A New Local Punk Band, Crush Updates, And More Recent News & Notes!!

As we wrap up the busiest month (for post count) in the 19+ year history of the SMS, here's one more news post for the end of August before we go into autumn, and it includes updates from an EUP hard rock band, clarifications on who played a recent all-day charity concert, and some assorted shorter updates, but we'll lead off with a debuting supergroup that will be intriguing for many local punk and hard rock fans! Here's what you should know!

We have a new local punk band to add to our links, and they are Dead II Society! While their Facebook page was only launched yesterday, they were one of the two mystery bands announced for October's Punk Rock Fiesta at The Rockstar Bar (we are still waiting for details on The Baby Rails). Self-described as "an outlaw punk rock (band) specializing in loud, high energy, foot-stomping songs", their lyrics are planned to revolve around members' personal lives, health, and relationships. The band features former Garden of Bedlam/Changing Lanes singer/guitarist Erik "Buzz" Boissineau alongside former Northwest/Terminal guitarist Mike Yakasovich, veteran local bassist Andrew Torgerson (most recently seen down south in The Epifats and Grant Boyer's backing band), and Billy Bastards drummer Charlie Yanni (he will be pulling double duty with both bands on October 3rd).

Dead II Society are working on original music for major streaming services and Bandcamp, and your first teaser is this video featuring an instrumental track and silent footage of the guys meeting up and jamming. Their first single and full-length video (presumably both for this song) premiere on September 16th, 2½ weeks before their Punk Rock Fiesta debut. Sadly, the video is both vertical and black & white, aspects that I hope don't translate to what we get in two weeks, but it's great to see this promising band full of established names making their debut shortly, and it'll be interesting to hear how Buzz's long-teased original punk songs turn out! See more from them above and below, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, let's bolt across the border to Sault Michigan for the latest updates from local hard rock trio Crush! It's been a few months since we last talked about Tarnished's original-heavy splinter group, who haven't played a local concert in over four months (or downstate since May), but they haven't been completely idle. After jokey posts, AI-generated memes, and more love for Big Boy restaurants over the summer, they have announced two tour dates for September on their Facebook page, one being a show on Friday at Bemo's Bar in Bay City (3½ hours south of here, outside of Saginaw). Best of luck on the road trip for sure! The other gig is technically outside of our coverage range (an hour's drive from the Soo), but it will be their closest show since April at The Merch, and it will see Alex, Josh, and Iggy open for their friends in Rose City metal band Tribe989 at Bates Corner Bar & Grill in Gould City on Thursday, September 24th.

Hannahville "rez metal" band Ghidora (who Heavy Lies The Crown fans will know well) are also playing this show 90 minutes west of the Soo. If you can make the drive to western Mackinac County, this show may be of note, and despite Gould City being pretty small, they can book big names at Bates Corner (Buckcherry played there earlier this month!) Click here for details on the Gould City concert. Lastly, they posted this short teaser video for the Bay City show on Friday, with Iggy promoting it from an... unexpected place, while the caption at the end notes that Crush have been busy in the studio recently working on original material. Hopefully we hear more soon, so get Crushed above and below, and I hope next month's shows go well!

Also today, here's some clarification of the lineup for Maddy's Mighty Mutts Family Fun Day at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion in Sault Ontario on August 5th! The advertising for the event had conflicting details on who was and wasn't playing, but organizer Paige Dennie listed off performers in a personal Facebook post shared to Maddy's Facebook page the next day to thank everyone for volunteering. Ten acts ended up playing the Wednesday outdoor-ish concert under the big tent, with this AI-generated poster being accurate to the final bill aside from omitting Tex Riviera & The Relix Ride for one reason or another (not only did they play, they were up first!). The acts that dropped out (both for unannounced reasons) were solo musicians Arin Karki and Leslie Cook, with Tym Morrison being a last minute replacement for one of them. Of note, Jason Taillefer's sister Kelly guested for part of his solo set, which was implied to be keyboard-heavy.

Paige noted that 5 Dollar Bribe donated their drum kit and PA system for the day's full band's to use, which was nice of them, while TNT singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe helped with sound and managing set changes, and Bone Yard 225 were the headliners. It does sound like things went well, and Paige was very appreciative of everyone helping out, both from the concert aspect and towards supporting the dog rescue charity itself, so visit the above links for more on what went down four weeks ago!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual for our short-form story blocks, these are in alphabetical order by artist or company name:

 

• A memorial concert for late local musician Dale Corcoran will be held at the resurgent Rockstar Bar on Saturday, September 19th! Proceeds will go to his widow Clare for her own recent expenses, and the show is implied to largely be an informal and unrehearsed jam featuring friends and former bandmates rather than something with firmly scheduled and advertised bands (though I'd assume that we'll see members of Tex Riviera & The Ride). Could we see throwbacks to his local metal and hard rock work of the 1980s? Tickets cost $20 + processing fees at this link, and I do hope that this celebration of life is a huge hit across the board!
• I apologize for missing this among our backlog clearout, but a demonstration named Navigating the Modern Music Business As An Independent Artist was held at The Art Hub At Spring this past Tuesday. Hosted by local musician and manager Ryan St. Pierre of The Lonely Listeners Club and the upstart music management program Lisinin, the program was to promote his work and help encourage independent artists to explore today's music industry and better network in music communities. All are definitely good plans to help aspiring musicians in their career, so click here for more on what went down last week, and what Ryan continues working on!
• The performance order for the aforementioned Punk Rock Fiesta at The Rockstar Bar on October 3rd has been unveiled via this poster shared on the Punk Canada Facebook group two weeks ago! The running order is mostly what you'd expect given band notoriety, with everyone but headliners Random Killing having a half hour timeslot (the debuting Baby Rails lead off at 6:30 PM), but local crossover thrash trio Hails will surprisingly get the 10:30 PM co-headlining slot over the Billys and Fist Magnet reunions. This will be a huge show no matter when bands are on, so visit the above links for more on what to expect in just over a month!

 

That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS next month! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Fuller - Topic & xCrimsonCrusade's Channel

It is now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles after a few days' delay, and as usual, we're taking a look at YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk musicians/concerts! This month's randomly selected channels both take us to local bands who originated local content over a decade ago, with one completing said music last year and the other emerging improved after this, so here's what you should know on both fronts! We're doubling up because the first channel only has uploads from one album and I only felt comfortable spotlighting two songs without getting too repetitive, so a single-video channel was sourced.

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Fuller - Topic (http://youtube.com/channel/UC_vmb5Gu_u_dKwscM4LOI8Q)

Owner: If anyone, Fuller frontman Jamie Vincent, but this channel is auto-generated to facilitate Fuller's newest studio album being available on YouTube Music

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 27th, 2025; All videos uploaded that same day

Channel Summary: This channel solely features all ten songs from the local midwest emo/post-hardcore band's second album "II", which was released to major streaming platforms as part of their mid-2020s revival, with the release sandwiched between Fuller's two reunion concerts in December 2023 and July 2025

Why You Should Watch: If you were a fan of Fuller's dating back to their early-mid 2000s heyday, and/or are a fan of this era of emo and alt-rock, you'll definitely enjoy hearing "II", which finally saw Mark/Nathan-era originals of theirs recorded in studio as originally intended! However, the band has not made their 2002 self-titled EP (the one where no song was titled) available to match.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

And I End: The most popular song on YouTube Music from this album is its second track and first advance single "And I End", a slower but melodic number that will appeal to emo fans of the era while also still harbouring a raw DIY indie rock edge! Fuller are represented here by singer/guitarist Jamie Vincent (ex-AlgomA) and bassist Mark Rand (Cross Dog), with David Peredun (Convergence) taking over drums for Nathan Sauve, who retained writing credits. Producer Dustin Goodall (who guested with Fuller at Rotaryfest Stage 2 last year) provided "additional instrumentation" on the album, but they didn't specify his exact roles and on what songs.

 

Six: Fuller ended this album with a re-recording of the untitled sixth song from their self-titled 2002 EP, even bringing back original drummer James Kersley to record backing vocals for it. While it is currently the least streamed song from "II" on YouTube Music, it's actually one of my favourite cuts on the album, so I wanted to highlight it anew. Technically beginning with a two minute intro at the end of the preceding song "Kerosene", the 2025 revision is louder, has a more satisfying ending, and is a better produced, in-your-face midwest emo song that builds and gets the point across with an interesting trancey vibe. I'll likely be moving Fuller to our inactive band links next month, but it would be neat to see Jamie and crew make new versions of the rest of their first EP at some point down the road!

 

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xCrimsonCrusade's Channel (http://youtube.com/xcrimsoncrusade)

Owner: A member of 2010-2013 local/Central Algoma death metal band Crimson Crusade, exact identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 13th, 2010; Only video uploaded that same day

Channel Summary: The original YouTube channel for "The Crimson Crusade" saw just one upload, featuring an audio recording of their original song "Left For Dead" from an empty theater, credited as "thy shitty demo". They apologized for the recording quality, blaming the sound tech, but I'll let you determine if the only comment is from the same sound tech. As best as I can gather, this features original singer Curtis Moir, guitarists Devon Lucier (Pillory) and Brent Beaulieu, bassist Riley Marshall, and Curtis' ex-Inhuman Methods bandmate Robert Crossley. Despite the audio quality, there is promise here for death metal fans, especially given that members were still CASS students at the time, but the vocals do sound somewhat forced, and they would develop a Death-influenced technicality by the time their 2013 album "Upon The Eve Of War" came out, so give that a listen afterwards!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on or around July 26th when we look at another randomly selected channel, this time Stonesmyth, featuring many original songs and videos from the defunct local hard rock project Stone Smyth (R.I.P. Troy), so look for that then, and for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!

Updates On New & Upcoming Local Albums, Plus Two Concert Cancellations!

Before we dive into this post, I wanted to note two concert cancellations/postponements, one that we missed on here and one that is still ahead. First, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations cancelled their Friday nighter at Reggie's Place last week due to that night's ice storm, as per drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group at 10:55 PM on Friday, when the show would have been in progress. I hadn't heard of other bands on Friday that called off that night's show, though Generations were back as scheduled on Saturday night. Seeing as the announcement came that late, I obviously couldn't mention it in a post prior, but apologies anyway, and hopefully things went well for Generations at Reggie's on Saturday! The other postponement is actually for this Saturday's planned Dressed To Kiss concert at The Sault Community Theatre Centre.

The news broke on Rock 101's Concert Track segments on air, and promoters Miles Management confirmed in this Facebook comment reply that it will now take place on Saturday, August 9th, pushing the D.T.K. show back exactly 19 weeks. Miles Management cited "unforeseen circumstances" for the rescheduling (source here), and while an updated ticket link from the S.C.T.C. is not out yet, tickets bought for this Saturday will still be honoured. Disappointing for fans of Kiss that this talented tribute band had to delay their local debut, but hopefully the summer season date will work out!

Today's post otherwise looks are information on an upcoming album, and leading off, here's some details in a regular post on reunited local midwest emo/psych rock trio Fuller's new studio album "II"! I touched on everything in our review yesterday, but I try to actually mention unspoken details from prior news posts in a new news post too, in case readers don't check the album review first. "Fuller II" is available to buy on Bandcamp for $7 or on iTunes for $9.99, and you can stream it on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, and the Africa-geared Boomplay (at press time, there are no physical pressings of the album, though bassist Mark Rand had floated the idea in the pre-release promotion). "II" was released through the Advance Records imprint, and with one exception, is almost entirely made up of songs from the band's late-era run in the mid-2000s.

The album closer "Six" is a re-recording of the untitled sixth song from their 2002 EP (which had no song titles at all), and retains songwriting credits for ex-members James Kersley and Dan Fagan. Mid-2000s drummer Nathan Sauve is similarly credited as a co-writer on everything else. The songs on offer are presented in the exact order that they were played at Fuller's reunion concert at LopLops Lounge in December 2023, with the exception that their covers of American Football and Moneen songs that night were replaced by two short filler tracks named "A" and "B", one being an acoustic ballad and the other being a dark instrumental. Emo isn't my first love in terms of rock genres, but "II" is a solid album that fully realizes the Mark/Nathan era of Fuller, so definitely buy or stream it at the above links, and hopefully a proper release party happens when Mark is back home next! Here's the opener "Batteries From Old Flashlights" from YouTube!

We'll close by heading over to Sault Michigan, where local metal solo project X's & Y's announced on March 14th that they are releasing their second studio album later this year! To be entitled "Ruination Coactive", project leader Jason Mills revealed on their Facebook page that he "nearly finished both albums at the same time, but (he) needed to focus on one", that being last fall's debut album "The Obsidian Dream". Jason noted that he wrote the new album immediately after the previous during the pandemic lockdown in 2020, and he plans to release "Ruination Coactive" on streaming services and on CD once again. The cover artwork (reminiscent of old Konami games for the NES) was also shared, as was the eight song track listing. Is the fourth track "The Gemini Machine" a hint towards a late May-early June release, and/or a reference to this being album #2? We'll keep you posted!

No public word yet on how these songs will compare to what Jason put out last fall, but "The Obsidian Dream" had a bunch of guest performers, was recorded at Scholomance Studios in Brimley, and was entirely instrumental. We'll be six months past X's & Y's' album review last fall this month, so a review of "Ruination Coactive" will hit the SMS very shortly after it is released, so stay tuned for more from X's & Y's in the near future, and look for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

Fuller - "II" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 189th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and this month's album is two decades in the making for their fans, namely reunited local midwest emo/post-hardcore trio Fuller's sophomore album "II"! The long awaited follow-up to their 2002 self-titled EP (which has not yet been reviewed on the SMS), "Fuller II" was recorded last year at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall and at Mark's own Bandage A/V, before being mixed by Greg Dawson at BWC Studios in Kingston. The album was independently released to major streaming services on Friday via the Advance Records imprint. While the band had asked fans about interest for putting it out on physical formats, it is currently a digital exclusive. Fuller are represented here by founding singer/guitarist Jamie Vincent (of AlgomA and Bad Back fame) alongside mid-2000s bassist Mark Rand (now of Peterborough's Cross Dog), while Convergence drummer David Peredun takes over for Nathan Sauve behind the drumkit.

Dustin (who is also producing Convergence's newest studio material) guests on "additional instrumentation" on the album, while original Fuller drummer James Kersley provides guest vocals on "Six". You can buy "II" on Bandcamp for $7 or on iTunes for $9.99, and it is streamable for free on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, and yes, even Boomplay, though consider buying the mp3 copies to fully support Fuller's work! Just to clarify the album's makeup, the songs on offer are almost all unrecorded originals from their late-period run in the mid-2000s, and they are presented here in the order they were performed at their December 2023 reunion concert at LopLops Lounge, aside from the two covers being replaced by short filler songs in the same spots. Nathan retains a songwriting credit alongside Jamie & Mark on all songs but "Six", which was written by Jamie, James, and former guitarist Dan Fagan for their 2002 EP. With 10 songs running for about 42 minutes, let's begin this review with its first song!

"II" opens up with "Batteries From Old Flashlights", which is an upbeat and melodic song that midwest emo fans should take to! Jamie's vocals are an adjustment from his later heavier band work (granted, not so if you were a Fuller diehard in the 2000s), but his tone fits this song well, and he and Mark pair well musically! David's a considerable talent on drums, so he was a good acquisition if they couldn't bring Nathan back, and the percussion has a nice variance! I don't find that the closing instrumental was the ideal capper to the song, especially after the false ending, but it's a solid opener! Next up is "And I End", which was the album's first advance single, which is a slower and more deliberate number that reminds me more of some of the more mainstream emo bands of this era, but with a rawer indie rock edge and a lively punk spirit. Not my favourite style of the punk/rock subgenres but it gets the job done well for emo and alternative fans!

The melodies and strong lyrics are there, and while I prefer heavier than this, I see how this song was a good choice for a first single! I should also note that this song ends with what sounds like a cassette tape or 8 track player being stopped and fast forwarded, and the opener began similarly, so we'll have to see if that recurs. The third song on offer is "I Will Crush You", which has a jaunty instrumental opening for the first 68 seconds or so, before the song proper really kicks into high gear. It sounds like Mark singing lead on this song, and his gruffer, punkier vocals actually are a good contrast to the song itself, which remains light and upbeat. The song doesn't work as well for me when there aren't vocals, and as there are only lyrics present for 2 minutes of this 5+ minute song, so I'd have edited it down to accentuate the balance of styles. Well performed with good guitar even still!

Fourth on the album is the first filler song (replacing their cover of American Football's "Honestly?" from the reunion concert). Entitled "A", this album-low 52 seconds-long track again has the tape playback effect, and is an acoustic number, full title possibly "A Picture Is Worth A Million Words". Very raw and intimate, perhaps a little too lo-fi for my liking against the surrounding songs, but your mileage may vary! I'd rather it have been fleshed out more with the full band and longer runtime. That's followed by "Image In My Sight". This song has more of a pop punk spirit to it, but still played mid-tempo and with am emphasis on Jamie's vocals, which have good passion and intent to go along with the lyrical themes. The choruses are amped up in heaviness a bit, and this is another song where David shines on drums!

Not a bad number that plays to their strengths as a band, so it's an early highlight! Before songs get (mostly) longer, the album's first half concludes with "Love Is Always Better When You're Dreaming", which has long been familiar to fans via this classic Oddfellows Hall video. Another light rocker that emo fans will be at home with, this song never really jumps off the track it begins on until the last 30 seconds for me, so it kinda coasts despite good intentions and lyrics. Again, Mark's vocals (in the final chorus) contrast well with the light emo stylings, and I'd have included him more on the mic! In place of their cover of Moneen's "The Passing Of America" from the reunion gig, song #7 is the other filler track, entitled "B". Nothing to do with Newgrounds or StrawberryClock here, this is an 89 seconds-long instrumental with a very quaint, kinda eerie sound like you're paddling on an endless sea.

Closing again with tape deck controls, this works better as a composition for me than "A" does, and while a tonal shift from the proper songs, it sets an isolated mood that stands on its own! The album closes with its three longest songs with steadily increasing runtimes, with track #8 being "Can You Die From Embarrassment?". After a near 2-minute long intro, this song proper really is the softest yet of anything other than "A" & "B", but Jamie (and Dustin?) unleash some spacey guitar to bridge verses, which is a neat change of pace, and the song picks up in liveliness with a fuller (no pun intended) sound in the final minute, with everyone getting into rocking territory to send the song out on a high. Good ideas and creativity here, but when it was just a gentle, emotional song, it dragged a bit before they started shaking things up, but for pure composition skill, there's something here!

The penultimate song is also the second advance single release, namely "Kerosene", which was a later song wrote by Fuller that was taking them away from midwest emo and towards post-hardcore and psych rock. On this number, Jamie and Mark split vocal duties while playing lively if laid back instrumentation that will definitely please emo and indie rock fans, but the almost two minute-long bridge was overkill to me. It's not a bad song for genre fans, if not quite as post-hardcore influenced as I assumed, but it could stand to be edited down, and I wouldn't have had the song segue directly into the closer, especially with how abruptly "Kerosene" ended at 6:27 before shifting gears into what became the final song, "Six". This is actually a re-recording of the untitled sixth song from Fuller's 2002 EP (which had no song titles), hence why James returned on guest backing vocals. If you've heard the original, the 2025 revision is an improvement all around!

Running for almost two extra minutes (counting the ending transition in "Kerosene"), the instruments are louder, more intense, and more dynamic on this version, which leans more into midwest emo but with trancelike qualities and more of a stream of consciousness structure with plainly sung vocals. David's drumming really helps the energy level, and while the extended jam nature of the song will be an acquired taste for some, they do spice it up with a slowly escalating rock base and good weather-influenced sound effects and a siren. Plus, while much longer than 2002's version of this song, the ending is way less drawn out. Definitely better than the first take, and I'd be curious to see Jamie, Mark, and David tackle the other five songs from 2002!

So, what are my final thoughts on Fuller's long awaited sophomore release? While I'm not a diehard emo fan (though I have softened on the genre since my high school years), I can definitely appreciate Fuller's talent and musical growth here! Recording and releasing this now aside, the songs on "Fuller II" are more energetic, rock-based, and dynamic than what Jamie and crew released in 2002, and while hardly a screamo record, you can see where the guys were leaning towards going had they lasted into 2006 and beyond. Jamie was an ideal frontman for the music on offer, but Mark's vocals (when utilized) really contrasted well with the music being played, and both had strong musical talents on display on guitar and bass! David's technical drumming and rhythms were a great fit here, and while I don't know how involved Dustin was for the additional instrumentation, his production definitely amped up these songs in ways that classic Fuller fans will enjoy!

"Batteries From Old Flashlights", "Image In My Sight", and "Six" were probably my favouite of the full songs, while I did appreciate what "B" was going for! In terms of drawbacks, some songs had too long of instrumental bridge sections, "A" would have been better served as a full song, I'd have completely separated "Kerosene" from "Six", and I'd like to have heard more of Mark's vocals. Anything else would be nitpicking given my own musical preferences, let alone the angrier, more in-your-face music that Jamie and Mark got up to in the 2010s and beyond, but this is a quality reunion album that answers questions that old school fans had about Fuller's unreleased original material from the Mark era, and it'd be awesome to see other contemporary local bands from the early-mid 2000s do the same! Hopefully a proper release concert happens when Mark is home again in the near future, but I hope you guys liked this month's CD review!

Next month's reviewed album is not clear yet, but it will not be of Fuller's debut EP or anything unreviewed by Sykotyk Rampage or Agnosticism due to our six month anti-bias buffer period between reviews of the same band. If we have to dip into the archives for a spell before reviewing HeadFirst's new album in May, likely candidates would be albums relating to performers at this Saturday's Inner City Surfers/Room 206 reunion concert. Possibly "Junk In The Trunk" or "Whiskey Will Be Our Sun"? Stay tuned as April progresses, and look for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (HeadFirst & Project 906) Plus Upcoming Album Updates!!

Here's a packed news post to check out on this Saturday afternoon, and it includes new announcements on two upcoming album releases from Sault Ontario acts, and two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the spring, so without any further ado, here's what you should know!

Local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley for one night only on Saturday, April 12th! While bassist Dustin Paras just played there last week filling in with Exit 808, this will be 906 proper's first show at "your perfect up north retreat" since September 2023. Long time coming for fans of theirs in Brimley or who frequent Bay Mills, but hopefully their hard rocking cover selection goes over swimmingly in three weeks' time! Of course, Project 906 (minus Billy) will be playing live later today at the Musicians Unite benefit concert at Bird's Eye Outfitters in the Soo, which we previewed on the SMS yesterday, and our continued best thoughts go out to guitarist Joe Jenkins, his wife Mary Jo, and their family as she continues her battle with breast cancer. Head to Bird's Eye today for nine hours of music to support the cause!

As for next month's Back Bay concert, expect a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on Project 906's return to the stage with Billy in three weeks, and stay tuned for more from Musicians Unite when it comes out!

Next up, here's a big new show confirmation for Sault Ontario on Saturday, May 3rd, as three local acts will join forces for a pre-party for this year's Steel City CollectorCon the following day! Before the comic con action descends on the Quattro Hotel on May 4th, there will be vendors, a pool tournament, and live music at Soo Blaster on May 3rd, and the nominal headliners that night are local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, whose long teased new project album will be released on this day! Entitled "Road Trippin'", the band has yet to 100% corroborate what Vintage Games & Junque have announced in event promotion, but this is all very encouraging for fans, so stay tuned in the coming month+ for more on HeadFirst's new album and this show in general! Local alternative/hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich will also rock Soo Blaster on May 4th in their first announced concert in over seven months.

No idea where the Sandwich has been since last fall, but hopefully they rock the house on May 3rd, especially a new album of their own still awaiting release! Last but not least, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith is advertised to return to the Soo for the first time since last fall's The Soo's Got Talent finals as well, though we await confirmation if Mike will be playing with The Big Finish Band or purely as a solo artist. Always good to see Mike back home, so don't bypass his Soo Blaster set in a month+! No word on what copies of "Road Trippin'" will cost, but admission to this presumably 19+ event will run for $20, and doors open at 7:30 PM. $35 VIP passes are also on sale that will grant you access to a question-and-answer panel (with the bands?) and a free door prize ticket. If you're inclined to enter the pool tournament, tickets for that are $20 and cash prizes will be offered.

To buy your tickets online in advance, click here, but they should also be on sale at Vintage Games & Junque, and maybe also at Soo Blaster and/or through the bands. While the lack of promotion from the scheduled musicians is still a little surprising, this is shaping up to be a huge pre-party for this year's CollectorCon, so visit the above links for more on what to expect at Soo Blaster in six weeks, and we'll have updates when they come out!

Finally, we move from a band who is releasing a long teased album in May to one who's releasing theirs.... on Friday! That is the day where local midwest emo/post-punk trio Fuller will release their long-awaited follow-up album "II" on major streaming services, as per their Facebook page yesterday! In said post, the band revealed the full ten song track listing, including the already-released advance singles "And I End" and "Kerosene", plus songs with the full titles "Batteries From Old Flashlights", "I Will Crush You", "A", "Image In My Sight", "Love Is Always Better When You're Dreaming", "B", "Can You Die From Embarrassment?", "and "Six". These all line up with the (mostly shortened) titles on the setlist from their reunion show at LopLops in December 2023 in performance order, for the record, so the extended set-ending jam must have been "Six". Also, based on that setlist, are "A" and "B" actually that night's two covers?

Co-producer Dustin Goodall will perform additional instrumentation on the album, while original Fuller drummer James Kersley (who was on their 2002 self-titled EP with no song names) will provide additional vocals on "Six". The release of "Fuller II" appears to solely be on streaming services for now, with no promised CD/vinyl printings or release concert (yet?), but for emo fans and classic Fuller supporters, this is an album two decades in the making, and assuming it comes out on Friday as planned, we now know this month's CD review at the SMS! Look for that next week, follow along for more from Fuller as "II" nears release, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

New Album Updates From Spades GT & Fuller!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for missing local acoustic classic/hard rock duo Dodge This' concert at The Dive Gastro Pub last night. The show was only announced early yesterday on the venue's Facebook page (the band did not corroborate the booking on theirs), but it is worth noting that they were the apparent replacement act last night, as Frankly Speaking were advertised on The Dive's February concert calendar. A reason for the Franks' withdrawal wasn't announced, but hopefully all is well, and that Dodge This had a great show yesterday! We'd have absolutely covered it on here had there even been a couple days' notice, but apologies again!

Today's post focuses on two upcoming albums from some familiar faces, and let's start with the long-teased new album from reunited midwest emo/punk band Fuller! Over a year after their well received reunion concert at LopLops Lounge in December 2023, the guys are making further moves towards their sophomore effort, 23 years after putting out their self-titled EP (which infamously had no titles on its six songs). Earlier today, an official Facebook page for the band was launched, finally enabling us to re-add Fuller to our active band links (we no longer list the degraded husk of MySpace pages, and while Fuller are on Instagram, that platform is too limiting for band pages). The new page doesn't have much to say, but it does confirm that their new album will simply be named "II", and it will go on sale in "early 2025". Greg Dawson mixed the songs at BWC Studios.

Jamie, Mark, and David were recording at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall last year, and bassist Mark Rand uploaded the first single from "Fuller II" onto the band's new YouTube channel yesterday, namely "And I End". This is definitely a song played during Mark's original tenure in Fuller in the early-mid 2000s, and to my understanding, the album will mostly (if not entirely) be comprised of Mark-era songs that never came out on CD. This should be well worth a listen for emo and punk fans whether you were around for Fuller's heyday or not (let alone Buckle's), and while I won't comment on "And I End" yet pending our CD review, give it a listen below!

Next up, let's re-enter the world of local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT, who have been hard at work on their new album recently, so what's new to report from the past month? On January 31st, they revealed on their Facebook page that they were "wrapping up demos for the new album this weekend", with a brief clip of Dave Galante's video of them at Walterstock attached. I won't embed it here, as the full & not-vertically pillarboxed video was featured in our Spades post from two weeks ago. The guys finished pre-production on the eight-track album as of February 2nd, with this photo of the band's current four members attached to said Facebook post. One week later, they noted that they are looking for promoters, bands, shows, and PR to help promote the band/album upon release, and for bookings in areas that they haven't played in yet, so contact spadesgtmusic@yahoo.com if you're interested in talking to them or getting details! With all of that said, how about the recording sessions proper?

Like on 2023's "Sewer City Radio", the former Jack Spades are recording this album with producer Kyle Marchant at Room 21 in Toronto, and the sessions began on Monday with drummer Tyler Reiner tracking material first. You can see 34 seconds of him drumming in studio in this video, and while things sound good so far, it's obviously way too soon to comment on the song proper. On Tuesday, they recorded bass parts for the album, though they have yet to find a permanent bassist to replace the departed James Roy Daley. At least in their 71 seconds-long teaser video from that day's sessions, guitarist Daniel Horton is seen on camera playing bass, but it remains to be seen if he will be covering that instrument on the whole album (fellow guitarist Matthew Voros can play bass too, and they've largely gotten by with guest bassists in concerts since last summer). Both Dan and Matt were in the studio on Wednesday & Thursday to record guitar for the album, and a video was shot then too!

For some reason, that day's teaser video was uploaded A. as a "Reel", and B. with both letterboxing and pillarboxing, so despite being vertical from the start, it's tiny in the "Reel" frame. How did that happen? Watch the screen closely for the best effect, but it focuses on Daniel tracking for the album alongside ex-guitarist Jay Sarrazin, who played on two songs on "Sewer City Radio" and appears to be back as a guest performer for this album. They hadn't teased his involvement at all on social media beforehand, so it's good to see Jay working with Spades again! For day 5 on Friday, the sessions featured singer J.D. Pearce at Room 21, and that teaser clip is another "Reel", but this time, a horizontal video forcibly pillarboxed into the vertical dimensions. I'd complain, but it's much bigger than the guitar one! This focuses on a brand new Spades song, possibly named "United" or "We Are United".

While sounding fairly complete, I won't comment on the song yet pending our eventual album review, but Spades fans will definitely want to watch that "Reel" to see how things are progressing! Yesterday's sessions were focused around guest appearances and gang vocals, but at press time, the band has yet to post anything about what went down at Room 21 then. We'll let you know when further updates come out on the album sessions, but give Daniel's bass tracking video a watch below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Haggith - "Apocalypse II" Review!!

Now's a good time for our 98th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a long overdue look at the fourth of five studio CDs from defunct local hard rock/grunge quartet Haggith, namely their concept sequel album "Apocalypse II"! With no major new local hard rock releases, we'll tackle an archive album this month, as tied in with Haggith members' recent sets with The Din, Eclipse, and Project 421. Recorded at & released through Paperclip Productions on May 9th, 2015 prior to their Swampstravaganza V set at The Canadian, "Apocalypse II" was Haggith's final full-length studio album, and the conclusion of their zombie apocalypse concept series outside of their three mainline studio releases. Instrument credits on this album are widely varying, so this is just a generalization of credit for each performer, but Haggith's 2014-2015 lineup recorded this album, with only ex-guitarist Daniel Horton performing on all tracks.

The primary lineup here features Daniel alongside singer/rhythm guitarist Curtis McKenzie, bassist Jordan Leach (in his studio debut with Haggith), and drummer/backing vocalist Mike Haggith, with all but Jordan providing keyboard & synthesizer input on most songs, and Daniel's Project 421 bandmate Frank McGillivray performs guest guitar on the three "Home" tracks."Apocalypse II" is now out of print, but copies sold for $5 during their brief sale period in Haggith's last active months, and while it (and their last EP "XIV") is not available on Bandcamp, the whole album can be streamed at Haggith's YouTube channel, and song names here are linked to those copies. If you want a physical copy, inquire with members on possible availability, and/or check The Rad Zone! Also, as a reference note and spoiler for the end of the first "Apocalypse" from November 2012, songs are primarily wrote here by Curtis & Daniel, with Mike only credited on 4 songs.

In the first album, Mike was the title character, an astronaut who returned to Earth during a zombie apocalypse, finding no hope in the new reality, and returning to space to end his life. His lack of writing credits is a presumed acknowledgement of his character's demise at that album's end, but how does "Apocalypse II" evolve across it's 10 tracks and 40 minute runtime? Read on to find out, but spoilers lie ahead! The album begins with "Apocalypse", which is solely performed and composed by Curt & Dan. A melancholy number, the song basically serves as a re-telling of the first album's storyline and Mike's saga therein, and it's well done on that basis, but Curtis' vocals could be toned down a little to match the symphonic and mid-tempo instrumentation. Not the best showcase of Haggith's full sound, but an effective way to bring fans up to speed who haven't heard the first album at all or in a long while!

Second is "Hands of Death", which is the first full band performance on this CD, and arguably it's only song to have a signficant presence in live concerts. Opening with a solo guitar section from Daniel that sounds like a folksy "Master of Puppets", this song alludes to trying to escape zombies and survive, not unlike "If You Get Out Alive" from the original album, but it is a much heavier song with strong vocals! That said, the production does not accentuate this song's aggression as well as how it came across in concerts, so it sounds a little tinny, and Mike's cymbals are too prominent. Still a solid number, complete with a quality guitar solo, and Jordan asserts himself well on bass! Next is "Immunity", which also has the full band, but it's a complete change in pace, instead being a piano-driven ballad about perseverance and survival in the apocalypse at any cost. Honestly, this is the strongest track yet, harbouring effective and affecting orchestration, better matched vocals, and stronger overall production, helping this track that's very heavy in a different way!

Fourth is the shortest song on "Apocalypse II", the sub-2 minute "Spreading the Disease". Another complete sound departure, this track feels like a country/bluegrass ditty sung around a campfire, with the guys (sans Jordan) even breaking out a hand drum, shakers, and spoons for percussion. The lyrics about the spread of the zombie virus and fate of the Earth obviously are a huge contrast from the music, but the amusing irony alone makes this worth a listen, and for what it is, it's well performed!

The next three songs (uploaded together on YouTube) are parts 5-7 of "Home", concluding the suite of tracks begun on "Apocalypse I" over two years prior, with Mike getting his first co-writing credit for these songs. The first 4 'Home" tracks were about Mike's return to his home, realization of what happened, and tumultuous departure, and these songs follow similar themes, with part 5 themed around actually going home, part 6 featuring ghost-like spoken word from Mike and assorted sampled audio with minimalistic guitar work, and part 7 (the album's longest track, I believe) continuing plans for part 5 as the quest to go home continues. The hard to critique "Part 6" aside, parts 5 & 7 definitely have a Project 421 vibe to them, partially thanks to Frank McGillivray's strong guest guitar performances, and Mike has a nice drum solo during part 3 as well! As a pure classic metal epic, the second half of the "Home" suite does the job nicely and arguably is the CD's peak!

Song #8 is "Tribute to Mike Haggith", which directly acknowledges Mike's character's death at the end of "Apocalypse I", and serves as a eulogy to his character's life, presumably once his fate was uncovered upon the return home. If you can get past the fact that the real Mike Haggith is both alive in reality and a backing vocalist on the track, this is an effective memoriam to his character, who you did get to know throughout the first "Apocalypse", and while not a technical epic like "Home (Parts 5-7)", it does what it sets out to do! The penultimate song on the CD is "We Are The Damned", which opens with a somewhat meandering 90 second-long intro before finally truly beginning as a song where Curtis acknowledges the bleak future in the zombie-ravaged Earth and what the future holds. Another softer number, but with more of a deliberate and dark mood, this is similar to "Hands of Death" in that the production masks some heaviness in the performance, but in Curt's swan song on the album, he delivers his strongest singing yet, and Daniel's a solid match on guitar and bass!

The album closes with it's title track, "Apocalypse II", an instrumental that does not feature Curtis in any way, and has Jordan's only writing credit on the CD (and Mike's only one outside of the "Home" songs.) A medium paced hard rocker with prominent synthesizer usage late, the song has a deliberate, almost swing-like pace that leaves the ending to the album's story in a more ambiguous state than on "Apocalypse I". This song isn't bad, and has a good groove to it, but it lacks the emotion and mood from earlier songs with lyrics. As for the album's over-arching story, it's harder to precisely pin down than on the first CD, especially without lyrics available, but it comes across to me like Curtis (the narrator), Daniel, and Jordan are friends of Mike that are trying to survive in the zombie apocalypse, and are banking on their hometown being a safe haven, but once they discover that it's been hit and Mike is dead, they have to come to terms with life as it now stands. I may be totally off base, but that's my perception.

So, what do I think of Haggith's closer to their zombie concept album saga? Overall, this is an intriguing compliment to the first "Apocalypse" that feels like it's follow-up, but is also very different at the same time! Whereas 2012's album was a rock opera about Mike Haggith's fictional character with his and Daniel's writing as the driving force, he and Curtis McKenzie swapped places here, with Curt taking over as primary singer, narrator, and co-writer, giving this album it's own sound. Like before, this doesn't have the feel of Haggith's mainline trilogy aside from "Hands of Death", with "Home" feeling more like Project 421, and other songs all having their own sounds, be they rich and orchestral, dark and melancholy, or even infused with country! The lyrics of this album are (to me) more open-ended and vague, but the themes of a zombie-infested wasteland are still present, and everyone performs well, with Curt's vocals generally a strong fit, and Daniel Horton handles guitar and bass well no matter the sound!

Jordan Leach's increased bass parts are welcomed here compared to Caleb Cachagee's single appearance on "Apocalypse I", and while less of a presence in story & in studio here, Mike Haggith asserts himself on drums and through backing & spoken word vocals! I still prefer Haggith's debut "Dragon Joy Ride" out of my own heavier music preferences, and some of the production doesn't benefit the moods of the songs, but as a full piece, this is a worthwhile listen to bring Haggith's "Apocalypse" saga to a close, with a little something for everyone, but for my picks, the "Home" suite and "Immunity" are my highlights. Stream the whole album at the above links! I hope you guys liked our long overdue review of Haggith's final un-reviewed studio album (their extra releases "For The Cause" and "Flight 75" are possibilities in 2018), but as for our next CD review, I am 99% sure that it will be "Trading Faces", the fast-approaching split covers tape from AlgomA and Shit Liver, so look for that next month, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site over the coming days! Thanks everyone!