarist Anthony Boudreau is looking for a high school-age guitarist who can play anything from old school rock to progressive metal for his new local band project. If you're interested in trying out, message Anthony at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from May 7th!
• The Die Mannequin concert scheduled for June 14th at The Rockstar Bar has been cancelled, as per updates to the Facebook event page by promoter J.D. Pearce on Tuesday. A reason wasn't announced there beyond J.D. saying that it was "out of my hands", but while this is disappointing, does the survival of the event page lend hope for a possible rescheduling? We'll have to wait and see!
• A 14 year old local metal guitarist named Jordan Attoni is looking to jam in a local metal project. He has played guitar for 4 years, and is influenced by bands like AC/DC, Metallica, and Avenged Sevenfold, so if you're interested in trying out or getting more details, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for Jack Spades' EP release show! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), Blood Shed Productions Updates, And More!!

We're back to news on this Sunday morning, so what's on tap? Assorted recent updates for a prolific local concert promoter's upcoming shows, another local promoter's addition to a local band (and related updates), new videos, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month, so here's what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will extend his weekly concert arrangement at The Harp Bar & Grill into next month, so we'll add his next 5 weekends in May 2014 to our listings, but with one exception. It turns out that he did not play at The Harp last night due to their showing of UFC 172 (a fact he corrected online yesterday, our apologies for the late word on here), so with the assumption that The Harp shows each UFC pay per view, I wouldn't bet on Tym playing there on Saturday, May 24th due to UFC 173 that night. However, look for Tym's unplugged acoustic sets this coming Friday & Saturday (Facebook event page here), as well as on May 9th & 10th, May 16th & 17th, Friday, May 23rd, and on May 30th & 31st! Remember, due to the immense length of his apparent bookings on his website, we're only taking these a month at a time, so we'll approach June when it comes. Admission should be free for these 19+ events, and each show should start at 10:00 PM. Check the above links for more details!

Tym's current regular run at the former Madison's Pub will enter it's 26th week if he lasts through next month without interruption, and his talents are hard to ignore, so look for his acoustic hard rock covers both nights (with the regular jam/open mic night angle on the Fridays), and stay tuned for updates on his solo engagements!

Next up, here's the latest from the current version of local metal band Brutaly Fatal, including a lineup change, as they've enlisted local concert promoter Tyler St. Amour as their new drummer, replacing Tyler's former Pillory bandmate Bret Shuttleworth. A reason for Bret's departure wasn't announced, but hopefully things are amicable, and look out for Pillory updates! I'm not familiar with Tyler as a drummer (he's better known from his bass work with the likes of Bring The Misery), but we'll have to see how he fits in going forward! It looks like the talks of a quartet lineup have either fell through or were premature, as their Facebook page now promotes them as a "doom/stoner metal 3 piece band", which also confirms recent teases of their current sound, joining AlgomA and Giwakwa in the local camp of these metal subgenres. Also to note: frontman Austin McCrae is now advertised as their guitarist, with Rainey Vincent moving to bass, and lyrics for a planned song named "We Are Gladiators" are now up on Facebook, but how does the new lineup sound?

We have a preview via this new Facebook video posting yesterday, and it's of Austin playing the riff to an untitled song that he and Rainey co-wrote. It has a catchy element, but it's unrefined yet, and empty without additional instruments. Still, there's a sample if you haven't been at one of Brutaly Fatal's recent house party gigs, so check it out below, and stay tuned for the new lineup's debut at the fourth Sewer Swampstravaganza on May 10th, which we have a lot of updates to elaborate on this week!



Also from the world of Blood Shed Productions is this new video of flagship band Crucify The Whore playing their song "Seshing In June Bugs" at a house party event on March 28th! Uploaded to the Blood Shed YouTube channel on Wednesday, the video was well filmed to capture Ringsnaps' metal action and the moshing of fans, though the lighting looks a little off at times, and the video could have been uploaded in widescreen to avoid the letterboxing. Fans of the grind will be right at home though, so give the new C.T.W. clip a look!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all of which concern local promoter J.D. Pearce's upcoming metal/punk concert slate! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• There were briefly plans last week for the July 24th Cross Dog show (the last uncancelled Heavy Thursday at the former Roosevelt Hotel) to be moved to The Rockstar Bar with Jack Spades & Destroilet opening, but frontwoman Tracy Ashenden revealed on the Facebook event page on Thursday that their summer tour has been re-routed, so they can't come on that day. Disappointing, but the event page isn't down, so look for a rescheduling soon!
• Tickets for three of J.D.'s upcoming metal & punk shows are now on sale at The Rad Zone, those being the Die Mannequin show at The Rockstar Bar on June 14th, the all ages Havok/Anciients show at The Canadian on June 24th, and the Random Killing show at The Rockstar Bar on September 13th, so get them there A.S.A.P. if you don't want to buy online! Respectively, the tickets cost $10, $20, and $15, and no word as of yet on advance availability at either venue.
• Speaking of the Havok/Anciients show, a local opening band was quietly confirmed last month, as local thrashers Pillory are the listed openers on the Facebook event page! If this holds up, this will be Pillory's first public date since January, but it does follow bassist Tyler St. Amour's departure and their exit from shows he promoted, so who knows how they'll look on June 24th if they play. Stay tuned for updates, and don't miss this stacked metal show!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Shit Liver album review and more news (including on the upcoming Swampstravaganza) in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Die Mannequin), Dank Fest Lineup Updates, And More!!

Happy April Fools Day, everyone! I have no secret plans or gags up my sleeve (I don't want to decieve readers in case it backfires), so everything below is 100% factual, including a new recent concert video, major lineup changes for an upcoming concert, and a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the early summer, so here's what you need to know! (Updated at 12:12 PM)

Just days after announcing the long awaited return of Random Killing to Sault Ontario in September, local concert promoter J.D. Pearce has done it again for another big Rockstar Bar show this year, as Toronto punk/hard rock standouts Die Mannequin will return to the Soo for the first time in over two years on Saturday, June 14th! Last seen at J.D.'s first Thursday show at the former Roosevelt Hotel in May 2012, this popular and fast rising quartet (featuring Hard Core Logo 2 star Care Failure on vocals) are hard at work on a new album, but they're sure to bring another high energy set of originals back to the Soo on in June, so if you loved Die Mannequin's 2012 local date, don't miss the next one! Two local bands are signed on to open, and both also feature female members, including the Rockstar Bar debut (barring interim announcements) of J.D.'s punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, as well all-female hard rock notables The Danger Cats, and both will be right at home at this show, while also be on the lookout for Jack Spades' EP in case it's out by then!

This 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time and tickets going for $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and while local advance ticket availability has not been announced yet, tickets are available online at this link, so pick them up there if you want yours before the local on-sale date! (For reference, Random Killing tickets are also available in advance online at this link through the same company, so don't wait until the last minute just in case!) Die Mannequin's 2012 show was a huge success, and hopefully their return in two months is just as big, so stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up, the lineup for the massive Dank Fest all ages festival at The Oddfellows Hall on April 19th has seen it's second major overhaul, as per promoter Tyler St. Amour on the Facebook event page on Friday, so what should you know now? Two bands have dropped out of the event, including local goregrind solo act Crucify The Whore & Borderline Divine successor trio Viva Emptiness, as per their removal from the event page's lineup. Reasons for their withdrawals weren't announced, but Viva Emptiness still have not seen a public acknowledgement outside of event advertising (hopefully we see them live soon though!), and C.T.W.'s Ringsnaps Gibson is still playing Dank Fest with Rotopsy, so nothing bad happened in their camp. Though Viva Emptiness were replaced on the lineup, C.T.W. were not, leaving Dank Fest with 13 bands, so to accomodate the shorter (though still huge) lineup, no bands will have to start playing at 1:00 AM anymore. However, there have been a ton of timeslot switches for reasons yet announced, so who's playing where now?

In a complete reversal of placement, local goregrind duo Rotopsy have jumped from the opening slot at 2:30 PM to the closing slot at 12:30 AM, while classic metal quintet Project 421 are now a timeslot earlier at 11:45 PM. North Bay headliners Thekillingfield & Buried Out Back are each 45 minutes later at 10:30 & 9:30 PM respectively, while local thrashers Pillory have dropped from the 1:00 AM spot to 8:45 PM, and sludge/doom trio AlgomA are the only band remaining in their old timeslot (8:00 PM.) Resurgent death metal trio Brutaly Fatal have jumped five slots into the 7:15 PM timeslot, while hardcore/grunge duo Bad Back fell five slots themselves and are now scheduled at 6:30 PM. Orillia metal band Like Animals and new local alt-rockers The Pixo Control are each an hour earlier at 5:30 & 4:45 PM, while local funk/metal band The Strange Coyotes fell 4 slots to a 4:00 PM start time, and the aforementioned Danger Cats will play an hour earlier as well at 3:15 PM. Viva Emptiness' replacements will indeed be local/Ottawa indie trio Like Father Like Son (who opened for Commencing Human Desperation from the same promoters last month) in the 2:30 PM opening slot, after being confirmed by promoters this morning.

Big changes (again), but hopefully everything works out this time and there aren't any more massive adjustments in time for Easter weekend! If it's added incentive (especially given the length of this show), Tyler did announce that they'll be making sausages and selling drinks behind The Oddfellows Hall concurrently with Dank Fest, though this is pending the weather conditions. Great idea, especially for fans who stay through supper, so stay tuned for more updates on this massive show as they come in!

Finally for today, here's a new video from last Saturday's Who Made Who show at The Rockstar Bar! Filmed by staff member Hayley Warnock and shared on the venue's Facebook group on Sunday, this is of the popular AC/DC tribute band playing the classic "Highway To Hell", and the floor was definitely hopping at this point in the night! The audio's a bit scratchy, and the angle could be better (especially due to fan heads), but it's great to see video of Who Made Who's long awaited local return, so check it out below!



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

Hallows Die Concert Review!!

Finally, here's my review of last night's Hallows Die-headlined metal show at The Canadian Nightclub! Nice to be back there, even if the attendance was lower than was hoped, but given that it is the holiday weekend more or less, that might not have helped in that department. So, what went down last night? The first band up was the only local band of the evening, that being melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, and they sounded very good as I've come to expect from them! They played a slightly abbreviated set from what they usually have in store, but with songs like "Bloodthirst", "Dominate", and "Render This Void" in their set, they delivered from bell to bell! The only real difference I can add for their set was it was the first time I've seen their full lineup live since they opened for Fuck The Facts at The Canadian last month, and Mitch Sirie's guitar volume was definitely louder, so it was a better set overall! Plus, I like that they didn't include the songs that used to include clean vocals, as I wasn't reminded that those songs could use clean singing during their set. With such a reliable death metal band, it's hard to find complaints, and it's a shame the crowd turnout was so low early last night for their performance!

Next up last night was North Bay death metal band Buried Out Back, in their first local appearance, and fans seemed to enjoy their set well, as did I! A newer band compared to the others last night, they delivered a more straightforward take on death metal, but they were very brutal and had a lot of promising original songs, all of which seemed to be titled "The ______". I liked Nathan Shore's aggressive harsh singing, and the whole band seemed to have nice energy and stage presence! Kevin Lachance and Empyrean Plague's Dave Strba unleashed some awesome shredding guitar work, though I would have liked to have heard more guitar solos from them too. Nick Ianiro's bass work was also really impressive, adding to their entertaining set, but compared to the later bands, they need to find more ways to stand out going forward. Good first start though, and I can't wait to see them again hopefully in the area!

Third last night was young Sudbury black metal band Before The Black Gates, and it's definitely good to see them here finally! You'd think they'd have been here before now, but they delivered a solid (and longer than expected) set of death metal-inspired material that fans definitely seemed to enjoy! James Bok has a nice brutal voice, and Jacob Tyler's drum work stood out well, while Tamara Ryan proved up to the challenge on bass throughout their set! I liked some of their lyrical themes too, and B.T.B.G. definitely seemed to enjoy being up on stage, but I will say that James needs to work on his stage presence. He let guitarist Alex Hunter do most of the speaking and crowd banter, and he seemed uncomfortable at times when not singing, but during the song, he's got it nailed down! And, like Buried Out Back, I was hoping to hear more guitar solos, but the guys (and girl) have a brutal thing going, and hopefully we'll see them again locally in the future!

Fourth were Sudbury improv/comedy metal band 85 Pound Poutine, and they delivered a light and humorous (though abbreviated) set of improvised Canadian death metal! They never play the same song twice, so you may be honoured to know that we heard songs with titles like "Bacon Fuck" and "Bath Salts Bukkake" live?! Honestly, a lot of the humour of their set (beyond their amusing on stage attire) may have been lost on some fans for the sole fact that not everyone can decipher death metal growling, but if you could hear some of the lyrics that Gravy Smith (a.k.a. Wolven Ancestry's Mark Howitt) was singing, you'd definitely have been amused! Even besides that, their music suited their aims and was very brutal, but the set ended in slight deja vu, as just like at Wolven Ancestry's set at the Ypres Metal Fest, they were the second last band with a visibly abbreviated set due to time constraints (even resulting in a whole bag of unused props.) I was entertained by 85 Pound Poutine for sure though, and I'm definitely up for seeing them again locally!

And your main event band last night was Toronto death metal standouts Hallows Die, and despite deja vu in the form of another abbreviated set just like at the Ypres Metal Fest, fans were happy to hear more than 2 songs this time around, so things worked out better! Now that I got a glimpse at their fuller set beyond one original and one cover, I was definitely impressed by Ryan Boisvard's brutal vocals and Pat Rogers' blistering guitar riffs and solos on songs like "Fall From Heaven", "A Serpent In Judecca", and "In This Emptiness", and they definitely drummed up the best crowd response of the night to end their set with! They also really seemed to enjoy being back on stage in the Soo, and you'd be hard pressed to find someone there who didn't think they were killer from bell to bell! Though I think we'd all like to see a longer set from them again, Hallows Die delivered well, and I don't think we've seen the last of them in Sault Ontario!

Overall, this was a fun and brutal concerts (despite the time & attendance concerns), and if you missed it, you missed out! I've posted photos from the show onto our Facebook page at this location, so check them out if you wanna, and as for videos, I got The Bear Hunters playing "Bloodthirst", Buried Out Back's song "The Prostitute", Before The Black Gates' song "Am I Dead?", 85 Pound Poutine's set opening tracks "Bath Salts Bukkake" & "Lactating Moose Knuckle", and Hallows Die's new song "A Serpent In Judecca", so check them out below!











That's all for tonight, but I'll hopefully you guys at The Rockstar Bar shortly for Maximum RNR (and maybe an opening band?) Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Powerslug & That's Chester) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time to preview this weekend's concerts, but before that, note the banner at the top of the site. Our 5th anniversary is fast approaching, and this year's anniversary surprises come in the form of expansion. How much, how far, and to what? The banner has clues, but the first stages will be revealed on Wednesday, so stay tuned then! As for today's post, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend across the river and TOMORROW at a local fundraiser that may interest some of you guys, along with previews of the other metal/hard rock concerts tonight & tomorrow, so here's what you need to know! (Updated at 3:28 PM)

I apologize for the short notice on these shows, but I literally only just heard about them a couple of minutes ago. Sault Michigan hard rock trio Powerslug will return to The Corner Pub Bar & Grill TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT for their first concerts since LemmaFest! Drummer Bob Helsten only just announced the shows on his personal Facebook page this afternoon, but with no online pages, it's better late than never to hear word! Apparently, both shows will be outside The Corner Pub, possibly on a patio there, though I'm not sure why this is the case, as The Corner Pub does have an indoor stage. Maybe there's a conflicting event this weekend? No matter the case, Powerslug will bring their talented brand of hard rock back to the live stage tonight and tomorrow, so don't miss them! Admission should be free for both nights, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time seems likely. For more details, visit the above links! Powerslug should deliver some great hard rocking tunes all weekend long, so don't miss them across the river, and for a preview, check out this Facebook video (which I can't embed here) from their Ludington concert weekend earlier this month!

Also in new shows, local classic hard rockers That's Chester are the headlining entertainment at this weekend's Ride For Sight event in Sault Ontario! This long running charity fundraiser for blindness has brought motorcycle riders out on the road for a great cause since 1979, but only this year is it finally debuting in Sault Ste. Marie, so click here for all the details on this great event and how you can support the cause or ride your bike with everyone else! In That's Chester's case, they'll be performing at 9:00 PM TOMORROW NIGHT at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion to close out the Saturday, and they're among three local acts playing this weekend, including local country band Asylum Country tonight and the new local country band High Road (featuring ex-Lion Ride guitarist Marco Pedalino) tomorrow at 4:30 PM. The music is more spread out than you tend to see, but there's plenty of Ride For Sight events happening before and after the bands on Saturday, so it'll all flow! Note that "Social" is credited alongside the bands for entertainment, but I have no idea if that refers to anything musical. As best as I can tell, That's Chester's set under the tent downtown has no admission charge or age limits, and I don't think it's restricted to just Ride For Sight participants. For more details, check the above links and the Facebook event page!

It's great to see That's Chester supporting such a great cause, and it'll be interesting to hear them play at the Pavilion, which is definitely a change from their usual concert spots! I apologize for the short notice on this show too, I only just heard about it yesterday. If you're up to support a great cause, check out some cool motorcycles, and hear some solid local music, head downtown for That's Chester at Ride For Sight tomorrow night! For a preview, here's That's Chester covering Deep Purple's "Highway Star" at Docks a few years ago!



Now to the rest of the weekend previews that we knew about before, starting with a stacked metal concert TONIGHT at The Canadian Nightclub, as five high profile metal bands are coming to melt our faces! Toronto death metal standouts Hallows Die will return to the Soo as headliners, which is bound to interest fans disappointed by their two song set at the Ypres Metal Fest in April, so be prepared for their brutal and melodic take on metal tonight! They're local favourites from a reason dating back to their shows here last year, so don't miss them! Opening for them, we have four notable Northern Ontario metal bands, those being Sudbury improv/comedy death metal trio 85 Pound Poutine (likely featuring Wolven Ancestry's Mark Howitt under a stage name), Sudbury blackened death metal quintet Before The Black Gates, North Bay death metal quartet Buried Out Back (featuring Empyrean Plague guitarist Dave Strba), and local death metal notables The Bear Hunters (guitarist Mitch Sirie is promoting this show), which adds up to a stacked lineup of Ontario metal! Of the openers, 85 Pound Poutine should be very amusing (especially if you can decipher death growling), and B.T.B.G. are a long time coming for a local show, and they should do great, as they're rising fast in their genre!

As for the other bands, Buried Out Back are a group I need to hear clearer audio from, but the videos I've seen show a brutal death metal sound and nice intensity, so they should compare well! And The Bear Hunters, we know very well locally, so I'd expect nothing but the best from them tonight! Also note that this concert does have the feel of an unofficial continuation from the Ypres Metal Fest thanks to it's same venue & familiar lineup (only Before The Black Gates don't have alumni from the event), so if that's some extra incentive to go, keep it in mind! Admission is $10 at the door for tonight's show, it is ALL AGES like other recent metal shows at The Canadian, and everything starts at around 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an awesome concert, and I will not miss it for anything, so I hope to see you guys there for all of the Ontario metal mayhem at The Canadian tonight! Check out all of the bands above, I'll see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Hallows Die's opening songs from their set at what's now Coch's Corner last fall!

Now to the only Sault Michigan metal/hard rock shows that I know of this weekend, as Marquette hard rockers Nudge are back in town TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT for another weekend engagement at The Satisfied Frog! Continuing on a recent schedule of playing in the Soo every four weeks, this entertaining cover quartet will be sure to rock The Frog as well as they ever do, and hopefully a good crowd came out for frontman Danzo McCracken's solo shows there over the last two nights! As usual for Nudge's local stops, they'll be on tonight & tomorrow at 10:00 PM, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like another fun weekend from Nudge, and it's always good to see them keeping up a more frequent local schedule than we've been used to in recent months! Their hard rocking covers always pull in a good crowd and response, so don't miss Nudge at The Frog this weekend! For a preview, here's Nudge covering an Ozzy Osbourne classic at a show a few years back!



And finally, brace for impact at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow night, as Maximum RNR are coming back to Sault Ontario! The prolific Toronto hardcore/punk quintet will play their third ever local concert tomorrow, though it will be their first show here outside of the former Foggy Notions, where they previously played in 2002 & 2011, though it'll just be their second with Saultites in their lineup. As you may remember, ex-Lion Ride bassist and former Detroit frontman Brenton "Diamond Brent Panther" Ellis has sang with Maximum RNR since 2010, and they've since been joined by his longtime bandmate (and fellow local talent) Curtis Faux on bass, after replacing Davey Dee in the band last summer. Their relentless energetic hardcore sound will be sure to bring a much needed dose of heavy music to The Rockstar Bar tomorrow, and old Detroit fans will be right at home with Maximum RNR, so don't miss them! The openers for this show were slated to be local country/punk favourites The Billy Bastards, but they revealed on the Facebook event page yesterday that they had to cancel. A reason for their withdrawl wasn't publically revealed, but I heard that frontman Aaron Gibbs became a father a couple days ago (congratulations!), so that could be related. A new opening band is apparently in the works though, so stay tuned to the SMS for updates on that front!

Admission will be $5 for tomorrow's concert, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is listed. Check the above links for more details! It's great to see Maximum RNR back in town, and I definitely will be there to check them out finally! I was too young in 2002 and was sick last year, so I especially don't wanna miss this show! Stay tuned for updates on the opening band, prepare for some great hardcore/punk (and lots of quick but intense songs), and for a preview, here's Maximum RNR's current lineup playing three songs live last summer!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Hallows Die concert review and our review of The Harsh Heads' CD tomorrow, and much more as we enter July! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Hallows Die & Destroyer), Weekend Concert Previews, And Battle For The Blood Updates!!

Hey guys, here's our latest news post, and it's full of recent stuff to check out! Today, we have news on an upcoming battle of the bands, a preview for the only heavier concerts of the weekend that I currently know of, and leading things off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you need to know!

A stacked lineup of out of town metal bands is coming to The Canadian Nightclub on June 29th, headlined by the return of Hallows Die! The Toronto death metal notables will make their first local concert appearance since the Ypres Metal Fest in April, and first full set since last fall's Napalm Death show, and their explosive & proficient blend of death metal will surely be welcomed back to the Soo in two weeks! A number of notable Northern Ontario metal bands will open this show, including Sudbury improv comedy/death metal trio 85 Pound Poutine (on their Canada Day Weekend Beaver Slap Tour), who I think feature Wolven Ancestry frontman Mark Howitt in their lineup under a stage name. If you can make out the vocals on their originals, you'll find some amusing stereotypical Canadian lyrics and themes, and they'll definitely be a welcome change from more serious metal on June 29th! Joining them are Sudbury blackened death metal quintet Before The Black Gates (nice to finally see them here) and North Bay death metal band Buried Out Back (featuring Empyrean Plague guitarist Dave Strba), so they should bring lots of brutality in a couple of weeks at The Canadian!

The lineup is rounded out by local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters (guitarist Mitch Sirie is fittingly booking this show), and you know they'll add well to the proceedings and set the tone nicely! This show will be an ALL AGES event as other recent Canadian Nightclub metal shows have been, there will be a $10 cover charge, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like one hell of a concert, and in some ways, it feels like a continuation of the Ypres Metal Fest with it's common musicians and Northern Ontario links. I need to get more familiar with Buried Out Back, but the rest of the bands are definitely talented and brutal, and B.T.B.G. are particularly overdue for a local stop! Kudos to Mitch in bringing all of these bands here on the 29th (he's outdoing himself this summer), and stay tuned for another note on one of his upcoming concerts later in this post!

Also in new concerts, Kiss fans should prepare themselves, as a high profile Canadian tribute to the hottest band in the world are coming back to Sault Ste. Marie! Destroyer: Canada's premier Kiss tribute, are hitting The Rockstar Bar on July 14th for their first local concert appearance since April 2010, so it's definitely been a long time coming for them to rock the Soo again! These guys deliver a great Kiss look and sound to the stage at every show, as fans at their 2010 Rockstar Bar show would probably attest. At least this time, the show won't be in the shadow of the real thing playing here in a few months, so hopefully it's an even bigger hit this time around! Tickets will be $10 in advance or $12 at the door (both down in price from last time), this is a 19+ event, and a 10:30 PM start time is listed. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like a great time for Kiss Army members and even casual fans of Gene & company, especially knowing the authentic experience that Destroyer provide, and if you don't believe me, check the above links to hear and see for yourselves! Stay tuned for more on Destroyer's local return on July 14th as I hear of it, and both of these new shows are now in our Sault Ontario concert listings!

Next up, here's a preview of the only verifiable hard rock/metal concerts going down this weekend at present time, and they involve the return of Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's acoustic solo concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Tym will hit The Service Grill on Korah Road once again for his second solo concert weekend with his new guitar tonight & tomorrow, and if you enjoy his hard rock & metal covers in this more intimate setting, you'll wanna check out the proceedings at some point this weekend! Like his other recent Service Grill gigs, Tym will be playing two sets each tonight & tomorrow, with 4 hour sets at both 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM, so times are definitely workable for most schedules! Admission should be free, and there's no likely age limits, given the concert's setting. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Tym should deliver some great acoustic renditions of many of your metal and hard rock hits over the next couple of nights, so keep his Service Grill dates this weekend in mind over a quiet stretch of shows (though next week will be very busy!) Check the above links for more, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" earlier this year!

And finally, here's a couple of updates for the Battle For The Blood at The Roosevelt Hotel on Tuesday! Firstly, a fourth band has been added to the lineup of competitors, that being the recently returned local hardcore quartet Changing Waves, ostensibly replacing Shit Liver as the battle's fourth band. Promoter J.D. Pearce confirmed their addition on the Facebook event page yesterday. This will be Changing Waves' first battle, but it returns bassist Terrence Gomes to a local battle of the bands, having competed with defunct punk band Creedon & The Animal Detectives at the Algoma University Battle in December 2009. Changing Waves' diverse and heavy sound should add a new wrench into the voting process on Tuesday, and as of right now, it's anyone's game between them, For All That Is Lost, The Valentine's Day Massacre, and Winkstinger! Who will open for 3 Inches of Blood at The Rosie next month? We'll know on Tuesday! The other battle news is that the performance order will be randomly drawn on Tuesday night prior to the battle, though set limits and restrictions have yet to be made public (I'd be very surprised if the bands got more than a half hour each though.) Check the above links for more details on the Battle for the Blood, and I'll have more news on it over the weekend hopefully!

That's all for today, but stay tuned hopefully for a new news post over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Frightlight), Fifth Way Concert Preview, And LAST Week's Classic Video!!

Here's one more news post before we upload this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile, so here's what's on tap! Today, we've got a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (finally restoring a metal show to the Sault Ontario concert listings), a preview for the weekend's only heavier show (and related events), and last week's classic video, so here's what you need to know!

Frightlight have announced their next concert, and it will see their return to The Roosevelt Hotel next month! The popular horror punk/metal quintet will rock The Rosie on May 10th as openers for Toronto alternative/punk standouts Die Mannequin & Dearly Beloved! Die Mannequin in particular have made some big waves in recent years with their energetic female-fronted punk sounds, while Dearly Beloved have some interesting indie & punk mix sounds in their repetoire, so you'll wanna stick around for these bands, even if the show's not entirely metal! For Frightlight, this will be their first Rosie appearance since opening for The Dayglo Abortions last June, and it should be their first gig with their full current lineup in over 6 months, so this is a long time coming in both respects! It will be a 19+ show with a $10 ticket price, with advance tickets going on sale in the next couple of days, and a 10:00 PM start time is expected. At least one other local band is planned to be added to the lineup of this show, but more details are forthcoming. For more details, check the above links and the Facebook event page! It's always fun to see a stacked punk concert roll through the area, and with some metal touches, it'll be a can't miss show, so definitely keep Die Mannequin & Frightlight in mind come May 10th!

Also, I'll note that this show is taking place on a Thursday, so is it officially the 44th Roosevelt Hotel metal night? The metal nights' Facebook page hasn't confirmed it as such yet, and advance tickets at these shows aren't common, but May 10th is next on the "every four weeks" schedule that they'd been following this year (counting the skipped April 12th date.) Plus, the metal nights haven't been 100% metal exclusive, hosting acts like RedD Monkey, The Endprogram, and The Nailheads last year. It could very well be the next in the series, but even if it's just coincidentally timed, it'll be a great show, so circle May 10th on your calendars!

Next up, it's time for a concert preview in an otherwise light weekend in the local metal scene, but what we're getting is on a big scale, so here's what you should know! After 21 months away from the local stage, Detroit hard rockers Fifth Way are finally coming back to Sault Michigan on Saturday night for another public concert! Like their high profile 2010 sets opening for Tesla and Three Doors Down at Kewadin Casino, the band featuring Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek will be opening for another major headlining band, that being platinum-selling Arizona pop rock band The Gin Blossoms! Though not metal, their 1990s hits like "Hey Jealousy" and "Follow You Down" will be sure to bring back great memories and entertain the masses at The Dreammaker's Theater on Saturday night! Notably, Fifth Way will also be debuting new bassist & drummer Mike McMann & Chris Castro for their local fans this weekend. Before they rock The Dreammaker's Theater though, Fifth Way will be playing a special private acoustic gig at Zak's alma mater Lake Superior State University for engineering alumni (click here for more details), and then (according to the Soo Evening News) they'll be in studio with Rock 101 tomorrow morning with Scott Cook & Brian Davie for an unplugged performance & interview, so tune in to 101.3 FM tomorrow morning at around 8:00 AM to check that out!

Tickets for their set opening for The Gin Blossoms on Saturday will be $32.50, which isn't bad for a Dreammaker's Theater show, especially if you like both acts! Tickets are still available from the 8th row and back, so click here to buy some online, or call 1-800-KEWADIN, or visit the Kewadin box office in person. It should be an all ages event, and a 7:00 PM start time is listed. Check the above links for more details! It's about time that Fifth Way come back to the area, and hopefully all of their sets go off without a hitch! They're a very talented and hard hitting band, and even though the Gin Blossoms show isn't a 100% fit for a band of their intensity, keep it in mind for your weekend plans! For a preview, here's Fifth Way playing an unplugged version of their song "Lose Control" in Detroit last year!



And finally, you may have noticed that we didn't post a weekly classic video on YouTube last week. I apologize for that, as I intentionally planned to hold it off until after the Humane Society Battle of the Bands to avoid a bias for any of the performers. My plan was to upload a video of or with members of the winning band, but it completely slipped my mind last weekend, so now it's time to catch up, as we've got a classic video of battle winners Late & Loud to share! Most of their videos are on YouTube by now, but one that isn't comes from one of their first gigs circa November 2010, where they played an original song named "Down Like This" at what appears to be Sault College's old concert venue The Outback! Featuring drummer Josh Hatherley and singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi swapping roles, this is a more acoustically driven composition, and Josh shows solid songwriting skills on this one, but it's not a frequent track in their more recent setlists. It's a solid different sound though, and it never hurts to show some diversity! Note that other videos from this set (including a Witchcraft cover and an original named "Dark Sunrise") are no longer on the band's Facebook page, but good thing this song still is, as it deserves an audience!

Uploaded onto Facebook on November 22nd, 2010, you can view the original video at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=1706156332076, which is of pretty good quality. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Late & Loud and the original filmer, I'm just trying to share this performance with wider audience like it deserves! It's a nice video, and hopefully we'll hear this song live again soon, so check out Late & Loud playing "Down Like This" in 2010 below, and stay tuned for THIS week's classic video soon!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Winter of Silence TOMORROW, and tune in to Rock 101 tomorrow morning for Fifth Way live on "Scott & Brian In The Morning"! Thanks everyone!

Ypres Metal Fest Review!!

Hey guys, it's finally time for my review of Saturday night's Ypres Metal Fest, so what went down at our local David Gold memorial concert? This extended review should tell you, but first, I wanna apologize for both the delay of the review (11 video files take time to upload) and for the lack of a Wolven Ancestry video, but I'll get to that later on. So the concert on Saturday was, at it's peak, comparable in attendance to the Kiss Battle of the Bands Finals in 2009, and it was great to see so many new and old faces out in David Gold's memory! There was plenty of band merchandise for sale from the performing acts, including Woods of Ypres shirts and CDs, and I can proudly say that I bought a tribute concert t-shirt, Woods of Ypres toque (with the band logo in "gold"), and "Woods V" on CD for the cause, and the free tote bag, pick, and bottle opener were nice touches! As rumoured beforehand, each band covered at least one Woods of Ypres or Proposition 86 song during their sets, and some featured special guests, but we'll get to the individual covers as the review goes along. Now, to the actual bands, so here's my thoughts and observations!

Most of the bands had abbreviated sets of around a half hour in length, so I'll be a bit more concise with my thoughts than usual, but there's still a lot to say! The opening band was local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre, who launched the Ypres Metal Fest in style with a cover of "Halves & Quarters" from "Woods IV", and they did a solid job on it! Their set featured other originals like "Vampiric" and "My Sweet Delilah"", and they shown good brutality and aggression to kick things off, though it was sorta odd seeing Kyle Umgeher behind a normal drumkit. Andrew Angelic's guitar work was great as usual, and they set the tone well for the bands to come! They were followed by the last local band to ever open for Woods of Ypres, death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, in what was actually the first time I've seen them live in 8 months! Their set began with a cover of part 2 of "Kiss My Ashes (Goodbye)" from "Woods V", though with bassist Justin Lam on lead vocals and singer Nik Deubel on third guitar. Well played, but Justin's singing needs work, and Mitch Sirie's guitar was tuned way too low. Their originals were about as good as I expected, ranging from the brutal "Collapse the Sun" to their newer original "Deception", and they got more fans on the floor for their set, which was good to see! Pretty good all around, but hopefully I'll see a longer set from them soon!

Third were local grimecore notables Shit Liver in their 2012 debut and first concert in 4 months, and they knocked off 11 songs during their set, including two brand new songs ("Pennotration" and "It's Not My Problem"), and if you can appreciate their crusty and grimy take on punk and death metal, you'd have had no problem moshing out to their set! In fact, they were the first band to get pit activity last night, which is a good sign! Their Woods of Ypres cover was of "The Shams of Optimism" from "Against The Seasons", and they made it their own to end their set with! They're still an acquired taste, but Shit Liver definitely left their mark last night, and that works for me! Fourth were the night's only non-metal act, local punk trio Redundant, but frontman Justin Langlois left a great impression on Saturday by telling some stories of his and David's time together in bands during their teen years, and Redundant covered songs like "Tomorrow" by Silverchair and "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer that Justin & David played together back in the day! Redundant sounded at their punk best last night, including on Green Day & Scary Uncles covers, along with their set closing cover of an old Proposition 86 cover featuring Giwakwa's Jason Bourcier on vocals, and it was great to see them on Saturday!

The final local band of the evening was Garden of Bedlam in their own 2012 debut, and they unleashed a very entertaining set of their high quality originals! Though shorter than normal for them, Garden of Bedlam played hits like "Against The Grain" and "Torment" from their 2011 album "Everything Will Die" for the huge crowd at The Canadian, and they were on form completely from what I'm used to, especially with Josh Belleau's excellent guitar work and Buzz's always impressive singing! Their Woods of Ypres cover was an early highlight of the evening, as they were joined by special guests for their cover of "I Was Buried In Mount Pleasant Cemetery", including Woody Sims/ex-Sense of Truth guitarist Steve Myers on the keyboard and Blues Harvest's Josh Norling on the saxophone. This was an interesting choice of a cover, but they all handled it extremely well and played it excellently, which was a great way to cap off their set!

Sixth on the lineup on Saturday was the first out of town band, North Bay black metallers Empyrean Plague, and if any band called to mind Woods of Ypres' black metal roots, it was these guys! I've never seen Empyrean Plague live before, but they displayed some nice brutal extreme metal and kept lots of fans up front to rock along with them! Mike Burge's black metal singing lived up to their heavy attack, and I was impressed with Dave Strba's lead work as well! If there was any flaw, it was that their set seemed to go by way too fast, and I'd like to see more of them, but their set ending cover of Woods of Ypres' "Shedding the Deadwood" from "Pursuit of the Sun & Allure of the Earth" was pretty good! Mike's singing didn't flow as well as I hoped, and I honestly would rather have seen them do something like "Awaiting The Inevitable", but it worked nicely, and the fans responded in kind! Nice work overall, and hopefully Empyrean Plague come back soon with a longer set!

Following them was the special acoustic set by Joel Violette & Rae Amitay from Woods of Ypres' final lineup, and even though bassist Brendan Hayter couldn't make it, local fans were surprised to see Gates of Winter guitarist Bryan Belleau (Woods' lead guitarist from 2008-2010) come home to join Joel & Rae for most of their set! The three of them switched instruments often for their songs, ranging from Woods of Ypres songs like "Silver", "Shedding The Deadwood", "Song of Redemption", and "A Meeting Place & Time", to a cover of Katatonia's "Omerta" (I believe), and though the quality varied, the emotions were very real, and the performances were top notch! Joel's singing range was honestly limited, but when Rae took over lead vocals, she was surprisingly really good, and when she sang on "A Meeting Place & Time", she shown a lot of potential as a clean singer, even throwing in black metal vocals when she sang "I hope it's cold every day where you are"! The highlight for me was when Gypsy Chief Goliath frontman Alex "Yeti Bones" Petrovich joined the Woods alumni for a cover of "Shards of Love (Hurt Forever)" that everyone on the floor started singing along with, and that was a surreal and very cool moment that I have my fingers crossed completely that someone filmed! This was the emotional highlight of the evening, and hopefully Joel and Rae continue to work together musically in the future!

Surprisingly, the next band on the lineup was Chicago doom/death veterans Novembers Doom, despite being the advertised headliners. No matter, as their set made me an official fan of theirs, because they tore it up! Possibly the most similar to late-era Woods of Ypres material of the bands on Saturday, these guys delivered some very heavy and moshable material, and up to that point in the night, they had the most raucous reaction up front! Paul Kuhr's vocals ranged from sorrowful doom melodies to devastating death growling, and on songs like "Harvest Scythe", they were even more impressive and heavy! Their words about David before their set were also really nice, as was their cover of Woods of Ypres' "Wet Leather" from "W4", which got a great reception from fans! I hope that Novembers Doom can come back to Sault Ontario under happier circumstances in the future, as I was really impressed by them, and I'll definitely wanna hear more of their death & doom sounds live!

After them was, again surprisingly early, London metal quartet Kittie for one hell of a set! The people around me seemed to agree, as it was a claustrophobic's nightmare of metalheads on the floor! It was as congested during Kittie's set as I am with this cold! Though some may still see them as the all-girls band who did "Brackish", they've grown and developed so much since then, and they blown the roof off the joint with brutal originals like "I've Failed You", "Never Again", and "Mouthful of Poison", along with an emotional version of Woods of Ypres' song "Everything I Touch Turns To Gold (Then To Coal)" from "Woods IV", and they sounded great for the whole set! Morgan Lander was spitting venom on vocals, and her and Tara McLeod's guitar work was solid, though I was hoping for more guitar solos. Mercedes Lander's drum work was fast and brutal, and Trish Doan's bass lines kept things heavy on the low end throughout! Morgan also shared some nice things about David and how much she missed him, which was awesome, and hopefully Kittie come back to town at some point, after the reaction and support they got on Saturday!

With Kittie's set done by midnight, a noticeable number of fans left after they wrapped up, but they should have stayed for the final three bands, starting with Windsor stoner metal outfit Gypsy Chief Goliath! They had an amended set due to time constraints, but they had lots of time to deliver some solid music, which reminded me of if Down were a jam band... and had a harmonica player. Solid stuff, and Alex Petrovich's vocals flowed well with their material! Nice different sound compared to the bands around them, and their cover of the "W4" song "Suicide Cargoload (Drag That Weight)" got a great reception! Following them after some very noticeably delays (and using Hallows Die's drumkit) was Sudbury black metal standouts Wolven Ancestry, in their first local concert since opening for Woods of Ypres in the fall of 2008. I know they performed a good set, but I think they need a do-over, as the sound quality of their set was off, with Lord Defiler's singing almost inaudible and the music almost blending together. Plus, their set was slashed to just three songs due to the aforementioned delays, including the removal of their full Woods of Ypres cover, though I heard elements of "A Meeting Place & Time" late in their last song.

I enjoy Wolven Ancestry, and I'd love to see them come back to town soon for a full set without any sound or time concerns. If they do, hopefully they can do their Woods cover in their next Soo stop, as I didn't know what would happen and failed to get a video from their set as a result. My apologies to Wolven Ancestry and their fans, I'll make it up somehow! The delays forced the final band, Toronto death metal quartet Hallows Die, to play just two songs, and both after 2:00 AM with the house lights on, but their set was fast and brutal, and I was glad to finally see them live, even if briefly! For their final song, Hallows Die were joined by Woods of Ypres guitarist Joel Violette and Ypres Metal Fest booker Rich Moreland for a cover of "The Northern Cold" from "Woods III", and they tore it up to end the night, and with some gracious words thanking everyone to cap off the night, the Ypres Metal Fest ended nicely! Though delays hampered later set times, and the sound occasionally had some concerns, this was an amazing night of metal, and I'm so glad I didn't use my sick card and not go! By the end of the night, I was exhausted and overdue for Nyquil, but it was all worth it to pay tribute to David Gold's memory and all he's done for independent music, local metal, and metal in general!

Part of me still thinks that, with David's messages on "Woods V", he may not have approved of the tributes to him, but he is certainly deserving of all of these great tributes to his memory and music, and hopefully somehow, somewhere, he enjoyed what went down on Saturday and on Thursday. A special thanks goes out to David's family, Rich, the crew and workers who kept things running this weekend, plus all of the bands, Jason, Steve, and Josh for their guest spots, and Joel, Rae, and Bryan for coming to the Soo for this amazing event! I hope that it returns next year, but even if it doesn't, it was something very special, and I'm very glad to have went and supported the Gold family, metal, and David's memory! R.I.P. David!

To close this post, here's all 11 videos that I shot on Saturday (apologies again to Wolven Ancestry, and to the bands whose songs I missed the beginning of.) That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!